Howard Elliott Ashman (May 17, 1950 – March 14, 1991) was an American playwright, lyricist, and stage director. He is most widely known for his work on feature films for Walt Disney Animation Studios, for which Ashman wrote the lyrics and Alan Menken composed the music. Ashman has been credited as being a main driving force behind the Disney Renaissance. His work included songs for Little Shop of Horrors, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. He died of AIDS complications in 1991.
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Biography from TMDB.
- May 17, 1950
- March 14, 1991 (aged 40)
- Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Writer and producer, also actor
- 11 on Motif · 13 credits in all
Known for
What are Howard Ashman's films like?
Across a limited sample of 4 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 3
Light 3 · Serious 1 · Dark 0
Grounded 1 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 3
Gentle 1 · Charged 2 · Intense 1
A split, not a type: Steady 1 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 4 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 3 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 0
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Howard Ashman's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 11 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (9).
- Aladdin (1992) · writer
- Beauty and the Beast (1991) · producer
- Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009) · actor
- The Little Mermaid (1989) · writer, producer
- Beauty and the Beast (2017) · writer
- Aladdin (2019) · writer
- Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration (2022) · writer
- Oliver & Company (1988) · songs
- The Little Mermaid (2023) · writer
Subscription and free streaming for Howard Ashman's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
13 credits, 11 with a Motif page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
The Little Mermaid(2023)
Motif score: 43rd percentile of all films
Motif score: 69th percentile of all films
Aladdin(2019)
Motif score: 74th percentile of all films
Beauty and the Beast(2017)
Motif score: 80th percentile of all films
God Bless You, Mr Rosewater (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)
Aria for a Cow (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2015)
Waking Sleeping Beauty(2009)
Motif score: 94th percentile of all films
Aladdin(1992)
Motif score: 98th percentile of all films
Beauty and the Beast(1991)
Motif score: 98th percentile of all films
Motif score: 41st percentile of all films
The Little Mermaid(1989)
Motif score: 94th percentile of all films
Oliver & Company(1988)
Motif score: 69th percentile of all films
Little Shop of Horrors(1986)
Motif score: 87th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 13 titles from 1986 to 2023.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.
How do Howard Ashman's films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 80th percentile, the median of all 11; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 94th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up6
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th2
Shape of the crowd
4 of their 11 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved4
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser4
Reviewers score the dialogue 72/100 and the plot and story 55/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Howard Ashman's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 3 Motif titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Howard Ashman work with?
People who share at least 2 of Howard Ashman's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jodi Benson shares the most, 2.
Actors
- Jodi BensonShared titles: Treasures Untold: The Making of Disney's 'The Little Mermaid' (2006), The Little Mermaid (1989)See all 2 shared titles with Jodi Benson
- Pat CarrollShared titles: Treasures Untold: The Making of Disney's 'The Little Mermaid' (2006), The Little Mermaid (1989)See all 2 shared titles with Pat Carroll
Composers and editors
- Alan MenkenShared titles: Beauty and the Beast (1991), The Little Mermaid (1989)See all 2 shared titles with Alan Menken
- John CarnochanShared titles: Beauty and the Beast (1991), The Little Mermaid (1989)See all 2 shared titles with John Carnochan
Mixed roles
- Maureen DonleyShared titles: Treasures Untold: The Making of Disney's 'The Little Mermaid' (2006), The Little Mermaid (1989)See all 2 shared titles with Maureen Donley
- Ron ClementsShared titles: Treasures Untold: The Making of Disney's 'The Little Mermaid' (2006), The Little Mermaid (1989)See all 2 shared titles with Ron Clements
