Picking up where we left off yesterday … Howard Ashman & Alan Menken — pretty much against their will — were recruited by then- studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg to turn Disney’s somber, serious & non-singing “Beauty & the Beast” into a movie musical. Meanwhile, Kirk Wise & Gary Trousdale — after putting together a pretty successful pre-show for Epcot’s “Cranium Command” attraction — had received a surprise battlefield commission. Being rapidly promoted from being lowly storymen to becoming the new directors of this very troubled WDFA feature …
Which is how Kirk & Gary found themselves on a plane in December of 1989. Winging their way to the not-so-exotic-sounding burg of Fishkill, NY.
Now you might wonder: why go to upstate New York to work on a movie musical? Wouldn’t staying in Hollywood have made more sense? Or perhaps finding some studio space along Broadway in NYC.
But — no — Howard Ashman insisted that the movie’s core creative team (Kirk Wise, Gary Trousdale, Don Hahn, Linda Woolverton, Chris Sanders, Sue Nichols & Bruce Woodside) travel to this small town some 70 miles to the north of Manhattan. To work with Ashman & Menken upstairs in this dingy little conference room at the hotel. As the bunch of them tried to figure out how to turn “Beauty & the Beast” into a movie musical.
Now some members of the “B & B” creative team thought that Howard had made them all come out to Fishkill, NY just because Ashman was being a diva. That Howard — because he was still angry that Katzenberg hadn’t allowed Ashman & Menken to make “Aladdin” their follow-up film to “The Little Mermaid” — was now taking it out on the Walt Disney Company. Making the Mouse pay all this extra money to fly these people out to the middle of nowhere, then put them up in the Residence Inn.
Fishkill’s Residence Inn — where the musical version of “Beauty & the Beast” was actually born. (Photo by Jeff Lange)
What the folks from Disney Feature Animation didn’t understand was that Howard hadn’t made them all come out to Fishkill, NY because of some ill-conceived ego trip. But — rather — because Ashman had AIDS. And he thought that — if he just stayed close to home, followed his doctor’s advice and took his medicine — Howard might be able to slow the progress of the disease. Or — at the very least — keep himself from becoming the subject of gossip out in LA.
Anywho … The “Beauty & the Beast” creative team didn’t really know what to expect from a place with a name like Fishkill. But Fishkill — as it turns out — is kind of a charming little town. Nestled at the edge of the Catskill mountain chain, Fishkill was actually founded by the Dutch in the 1600s. And — as you stroll along its streets — you can’t help but notice that this burg is quiet & cozy. Very un-Los Angeles-like.
So — after settling in at the Residence Inn — the WDFA staffers headed out to explore Fishkill. The group of them had dinner at Hudson’s Fish & Ribs. They then bought a gallon of ice cream & hot fudge and headed back to the hotel, where they watched “A Charlie Brown Christmas” on television as they ate sundaes. And — after this classic TV show was over — the “B & B” creative team went outside & made angels in the snow.
It’s been said that the cute second-story windows found in Fishkill’s downtown area influenced the design of ‘Beauty & the Beast’ ‘s opening production number, “Belle.”
(Photo by Jeff Lange)
In spite of its awful sounding name, Fishkill turned out to be a very romantic place. At least to these somewhat cynical LA types. Which was why it turned out that the Residence Inn — with its real wood-burning fireplace downstairs — was the perfect place to re-imagine “Beauty & the Beast.” Changing this somber, serious, non-singing animated film into a full-blown movie musical.
So — on Monday morning — the full “B & B” creative team assembled in one of the dingy meeting rooms upstairs at the hotel. Howard Ashman arrived, wearing baggy pants with a pair of suspenders & clutching a bag of sugar donuts. (Hot fudge sundaes. Sugar donuts. As you can see, sugar plays a prominent role in the creative process at Disney Feature Animation.)
The team immediately settled down to work. Katzenberg wanted “Beauty & the Beast” to be a musical. Fine. Then Howard & Alan would turn “B & B” into one of the singingest things that Walt Disney Studios had ever produced. Ashman & Menken proposed an opening number — “Belle” — that covered practically all of Belle’s exposition for the picture. And — as for the romantic section of picture — the song writing team suggested a number called “Human Again” which would be 11 minutes long but would cover the couple’s entire courtship.
Of course, in order to help “Beauty & the Beast” ‘s draggy second act (where Belle & her captor are basically all alone in the castle), Howard suggested that the “B & B” creative team come up with other magical creatures to inhabit the building. Other members of the Beast’s court who had been caught up in the spell that the beautiful enchantress had cast over the young prince.
So that bland upstairs conference room was actually the birthplace of Mrs. Potts, Lumiere and Cogsworth.
In the week that they spent working in this bland little conference room, the “Beauty & the Beast” creative team broke the back of most of that motion picture’s story problems. (Photo by Jeff Lange)
So you see, folks. Magic & romance can be found virtually anywhere. Not just in famous places like Paris, New York or Hollywood. But even in unlikely sounding towns like Fishkill, NY. Upstairs at the Residence Inn. Go figure, huh?
TOMORROW … Disney management gives the production greenlight to the new, improved version of “Beauty & the Beast.” But can Disney’s animators actually get the film done in time for “B & B” ‘s already locked-in November 1991 release date?
To learn more about ASIFA-Hollywood’s “The Lion King” 10th anniversary event — that’s being held Monday, June 14th at the Glendale Public Library — JHM suggests that you follow this link .