“He was this really learned guy who made musical theater his life.
And he was much more than a lyricist, you know.
He was a dramatist.
Indiana University
He was a director, a producer.
And all that meant we had to up our game.
If we had a point of view that was different from Howard’s, we had to defend it.
Disney
“I think that’s where it becomes heroic.
“That’s about as big and epic a story as I can think of.
DON HAHN:I don’t completely know.
Ashman Estate
That’s maybe a perspective that we wouldn’t have had immediately afterward.
And I think we have a little more perspective on the AIDS epidemic and those times.
How did the documentary end up coming together with you as the director?
Well, it started at a lunch, as everything does in Hollywood.
I had lunch with Sarah Gillespie, Howard’s sister, and it really was just a catch-up lunch.
And I kind of just blurted out, “I think I’m gonna do a documentary.”
And she said, “Oh, that’s lovely.”
That first year or so was just trying to learn about Howard.
That’s when I found that the most interesting, compelling material I had was from Howard himself.
And that made me want to support it with people that knew him and worked with him personally.
Can you tell me more about your research process?
They had some things that had never been heard.
In one box they had a tape from Bill’s answering machine.
That tape became an amazing discovery.
We knew we needed the help of Howard’s family, and Sarah was great.
Bill Lauch, the same way.
Late in the game, people would realize they had things that maybe I’d be interested in.
When Howard was sick I recorded like two hours of him reminiscing.”
We had a lot of those things happen.
And he happened to record it.”
And I said, “Let me listen,” and it was Howard and Alan talking all aboutMermaid.
It’s like the documentarian’s dream to come across those things.
I thought the advantage of it was the authenticity of it.
I don’t think we need old guys reminiscing; there’s plenty of that on TV.
How did making this film affect your perception of Howard, compared to when you were working with him?
He was big-hearted, he was beloved, not just in animation, but on the stage.
People that are your taskmasters are not often your friends.
And Howard was a taskmaster, and he was very articulate about what he wanted.
There’s a very vulnerable side in the stories [about] him.
Nobody asked for an operetta.
So he had a vulnerable side that was really afraid of humiliation.
He never had a hit on Broadway.
Howarddebuts on Disney+ Aug. 7.
