Who composed the musical score for Beauty and the Beast?

Alan Menken composed the musical score for Disney’s 1991 film Beauty and the Beast.

Menken wrote the orchestral film score and, with lyricist Howard Ashman, created the songs that drive the story. Their collaboration helped turn the fairy tale into a full-scale animated musical, with numbers such as “Belle,” “Be Our Guest,” and “Beauty and the Beast” functioning as major storytelling scenes rather than brief interruptions.

The project followed the success of The Little Mermaid, which Menken and Ashman had also worked on. Disney initially considered a more conventional, non-musical adaptation, but the production was reworked as a musical after studio executives saw the potential of the songwriting team. Ashman died before the film was completed, and the finished movie became one of the defining achievements of the Disney Renaissance.

The common confusion is Howard Ashman, one of the film’s principal creative forces. Ashman wrote the lyrics, while Menken composed the music and score. Menken’s score won the Academy Award for Best Original Score, and the title song also won Best Original Song.