Who wrote the lyrics for the song "A Whole New World"?

Tim Rice wrote the lyrics for “A Whole New World.” Alan Menken composed the music, making the song a collaboration between Menken’s melody and Rice’s words for Disney’s 1992 animated Aladdin.

The song is performed in the film by Aladdin and Jasmine during their magic-carpet ride. Its lyrics present Aladdin showing Jasmine a world beyond the restrictions of palace life, while the duet develops the pair’s growing romantic connection. Brad Kane and Lea Salonga provided the characters’ singing voices in the original film.

Howard Ashman is a frequent source of confusion because he was a major Aladdin songwriter and collaborated with Menken before his death in 1991. However, Rice completed the lyrics for “A Whole New World” and several other songs in the film. The song later won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, becoming one of Disney’s best-known film songs.