Howard (2018)

Howard: Directed by Don Hahn. With Don Hahn, Sarah Gillespie, Shirley Ashman, Howard Ashman. The story of songwriter Howard Ashman who penned the lyrics for Little Shop of Horrors, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast before he died of AIDS at the height of the AIDS crisis in 1991.

“It doesnu0026#39;t do much that you havenu0026#39;t already seen in many other documentaries, so I canu0026#39;t really say itu0026#39;s amazing… but it is very solid, polished, and well-made, and comprehensive without feeling over-long. Itu0026#39;s basically the definition of a 7/10 documentary, but in my eyes thatu0026#39;s a good two points above average, so I canu0026#39;t complain too much.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs a document of the life of somebody who has passed, it is notably respectful and not too critical, and I guess in this case, maybe he was a truly good guy, and there wasnu0026#39;t too much that was bad to say. Maybe there was more that could be said, but in respect for the dead, it wasnu0026#39;t- but thatu0026#39;s pure speculation on my part; just something I think about whenever I watch this sort of documentary about someone who was loved and died young.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI was pleasantly surprised that it did cover his homosexuality, as well as briefly touching on the fact that he was worried about Disney finding out. I was concerned this would be 100% glossed over or at the very least barely covered, given that this is produced by the notoriously clean cut Disney. Also they make Jeffrey Katzenberg look like a bit of a buffoon at a couple of points, which was also surprising.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIt likely wonu0026#39;t blow anybody away, but if you want a good look at the story of one of Disneyu0026#39;s most beloved creators- a man who largely helped define the Disneyu0026#39;s Renaissance, allowing it to become a relevant entertainment juggernaut once again- then you canu0026#39;t go wrong with this. And at a brisk 90-something minutes, it moves pretty quickly too. Disney+ adding more stuff like this is definitely something that will keep me invested in the streaming service as a whole.”