Howard Ashman's queer Disney legacy with Daniel Lammin

Icons are a dime a dozen here at Aural Fixation (that's what we do... it's what we live for) but heroes are a different kettle of sea-witch – and they don't get more queer-oic than Howard Ashman. For better and for worse, the animated motion pictures produced by the Walt Disney Animation Studios have profoundly shaped the media consumed by children since 1928. Like any entertainment behemoth, quality and fortune has ebbed and flowed, but it was the sheer and singular talent of one queer man that steered Disney’s legacy from their lowest trough to their highest peak. Through a kaleidoscope of Broadway magic and animation mastery, Howard's indelible fingerprints on The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin now reveal, in adulthood, tropes of the queer experience we can all understand. The ostracisation of the 'other'...  turning that otherness into a superpower... and wanting to be part of that world. To help us navigate Howard's legacy across mermaids, beasts and magic carpets, we're joined by Daniel Lammin, a theatre director, writer and producer of Ink + Paint, a joyous podcast deep-dive into Disney's animation history. We also want to acknowledge Don Hahn, the producer of The Lion King and Hunchback of Notre Dame, who created the two documentaries that have revived the current interest in Howard and his work – Waking Sleeping Beauty (2010) and Howard (2018). Visit our online home at auralfixationpodcast.com, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, or go old school and email us at [email protected]. You can follow Andy on @andrewdoyouthinkyouare, Drew on @with.all.drew.respect, and Daniel at @dlammin. And don't forget to make this episode's playlist part of your world.Our big gay thanks to Anthony Garvin and the team at Forbes Street Studios in Sydney.  Finally, we would like to acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the land this podcast episode was recorded on, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.