Anytime you run a gimmick offence, you're a little bit afraid - you're not sound in what you're doing in your base stuff.
Richard ShermanThe challenge in writing the songs for The Aristocats truly fell on the animators & director of the film. Robert & I wrote the initial songs for the film, just prior to leaving full-time employment at the Walt Disney Studios. Therefore, some of the songs we wrote for The Aristocats were never used. I believe, therefore, the challenge fell upon the makers of the film to select what songs made the final cut.
Richard ShermanIt's hard coming in here talking a big game. It's hard, it's hard. It's a lamb coming to the wolves and throwing meat at them.
Richard ShermanWeโve been in all the big games, weโve been in small games, and weโve treated them all the same and I think that mentality is whatโs helped us get to the point where we are now.
Richard ShermanWe always feel there are 3 parts to the song. The most important part is the reason it should exist. Our process usually consists of me sitting at the piano & Bob hovering over it. We throw ideas out...I start to play something...he'll hum something to make it better. He'll throw a line to me, I'll twist it to make it better and we scramble around like that for sometimes hours and days, 'til we both agree we've got something to show! That's how it works!
Richard ShermanAll films created by Walt Disney at the time of his major outpouring of work were carefully crafted to fit scenes, characters, moods and situations. If these elements changed in any way, songs - no matter how good they were - were discarded. Others were written for the new scenes. Many times, character songs were dropped because characters were dropped...sequences were dropped etc.
Richard Sherman