The current Scott Rudin story has brought about the conversation of speaking truth to power, and how difficult that can be. Please indulge me for a few tweets while I share two stories that taught me how important it is to speak up...

Disclaimer: I am aware that the present situation is very different from what I’m about to discuss. I don’t mean to downplay the severity of what’s currently happening or attempt some sort of false equivalence. What I do want is to mention some things that really matter to me.

I assume most of you are aware of the story of how The Little Mermaid helped save Disney’s animation department and started the “Renaissance Era” of the early ‘90s. A huge chunk of that success was due to the award-winning songs of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman.

Depending on your familiarity with the details of the project, you may not be aware that Ariel’s only number, the beautiful “Part Of Your World” ballad, was nearly cut from the film.

Jeffrey Katzenberg, producer of the movie, saw children growing restless during test screenings of the film and took that to mean it didn’t serve the right purpose. He wanted to keep his audience engaged, and without flashy animation or comedic characters, the number was boring.

But Howard Ashman understood its importance, insisting upon the song’s inclusion to ensure the character could be relatable, the motivations could be clear, and the story (and its titular Mermaid) could have its voice.

This wasn’t an easy conversation. This debate lasted quite a while, and according to those who knew him well, Ashman’s temper was high. And with good reason. He was extremely passionate about the necessity of his musical storytelling, and fought to keep the song in the movie.

Thankfully, his efforts were not in vain, and Ariel’s heartfelt song soared from the screen, charming children and adults in one of the most well-known “I Want” songs in the Disney catalogue.

A similar story deals with another Ashman/Menken composition. “Be Our Guest” from Beauty And The Beast was nearly performed for Maurice, Belle’s father, upon his accidental arrival to the castle, and broken up by the Beast, who would then imprison Maurice.

This idea made it all the way from concept to recording. Early versions of the song have been released which feature Jerry Orbach’s Lumiere singing “monsieur” instead of “cherie”, and other masculine terms and pronouns.

But stories are often told by the film’s production team of someone who chose to speak up. This individual has never been named, to my knowledge, but everyone is in agreement that this person shyly raised their hand during a meeting and said:

“They’re singing that song to the wrong person.”

And everyone paused as they realized their mistake. By shifting the song to Belle’s first night in the castle, it moves the film’s first act along more smoothly, it helps add more music to the second act, and most importantly, it keeps the focus on the heroine.

Now, I think we can all agree that cutting “Part Of Your World” or shifting the placement of “Be Our Guest” would have had negative impacts on the film, and likely the Disney animation industry as a whole, than anyone involved could have foreseen.

And we can all agree that Katzenberg didn’t fully understand why Ashman spoke up the way he did, even after the success of Mermaid, because he chose to cut “When Love Is Gone” from The Muppet Christmas Carol several years later. (No one spoke up then.)

I think we can also agree that the name of the person who spoke up re: “Be Our Guest” doesn’t feel important to the people who have shared that story, because at the end of the day it’s still Disney’s movie, and their culture reflects the idea that no one person deserves credit.

But that person, no matter how small a role they had in the production of the film, was still brave enough to speak up. They weren’t a lyricist fighting for the inclusion of their song, they were just a nameless face who saw something no one else did, and raised their voice.

If you’re still with me after all of this, great! (And thank you!) Because now we’ve finally reached the point I want to make: Regardless of how involved you may be, you still have a responsibility to speak up for what you believe is right.

We’re often taught not to ask questions and not to make waves and not to challenge ideas, especially in large business cultures. But the best environments are the ones where people can voice opinions and concerns — and be heard.

It’s much easier to say “I have an idea for this movie” because there isn’t as much to risk, as opposed to speaking out about abuse or harassment or violence or any other issue more serious than the inclusion or placement of a song.

But all change has to come from somewhere. And the moral of the story is that even the smallest voice can have a tremendous impact for the better.

These are certainly happier stories than the present situation, and I acknowledge that. But the impact of these stories still matters to me. I think it’s important to be aware of what would have happened if no one had spoken up at all.

And I, for one, would very much like to know who that person is who spoke up in that meeting. And I’d like to buy them lunch. They are, without question, an unsung hero — and we deserve to know their name.

Thanks for letting me ramble a bit, friends. I hope we can continue creating a better industry—a better world—together, where we embrace accountability, we learn from our own mistakes, and we strive to be good to each other.