The Magic of Movie Musicals: My All-Time Favorites

With the release of Wicked: For Good this weekend, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite movie musicals. I have always enjoyed a good musical, but I've become more interested in them over the past few years, as more have been released as movies. I was also involved in musicals backstage in High School. (Mainly to meet girls, which is where I met Sarah, so evidently it worked). All of the movies on my list are ones where I have at least one song saved on my Spotify playlist and are all ones that I could watch at any point. With all that said, and in no particular order, here are my 10 favorite movie musicals.

1. Wizard of Oz

Of course, there can't be a favorite musicals list without The Wizard of Oz. The Wizard of Oz is an all-time classic that is beloved by almost everyone. It's a sweet film with charming characters and a fun setting. Pretty much all of the songs are all-time classics. You have one of the most famous villains of all time in The Wicked Witch of the West, and so many iconic moments and lines. This was one of my favorite movies as a kid and is still a classic I like to rewatch often today.

2. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is another classic story turned into a great musical. I really like the flow of the story and how cool the factory is. Gene Wilder is great as Willy Wonka and is forever associated with the role. I like a lot of the songs in this movie from Pure Imagination to the Oompa Loompa songs. I love all of the different rooms in the factory and the send off each child gets as the group gets slowly whittled down to Charlie. This is just a totally wholesome tale that is another fond memory of mine from childhood.

3. The Greatest Showman

The Greatest Showman is probably my favorite modern musical and showed me that Wolverine can sing. I think this movie does a great job of brining the fun of the circus to the big screen and brings the big Broadway style musical to the modern movie. All of the songs are so good. This is one of the few musicals that I bought the whole album for after I watched the film. Of course, Hugh Jackman is a great singer, but you also feature great performances from Zac Ephron and Zendaya.

4. Grease

Grease is a movie that I enjoy more for the music than for the story itself. The premise of the movie is very fun, with a greaser and a good girl trying to have a relationship. I think the 1950s aesthetic is a lot of fun. I think it is fun to see John Travolta living it up in a musical performance like this. The songs of this movie are so good, with numbers like Summer Nights, Grease Lighting, and You're the One that I Want, all songs that I have on my Spotify playlist. While the plot itself is a bit bumpy at times, the music alone is what makes it an all-time favorite musical for me.

5. Aladdin

Aladdin is my favorite animated musical. This movie was a major release during my childhood, especially since the other Disney films at the time were underwhelming. I love every song in Aladdin, and "Friend Like Me" is my favorite Disney song ever. The highlight for me is Robin Williams as the Genie. He dominates the film with his vibrant energy and clever impersonations. The rest of the characters are enjoyable, but the Genie truly stands out for me.

6. The Lion King

The Lion King is another great animated musical. The songs in this movie are just so big and epic. When your opening number is Circle of Life, you know the songs are going to be great. In my opinion, there are no bad songs in this movie. I also love all of the characters in this movie, with Timon and Pumba being my favorites. This movie also packs a solid emotional punch with the death of Mufasa that the rest of the Disney movies just don't have. While I say Aladdin is my favorite Disney musical, The Lion King is pretty much tied with it.

7. Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast is the final animated musical on this list. This movie probably has the most Broadway feel out of any of the Disney musicals with its large scale musical numbers. Beauty and the Beast is one of the few love stories that I actually like. Aside from that, the characters are all a lot of fun, and this is another film that doesn't have a bad song in it. This is another movie that I watched all the time as a kid, so it has a special place in my memory.

8. Wicked

Wicked is one of the most recent musicals I have seen. While there may be a bit of recency bias here, it is still one of my all-time favorite movie musicals. When I first heard about the movies, I was a bit indifferent and didn't really expect much. However, the film blew me away and ended up being one of my favorite movies of last year. The scale of the sets is just so cool, with there being so many practical sets. The scope and scale remind me a lot of the early Harry Potter films. This is another movie that has multiple songs that have made it to my Spotify playlist. While it only came out last year, I have seen it multiple times and have rewatched several of the musical numbers online.

9. Spirited

Spirited might be a bit of an out-there pick, but this is my favorite Christmas Musical. Spirited is a modern retelling of A Christmas Carol starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds. This movie is just a lot of fun. I enjoyed many of the songs in this and listen to them even if it isn't Christmas time. I loved all the Broadway style musical numbers as well as the modern spin on A Christmas Carol. Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell are hilarious together and are both surprisingly good singers. I also appreciated the larger-scale budget this movie got, which isn't as common for musicals these days.

10. Wonka

Wonka is another modern musical. When this movie was first announced, I was very skeptical and did not think Timothée Chalamet was a good choice for Willy Wonka. However, after seeing the movie, I ate my words completely. Timothy Chalamet is great as Willy Wonka. He doesn't try to recreate Gene Wilder and instead does his own version of the character. The songs are all a lot, with several getting stuck in my head a lot. The movie also has a surprising amount of heart to it and just the right amount of reverence to the original film.