Best Musical Movies of All Time: Musical movies are a popular and distinct film genre that features music and dance in varying combinations. These movies often have a romantic/dramatic plot with a happy ending and that’s why musical movies are almost always a treat.
With so many musical movies out there, it’s difficult to select some of the best musical movies of all time. For this, we have gone through many movie critics to get this list of the best musical movies you can’t miss.
Best Musical Movies of All Time
1. Matilda: The Musical (2022)
Director: Matthew Warchus
Genres: Comedy/Drama/Family
Star Cast: Stephen Graham, Emma Thompson, Andrea Riseborough, Lashana Lynch
Matilda the Musical is a 2022 musical fantasy comedy film directed by Matthew Warchus from a screenplay by Dennis Kelly, based on the stage musical Roald Dahl’s Matilda by Kelly and Tim Minchin, itself based on the 1988 novel Matilda by Roald Dahl.
Matilda the Musical tells the story of an extraordinary girl, with a vivid imagination, who dares to take a stand to change her story with miraculous results.
2. Sing 2 (2021)
Director: Garth Jennings, Christophe Lourdelet
Genres: Animation/Adventure/Comedy
Star Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Tori Kelly
Sing 2 is a 2021 American computer-animated jukebox musical comedy film produced by Illumination, and distributed by Universal Pictures.
Sing 2 features songs from many artists, most of which are performed diegetically. The story is set after the events of the previous film with Buster Moon and his group putting on a show in Redshore City while working to impress an entertainment mogul and enlist a reclusive rock star to perform with the group.
3. The Greatest Showman (2017)
Director: Michael Gracey
Genres: Biography/Drama/Musical
Star Cast: Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron, Zendaya
The Greatest Showman is a 2017 American biographical musical drama film directed by Michael Gracey in his directorial debut, written by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon and starring Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, and Zendaya.
The film is based on the story and life of P.T. Barnum, a famous showman and entertainer, and his creation of the Barnum & Bailey Circus and the lives of its star attractions.
4. La La Land (2016)
Director: Damien Chazelle
Genres: Comedy/Drama/Music
Star Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Rosemarie DeWitt, J.K. Simmons
La La Land is a 2016 American romantic musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle. It stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as a struggling jazz pianist and an aspiring actress, respectively, who meet and fall in love while pursuing their dreams in Los Angeles.
5. West Side Story (2021)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Genres: Crime/Drama/Musical
Star Cast: Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez
West Side Story is a 2021 American musical romantic drama film directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Tony Kushner. It is the second feature-length adaptation of the 1957 stage musical of the same name.
Love at first sight strikes when young Tony spots Maria at a high school dance in 1957 New York City. Their burgeoning romance helps to fuel the fire between the warring Jets and Sharks – two rival gangs vying for control of the streets.
6. Mamma Mia! (2008)
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Genres: Comedy/Musical/Romance
Star Cast: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Stellan Skarsgård
Mamma Mia! is a 2008 jukebox musical romantic comedy film directed by Phyllida Lloyd and written by Catherine Johnson, based on her book from the 1999 musical of the same name. The plot follows a young bride-to-be who invites three men to her upcoming wedding, with the possibility that any of them could be her father.
7. Chicago (2002)
Director: Rob Marshall
Genres: Comedy/Crime/Musical
Star Cast: Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Taye Diggs
Chicago is a 2002 American musical black comedy crime film based on the 1975 stage musical of the same name which in turn originated in the 1926 play of the same name.
Chicago centers on Roxie Hart (Zellweger) and Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones), two murderers who find themselves in jail together awaiting trial in 1920s Chicago. Roxie, a housewife, and Velma, a vaudevillian, fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows.
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8. In the Heights (2021)
Director: Jon M. Chu
Genres: Drama/Musical/Romance
Star Cast: Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera
In the Heights is a 2021 American musical drama film directed by Jon M. Chu from a screenplay by Quiara Alegría Hudes based on the stage musical of the same name by Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
The film follows a similar plot to the musical, telling the story of a corner in the predominantly Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, where every member of the community pursues their sueñitos (little dreams) for a better life.
9. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)
Director: David Dobkin
Genres: Comedy/Musical
Star Cast: Will Ferrell, Rachel McAdams, Dan Stevens, Mikael Persbrandt
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is a 2020 American musical comedy film directed by David Dobkin, and written by Will Ferrell and Andrew Steele.
The film follows the personally close Icelandic singers Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdóttir as they are given the chance to represent their country at the Eurovision Song Contest.
10. Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Director: Bill Condon
Genres: Adventure/Family/Fantasy
Star Cast: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Josh Gad
Beauty and the Beast is a 2017 American musical romantic fantasy film directed by Bill Condon from a screenplay by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos. The film is a live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1991 animated film of the same name, itself an adaptation of Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont’s 1756 version of the fairy tale.
Belle, a village girl, embarks on a journey to save her father from a creature that has locked him in his dungeon. Eventually, she learns that the creature is an enchanted prince who has been cursed.
11. Moana (2016)
Director: Ron Clements, John Musker, Don Hall, Chris Williams
Genres: Animation/Adventure/Comedy
Star Cast: Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison
Moana is a 2016 American computer-animated musical adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures.
It tells the story of Moana, the strong-willed daughter of a chief of a Polynesian village, who is chosen by the ocean itself to reunite a mystical relic with the goddess Te Fiti.
When a blight strikes her island, Moana sets sail in search of Maui, a legendary demigod, in the hope of returning the relic to Te Fiti and saving her people. The plot is original but takes inspiration from Polynesian myths.
12. Aladdin (2019)
Director: Guy Ritchie
Genres: Adventure/Comedy/Family
Star Cast: Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari
Aladdin is a 2019 American musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Guy Ritchie, from a script he co-wrote with John August. It is a live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1992 animated film of the same name, which itself is based on the eponymous tale from One Thousand and One Nights.
The plot follows Aladdin, a street urchin, as he falls in love with Princess Jasmine, befriends a wish-granting Genie, and battles the wicked sorcerer Jafar.
