5 Best Musicals To Prove You Don’t Hate Musicals

I’ve seen so many opinion pieces on the recent cinema darling La La Land that begin “I don’t normally like musicals but…” or words to that effect. It’s almost becoming the film world’s version of “I’m not racist but…”

From a broad scope, it’s easy to understand the negative connotations the musical genre has gained over the years with a lengthy list of sub-par, even tedious examples such as Rock of Ages or Annie (the Jamie Foxx one).

In contrast, the aforementioned La La Land has been an all round success. Harking back to Hollywood’s ‘golden age’ but in a modern setting and punching you in the eye with its vibrancy, not to mention the Oscar-worthy performances by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling.

So in order to help everyone remember that they do in fact ‘do’ musicals, here are five of the best.

 

1. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut

The feature-length adaptation of South Park blew everyone away because of how well it coupled the show’s traditional bold, brash style with genuinely well-produced songs. The film is essentially an extended episode with several musical numbers thrown in, which sounds rather jarring on paper but in practice the two styles mesh together perfectly.

In typical South Park style, the film is extremely self-referential in that it is a story where a film is blamed for corrupting children and is presented in a format that is blamed for corrupting children. In the film, Canada becomes the subject of everyone’s ire resulting in the musical number, Blame Canada, which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song.

One could take this as creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s way of parodying the musical genre but if you take a look at most of their other work, there is a bit too much evidence there suggesting they have an affinity for the genre. Just some of the other musicals Stone and Parker have produced are Cannibal! The Musical, Team America and their hit stage show The Book of Mormon (a film adaptation has been confirmed so get excited now).

 

2. Mary Poppins

https://youtu.be/tRFHXMQP-QU

Have you ever met anybody who dislikes Mary Poppins? If so, please escort them to the nearest branch of Souls R Us. This is undeniably a fantastic piece of cinematic history that just so happens to be wrapped up in a musical. So much so that I’m sure you have any one of the films infectious numbers in your head as you read this.

Everything about Mary Poppins is done so perfectly it’s easy to see why it is so revered. Sure, Dick Van Dyke’s infamous ‘cockney’ accent is dire but the songs are so expertly written and performed they implant themselves in your brain for all eternity. Also, the dance section with Van Dyke and the penguins is worth the price of admission alone.

Aside from the music, the film touches on so many themes that are still relevant today; feminism, parenthood, relationships, mental-health, the film should basically be mandatory watching. Rather than being heavy-handed as films with messages often are, Mary Poppins serves up its themes with a spoonful of sugar to help us digest them. Sorry (I’m not sorry).

 

3. Singin’ in the Rain

Considered to be on of the greatest American films of all time, Singin’ in the Rain is a musical that takes place and parodies Hollywood during its transitional phase between silent movies to ‘the talkies’.

It was fairly commonplace at the time but Singin’ in the Rain is one of the best examples of integrated musical, where the characters will express their feelings through song and/or dance in a seemingly natural way like it is part of everyday life. The songs would drive the narrative rather than distracting from it. Therein lies the key to musicals; they can’t be made with either the story or the music as the focus to then cram the one in, they must be symbiotic to one another and Singin’ in the Rain nails it.

Also the film has Gene Kelly splashing about in puddles not giving a damn what you think.

 

4. Pretty Much Every Disney Animation You Love

The Jungle Book. Aladdin. The Little Mermaid. Beauty and the Beast. The Lion King. Just a few (and probably the best) examples of musicals you don’t class as musicals but you absolutely adore.

While Disney are rightly looked at as the benchmark in animation and storytelling thanks to the amount of heart and heartbreak they put into their films, if you were to walk up to someone and sing “Look for the…” they will undoubtedly respond “…bear necessities” and then proceed to sing as much of the song as they can remember to you and you will absolutely join in.

As interest in musicals began to die off towards the end of the 1950’s, Disney pressed on including top quality, memorable songs in their features even up to modern day. You will often hear a parent complain that their child won’t stop singing Let It Go over and over but have they ever thought why they won’t stop? The song is just that damn good. It’s clearly a testament to the craftsmanship of the song that it is capable of creating borderline hysteria to those who love it just from the opening bars.

 

5. The Wizard of Oz

When it comes to iconic, they don’t come much more iconic than this. The Wizard of Oz blazed a trail for the Technicolor movement in Hollywood and went on to be referenced/parodies in just about everything that’s come after it.

Like most of the other films in this list, you can probably name at least three songs from the film and sing most of them all the way through but perhaps more important than the songs was the impact the film has had on society, mainly LGBT culture. The Wizard of Oz allowed people to draw clear parallels between themselves and the characters in the film and their double identities as well as main character Dorothy’s longing for a world where she can express herself freely.

The film was released in 1939 so it is highly unlikely that it was or ever will be formally acknowledged if this was ever the intention, as any elderly relative will tell you, it was a different time back then, but regardless it remains a solid story of finding yourself that stands the test of time.