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Movies That Should Be Made Into Broadway Musicals

Originally by Lon Harris

Updated April 30, 2020 22.5k votes 1.4k voters 58.6k views 264 items

List Rules Only movies that would work as musicals.

A list of movies that should be adapted for the Broadway stage. Each year, at least one or two popular Broadway shows are turned into films. 2012 alone saw the release of a film based on the stage show "Rock of Ages," along with plans to turn the "Wizard of Oz" prequel "Wicked" into a movie. But another trend has been also been kickstarted - adapting popular films into Broadway shows. Disney has been doing this for years with the successful runs of "The Lion King" and "Beauty and the Beast" on stage, and other recent Broadway hits such as "The Producers," "Spamalot" (adapted from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"), "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" and "Shrek" have bolstered the idea that audiences want to see popular characters from other media turned into stage spectacles. ("The Producers" was even turned BACK into a new film after having tremendous success as a play.)

"Back to the Future" is the most recent iconic film to be discussed as a potential stage show. But what are some other movies that would work well presented live on a stage, with songs? Vote for the films you'd like to line up to see on the Great White Way, and if you have a brilliant idea for a new adaptation, suggest it at the bottom of the page and see what the rest of Ranker thinks of your pick! (For the flip side, vote on a list of Stage Musicals that Would Make Great Movies.)

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danlee added The Princess Bride Billy Crystal, Robin Wright, André the Giant

Released: 1987

Directed by: Rob Reiner

The Princess Bride is a 1987 American romantic comedy fantasy adventure film directed and co-produced by Rob Reiner. It was adapted by William Goldman from his 1973 novel of the same name. The ...more

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Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Tim Brooke-Taylor

Released: 1971

Directed by: Mel Stuart

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a 1971 musical fantasy film directed by Mel Stuart, and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. The film, a film adaptation of the 1964 novel Charlie and ...more

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Benjamin Dunn added Dirty Dancing Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Jerry Orbach

Released: 1987

Directed by: Emile Ardolino

Dirty Dancing is a 1987 American romantic drama film. Written by Eleanor Bergstein and directed by Emile Ardolino, the film stars Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in the lead roles, as well as ...more

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#2,239 of 3,542 The Greatest Albums of All-Time #34 of 350 'Old' Movies Every Young Person Needs To Watch In Their Lifetimelisted on Every Oscar Winning Film Ever

The Nightmare Before Chr... is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list Movies That Should Be Made Into Broadway Musicals

frrst1 added The Nightmare Before Christmas Paul Reubens, Catherine O'Hara, Danny Elfman

Released: 1993

Directed by: Henry Selick

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D is a 2006 3D version of the 1993 film of the same title directed by Henry Selick and written by Caroline Thompson.

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Oregonian added Hercules Danny DeVito, James Woods, Charlton Heston

Released: 1997

Directed by: Ron Clements, John Musker

Hercules is a 1997 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 35th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated ...more

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Tom Islava added The Hunchback of Notre Dame Demi Moore, Kevin Kline, Jason Alexander

Released: 1996

Directed by: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise

Madacy Kids brings to life Victor Hugo's classic novel for this entry in their animated Children's Film Favorites series. Centering on the deformed Quasimodo, Children's Film Favorites: The ...more

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Titanic is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list Movies That Should Be Made Into Broadway Musicals

danlee added Titanic Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates

Released: 1997

Directed by: James Cameron

Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed by James Cameron. A seventeen-year-old aristocrat (Kate Winslet) falls in love with a kind but poor artist (Leonardo DiCaprio) ...more

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Back to the Future Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson

Released: 1985

Directed by: Robert Zemeckis

Back to the Future is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis. Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent thirty years into ...more

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Labyrinth Jennifer Connelly, David Bowie, Frank Oz

Released: 1986

Directed by: Jim Henson

Labyrinth is a 1986 British-American musical adventure fantasy film directed by Jim Henson, executive produced by George Lucas and based upon conceptual designs by Brian Froud. The film stars ...more

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The Muppets Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez

Released: 2011

Directed by: James Bobin

The Muppets is a 2011 comedy film directed by James Bobin.

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danlee added Young Frankenstein Gene Hackman, Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder

Released: 1974

Directed by: Mel Brooks

Young Frankenstein is a 1974 American comedy film directed by Mel Brooks and starring Gene Wilder as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein. The supporting ...more

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danlee added The Blues Brothers Carrie Fisher, Aretha Franklin, Steven Spielberg

Released: 1980

Directed by: John Landis

The Blues Brothers is a 1980 American musical comedy film directed by John Landis and starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as "Joliet" Jake and Elwood Blues, characters developed from ...more

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danlee added Walk the Line Reese Witherspoon, Joaquin Phoenix, Ginnifer Goodwin

Released: 2005

Directed by: James Mangold

Walk the Line is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by James Mangold and based on the early life and career of country music artist Johnny Cash. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix, ...more

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danlee added Saturday Night Fever John Travolta, Fran Drescher, Denny Dillon

Released: 1977

Directed by: John Badham

Saturday Night Fever is a 1977 American drama film directed by John Badham. It stars John Travolta as Tony Manero, a working-class young man who spends his weekends dancing and drinking at a ...more

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CraigAlarm added All That Jazz Jessica Lange, John Lithgow, Roy Scheider

Released: 1979

Directed by: Bob Fosse

All That Jazz is a 1979 American musical film directed by Bob Fosse. The screenplay by Robert Alan Aurthur and Fosse is a semi-autobiographical fantasy based on aspects of Fosse's life and ...more

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danlee added Flashdance Jennifer Beals, Lee Ving, Michael Nouri

Released: 1983

Directed by: Adrian Lyne

Flashdance is a 1983 American romantic drama film directed by Adrian Lyne. It was the first collaboration of producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and the presentation of some sequences in ...more

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danlee added Across the Universe Salma Hayek, Evan Rachel Wood, Bono

Released: 2007

Directed by: Julie Taymor

Across the Universe is a 2007 British-American jukebox musical romantic drama film directed by Julie Taymor. The music of The Beatles and the Vietnam War form the backdrop for the romance ...more

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Tom Islava added Pete's Dragon Mickey Rooney, Shelley Winters, Red Buttons

Released: 1977

Directed by: Don Chaffey

Pete's Dragon is a 1977 live-action/animated musical film from Walt Disney Productions. It is a live-action film but one of its title characters, a dragon named Elliott, is animated. The story ...more

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danlee added Blazing Saddles Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, Anne Bancroft

Released: 1974

Directed by: Mel Brooks

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Purple Rain Prince, Apollonia Kotero, Wendy Melvoin

Released: 1984

Directed by: Albert Magnoli

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Big Fish Miley Cyrus, Ewan McGregor, Marion Cotillard

Released: 2003

Directed by: Tim Burton

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CraigAlarm added Tangled Mandy Moore, Ron Perlman, Zachary Levi

Released: 2010

Directed by: Nathan Greno, Byron Howard

Tangled is a 2010 American computer animated musical fantasy-comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Loosely based on the German fairy tale ...more

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CraigAlarm added Enchanted Amy Adams, Susan Sarandon, Julie Andrews

Released: 2007

Directed by: Kevin Lima

Enchanted is a 2007 American musical live-action/animated fantasy romantic comedy film, produced by Walt Disney Pictures with New York Academy Barry Sonnenfeld and Josephson Entertainment. ...more

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Ferris Bueller's Day Off... is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list Movies That Should Be Made Into Broadway Musicals

CraigAlarm added Ferris Bueller's Day Off Charlie Sheen, Matthew Broderick, Jeffrey Jones

Released: 1986

Directed by: John Hughes

Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a 1986 American comedy film written, produced and directed by John Hughes. The film follows high school senior Ferris Bueller, who skips school and spends the day in ...more

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danlee added Almost Famous Zooey Deschanel, Kate Hudson, Anna Paquin

Released: 2000

Directed by: Cameron Crowe

Almost Famous is a 2000 comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and starring Billy Crudup, Kate Hudson, and Patrick Fugit. It tells the fictional story of a teenage journalist ...more

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