Entertainment
Musical Movies With The Best Songs
List Rules
Vote up your favorite musical films based on the strength of their songs.
What are the greatest musical movies with the best songs? You get to help decide with your votes. This list includes many of the greatest movies ever made, in large part because of the incredible songs they feature. These movies are the ones you stop and sing along to, no matter where you are or what you are doing. Vote for the musical movies that you think featured the best songs, vote down any you don't like and please, feel free to re-rank this list in any order you like. Also, if you've got a favorite film that isn't listed, add it!
There is a reason that the Academy Awards recognizes "best original song" in addition to score: Songs from films are incredibly important. Movies with the best soundtracks are already good, but they become positively iconic with great music. Films like The Wizard of Oz are already true classics, but with Judy Garland singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"? Even better.
Not surprisingly, this list includes movie adaptations of some of the best Broadway musicals ever made: Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera and West Side Story, to name a few. Each one of these movies included many, if not all, of the most memorable songs from the Broadway soundtracks.
Every film listed here could easily be considered among the best music movies ever made, but in this case, it's about the songs: "Tomorrow" from Annie, "Circle of Life" from The Lion King and "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music - can you honestly say you don't sing along every time? Didn't think so.
If you love movies, and you love music, you'll definitely want to check out (and vote) on this list of the movies with that best soundtracks ever and the best musical movies out right now, too.
Ranked by
- 1Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker
- Released: 1965
- Directed by: Robert Wise
A tuneful, heartwarming story, it is based on the real life story of the Von Trapp Family singers, one of the world's best-known concert groups in the era immediately preceding World War II. Julie ...more - 2Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White
- Released: 1991
- Directed by: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
An arrogant young prince (Robby Benson) and his castle's servants fall under the spell of a wicked enchantress, who turns him into the hideous Beast until he learns to love and be loved in return. ...more - 3Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones
- Released: 1994
- Directed by: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
This Disney animated feature follows the adventures of the young lion Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas), the heir of his father, Mufasa (James Earl Jones). Simba's wicked uncle, Scar (Jeremy Irons), ...more - 4Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, Glynis Johns
- Released: 1964
- Directed by: Robert Stevenson
When Jane (Karen Dotrice) and Michael (Matthew Garber), the children of the wealthy and uptight Banks family, are faced with the prospect of a new nanny, they are pleasantly surprised by the arrival ...more - 5Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin
- Released: 1992
- Directed by: Ron Clements, John Musker
When street rat Aladdin frees a genie from a lamp, he finds his wishes granted. However, he soon finds that the evil has other plans for the lamp -- and for Princess Jasmine. But can Aladdin save ...more - 6Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, Christopher Daniel Barnes
- Released: 1989
- Directed by: Ron Clements, John Musker
In Disney's beguiling animated romp, rebellious 16-year-old mermaid Ariel (Jodi Benson) is fascinated with life on land. On one of her visits to the surface, which are forbidden by her controlling ...more - 7John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing
- Released: 1978
- Directed by: Randal Kleiser
Experience the friendships, romances and adventures of a group of high school kids in the 1950s. Welcome to the singing and dancing world of "Grease," the most successful movie musical of all time. AÂ ...more - 8Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger
- Released: 1939
- Directed by: Victor Fleming
When a tornado rips through Kansas, Dorothy (Judy Garland) and her dog, Toto, are whisked away in their house to the magical land of Oz. They follow the Yellow Brick Road toward the Emerald City to ...more - 9Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Hugh Jackman
- Released: 2012
- Directed by: Tom Hooper
Les Misérables is a 2012 musical drama film directed by Tom Hooper, based on the 1862 French novel of the same name by Victor Hugo, which also inspired a 1980 concept album and 1985 musical by Alain ...more - 10Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor
- Released: 1952
- Directed by: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
A spoof of the turmoil that afflicted the movie industry in the late 1920s when movies went from silent to sound. When two silent movie stars', Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont, latest movie is made into ...more - 11Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth
- Released: 2008
- Directed by: Phyllida Lloyd
Donna (Meryl Streep), an independent hotelier in the Greek islands, is preparing for her daughter's wedding with the help of two old friends. Meanwhile Sophie, the spirited bride, has a plan. She ...more - 12Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn
- Released: 1961
- Directed by: Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise
A musical in which a modern day Romeo and Juliet are involved in New York street gangs. On the harsh streets of the upper west side, two gangs battle for control of the turf. The situation becomes ...more - 13Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson
- Released: 2004
- Directed by: Joel Schumacher
From his hideout beneath a 19th century Paris opera house, the brooding Phantom (Gerard Butler) schemes to get closer to vocalist Christine Daae (Emmy Rossum). The Phantom, wearing a mask to hide a ...more - 14Dwayne Johnson, Auli'i Cravalho, Rachel House
- Released: 2016
- Directed by: John Musker, Ron Clements
An adventurous teenager sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana meets the once-mighty demigod Maui, who guides her in her quest to become a master way-finder. ...more - 15Ming-Na, Eddie Murphy, BD Wong
- Released: 1998
- Directed by: Barry Cook, Tony Bancroft
Fearful that her ailing father will be drafted into the Chinese military, Mulan (Ming-Na Wen) takes his spot -- though, as a girl living under a patriarchal regime, she is technically unqualified to ...more - 16Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum
- Released: 1971
- Directed by: Mel Stuart
The last of five coveted "golden tickets" falls into the hands of a sweet but very poor boy. He and his grandpa then get a tour of the strangest chocolate factory in the world. The owner leads five ...more - 17Aileen Quinn, Albert Finney, Carol Burnett
- Released: 1982
- Directed by: John Huston
An orphan in a facility run by the mean Miss Hannigan (Carol Burnett), Annie (Aileen Quinn) believes that her parents left her there by mistake. When a rich man named Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks (Albert ...more - 18Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Smith, Kathy Najimy
- Released: 1992
- Directed by: Emile Ardolino
When lively lounge singer Deloris Van Cartier (Whoopi Goldberg) sees her mobster beau, Vince LaRocca (Harvey Keitel), commit murder, she is relocated for her protection. Set up in the guise of a nun ...more - 19Phil Harris, Sebastian Cabot, Louis Prima
- Released: 1967
- Directed by: Wolfgang Reitherman
In this classic Walt Disney animation based on Rudyard Kipling's book, Mowgli, an abandoned child raised by wolves, has his peaceful existence threatened by the return of the man-eating tiger Shere ...more - 20John Travolta, Nikki Blonsky, Amanda Bynes
- Released: 2007
- Directed by: Adam Shankman
In 1960s Baltimore, dance-loving teen Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) auditions for a spot on "The Corny Collins Show" and wins. She becomes an overnight celebrity, a trendsetter in dance, fun and ...more - 21Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renée Zellweger, Richard Gere
- Released: 2002
- Directed by: Rob Marshall
Nightclub sensation Velma (Catherine Zeta-Jones) murders her philandering husband, and Chicago's slickest lawyer, Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), is set to defend her. But when Roxie (Renée Zellweger) ...more - 22Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick
- Released: 1975
- Directed by: Jim Sharman
In this cult classic, sweethearts Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon), stuck with a flat tire during a storm, discover the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), a transvestite ...more - 23Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze, Jerry Orbach
- Released: 1987
- Directed by: Emile Ardolino
Baby (Jennifer Grey) is one listless summer away from the Peace Corps. Hoping to enjoy her youth while it lasts, she's disappointed when her summer plans deposit her at a sleepy resort in the ...more - 24Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams
- Released: 2017
- Directed by: Michael Gracey
Growing up in the early 1800s, P.T. Barnum displays a natural talent for publicity and promotion, selling lottery tickets by age 12. After trying his hands at various jobs, P.T. turns to show ...more - 25Topol, Norma Crane, Leonard Frey
- Released: 1971
- Directed by: Norman Jewison
A lavishly produced and critically acclaimed screen adaptation of the international stage sensation tells the life-affirming story of Tevye (Topol), a poor milkman whose love, pride and faith help ...more
