Last Updated on February 18, 2022
Disney continues their slew of live-action remakes of their classic animated films with Beauty and the Beast which opens today. Unlike recent adaptations like Cinderella and The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast is a full musical. Disney musicals have a very long and successful history, featuring both live-action and animated classics. Here is our ranking of Disney’s best musical films. Some may be familiar and others you may not know very well, but these ten movies are all great experiences for lovers of film and music. If you disagree with our selections or think we missed one, let us know in the talkbacks below.
#1 – MARY POPPINS
While Beauty and the Beast may be Disney’s masterwork of animated musicals, Mary Poppins is the live action #1. Like Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Mary Poppins blends animation and live action into a seamless cinematic experience. The movie is wholesome, fun, and a great mix of adventure and comedy. The music is iconic as are the performances and Dick Van Dyke’s dual roles more than make up for his atrocious British accent. This is a great musical for movie fans that claim they don’t like Disney musicals.
#2 – BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
The Little Mermaid showed that there was still fuel in the tank of fairy tales and princess stories converted into animated musicals but it was Beauty and the Beast that proved the critical acclaim could be there as well. The first animated feature film nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, Beauty and the Beast is the perfect balance of animation, music, and story that is exactly what Disney set out to do when he first started making films. There are no animated musicals that can hold a candle to Disney’s 1991 masterpiece.
#3 – ALADDIN
The film that cemented the early 1990s as The Disney Renaissance, Aladdin managed to balance a great adventure story with the classic Disney princess formula. Blending CGI animation seamlessly into a traditional 2D film paved the way for countless movies at the end of the 20th century. Plus, the vocal skills of the immortal Robin Williams gave this movie an edge and sense of humor that set it apart from not just Disney animation but all feature length cartoons.
#4 – THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
One of the very few Disney films to employ stop motion animation, The Nightmare Before Christmas was a cult classic that has since dropped the cult status and become a multi-holiday staple. The dark and twisted minds of Tim Burton and Henry Selick brought to life Burton’s own unique tale of Halloweentown and their search for Christmas, but it is the music by Danny Elfman that has inspired countless musicians, actors, singers, and animators in the years since it first hit screens.
#5 – THE LITTLE MERMAID
The film that restarted Disney’s run of animation classics after an awful slew of movies in the 1980s, The Little Mermaid was a hit thanks to the strong vocal performances from Jodi Benson and an iconic villain. The music by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken holds up today even if the animation may not be as crisp as it was three decades ago.
#6 – FROZEN
Hate on this movie all you want but Disney proved that Tangled was no box office fluke. In fact, Frozen may have been the biggest indicator that John Lassetter’s reign at the top of Disney’s animation division has brought Pixar’s golden touch back to the House of Mouse. Frozen may be a bit on the cliche and formulaic side but it is Disney doing what they are the best at and that is making wholesome family entertainment that looks and sounds great.
#7 – THE LION KING
Elton John’s contributions with Tim Rice to Disney’s version of Hamlet, the massive hit The Lion King, are some of the most recognizable songs of the 1990s. This Disney musical is one of the glossier films from the studio’s great output after decades of mediocre fare and remains just as good today even though every single sequel has been a cash grab waste of time. So much from this film has entered the pop culture lexicon that you cannot deny just how great this movie is.
#8 – BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS
Another lesser known gem from Disney’s classic era, Bedknobs and Broomsticks stars Beauty and the Beast alum Angela Lansbury as a budding witch who takes in some orphan children during World War II. What follows is one of the earliest films to blend live action and animation effectively. Oh, and it also showcases ghost soldiers fighting away Nazis from the shores of England. Yeah, that got your attention, didn’t it?
#9 – THE JUNGLE BOOK
While last year’s live action remake of The Jungle Book featured some of the songs from this classic of original Disney musicals, it could not match the frantic fun of the cartoon take. As much as I love Bill Murray and Christopher Walken, no one can match the great performances from Phil Harris and Louis Prima as Baloo and King Louie. This is one of Disney’s best and holds up as a great animated film to this day.
#10 – BABES IN TOYLAND
One of Disney’s underappreciated live action musicals from the 1960s, Babes in Toyland has been remade countless times but this version has the unmistakable hallmarks of many of Disney’s best movies. A great array of songs, bright technicolor cinematography, and a cast of stars headed by the immortal Annette Funicello. This is a great movie for the Disney fan who thinks they have seen everything. It is also perfect for a remake.
Follow the JOBLO MOVIE NETWORK
Follow us on YOUTUBE
Follow ARROW IN THE HEAD
Follow AITH on YOUTUBE