Our team compiled the best musicals on Disney+ and here is what they came up with
If there’s one type of film you can always count on finding on Disney Plus, it’s musicals. Disney’s many animated movies have been known for featuring some iconic and catchy music that’s hard to forget. They’re also just fun to sing along with for the iconography that makes these films all the more fun to watch. So if you’re feeling like getting your toes tapping, try these 12 best musicals on Disney Plus streaming on all devices.
Here are the 12 best musicals on Disney+ to check out on the streaming service.
1. Best Musicals on Disney+ – Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, Beauty and the Beast was an animated romance tale of fantasy with animation as vibrant as its musical numbers. Alan Menken provided the music for the tale of the woman Belle slowly learning the tragic nature of the transformed Beast. Their romance blooms over such memorable numbers as Be Our Guest, Something There, and Beauty and the Beast. It’s a beautiful musical, so it’s not surprising three songs were nominated for an Academy Award and won for the titular song.
2. Moana
Noted songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda brings his catchy songwriting talents to Moana, one of Disney’s most intoxicating animated musicals of the 21st century. The film centers around the girl Moana desiring to prove herself to her Hawaiian tribe by solving a mystery of the oceans. The fast-paced musical sequences are dazzling for such eyeworms as You’re Welcome, Shiny, and I Am Moana are beautiful and fun songs to sing. The inspiring song How Far I’ll Go was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
3. The Muppet Movie
Based on the highly musical variety show, The Muppet Show, the first theatrical film for the iconic puppet ensemble is one loaded with memorable melodies. The film finds Kermit the Frog desiring to become a singing star in Hollywood. After hearing his opening number of Rainbow Connection on a banjo, you can understand why. His road trip soon finds him encountering all the familiar Muppet characters. The soundtrack by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher is a real treat for the ears, featuring such iconic songs as Movin’ Right Along by Kermit and Fozzie, Can You Picture That by Doctor Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, and I’m Going to Go Back There Someday by Gonzo.
4. The Little Mermaid
The first major animated movie of the Disney Renaissance, The Little Mermaid, featured the most beloved Disney musical numbers. The classic story by Hans Christian Andersen is given a spirited and heartfelt portrayal in animation, as the mermaid Ariel sacrifices her voice to fall in love with a Prince. Though she spends much of the movie without her voice, there’s no shortage of iconic songs ranging from Under the Sea to Kiss The Girl. Both songs were nominated for an Academy Award, with Under the Sea winning Best Original Song. It’s a breathtaking animated film for its dazzling sights and music loaded with romance and fun.
5. Encanto
A Columbian village is home to the eccentric and musical family, the Madrigals. Their family is revered among the people for having inherited fantasy powers, ranging from increased strength to super hearing. Mirabel, however, does not have any powers. Being the black sheep of the family, she feels left out in a family that seems comfortable with itself. As she soon learns, darker secrets are hidden behind the telling musical numbers. With fast-paced musical numbers and songs provided by broadway legend Lin-Manuel Miranda, this Academy Award-winning animated musical is a delight for the ears as much as the eyes.
6. Fantasia
In terms of operatic Disney musicals, Fantasia plays more like an animated concert than an anthology. Classic orchestral works are given new life when presented with vibrant and varied animation from the Disney studio. Toccata and Fugue in D Minor are given an abstract interpretation of wild and unbound colors. Rite of Spring becomes the soundtrack for a thrilling dinosaur story. Night on Bald Mountain features a dark animation of demonic forces, making for some of Disney’s scariest animation. Of course, the highlight is Mickey Mouse appearing in the fantasy narrative set to The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. The film is made all the more engrossing with in-between segments focusing on the orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
7. Fantasia 2000
If you’re in the mood for even more Fantasia, Disney thankfully took another swing at this anthology format decades later. Fantasia 2000 takes even more remarkable pieces of music, delivering some stellar animations to accompany them. Pines of Rome is set to the wondrous sights of flying whales. Rhapsody in Blue features a fast-paced series of stories in the city. Firebird Suite becomes a gorgeous tale of the conflicting forces of nature. Staying true to Walt’s desires for Fantasia to be a returning show with old favorites, the iconic The Sorcerer’s Apprentice also returns.
8. Summer of Soul
The 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival sounded like the greatest concert event for the talents assembled. The musical acts graced this free concert’s stage included Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson, Nina Simone, The 5th Dimension, The Staple Singers, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mavis Staples, Blinky Williams, Sly and the Family Stone, and The Chambers Brothers. Thankfully, this event was preserved in this musical documentary that presents the old footage for the first time in decades. Classic music of the era never sounded so good from this restored footage.
9. Mary Poppins
In terms of live-action Disney musicals, few are more catchy and iconic than Mary Poppins. Based on the novels by P. L. Travers, the film features the magical nanny Mary Poppins coming to the aid of children who need parental guidance. With her special powers, Mary conjures all sorts of fun, from self-cleaning rooms to adventures in animated realms, merging live-action and animation. Though much different from the books, the film has some of the catchiest songs, including A Spoonful of Sugar, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, and Chim Chim Cher-ee
10. Best Musicals on Disney+ – Aladdin (1992)
Following the success of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast was Aladdin, a middle-eastern adventure of magic, genies, and kingdoms. The film finds the street thief Aladdin going from poor nobody to famous somebody when using the power of the eccentric genie to win the heart of princess Jasmine. As he contends for the title with the conspiring Jafar, there are many big and charming musical numbers with songs Friend Like Me, Prince Ali, and A Whole New World, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
11. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Though a darker tale than Disney’s other animated musicals of the 1990s, The Hunchback of Notre Dame remains one of the more notable for Alan Menken, delivering vibrancy to this epic tale of acceptance and romance. As the hunchback Quasimodo desires to be part of the town’s celebration, he finds himself conflicted with his evil caregiver Judge Claude Frollo and falls in love with the beautiful Esmeralda. What follows is an exciting and dangerous adventure as Quasimodo struggles to come to terms with his social perceptions. There are many great musical numbers, but one of the most profound is Frollo’s dark confession song Hellfire, sung by the voice actor Tony Jay with deep villainous vocals.
12. Muppet Christmas Carol
As one of the best musicals to throw on during the Christmas season, Muppet Christmas Carol takes the classic Dickens novel and gives it a loving tribute with puppets and music. The music by Miles Goodman features some of the most intoxicating of Christmas songs that are impossible to get out of your head, from Kermit’s sweet One More Sleep ‘Til Christmas and Michael Caine’s charming Thankful Heart during the peppy climax. It’s easily one of the best Christmas movie musicals out there.