Ciara Purton ponders the pros of musicals
Image: Megan Crombie
It seems to me that musicals are the marmite of movies: both adored and loathed. Musical fanatics describe them as whimsical, joy-filled, and the perfect combination of two widely successful art forms, whilst haters argue that they are nonsensical, insufferable, and far too flamboyant. But there’s no denying that musicals are successful and profitable, as evidenced by the vast number of musical movies. From Hercules to Phantom of the Opera and Rocketman, there is certainly no shortage of films like this.
With the release of Wicked: For Good, the online fandom has dubbed November 2025 as “Wicked Season”, taking the month to rewatch the first movie, listen to songs, and engage with the rest of the community. Wicked seems, in the media, to be the most successful musical movie yet, with multiple brand deals and plenty of excitement for its release. It is also a great example of movie adaptations of a stage production, with each movie consisting of Act 1 and Act 2 of the show. Many movie musicals are adaptions from the stage, with many big successes, such as the well-known Grease, Mamma Mia, Phantom of the Opera, Annie, Chicago, and West Side Story. Additionally, some stage productions are based on highly successful films, such as Mean Girls, Paddington, Mary Poppins, Frozen, and The Devil Wears Prada. Musicals like this, profit from the success of its other half, and are typically very successful.
There are many musicals aimed towards children, be it in animated or live action form. The movie company Disney is renowned for its animated musicals (and in recent years live action adaptations of these musical) such as Tangled, Hercules (despite its mythological inaccuracy), and Frozen, as well as Disney Channel’s several original musical movies, such as Lemonade Mouth, and the High School Musical franchise. These musicals can teach kids valuable lessons, help their emotional development, and teach them a love of music and performing arts.
However, musicals aren’t just for kids – far from it actually. The audiences for musicals can be very diverse, with some musicals containing mature themes (such as sex in Rocky Horror Picture Show or antisemitism in Cabaret) that are directed at adults or older teens. As well as this, a film being intended for children certainly doesn’t stop people of all ages from loving it, as proven by the resounding success of K-Pop Demon Hunters. They can also be a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community and advocate equality, dealing with themes of homophobia, sexism, and racism (for example Hairspray deals with racism, being set in a time where integration was emerging). It is this wide range of fans that show the universal connections and unity to be found in musicals.
Now onto the most controversial kind of musical: the Jukebox Musical. Both loathed and adored, these productions and movies are… an acquired taste. The common thread between these musicals is the lack of original music, using pre-existing songs that are often chart-topping pop songs to further along the plot. While many musical watchers and fanatics see this sub-genre of musical a “crime”, I believe that there is some joy to be found in many of them. For example, the animated children’s movie The Book Of Life -a personal favourite of mine- uses many popular songs (as of its release in 2014) to express its main characters’ emotions and development over the course of their journeys. Similarly, the stage production And Juliet and the movie turned stage show Moulin Rouge use popular songs frequently, though these are more controversial with fans.
But maybe upbeat and whimsical movies aren’t your style. A more subtle subgenre of musical movies are movies about musicians. Musical fanatics, likers, and some haters can all come together for these movies, often to celebrate much loved artists such as Queen (Bohemian Rhapsody), Whitney Houston (I Wanna Dance with Somebody), Bob Dylan (A Complete Unknown), and many more. These movies often contain many songs from an artist that are performed by the artist’s character in a more realistic setting, like at a concert, without random song and dance breaks. However, an outlier to this trend is Rocketman, the movie celebrating Elton John’s career, in which the characters do burst into song and dance. Whilst some might see this befitting of Elton John, due to his notorious flamboyancy, others are put off the movie.
Overall, musicals can be very hit or miss with the majority of people. It all comes down to personal tastes. While I may not be able to turn a hater into a fan, I will say this: if you enjoy music in any capacity, there is a musical for you. Be it light-hearted, whimsical, dramatic, serious, gut-wrenching, or anything else, it’s out there. So, give them a chance, because there is a lot of potential in them.
