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Posted by: Josh! Dec 4 2017, 07:08 PM

HYPE!

ANY PREDICTIONS/HOPES/DESIRES!?!?

(Like always, I'll keep a list in the opening post as the countdown progresses!)

Posted by: Styles Bilinski Dec 4 2017, 07:36 PM

If half past midnight (when I get in from work) is going to be too late to put a quick list together ..I hope Grease can win without my help

Posted by: Mistletheo Dec 4 2017, 08:59 PM

Grease for the win! So many classic songs, it really is the musical of every single generation.

Posted by: Josh! Dec 4 2017, 10:46 PM

QUOTE(Styles Bilinski @ Dec 4 2017, 07:36 PM)

If half past midnight (when I get in from work) is going to be too late to put a quick list together ..I hope Grease can win without my help

Posted by: Josh! Dec 5 2017, 09:12 AM

(from Rent! Go and watch it!! )

The results have been counted up to Jahq's votes so here are the films that didn't quite make the top 40

Position / Points / Title
41. 46 FAME
42. 44 CAMP ROCK
43. 43 ALADDIN
44. 40 SISTER ACT 2
45. 38 MEET THE FEEBLES
46. 38 BEGIN AGAIN
47. 37 PINK FLOYD'S THE WALL
48. 36 PURPLE RAIN
49. 36 RENT
50. 35 MULAN
51. 34 ONCE
52. 33 SHOCK TREATMENT
53. 33 CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (2005)
54. 32 LITTLE MERMAID
55. 32 WALK THE LINE
56. 31 BLAZIN SADDLES
57. 31 PRINCESS AND FROG
58. 30 OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR
59. 29 VIVA LAS VEGAS
60. 29 POCAHONTAS
61. 29 SCHOOL OF ROCK
62. 28 TANGLED
63. 28 ANNIE 2014
64. 27 HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3
65. 26 THE KING AND I
66. 25 A HARD DAY'S NIGHT
67. 24 MOULIN ROUGE
68. 23 GREASE 2
69. 23 REPO
70. 21 LA VIE EN ROSE
71. 21 HEAD
72. 21 SOUTH PARK
73. 20 ROCK AND ROLL HIGH SCHOOL
74. 20 SOUND OF MUSIC
75. 13 NINE
76. 09 HAPPY FEET TWO
77. 07 THE BOOK OF LIFE
78. 06 MUPPETS MOST WANTED
79. 06 THE WIZ
80. 05 RIO
81. 05 GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES
82. 03 BRIDE AND PREJUDICE
83. 01 FOOTLOSE

Really shocked by some of these results, I thought the likes of "Sound of Music", "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and "Fame" where proper classic musicals and would have no troubles making the top 40 at least! I'm so shocked some of the Disney musicals have struggled here too, especially when you see some of the random animated musicals that have actually made the top 40, only on Buzzjack

Posted by: MerryFlynnmas Dec 5 2017, 10:04 AM

Some shocks there

Posted by: Josh! Dec 5 2017, 12:08 PM

40. Beauty and the Beast
| 2017 | 048 pts | Biggest lover: 15th (Josh!) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Beauty and the Beast" (performed by Emma Thompson)



The first musical to be properly revealed is the most recent musical to make the top 40 which is a decent little achievement for what seemed to be a bit of a polarising remake when it was first announced. If you don't know already, it tells the story of a young girl who is imprisoned by a beast but slowly begins to fall in love with him as they begin to get to know each other better.

It has been a massive box office success making over $1,200,000,000 worldwide making it the tenth biggest film of all time at the worldwide box office which is rather impressive indeed. I'm sure the original songs and visual effects could potentially give the film so awards chances in the next couple of months as well.

It received criticism for Emma Watson being autotuned and basically being a shot-by-shot remake of the original animated film but I personally really loved seeing the story be re-imagined in a live-action. It obviously doesn't hold a candle to the magic of the animated film but I think a lot of that is down to having nostalgia goggles and I know I would have loved this version every bit as much if I grew up with this one instead.

Josh's song highlight HAS to be "Beauty and the Beast" just because it's such a gorgeous song but I don't think Emma Thompson really kills it like Angela Lansbury does, hers will always be the only version worth listening to really.

Posted by: UltraReputation Dec 5 2017, 06:54 PM

Beauty & The Beast is fab! Definitely one of my favourite films of the year and another great Disney live-adaptation <3

QUOTE(Josh! @ Dec 5 2017, 09:12 AM)

Posted by: MerryFlynnmas Dec 5 2017, 07:05 PM

I've not seen the live adaption of Beauty And The Beast yet but It is a must because Emma Watson

Posted by: Mistletheo Dec 5 2017, 11:08 PM

I haven't seen either version of Beauty and the Beast. Oops!

I forgot about Begin Again! I've only seen it once but I remember really enjoying it. A shame to see some of the classics miss the top 40 (again, I'm not familiar with a lot of the actual films) but Rent is my big loss there Such a heartbreaking set of stories with an excellent soundtrack too.

Posted by: Styles Bilinski Dec 6 2017, 02:11 AM

QUOTE(UltraReputation @ Dec 5 2017, 06:54 PM)

Posted by: Josh! Dec 6 2017, 08:55 AM

39. Dreamgirls
| 2006 | 048 pts | Biggest lover: 9th (UltraReputation) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Listen" (performed by Beyoncé)



Dreamgirls originally began as a Broadway musical in 1981 and was eventually adapted in to a film in 2006 with an all-star cast including Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx. It tells the story of a Motown girl group named The Dreams and the highs and lows of their musical journey under their influence of their manipulative record label in the 1960s and 1970s.

It was a big awards success, scoring 8 Oscars nominations and winning two of those with even Jennifer Hudson taking home an Oscar for acting. Unfortunately, Beyonce was snubbed even though I would say she's the highlight of the cast but she did get a Golden Globe nomination at least. It was really nice to see her show of a bit more acting than we were used to at the time.

I only saw this recently after wanting to see it for a really long time and thought it was pretty brilliant. I always love these stories about bands and their troubles they face on the road to success so it had plenty of twists and turns to keep me entertained. I wasn't so sure on Eddie Murphy's acting but he was probably second in line for the Oscar win so what do I know?

I guess most people would go for Jennifer Hudson's big moment of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" as the song highlight but my loyalty lies with Beyoncé on this one with her gorgeous (and slightly less shouty) ballad, "Listen". Shout out to "Love You I Do" too for being a cheery upbeat bop

Posted by: MerryFlynnmas Dec 6 2017, 12:01 PM

Need to see Dreamgirls!!

Posted by: Severin Dec 6 2017, 12:32 PM

QUOTE(Styles Bilinski @ Dec 6 2017, 02:11 AM)

I don't remember ever seeing "The Sound of Music" and I don't know if I have much desire to, as much of a classic musical as it is, the title track kinda annoys me

Posted by: Mistletheo Dec 6 2017, 08:48 PM

I haven't seen Dreamgirls but have been meaning to for years! I really want to see the West End production starring Amber Riley so will probably watch the film once I've seen the stage musical.

Posted by: Josh! Dec 7 2017, 12:57 PM

38. Evita
| 1996 | 051 pts | Biggest lover: 5th (vibe) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "You Must Love Me" (performed by Madonna)



Evita first began as a concept album from Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber until it was turned into a musical in 1978 and eventually a film in 1996 starring none other than Madonna. It depicts the life of ex-First Lady of Argentina, Eva Perón, up until her death at the age of just 33.

It spawned a massively successful album official soundtrack as well as three top 10 hit singles in the UK. It was also nominated for five Oscars where it won one for Best Original Song with "You Must Love Me". Madonna also won the Golden Globe for Best Actress for her role as Evita.

This is one of the few musicals in the top 40 that I haven't seen but it has been top of my watchlist for a long time. I actually really love the soundtrack so I imagine I would like the film a lot too.

My song highlight could be any of the three big hit singles really but I think I return to "You Must Love Me" slightly more so I've gone for that. "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" is gorgeous too though so I'm glad that seems to be still fondly remembered by the general public.

Posted by: Josh! Dec 7 2017, 07:54 PM

37. Sing Street
| 2016 | 051 pts | Biggest lover: 4th (Jahq) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Drive It Like You Stole It"



There is nothing I can do to tie-break this and the next film to be revealed so we'll just go for joint 37th in the final leaderboard. It was a rather lowkey release, making only $13 million worldwide but it seems enough of Buzzjack have seen it to score it a top 40 finish.

I've never seen it still but I think I would really enjoy it. I remember Jahq and Sam both raving about it at the time so I should probably give it a watch at some point. "Drive It Like You Stole It" is the song highlight by default as it is the only song on the soundtrack that I've actually heard, it is pretty catchy though

Posted by: Josh! Dec 7 2017, 11:42 PM

37. Sister Act
| 1992 | 051 pts | Biggest lover: 4th (vibe) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "My Guy (My God)" (performed by Whoopi Goldberg & the sisters)



Sister Act is much more of a comedy than a traditional musical but there are still enough songs in the soundtrack to qualify and it manages to place as joint 37th in the countdown here. It follows the story of a singer who is put on a hit list and must live life undercover in a convent in order to be protected.

Sister Act is one of the most successful comedies of all-time making $231 million worldwide back in 1992 which is pretty damn excellent. It spawned a sequel which did pretty terribly at the box office just one year later.

This film is loads of fun and I really wish I'd seen it earlier as I didn't finally watch it until earlier this year. I still haven't checked out the sequel but I would like to because I had such a hoot watching this. Shout out to Maggie Smith in this film for being fabulous too but obviously this film really belongs to Whoopi *.*

I've gone for "My Guy (My God)" as the song highlight here just because it shows off how funny this film is and it was probably the point I had the biggest smile on my face whilst watching the film

Posted by: Josh! Dec 8 2017, 11:18 AM

35. Jersey Boys
| 2014 | 054 pts | Biggest lover: 13th (Jonjo) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" (performed by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons)



Jersey Boys is the film adaption of the 2005 musical of the same name. It was directed by Clint Eastwood but wasn't much of a financial success making only $67.7 million worldwide.

I haven't seen this film version but I have seen the live show on the West End and it was one of my favourites so this is definitely high on my watchlist. I wasn't really that familiar with Frankie Valli before going into it but I ended up recognising loads of the songs which added to my enjoyment too.

I still return to some of their songs regularly even now such as "Sherry", "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Walk Like a Man" quite often but "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" would have to be my absolute favourite so I've chosen that as my song highlight.

Posted by: Jonjo Dec 8 2017, 01:51 PM

Jersey Boys is good, but I've heard it really pales in comparison to the stage show! The stage show is on my list to go see. So I'm really looking forward to doing it.

Posted by: Josh! Dec 9 2017, 10:09 AM

34. Sing
| 2016 | 054 pts | Biggest lover: 12th (Jahq) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" (performed by Tori Kelly)



Sing is another one of the most recent musicals to make the list and is one of an elite group of only SIX animated musicals to make the top 40 of the countdown. The film is about a Koala who brings together a group of people to perform in a singing competition in order to save his theatre.

The film was pretty huge making $634.1 million which made it the 13th biggest film of 2016 worldwide. It had decent reviews too scoring 73% on Rotten Tomatoes so it was overall a pretty big success for Illumination Entertainment.

I do really like this film and had a lot of fun, especially with the auditions scenes and the jokes were funny at times too but I'm a bit shocked that it has made top 40 here. It's crazy to think the likes of The Little Mermaid, Mulan and Aladdin have been snubbed in favour of stuff like this which massively pales in comparison for me.

I've gone for "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" as the song highlight but only because it serves as the big bring-the-house-down moment at the end of the film. The songs are pretty dull in this film because they're all just covers where I'd rather listen to the originals. An original song or two wouldn't have hurt (aside from Faith which was a bit rubbish too)...

Posted by: MerryFlynnmas Dec 9 2017, 11:07 AM

Don't think I have seen any of the recent films oops

Posted by: Josh! Dec 9 2017, 02:58 PM

33. Blues Brothers
| 1980 | 060 pts | Biggest lover: 9th (Severin) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Shake a Tail Feather" (performed by Ray Charles with the Blues Brothers)



Blues Brothers is apparently a bit of a mish-mash of genres having bits of comedy, musical and crime film all in one. It was based on The Blues Brothers characters from a Saturday Night Live sketch which really caught on and eventually spawned this film.

It stars some pretty famous people including the likes of John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles and was clearly very popular at the times making almost four times its production budget at the box office.

This is probably the musical that I'm least familiar with in the entire top 40 but I'm sure that it is good fun and it clearly has its fans here on Buzzjack. I've gone for "Shake a Tail Feather" for the song highlight but I had never heard this version until just now, I just checked it out because I wanted to see what Ray Charles was like in the film

Posted by: Josh! Dec 10 2017, 01:13 PM

32. Trolls
| 2016 | 061 pts | Biggest lover: 6th (Jahq) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Get Back Up Again" (performed by Anna Kendrick)



Another one of the more recent musicals to make the list and this time it is the 2016 animated film based of everyone's not favourite childhood toy, troll dolls! It tells the story of two trolls who must risk death in order to save their friends from being eaten by the Bergens.

It was a big Buzzjack fave at the time and that still seems to apply now as it makes it to the top 40 over some of the aforementioned Disney classics. I won't deny that I think this film is heaps of fun but it's just nowhere near as good as some of the musicals that have missed out for me. I'd watch The Little Mermaid or Mulan ANY DAY over this to be honest.

"Get Back Up Again" has probably been the easiest choice yet for a song highlight. I still listen to it a lot just because it's so fun and I adore the visuals that accompany the song in the actual film too. Props to Anna Kendrick for having multiple entries here in the top 40, queen of musicals *.*

Posted by: Josh! Dec 10 2017, 04:34 PM

31. Muppets Christmas Carol
| 1992 | 068 pts | Biggest lover: 3rd (Jonjo) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Marley & Marley"



The absolute classic 'it's close to christmas now so let's watch a movie in class' in primary school film ever, A Muppets Christmas Carol holds a dear place in the childhoods of many people. I wasn't a big lover of loads of Muppets stuff when I was younger but this was even one of my favourite films to watch during the festive season as a child.

I've chosen "Marley and Marley" as my song highlight because I always used to be excited to watch that scene as a kid. For some reason, they were my favourite characters in the story so that is still my favourite song from the film to this day

Posted by: Josh! Dec 10 2017, 04:37 PM

Gaaaah, don't want to seem like I'm begging for posts or anything but these commentaries did take me a little while to write out and a few more comments along the way would be nice I know that the other genre countdowns became a bit of a joke for how long they took but I promise that won't happen this time...

Here's a little recap anyway:

40. Beauty and the Beast (48 pts)
39. Dreamgirls (48 pts)
38. Evita (51 pts)
37. Sing Street (51 pts)
37. Sister Act (51 pts)
35. Jersey Boys (54 pts)
34. Sing (54 pts)
33. Blues Brothers (60 pts)
32. Trolls (61 pts)
31. Muppets Christmas Carol (68 pts)

Posted by: Jonjo Dec 11 2017, 09:38 AM

Muppets Christmas Carol is one of the best films ever. I think it's my favourite version of the Christmas Carol story. Michael Caine is perfect as Scrooge.

Posted by: PaulM1983 Dec 11 2017, 11:41 AM

Oh god yes. Muppets Christmas Carol is incredible. I've just bought the DVD to put in my 4 year old's Christmas Eve suitcase delivery, so this will be his first time seeing it. He better love it or there will be trouble.

I missed the initial vote on this one, but I'm a bit perplexed at how the results have gone so far if I'm being honest. So many so far that I'd have placed much higher.

Posted by: Mistletheo Dec 11 2017, 09:46 PM

Josh, I am loving your commentaries! I just haven't seen many of the films so far A shame that Muppet Christmas Carol is so low but I guess it's one that people only go back to once a year. It's definitely the definitive film version of that story for me though

Posted by: Josh! Dec 11 2017, 10:49 PM

QUOTE(Mistletheo @ Dec 11 2017, 09:46 PM)

Josh, I am loving your commentaries! I just haven't seen many of the films so far

Posted by: Josh! Dec 11 2017, 10:58 PM

30. Dirty Dancing
| 1987 | 069 pts | Biggest lover: 3rd (vibe) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Hungry Eyes" (performed by Eric Carmen)



One of the more famous musicals to appear in the countdown, Dirty Dancing tells the story of a young girl who spends the summer at a holiday resort and falls in love with the dance instructor there. The film stars the late Patrick Swayze as well as Jennifer Grey in the two lead roles and made a massive $214 million worldwide despite only having a rumoured $6 million budget.

It became a huge phenomenon with many tracks from the soundtrack becoming chart hits and "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" even won the Oscar for Best Original Song over another classic, Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" from Mannequin. It also spawned a hit stage show which I have been to see. I've never seen this film version but I massively enjoyed the stage show so I will have to get around to it some time.

I guess the obvious choice for song highlight is the aforementioned Oscar winner, "(I've Had) The Time of My Life", BUT my personal favourite has always been "Hungry Eyes" which just has such a killer chorus that I couldn't go without mentioning it somewhere in this commentary. "She's Like the Wind" is also rather lovely and worthy of a shout out too

Posted by: Mistletheo Dec 11 2017, 11:06 PM

QUOTE(Josh! @ Dec 11 2017, 10:49 PM)

Thank you Theo I would definitely recommend Dreamgirls and Sister Act from those you may not have seen based on your votes, both are rather fabulous

Posted by: Josh! Dec 11 2017, 11:51 PM

29. The Bodyguard
| 1992 | 073 pts | Biggest lover: 2nd (vibe) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "I Have Nothing" (performed by Whitney Houston)



This is another one that I haven't actually seen but has been high up on my watchlist for a long, long time. The songs from it are obviously iconic so I'd love to see what the story behind the music is all about. IMDb tells me it is about a Secret Service agent who becomes the bodyguard of a pop singer.

It features Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston in the two lead roles as well as producing some of the latter's biggest and most memorable hits of her entire career. It was even nominated for two of its original songs, "I Have Nothing" and "Run to You" but they both lost to "A Whole New World" from Aladdin.

There are almost too many classic Whitney anthems to pick just one from this soundtrack but I do revisit "I Have Nothing" the most so I've gone for this. Obviously, "I Will Always Love You" is probably the one that most people associate with the film and will most likely go down as one of the biggest songs ever from a movie.

Posted by: Josh! Dec 12 2017, 08:08 PM

28. Moana
| 2016 | 075 pts | Biggest lover: 11th (Jahq) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "How Far I'll Go" (performed by Auli'i Cravalho)



Moana is actually the 4th highest animated musical to make the countdown which is rather impressive in my opinion. I certainly didn't realise it had become more popular than some proper Disney classics like The Little Mermaid and Aladdin already on Buzzjack The film is about Moana who travels the Pacific to find the demigod, Maui and return the stolen heart of Te Fiti.

It was a pretty big financial success making an impressive $643.3 million worldwide at the box office which is actually more than the likes of Tangled & Wreck-It Ralph from other recent Disney movies! It was also nominated for two Oscars but unfortunately, lost both of them (How Far I'll Go lost to "City of Stars" from La La Land in Original Song and the film itself lost to Zootopia in the Animated Feature category )

This is one of my favourite Disney movies of recent years and is perhaps their most gorgeous film to look at yet, the water scenes especially were just breath-taking, but I'm not sure I'd rank it this highly quite yet above so many Disney animated musicals that didn't make the cut.

Speaking of Oscar nominated songs, "How Far I'll Go" just edges it as my highlight of the film because of how just uplifting it is. "You're Welcome" was initially my favourite when I first watched the film for me but that song works much better with the visuals alongside it whereas HFIG has really stuck with me as a song itself

Posted by: Josh! Dec 12 2017, 08:52 PM

27. The Muppets
| 2011 | 080 pts | Biggest lover: 11th (UltraReputation) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Man or Muppet" (performed by Jason Segel and Walter)



This is one of the few films on the list that I really don't have much of a desire to watch. Amy Adams is the only real draw for me as I found The Muppets a little annoying to be honest and I'm not sure if I could stomach a whole movie based around them

It was a decent earner for Disney earning $165.2 million worldwide at the box office. It was obviously deemed successful enough to warrant a sequel too which unfortunately cost slightly more to produce and made half as much worldwide

"Man or Muppet" even won the Oscar for Best Original Song but it was a bit of an odd year anyway as there were only two nominees in that category anyway (the other being "Real in Rio" from Rio) I've picked that as my song highlight but only because it's the only one that I've actually heard, oops.

Posted by: Slade Dec 12 2017, 10:09 PM

OMG I completely forgot about the existence of Jersey Boys until this thread *.* I watched the film adaptation with my family a few years ago on TV and absolutely loved it, helped by the fact that I generally have positive feelings towards the music of The Four Seasons.

I have somehow never seen Dirty Dancing one of these days.

Posted by: Jonjo Dec 12 2017, 11:49 PM

Moana is one of my all time favourite movies. But I kinda vetoed all Disney movies in this. Woulda been top 5 for sure though, if not the winner. Such a flawless movie that just has repeatability!

I think I actually forgot to vote Muppets. but it wouldn't have been too hugh I should think. Really liked the film when I saw it, but I literally haven't seen it since the cinema release! 'Man or Muppet' is genius

Posted by: Winter Wombatland Dec 12 2017, 11:55 PM

Oh oops at The Sound of Music that low, I haven't seen it so I couldn't help it, but that feels a bit wrong for such a classic :x I do adore The Muppets Christmas Carol and watch it every Christmas, it didn't actually come to my mind as a musical though!

Posted by: Josh! Dec 13 2017, 01:48 PM

26. High School Musical 2
| 2007 | 083 pts | Biggest lover: 9th (HarryEzra) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Fabulous" (performed by Ashley Tisdale)



It wouldn't be Buzzjack if High School Musical 2 wasn't ranked as a better musical than the likes of The Sound of Music and Moulin Rouge High School Musical 2 takes place during summer break where the cast must start looking at getting jobs. The love triangle between Troy, Gabriella and Sharpay continues after Troy is offered a job in a country club owned by Sharpay's family.

It is a television movie so there are no box office takings to discuss in the commentary but it was nominated for two primetime Emmy awards for Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Children's Program.

I have seen this but it was when I was much younger and nowadays I can't really differentiate between all three movies. I did enjoy them as a kid but I haven't seen them in ages now so they've all just sort of melded into one in my memory. I should probably think about re-watching them at some point as they are lots of fun.

This has probably been my easiest choice for song highlight yet because "Fabulous" is by far my favourite song in any High School Movie ever. It's just such a diva anthem and impossible not to lip sync sassily when you play it. "What Time Is It?" is obviously a classic too but nothing can hold a candle to Sharpay's fabulous "Fabulous" *.*

Posted by: PaulM1983 Dec 13 2017, 04:38 PM

As much as I love it, Dirty Dancing surely shouldn't be here. None of the songs are performed. It's just a movie with an amazing soundtrack.

Little Shop of Horrors better sweep the board here. It's a stone cold classic.

Posted by: Mistletheo Dec 13 2017, 07:12 PM

The Bodyguard is also an all time fave of mine but doesn't really feel like a musical in the same way others are. The stage musical is glorious, possibly the best that I have ever seen

I loved The Muppets when it was released! There's some great songs in it and it's just a lot of fun!

Posted by: Slade Dec 13 2017, 07:17 PM

The plot of High School Musical 2 wasn't as strong as the first movie but I actually prefer the song selection of the second one, I put on that soundtrack as a pick-me-up from time to time *.*

Posted by: Josh! Dec 13 2017, 08:25 PM

25. Into the Woods
| 2014 | 085 pts | Biggest lover: 9th (Jahq) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Agony" (performed by Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen)



Into the Woods is a film adaptation of the stage show that first premiered in 1986. It became a massively popular show due to the blending of multiple fairytales including the likes of "Little Red Riding Hood", "Cinderella", "Jack and the Beanstalk", and "Rapunzel".

The film did decently for a musical at the box office making $213.1 million worldwide but I'm sure Disney had hoped for slightly more due to the star studded cast and the recent success of the live-action fairytale remakes they had been making too. It was also nominated for three Oscars including Meryl Streep's 19th acting nomination for her portrayal as the Witch (where she lost to Patricia Arquette at the Oscars, Golden Globes and SAG awards).

I did rather enjoy this movie and how it brings together a lot of my childhood favourite characters in to one story but I did get really bored towards the end. If it was a short film and ended halfway through after Cinderella marries the prince then I would have massively enjoyed it but then the giants start getting involved and it becomes really dull and the songs become less good too

I've gone for "Agony" as my song highlight but more just because it's so fun to see two gorgeous men camping it up in the actual film. In terms of the songs themselves that are featured in the film then I would say that I listen to "Last Midnight" the most, we all know Meryl Streep can sing and it's such a dramatic moment *.*

Posted by: Jonjo Dec 13 2017, 10:41 PM

Apart from 'Agony', 'Into The Woods' was horrendous for me. I found the songs nauseating to listen to. So monotonous and samey. Bleurgh. Overrated af.

Posted by: Josh! Dec 13 2017, 10:46 PM

QUOTE(Jonjo @ Dec 13 2017, 10:41 PM)

Posted by: Josh! Dec 14 2017, 07:50 PM

24. Mary Poppins
| 1964 | 085 pts | Biggest lover: 1st (Chez Wombat) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (performed by Julie Andrews & Dick Van Dyke)



Whilst poor The Sound of Music flopped in at #74 in the countdown, another Julie Andrews classic manages to make the top 25. I'm not sure why there is such a disparity between the two in the votes here as I feel like they both appeal to a similar sort of target audience but I guess Mary Poppins is likely to be more of a part of people's childhoods so perhaps more Buzzjackers have seen it. The film was based on the famous books written by P. L. Travers about a nanny who stays with a family in London and helps them to become much closer.

The film was a HUGE success both financially and critically, scoring a whopping 13 Oscar nominations and winning an impressive five of those (Best Actress for Andrews, Best Film Editing, Best Original Music Score, Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Song for "Chim Chim Cher-ee")!

I have seen this but not in a long, long time. I remember being really impressed at the mixture of live-action and animation when I was kid but I really need to re-watch this soon to jog my memory a bit more as I'm sure I would love it. I am a little disappointed that The Sound of Music didn't too great here though because the songs are even better in my opinion and I watch it much more frequently than I watch this.

There can really be no other choice for song highlight apart from "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious". There are some other lovely songs but made-up words don't get much more iconic than the signature Mary Poppins catchphrase. The song is super chirpy and happy and never fails to put a smile on my face

Posted by: Josh! Dec 14 2017, 08:31 PM

23. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
| 2007 | 087 pts | Biggest lover: 3rd (Josh!) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "The Worst Pies in London" (performed by Helena Bonham Carter)



Sweeney Todd has been a massive stage show success since it first debuted in 1979 and it was finally adapted into a film in 2007 with a rather star-studded cast including Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen and Alan Rickman. It may sound a little bonkers but the story is about a serial killer who teams up with a local baker to put human meat into pies

This is probably one of Johnny Depp's most popular and well-known roles in his entire career and he was even nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for the role where he lost to Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood". Helena Bonham Carter was also nominated at some of the precursor awards (including the Golden Globes) but was eventually snubbed at the Oscars

As you can see by me ranking it third, this is one of my all-time favourite musicals. It has the perfect balance of campy/hilarious storyline, incredibly memorable characters and some really fun songs too which just make the film such a laugh to watch. I can't really recommend this enough if you haven't seen it before, you know you're in for a fun time when watching it

There are loads of great songs on the soundtrack, some of my favourites being "A Little Priest", "By the Sea" and "The Contest" but I've gone for "The Worst Pies in London" for being such a great introduction to the character of Mrs. Lovett. I love Helena Bonham Carter anyway but I really think this is probably my favourite role of hers ever and I like the personality she injects into the lyrics. I've seen videos of Emma Thompson, Imelda Staunton and Angela Lansbury all in the role in the stage show too and they all killed it so I must say that Mrs. Lovett is one of my favourite musical characters ever

Posted by: Josh! Dec 15 2017, 09:10 PM

22. Enchanted
| 2007 | 091 pts | Biggest lover: 4th (HarryEzra) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Happy Working Song" (performed by Amy Adams)



Of ALL the films I haven't seen on this list, I think this is the one that I would most like to see next. It just seems like the sort of film that would be right up my street and I'm ashamed at myself for still not seeing it yet. It stars Amy Adams and Susan Sarandon who are two of my favourite actresses ever and James Marsden is a bit gorgeous as well so I really need to sort it out and watch this over the Christmas period.

The film is jam packed full of good songs, even managing to score THREE Original Song nominations at the Oscars with "Happy Working Song", "So Close" and "That's How You Know". I'm not overly familiar with the songs aside from "Happy Working Song" which is in a couple of my playlists and I like listening to it when getting ready so I've gone for that as my song highlight

Posted by: Josh! Dec 15 2017, 09:55 PM

21. Bugsy Malone
| 1976 | 110 pts | Biggest lover: 3rd (Jade) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "My Name Is Tallulah" (performed by Jodie Foster)



Bugsy Malone is set in New York City and follows the story of two rival gangs. The film version was made with an all children cast and used weapons such as splurge guns and custard pies rather than the arms that would have been used in reality as the film is loosely based off notorious gangsters such as Al Capone and Bugs Moran.

I have seen this because I was part of a drama club and we did this as a show once and we watched the film once before rehearsals as a treat but I was probably about nine at the time so I don't remember it all that greatly. I'm really fond of the show, story, characters etc. though so I ought to re-watch it soon too - I'll add it to the LONG list

There are some utter classic songs in here that I still love listening to including the likes of "Bugsy Malone", "Fat Sam's Grand Slam", "Bad Guys" and "So You Wanna Be a Boxer?" but ever since I first performed in my little drama club stage show version, I absolutely adored the character of Tallulah and therefore her solo moment has always been my favourite on the soundtrack

Posted by: Josh! Dec 15 2017, 09:59 PM

Recap time before we head into the top 20 !!

40. Beauty and the Beast (48 pts)
39. Dreamgirls (48 pts)
38. Evita (51 pts)
37. Sing Street (51 pts)
37. Sister Act (51 pts)
35. Jersey Boys (54 pts)
34. Sing (54 pts)
33. Blues Brothers (60 pts)
32. Trolls (61 pts)
31. Muppets Christmas Carol (68 pts)
30. Dirty Dancing (69 pts)
29. The Bodyguard (73 pts)
28. Moana (75 pts)
27. The Muppets (80 pts)
26. High School Musical 2 (83 pts)
25. Into the Woods (85 pts)
24. Mary Poppins (85 pts)
23. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (87 pts)
22. Enchanted (91 pts)
21. Bugsy Malone (110 pts)

Posted by: Slade Dec 15 2017, 10:54 PM

ARGH so close to the top 20! I absolutely adore Bugsy Malone, like you Josh I was involved in a production of it so there's lots of nostalgia involved! At a similar age as well as I was in year 4 so would've been about 8 My role was to sing 'I'm Feeling Fine' so no pressure doing that in front of the whole school.

The soundtrack is killer from start to finish *.* 'Fat Sam's Grand Slam' being my favourite <3 really need to re-watch it at some point.

Posted by: Josh! Dec 16 2017, 01:16 PM

20. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
| 1968 | 117 pts | Biggest lover: 4th (Chez Wombat) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" (performed by Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes)



I was under the impression that Mary Poppins was by far the most popular musical starring Dick Van Dyke but it seems Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is even more popular here on Buzzjack. It tells the story of an inventor who creates a flying car and travels to the faraway land of Vulgaria with his family in order to rescue their grandfather.

The film is loosely based on a novel written by Ian Fleming (of James Bond fame) called 'Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car'. The music was also written by The Sherman Brothers who also worked on the aforementioned Mary Poppins music too. The film was the tenth most popular at the US box office in 1969 and has become a childhood classic ever since.

I have seen this but I was super little when I did (probably like five years old?) so I don't really remember much of it all. The song "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" itself though is obviously iconic and I feel like everyone knows how it goes so that seems the right song highlight choice here.

Posted by: MerryFlynnmas Dec 16 2017, 04:07 PM

Yes to Enchanted and Bugsy Malone especially I adore both of them films

I also do like Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!

Posted by: Josh! Dec 16 2017, 10:07 PM

19. Pitch Perfect 2
| 2015 | 118 pts | Biggest lover: 7th (UltraReputation & Jahq) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Flashlight" (performed by Jessie J)



As far as I can tell, the Pitch Perfect films are the only A cappella musicals to make the top 40 so it's nice for them to provide a bit of variety in the countdown. Pitch Perfect 2 sees the Barden Bellas enter an international A cappella competition in order regain their status as one of the best after a humiliating performance where Fat Amy ended up showing off a bit more skin than expected.

This is pretty much on par with the first one for me so I'm a bit shocked at how far apart they have come in the countdown (the first one is still a little way off being revealed) but I suppose the first one was just a bit fresher as the first A cappella comedy musical to hit screens in a long time (ever? ).

I've been a bit cheeky and gone for a song that isn't technically performed in the film as my song highlight. I've always really liked "Flashlight" as a song and appreciate that Jessie reined it in a bit with the vocals but I found Hailee Steinfeld really annoying in this film and therefore didn't like her version of the song in the actual film, oops

Posted by: Jonjo Dec 16 2017, 10:20 PM

Absolutely adore 'Pitch Perfect 2'. Loooove 'Sweeney Todd' too anx really like 'Chitty...' and 'Enchanted' a lot too.

Posted by: Josh! Dec 17 2017, 04:13 PM

18. Beauty and the Beast
| 1991 | 120 pts | Biggest lover: 7th (Chez Wombat) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Beauty and the Beast" (performed by Angela Lansbury)



Beating out the 2017 remake by 22 positions, the 1991 animated version of Beauty and the Beast sneaks into the top 20 and ranks as the third highest animated musical in the countdown. It tells the story of a young woman whose father has been imprisoned in a castle by a beast. She offers to take his place and eventually finds herself falling in love with the personality behind the terrifying exterior.

Beauty and the Beast is one of the most well-known Disney animated films of all-time and it has been a huge success ever since it was first released. It scored an incredibly impressive SIX Oscar nominations and became the first ever Animated movie to be nominated for Best Picture where it ended up losing to The Silence of the Lambs. However, it did win two Oscars on the night, those being best Original Score and Best Original Song for "Beauty and the Beast"

The soundtrack is probably the strongest of any Disney animated movie in my opinion and there are so many tracks I listen to frequently now including "Be Our Guest", "Belle", "Gaston" and "Something There" but I've gone for "Beauty and the Beast" as my song highlight as I feel like that is the most recognisable song in the movie and is excellently sung by Angela Lansbury who injects that extra bit of love and warmth into the lyrics with her voice

Posted by: Josh! Dec 17 2017, 05:04 PM

17. Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory
| 1971 | 125 pts | Biggest lover: 10th (Chez Wombat & Jonjo) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Pure Imagination" (performed by Gene Wilder)



Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is the first film adaptation of the 1964 novel "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" written by Roald Dahl. The film tells the story of a young boy named Charlie who finds a golden ticket in his chocolate bar and is invited to a magical chocolate factory created by Willy Wonka himself.

Gene Wilder was even nominated for a Golden Globe that year for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical where he lost to Chaim Topol in Fiddler On the Roof (another classic musical that didn't make the cut here ). It was nominated for Best Score at the Oscars where it also lost to Fiddler On the Roof which became John Williams' first Oscar of FIVE so far!

It has a few lovely songs and I almost picked "Oompa Loompa" as my song highlight for being so much fun but I've gone with "Pure Imagination" which I feel is a bit more of a respectable choice It has become a huge part of popular culture and has been referenced and covered in so many things since the film first premiered.

Posted by: UltraReputation Dec 18 2017, 12:09 AM

Catch up part 1:

Wtf is dreamgirls doing so low? one of my favourite films ever, the cast are incredible and all the songs are so good (AIATYING, listen, move, one night only, I am changing and love you I do are all 11/10's <3)
The 2016 musical holy trinity (Sing-Trolls-Moana) all making it <3 Faith and you're welcome are my faves over the ones you chose but ofc I agree on the wonderful fun anthem GBUA for Trolls ❤️
The muppets *.* such an incredible reboot and musical <3 me party and life's a happy song are my faves, I low-key find man or kipper overrated oops
Yassss HSM2 and anthem of life fabulous both appearing *.* iconic film 💗

Posted by: UltraReputation Dec 18 2017, 12:12 AM

Into the woods is good but a lil too high in my opinion!
Mary popping, enchanted (I see Idina omitted from the actors you mentioned there Josh 😮) and the animated B&TB are allclassics <3 I'm shocked the latter didn't come higher!
Adore pitch perfect 2 and I'm so glad it made the top 20 <3 flashlight is my highlight also *.*

Posted by: Josh! Dec 18 2017, 02:11 PM

16. West Side Story
| 1961 | 130 pts | Biggest lover: 3rd (HarryEzra) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "America" (performed by Rita Moreno & George Chakiris)



West Side Story is one of the oldest musicals to appear in the countdown, it was released in 1961, four years after the musical first debuted on Broadway. It tells the story of two people in rival gangs who fall in love as tensions begin to rise between the two violent groups.

It won 10 Academy Awards that year making it the musical film to win the most Oscars in history (La La Land who?). Those wins included major categories such as Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for George Chakiris, Best Supporting Actress for Rita Moreno and Best Director (which is special because it became the first film to have the directing award being shared).

I actually watched the stage show of this before seeing the film but after watching it live, I rushed to HMV during my next shopping trip to pick up a copy of the DVD to watch at home. I think the film is even stronger and it's not hard to see why it was such a massive critical success. There are some real gut-punches to the story, the ending especially made me jaw drop completely the first time I witnessed it.

I guess "I Feel Pretty" is probably the most iconic song from the soundtrack but "America" is the one that I enjoy listening to the most so that is my choice for song highlight. It has some really cheeky lyrics which are a lot of fun but the choreography is also brilliant and a real joy to watch over and over again

Posted by: Josh! Dec 18 2017, 04:05 PM

15. La La Land
| 2016 | 131 pts | Biggest lover: 1st (Jonjo & UltraReputation) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Someone in the Crowd" (performed by Emma Stone, Callie Hernandez, Sonoya Mizuno, Jessica Rothe)



La La Land took the world by storm in late 2016 and both critics and audiences could not stop raving about it. It became a bit of a cultural phenomenon and everybody wanted to go and see it. It stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling as an up and coming actress and pianist respectively in Los Angeles who have to work their careers around their growing affections for each other.

The film blew up worldwide and made a massive $445 million at the worldwide box office which is pretty much unheard of for an original musical film. It was both the awarded and nominated film at the 89th Academy Awards and won in some major categories including Best Lead Actress and Best Director (the youngest winner of Best Director at the Oscars EVER).

I've still only seen this once despite meaning to re-watch it in the last year but it is absolutely brilliant so I'm still a bit gutted it lost Best Picture to Moonlight when I enjoyed this so much more. Saying that, I do find it a little overrated and not sure I'd rank it this high if this were a personal countdown.

I know that most people would go for either Oscar-nominated song for their song highlight but I prefer all of "Epilogue", "Another Day of Sun", "A Lovely Night" and "Someone in the Crowd" to both of those tracks to be honest. I've gone for the latter as my song highlight because the music is so joyous and it perfectly captures what getting ready for a night out feels like to me.

Posted by: Severin Dec 18 2017, 05:32 PM

I just confess I think i forgot to give points to Bugsy and meant to. Sorry


Surprised Mary Poppins isn't higher although I'm not a fan, and equally surprised that The Child Catcher from Chitty didn't get a mention

Posted by: Jonjo Dec 18 2017, 05:39 PM

'La La Land' one of the very best films ever for me. It's just so rewatchable and likeable.

'Someone In the Crowd' is very good, but I find it the most overrated! 'What A Lovely Night' is my fave musical number. If I waa going to choose a routine to learn, it would be that! So smooth, slick and stylish!

Posted by: Mistletheo Dec 18 2017, 09:33 PM

A couple more that I haven't seen but what the hell at Enchanted missing the top 20?! It's one of my favourite films of all time and definitely one of Disney's best musicals of recent times.

That's about right for Into the Woods, I definitely agree with comments about it being a bit too long with the giants etc. but I think the soundtrack is really strong and I like that the "Into the Woods" song is interpolated throughout the film. I adore "Agony" too

I'm actually surprised to see West Side Story as high as 16th, I do love it though and am pleased that it's held up against some of the more recent films here. "Somewhere" is my highlight, such a moment.

Posted by: Josh! Dec 19 2017, 12:25 PM

14. Oliver!
| 1968 | 133 pts | Biggest lover: 5th (Jonjo) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Consider Yourself" (performed by Jack Wild)



Oliver! is probably the most famous adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens novel. The film is based on the musical adaptation that first debuted on the West End in 1960. I'm really shocked that this hasn't made the top 10 (when you see what actually has made the top 10, you'll know you're on Buzzjack... ) because it's one of those classic musicals that everybody seems to love and it has some brilliant songs too.

At the 41st Academy Awards, Oliver! was nominated for 11 Oscars and won 5 making it the most awarded film of that year. Major wins for the film include Best Picture, Best Director and Best Score. Ron Moody as Fagin and Jack Wild as The Artful Dodger (despite being just 16 years old at the time!) were also nominated but did not win.

I remember watching this over and over again as a child and for that reason it is one of my absolute favourite musicals. I remember the death of Nancy scene being one that really stuck with me whenever I watched it.

As I mentioned before, the soundtrack for this is brilliant and there are so many songs I could select as my song highlight so here's a shout out to "Food, Glorious Food", "Pick a Pocket or Two" and "I'd Do Anything" for being some of my favourite ever musical songs. "Consider Yourself" is The Artful Dodger's shining moment and an absolute bop at the same time so I've gone for that one as my song highlight.

Posted by: Josh! Dec 19 2017, 12:59 PM

13. The Lion King
| 1994 | 139 pts | Biggest lover: 3rd (Chez Wombat) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Circle of Life" (performed by Carmen Twillie and Lebo M.)



The Lion King lands in at #13 making it the second highest animated musical on the countdown! I'm a little shocked at what film is the highest animated musical here but at least Beauty and the Beast and this managed a pretty high position too. I'm sure pretty much everyone has seen it but it tells the story of a young lion cub named Simba and his journey on the way to becoming the King.

The film was a massive box office success and beat out the likes of Forrest Gump, The Mask and True Lies to be the highest grossing film of 1994 worldwide. It also won two Oscars for Best Score and Best Original Song for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" which beat out other Lion King nominees "Hakuna Matata" and "Circle of Life".

If you discuss your favourite Disney animated classics with pretty much anyone, you know that Lion King is going to crop up in the conversation at some point. It is one of the most famous Disney movies and one that many people grew up with. I am a fan of some of the Disney princess movies ever so slightly more than this to be honest but there is no denying just how good this is and it packs one of the biggest gut punches in an animated movie ever (Mufasa's death, of course )

The film is jam-packed with amazing songs and I was going to be a bit inspired and go for "Be Prepared" as the song highlight as it is probably my favourite ever Disney villain song (that or Ursula's "Poor Unfortunate Souls" anyway) but "Circle of Life" is SUCH a moment that there really is no other option for me. I remember getting tingles as a child just from seeing the whole animal kingdom come together leading up to the lifting up of Simba to the skies with this song playing over it. One of my favourite ever Disney scenes so that has to be my song highlight

Posted by: Josh! Dec 20 2017, 01:20 PM

12. Annie
| 1982 | 141 pts | Biggest lover: 5th (Josh!) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Little Girls" (performed by Carol Burnett)



Much like Oliver, I thought this was another one of those classic musicals that would be a shoo-in for a top 10 placing but I have been proved wrong Annie tells the story of a young orphan who is looked after by a wicked carer until she is lucky enough to be picked to live with a billionaire for a week.

I think this is the first (non-Disney) musical that I ever saw because I was in a production of it when I was six years old. I remember loving all the songs and learning all the words within days and my love for musicals has been there ever since. I remember that I had a VHS boxset with this and Oliver on it and I used to watch them on repeat when I was little.

Annie is one of those musicals that is just fantastic song after fantastic song so there really is loads of options for song highlight. "Tomorrow" is probably the most famous track and it is such a lovely moment in the film but I'm definitely a bigger fan of the fun/cheeky tracks such as "It's the Hard Knock Life" and "Easy Street". Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan is one of my favourite performances in a film ever though and the personality and humour she injects into "Little Girls" makes it a song to remember

Posted by: Josh! Dec 20 2017, 02:20 PM

11. Frozen
| 2013 | 145 pts | Biggest lover: 2nd (UltraReputation) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Let It Go" (performed by Idina Menzel)



One thing I was NOT expecting when counting up the results was Frozen to rank as the highest animated musical in the countdown I really thought the likes of Beauty and the Beast, Lion King (and even Little Mermaid etc.) were going to finish way higher than this and I certainly wasn't expecting it to land just outside the top 10! It tells the story of two sisters, one with magical ice superpowers, and the tough relationship they must deal with when the magical powers get out of control.

Frozen is obviously one of the biggest financial successes of all-time, currently ranking at #9 on the all-time worldwide box office highest grossing movies list with $1.27 BILLION made. It was popular with all ages and even won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature over tough competition from Despicable Me 2, The Wind Rises, The Croods and Ernest & Celestine.

In terms songs, "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" is probably my favourite to watch because I really like the way they grow up in the visuals and I love the image of the two girls either side of the door wanting to be together but knowing it's not possible. However, "Let It Go" as a song is easily my favourite, an undeniably impressive vocal performance from Idina Menzel and it just creates such a huge moment in the film that it's impossible not to love

Posted by: Josh! Dec 20 2017, 02:24 PM

One final recap before we hit the top 10

Any predictions or hopes for what is to come?!

40. Beauty and the Beast (2017) (48 pts)
39. Dreamgirls (48 pts)
38. Evita (51 pts)
37. Sing Street (51 pts)
37. Sister Act (51 pts)
35. Jersey Boys (54 pts)
34. Sing (54 pts)
33. Blues Brothers (60 pts)
32. Trolls (61 pts)
31. Muppets Christmas Carol (68 pts)
30. Dirty Dancing (69 pts)
29. The Bodyguard (73 pts)
28. Moana (75 pts)
27. The Muppets (80 pts)
26. High School Musical 2 (83 pts)
25. Into the Woods (85 pts)
24. Mary Poppins (85 pts)
23. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (87 pts)
22. Enchanted (91 pts)
21. Bugsy Malone (110 pts)
20. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (117 pts)
19. Pitch Perfect 2 (118 pts)
18. Beauty and the Beast (1991) (120 pts)
17. Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (125 pts)
16. West Side Story (130 pts)
15. La La Land (131 pts)
14. Oliver! (133 pts)
13. The Lion King (139 pts)
12. Annie (141 pts)
11. Frozen (145 pts)

Posted by: Winter Wombatland Dec 20 2017, 02:35 PM

Kinda surprised Frozen beat The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, especially as the former is an actual stage musical and all I do feel it's songs are iconic enough to make it stand out though, I was hesitant to include Disney movies due to them being primarily animation, but those three I think can crossover.

Mary Poppins is far too low One of the first films I remember watching and it's still so joyful and wonderful to this day.

Wizard of Oz to slay please *.

Posted by: Jonjo Dec 20 2017, 07:13 PM

'Oliver!' Is outstanding. One of my fave musicals/films ever. Such a classic and it's so good seeing it do so well in this

'Annie' is a classic too, but I like it quite a bit less than 'Oliver!', but I still enjoyed it a lot.

As I've said, I don't know why, but I don't consider Disney animations to be "musicals". So weird, but 'The Lion King' is forever a fave (and is possibly the best soundtrack of all time) and I enjoy 'Frozen' from time to time.

Posted by: Mistletheo Dec 20 2017, 09:40 PM

I'm not that sad to see either The Lion King or Frozen drop out. The former is obviously a childhood classic but I don't love it as much as other people of my age group, apart from the soundtrack. Frozen is a good 21st century animated musical but I've only watched it twice.

Rooting for Grease or Rocky Horror for the win now! I'm shocked that Little Shop is top ten, I've also only seen that once but I didn't really like it that much.

Posted by: Jonjo Dec 21 2017, 12:57 AM

Little Shop to win

Posted by: PaulM1983 Dec 21 2017, 09:33 AM

QUOTE(Mistletheo @ Dec 20 2017, 09:40 PM)

Posted by: Josh! Dec 22 2017, 01:56 PM

QUOTE(PaulM1983 @ Dec 21 2017, 09:33 AM)

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

Little Shop has one of the best soundtracks of all time for me. Every song is amazing. The movie is perfect. It's camp, dark and so funny! It's my go-to musical. I'll never tire of it.

Posted by: Josh! Dec 22 2017, 02:07 PM

10. Chicago
| 2002 | 152 pts | Biggest lover: 4th (Josh) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Cell Block Tango" (performed by Catherine Zeta-Jones & The Cell Block Girls)



Yay, this is one of my favourite results from this countdown! I wasn't so how liked Chicago was on Buzzjack so I was really chuffed when it sneaked into the top 10 as it is one of my favourite musicals ever. I'd love to see the stage show one day too, I think seeing this live is top of my list from the ones I've not seen yet. It tells the story of two murderers who fight for fame in order to prevent being sent down for their crimes.

The film was a huge critical success and it one six Academy Awards that year (more than the likes of The Pianist, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Gangs of New York) including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Catherine Zeta-Jones. Renee Zellweger, Queen Latifah and John C. Reilly all scored acting nominations that year too meaning the film scored an overall 13 nominations

This is one of those really fun musicals that never fails to put a smile on your face. The humour is dry at times but certainly laugh out loud funny, the songs are super catchy and the visuals and choreography are all top notch. The characters are all pretty hilarious too, I've always thought Renee Zellweger as Roxie in this is super under-rated

I guess "All That Jazz" is probably the most well-known and iconic song in Chicago and whilst Catherine Zeta-Jones completely nails her version of it in the film, "Cell Block Tango" will always be my favourite. It's sassy, it's fierce and wryly humorous too - what's not to love?

Posted by: Josh! Dec 22 2017, 02:26 PM

09. Mamma Mia
| 2008 | 167 pts | Biggest lover: 2nd (Josh & Jahq) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Does Your Mother Know?" (performed by Christine Baranski)



Another one of my all-time favourites drops out know but I'm super glad it made the top 10 anyway so yay! Mamma Mia uses the classic songs from ABBA's discography to tell the story of a young lady who is getting married and wants to seek out her biological father to invite him to the wedding. Little does she know that all of the potential fathers will turn up to the island without her mother knowing...

Up until Wonder Woman was such a huge success this year, Mamma Mia actually held the record for highest grossing (worldwide) live-action movie directed by a woman! It was such a huge financial success as ABBA are obviously such a global phenomenon and now the studio have finally made a sequel that is due out in 2018. Meryl was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance here but ended up being nominated that year in Lead Actress at the Oscars for Doubt instead.

Meryl is easily the best thing about the film but Julie Walters & Christine Baranski are heaps of fun too and there aren't many other movies you get to see serious actors like Colin Firth & Pierce Brosnan wearing flared trousers singing Waterloo by ABBA during the closing credits.

I was about to go for "The Winner Takes It All" as the song highlight because it is my personal favourite ABBA song ever and Meryl sells the emotion in that scene so, so, so well but then I remembered how hilarious "Does Your Mother Know?" is and HAD to go for that instead. Christine Baranski clearly knows how to flirt and her performance here during this song is one of my favourite musical moments ever

Posted by: Jonjo Dec 23 2017, 07:15 PM

Never seen 'Chicago', not sure if I'm bothered about it either. 'Mamma Mia' can be good fun at times, but annoying at other times. Great song highlight though

Posted by: Josh! Dec 24 2017, 06:37 PM

08. Little Shop of Horrors
| 1986 | 173 pts | Biggest lover: 1st (Josh) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Skid Row (Downtown)" (performed by Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene & Cast)



And here comes the time where my #1 favourite musical drops out I wasn't actually expecting it to get this high so I'm really pleased that others love it so much too. Based off the 1982 original stage show, Little Shop of Horrors tells the story of a blood-thirsty plant and the lengths his owner must go to in order to keep his human-eating shrub happy.

I feel like this is one of the most well known classic musicals and it's not hard to see why so many people love it for how fun and campy it is. I remember watching an amateur production of it when I was much younger and just falling in love with the songs as well as the bonkers storyline

The doo-wop/motown sound of the songs makes them super catchy if you like classics from the likes of The Supremes and The Jackson 5. I've gone for "Skid Row" as the highlight just because it has such a gorgeous chorus. "Little Shop of Horrors", "Suddenly, Seymour", "Dentist!" and "Somewhere That's Green" are all 10/10 too though.

Posted by: Josh! Dec 24 2017, 06:48 PM

07. Les Miserables
| 2012 | 186 pts | Biggest lover: 5th (Jade) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "I Dreamed a Dream" (performed by Anne Hathaway)



We go from one of campiest musicals on the countdown to one of the most serious ones now with Les Mis which touches upon all sorts of topics including war, death and prostitution. It follows the life of a convict and his life of hiding his past under his new identity, constantly running from the police.

Les Miserables has been made into countless films by now but it's the 2012 Hollywood adaptation that brought it new levels of fame. It was nominated for 8 Oscars that year and took home three awards for Anne Hathaway, Make-up/Hairstyling and Sound Mixing.

I've seen this twice now on the West End but in all honesty, I probably do prefer this film adaptation of the story. The plot is a bit dark and serious to be one of my absolute favourite musicals but I remember being mind blown when I first saw it in cinemas and there's a good reason that the story has stood the test of time since it was first released as a novel in 1862.

Speaking of Anne Hathaway taking home the Oscar that year, "I Dreamed a Dream" is the big MOMENT in the film so there really is no other option for song highlight - her delivery of every line completely sells every word! Shout out to "Master of the House" too for being ridiculous amounts of fun

Posted by: Regina Dec 24 2017, 07:50 PM

IDAD is a MOMENT but my fave song from Les Mis is probs Aaron Tveit and his gang doing Do You Hear The People Sing?
Actually anything that he sings in tbh

Posted by: PaulM1983 Dec 25 2017, 12:27 AM

Urgh. So gutted that Little Shop is out and angry with myself for missing this vote!! There's not a bad song in it, it's impeccable. And Ellen's performance is wonderful.

Not much to say about Les Mis other than it is indeed very impressive. I do feel like the big numbers lack some of the bombast from the stage version, like At The End of The Day. On stage, it's absolutely thunderous but I don't recall the movie version giving me the same feels. Anne does indeed take it all the way home for I Dreamed a Dream though. That is how that song should be sung. It's not a pop ballad, it's heartbreaking and agonising. She absolutely nailed it.

Posted by: Josh! Dec 26 2017, 09:30 PM

06. The Wizard of Oz
| 1939 | 194 pts | Biggest lover: 2nd (Chez Wombat) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" (performed by Billie Burke & The Munchkins)



If I'm not mistaken, I believe that The Wizard of Oz is the oldest film to make the countdown here. It's just one of those films that completely stands the test of time and pretty much everyone I know has seen it because it's such a classic. It tells the story of a young girl who kept swept up in a tornado to a magical faraway land, accidentally landing on and killing off an evil witch with her house.

It has gone down in history as one of the greatest films in cinema history (unlike a certain High School Musical which is still yet to come... ONLY ON BUZZJACK!!) known for its use of technicolour and memorable characters. Every can remember the likes of Dorothy, Toto, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, Glinda, Wicked Witch of the West, The Wizard of Oz himself from their childhoods and it's just crazy to think how many iconic characters this film has in it.

I haven't seen this in a long, long time now but it was one of my favourites during childhood so I really should re-watch it some time soon. It always seems to be on TV around Christmas so I've probably missed my window of opportunity now so maybe next year

"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is obviously a lovely song and Judy Garland absolutely nails it despite being a teenager at the time of filming but my favourite song has to go "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead". I always used to find it rather morbidly fun as a child and of course The Munchkins were my favourites when I was younger too

Posted by: Josh! Dec 26 2017, 09:41 PM

05. Pitch Perfect
| 2012 | 198 pts | Biggest lover: 3rd (Theo) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Cups" (performed by Anna Kendrick)



I might be over-using this phrase a little bit now but ONLY ON BUZZJACK would Pitch Perfect be ranked as the FIFTH best musical movie of all-time?!?! Sure, it's a fantastic comedy, has some really cool sounding covers and even a lovely original song with its own dance routine but it really doesn't compare to some classics like Annie and Oliver that couldn't even make the top 10.

I haven't seen this in a couple of years now but I'm a big fan of the Pitch Perfect franchise and this is obviously the film that introduced us to the amazing character that is Fat Amy. I've found all three films so far pretty much on par with each other quality wise so I'm a bit shocked this has ranked so much higher than the sequel but I guess it did feel slightly fresher the first time around.

"Cups" is the obvious song highlight for me. The covers are cute and I like hearing the a cappella versions but Cups is a really good original song and I remember spending many hours trying to learn how to do the hand movements so I could sing along. I never mastered it but at least the song was lodged in my head for many months

Posted by: Josh! Dec 27 2017, 11:57 AM

04. Hairspray
| 2007 | 215 pts | Biggest lover: 2nd (HarryEzra) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Welcome to the 60's" (performed by Nikki Blonsky & John Travolta)



Hairspray first debuted as a Broadway musical in 2002 and was adapted into a film in 2007 starring A-listers such as John Travolta, Michelle Pfieffer & Christopher Walken. The film was a financial success making over $200 million worldwide at the box office and there were even talks for a sequel which unfortunately never came to fruition.

I do like Hairspray quite a bit and know it is absolutely heaps of fun but I'm not sure I'd rank it quite THIS high on my own countdown. John Travolta is a big highlight especially and it has plenty of laughs but I'm not sure it compares to some of the classics that have dropped out before this.

"You Can't Stop the Beat" is the easy choice for song highlight but my own personal favourite is definitely "Welcome to the 60s" - I've always just found it super catchy and it was stuck in my brain for ages after first watching the film.

Posted by: PaulM1983 Dec 27 2017, 01:39 PM

Pitch Perfect??? Good lord.

It's fun and enjoyable, but the 5th best ever? No, no, no.

Posted by: Mistletheo Dec 27 2017, 06:20 PM

Go Chicago! An excellent soundtrack although it's not a film that I've gone back to.

I really dislike the plot of Mamma Mia! although obviously the soundtrack is incredible The stage production wasn't much better but I will give the sequel a go

I think I preferred the musical of Les Misérables to the film but Anne Hathaway is obviously insanely good in the film *.*

The Wizard of Oz is such a childhood classic and I still enjoy watching it now (even though the resolution with the Wizard is rather disappointing) and it obviously spawned the incredible Wicked so even more reason for *.*

I think the original Pitch Perfect is so much better than the second and third because the concept was original and the mixing of the songs (particularly the use of "Bulletproof" and "Titanium") is a lot better. Not that I dislike the sequels though

Hairspray is a really great modern classic, such a great cast and the choreography for the Corny Collins Club is great! Queen Latifah obviously also slays.

Posted by: Styles Bilinski Dec 27 2017, 11:43 PM

I have a good mind to delete this thread and forget all about Mamma Mia finishing as low as ninth?!?!?

Posted by: UltraReputation Dec 28 2017, 03:56 AM

La la land, the lion king, frozen and mamma mia all classics and up there with my favourite films ever! Yassssat the Let It Go mention *.* les mis also slays so much *.*

Yassss at pitch perfect and hairspray top 5 as well, both all times faves <3

Posted by: HarryEzra Dec 28 2017, 04:37 AM

Hairspray top 5 YESSSS <3

Posted by: Josh! Dec 30 2017, 04:39 PM

03. High School Musical
| 2006 | 220 pts | Biggest lover: 3rd (Jahq) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Breaking Free" (performed by Zac Efron & Vanessa Hudgens)



You heard it here on Buzzjack first!! - High School Musical is the THIRD best musical of all-time of course High School Musical tells the story of two people who try out for the leads in a high school musical () and a romance blossoms between the two.

It's an OK film but hardly top three musicals of all-time for me. I think it's heaps of fun but it doesn't even have the best songs from the trilogy to be honest and is a bit too light to really compare to the classics in my rankings.

It has a few nice tracks though so I've gone for Breaking Free as my song highlight. Of course, as I child, I knew all the words like most people and it's still fun when people play it nowadays. Shout out to "Stick to the Status Quo" too!

ROCKY HORROR VS. GREASE!!

Posted by: Severin Dec 30 2017, 05:24 PM

Either winner would be worthy and I expect it to be Grease but it's Rocky Horror all the way for me

Posted by: Josh! Dec 31 2017, 10:14 PM

02. Rocky Horror Picture Show
| 1975 | 272 pts | Biggest lover: 1st (Severin) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me" (performed by Susan Sarandon)





01. Grease
| 1978 | 314 pts | Biggest lover: 1st (Harry, Jade, Jahq & Theo) |

Josh's Song Highlight: "Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee" (performed by Stockard Channing)



Whilst I may not have agreed with some other films coming so high in the countdown, these two are really undeniable classics and they make a brilliant runaway top two. For about half of the results, Rocky Horror was actually a little in front but the Grease fans really came out in full force and it scored a massive four top scores!

My song highlights here may bit a controversial as I imagine Time Warp & either Summer Loving or You're the One That I Want would be most people's choices but these two have always been my favourites from those and I find them both super-underrated. I love the cheekiness of Rizzo in Grease and Janet is one of my favourite Susan Sarandon roles too - my school friendship always used to go mad for a bit of "Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me" at pre-drinks

Thanks for joining me on this countdown !! I hope you enjoyed reading x

Posted by: Josh! Dec 31 2017, 10:17 PM

Thanks to those of you who have read and commented !!



FULL RESULT
01. Grease (314 pts)
02. Rocky Horror Picture Show (272 pts)
03. High School Musical (220 pts)
04. Hairspray (215 pts)
05. Pitch Perfect (198 pts)
06. The Wizard of Oz (194 pts)
07. Les Miserables (186 pts)
08. Little Shop of Horrors (173 pts)
09. Mamma Mia (167 pts)
10. Chicago (152 pts)
11. Frozen (145 pts)
12. Annie (141 pts)
13. The Lion King (139 pts)
14. Oliver! (133 pts)
15. La La Land (131 pts)
16. West Side Story (130 pts)
17. Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (125 pts)
18. Beauty and the Beast (1991) (120 pts)
19. Pitch Perfect 2 (118 pts)
20. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (117 pts)
21. Bugsy Malone (110 pts)
22. Enchanted (91 pts)
23. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (87 pts)
24. Mary Poppins (85 pts)
25. Into the Woods (85 pts)
26. High School Musical 2 (83 pts)
27. The Muppets (80 pts)
28. Moana (75 pts)
29. The Bodyguard (73 pts)
30. Dirty Dancing (69 pts)
31. Muppets Christmas Carol (68 pts)
32. Trolls (61 pts)
33. Blues Brothers (60 pts)
34. Sing (54 pts)
35. Jersey Boys (54 pts)
37. Sister Act (51 pts)
37. Sing Street (51 pts)
38. Evita (51 pts)
39. Dreamgirls (48 pts)
40. Beauty and the Beast (2017) (48 pts)

Posted by: Regina Dec 31 2017, 10:23 PM

I have never seen the original Grease but loved the live version from a while back.

Posted by: Josh! Jan 3 2018, 04:30 PM

Would anyone be interested in more genre countdowns here in Movies? Any suggestions welcome!!

Thinking of some more things to get running aside from personal countdowns of mine...

Posted by: Severin Jan 3 2018, 05:46 PM

QUOTE(Josh! @ Jan 3 2018, 04:30 PM)

Would anyone be interested in more genre countdowns here in Movies? Any suggestions welcome!!

Thinking of some more things to get running aside from personal countdowns of mine...

Posted by: Josh! Jan 3 2018, 05:52 PM

QUOTE(Severin @ Jan 3 2018, 05:46 PM)

Posted by: Regina Jan 3 2018, 06:03 PM

Superhero movies?

Posted by: Severin Jan 3 2018, 06:13 PM

Like the aforementioned Superheroes, Sci-Fi might be popular

I doubt there'd be much call for War or Westerns even if I'd quite like the former. Rom Coms and Comedies in general maybe.

Or you could narrow it down to things like Best Picture Oscar winners, Bond films, Spielberg films (for example) or do best directors or something.

Posted by: Theo. Jan 3 2018, 06:24 PM

YAS at that top two! My personal top two and the correct winner as I have lived with and loved Grease all of my life, whilst I have only really been familiar with Rocky for the past 7/8 years. Both have incredible soundtracks to go with the excellent films.

Thank you so much for running this, Josh! I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your commentaries and look forward to future similar threads! I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi/horror but would definitely be up for a comedy/romcom or animated rate