Musicals and movies that include singing and dancing are really something special, bringing us something more than just stories and characters. The audience who enjoys them can’t get enough of them and is always looking for new and interesting movies which include song and movement. This is the list of the 10 best movies on Disney + to stream right now, from dramas, through comedies to thrillers.
Moulin Rouge (2001)
Moulin Rouge is an unforgettable love story set in a historic period when Moulin Rouge was one of the most frequented Parisian nightclubs. Christian is a poor Bohemian poet who falls in love with the club’s most famous courtesan, Satine. He meets her when he comes to present his new play, but she is already promised to a wealthy duke who needs to be charmed to give money for the show.
The show is on and Satine and Christian start falling in love during rehearsals, but they need to hide their love from the jealous duke. We are witnessing one of the most beautiful love stories ever through beautiful songs and dances and finally arrive at the show premiere where many things become revealed, one known and one hidden as a secret. And we can’t hide our tears in the end.
Black Swan (2010)
This Darren Aronofsky intriguing thriller drama brings us the version of Swan Lake we have never seen before. Nina is a ballerina in a New York City ballet company, completely devoted to dance. She is brilliant and soon becomes the first substitute for the opening production of Swan Lake. Nina is the perfect choice for White Swan but this piece demands a dancer who can play both the White and the Black Swan.
Her biggest rival is Lily, the new dancer in their company who is the personification of the Black Swan soon their rivalry will expand to a weird friendship and Nina will begin to embrace her dark side which might destroy her and her career.
West Side Story (1961)
One of the first and most famous musicals of all time is the crime drama, West Side Story, with Natalie Wood and George Chakiris in leading roles. It is an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, set in New York, and tells the story of two rival gangs, the white jets led by Riff and the Latino Sharks led by Bernardo. Their hatred is so strong that they are not able to communicate anymore, let alone come to an understanding about the issues bothering them.
But when Riff’s best friend Tony and Bernardo’s sister Maria meet at a dance and fall in love, meeting in secret and planning to run away. But nothing is ever simple and when Maria sends Tony to try to stop the arranged fight between the Jets and the Sharks, a tragedy so hard strikes and leads everything to a heartbreaking ending.
Fantasia (1940)
Fantasia is the first cartoon of a kind and therefore one of the most important and famous cartoons of all time. It is an unforgettable cinematic musical experience that combines Western classical music and brilliant visual animation.
It is conducted by Leopold Stokowski and divided into segments that include Ave Maria, Night on Bald Mountain, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and The Nutcracker Suite. It is a really groundbreaking experience, full of fantasy and various settings including supernatural and sacred.
The Full Monty (1997)
This is a brilliant, hilarious but at times very serious British drama, typical for their cinematography, full of wit, dark humour and difficult and socially engaged themes. It takes place in Sheffield where friends Gaz and Dave can’t find a job after the closure of the most of town’s steel mills. Their personal lives are also a wreck and only a miracle can help them come out of this situation.
Somehow Gaz comes up with the idea to form his own male exotic dance troupe and soon there are six of them ready to dance and entertain all different kinds of women. Even though they are not really material for successful strippers, being unattractive or bad dancers, their acts will become a sensation and bring them more popularity and success than they could have ever imagined.
High School Musical (2006)
A lot of dancing and singing is involved in one of the most famous and beloved teen musicals in the last two decades which is this lovely musical romance about two complete opposites who stir up the well-known social scale in their high school. Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez couldn’t be any different but that won’t get in the way of their friendship.
They meet at a party while singing karaoke on New Year’s Eve and very soon Troy finds out that Gabriella is a new student at his high school in New Mexico. They become good friends and even decide to audition for main roles in a school musical, infuriating two of the most popular students in school. This is when the social order in their high school will become threatened and necessary measures will have to be taken.
The Greatest Showman (2017)
This wonderful biographical musical drama tells the story of the orphaned and poor but extremely talented and ambitious American entertainer Phineas Taylor Barnum who began his successful career as the owner of a wax museum but soon turned his interests to unique and extraordinary live acts in the circus stage.
The majority saw his acts as something odd, intriguing, and very bizarre, he has never stopped believing in himself, always wanting attention, cheers, and respect from other people. He decided to go all in with the opera singer Jenny Lind to attract a more sophisticated audience but on this path of his, he will forget about the most important thing in his life, his family.Â
Enchanted (2007)
What happens when a fairytale character gets transferred to the real world? This happened to the beautiful Giselle who was banished by evil queen Narissa from her magical animated land filled with music and dancing and sent to New York City.
Completely unprepared and truly shocked by modern life, with no happy endings and people who don’t sing when they want to express themselves, Giselle is constantly trying to bring some magic to the town and its people. When she falls in love with a charming divorce lawyer, she will start questioning the real difference between her world and the one she has found herself in.
Mary Poppins (1964)
After a series of uptight, boring, and strict nannies, Michael and Jane Banks are tired of getting new ones almost every week and trying to get rid of them. But their father needs help and is desperate to find someone who will take good care of his children, but also be loved or at least liked by them. One cloudy morning, there is a knock on the door and an uninvited guest enters their home.
Her name is Mary Poppins and she is their new nanny, a magical and witty woman who will take them on numerous adventures, but also teach them how to behave, especially with adults. This beautiful story is a must-see for everyone, but it is a special delight for the youngest since it is full of singing and dancing, colorful and optimistic.
Swing Kids (1993)
Even though this drama is not directly connected to dancing, its message and importance make it a must on this list. Full of brilliant actors such as Robert Sean Leonard, Christian Bale, and the uncredited Kenneth Branagh, it shows the importance of music in people’s lives, even in the times when it was not allowed to be surrounded by it.
This movie tells the story of a group of friends growing up in Nazi Germany and spending their days listening to banned swing music from the U.S. Very soon their dancing and enjoying the unallowed will not be the most difficult choice in their lives since World War II is just about to start.
