There are two things in life that have always been guilty pleasures of mine: musicals and movies. Many people may find these forms of entertainment unimportant or even annoying, but the fact that these wonderful "M" words can be intertwined makes the world an even better place (at least in my opinion).
Ever since the world's first movie musical- "The Jazz Singer"- sound has played a key component in motion pictures for its use of transporting dialogue as well as sound. The incorporation of sound with motion picture has made the film industry very eager to take advantage of its new tool and decided to invest in movie musicals- and a lot of them.
After the times of "Singin' in the Rain" and "Grease," there was a long period where movie musicals disappeared from the market altogether. The film industry soon swapped its tap dancing shoes for CGI effects and stunt doubles that would eventually lead into today's box-office hits.
But alas, the trend of the past is making a comeback! Movies like "Hairspray, "Mamma Mia" and "Les Misérables" have decorated movie theaters for the past decade and has proven that audiences are more than thrilled for their return to the big screen. Ever since "La La Land" has brought the old-timey musical back to film and racked up 14 Oscar nominations in doing so, filmmakers and audience members alike have pondered over whether the movie musical is back and here to stay.
Since its release, several movie musicals have been made and garnered global praise for both the movie and its soundtrack; of course, this includes the remake of "Beauty and the Beast" and the third installment of the "Pitch Perfect" franchise, but even original movie musicals are proving to impress the masses. "The Greatest Showman," which was released in December and is loosely based off of the life of P.T. Barnum and the circus empire he created, has made history with becoming the third highest grossing musical ever around the world while also having its soundtrack go Platinum in the U.S. and 3X Platinum in the U.K. All I can say is... what a great show indeed.
If the numbers of the latest movie musical aren't enough to impress, just look at Broadway. Not only do they have sold out shows every night by locals and tourists alike, but some shows were even based off of movies themselves! Musicals such as "Waitress" and "Mean Girls" were based on great films, and once they added great music and awesome choreography, they both became widely-praised and even multi-Tony nominated.
The fact that both musical-turned movies and movie-turned musicals are successful just prove how meaningful both forms of entertainment are for people all around the world. The one language that everyone can speak is through music, and maybe this is part of the reason why movie musicals work so well. Broadway is a phenomenon and an iconic part of New York City, but not everyone can get themselves there easily or can't even afford a ticket. When a movie creates a great version of the musical for the big screen, it doesn't mean that it's special enough for Hollywood all of a sudden but it is able to reach audiences overseas for a reasonable price, making it accessible for every fan.
With the release of "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" to be released in the U.S. on July 20, I urge everyone to go out and try to enjoy the latest movie musical. Watch it like a movie but also have fun with the addition of the music, and maybe you'll learn that you actually like musicals after all. People may stereotype musicals as a "nerdy" or "old" kind of thing, but how can you say that when the numbers and modern-day hits prove those statements wrong?
Let's face it: movie musicals are making a REAL comeback and nobody is wanting them to leave again anytime soon. And for those of you who grew up with "High School Musical" and deem to not like musicals, imagine if they came out with a fourth one today? I thought so.
