Child-Friendly Musicals Please!

[lotusdebi]

For homeschool music this year, we're going to watch musicals and create our own musical. I have a few musicals in mind to watch, but not nearly enough to get through the year! Please help!
Thank you!

[christinar]

My kids love Singin' in the Rain; Mary Poppins; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang... I haven't shown them The Music Man or Sound of Music yet, but I will soon. I'm sure there are others, but I can't think of them right now. My kids love musicals. Oh, they really liked Pirates of Penzance, too. I'll keep thinking.

[Thalia the Muse]

I second Singin' in the Rain. So fun! Also, my daughter has liked Brigadoon and old Fred and Ginger musicals -- Swing Time and Stage Door, and there is a PBS filmed version of Cats that she LOVED. There's also Meet Me in St. Louis, which has a lot of kid appeal because of the little sister, and My Fair Lady is fun. the King and I is terrific.

These are all great but have various levels of questionable content, depending on your family's comfort level: West Side Story, Grease, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Red Shoes, Oklahoma, Little Shop of Horrors.

Also, my kid LOVES Bollywood movies! We're halfway through the recent release Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi right now.

[annettemarie]

Real musicals like Broadway musicals?
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
Meet Me in St. Louis (there's a movie version and it was also made into a musical)
Brigadoon
Cinderella
Mary Poppins is on Broadway now and is excellent
Annie
The Music Man
The Sound of Music
The King and I
Cats
Damn Yankees (Michael really likes this because of the baseball theme)
Into the Woods (the second act gets a little dark though)

[lotusdebi]

This is fantastic!
If the library (or video rental place) has enough of these, I won't have to supplement with any Disney movies!
Thank you!

[ancoda]

"Once upon a mattress" - it is the story of the princess and the pea with funny twists.
I remember really enjoying "Newsies" when I was younger. It is by Disney which I know is a turn off to some people on here, but thought I would mention it.

[annettemarie]

You know, Newsies is my one exception to hating movie-type musicals.

Once Upon a Mattress has a lot of sex, which I actually missed when I was younger.

[lotusdebi]

I definitely need musicals that we can watch on VHS or DVD at home. My kids aren't able to sit still long enough for a live show, unless it's Disney on Ice or something.

My worries about supplementing with Disney movies is completely reserved for animated. As musical as they are, I think we've had enough of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King.

[ancoda]

Thought of one more. The Slipper and the Rose my has been SIL's favorite musical since she was little.

[mona_c]

I was just browsing through here and caught the title. :-)
If you are able to find "Now That's Entertainment", it details the MGM musicals..Fred and Ginger, Danny Kaye, Donald O'Connor (hosts the film, IIRC), Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly.
One that you might want to preview, but is fun is High Society. It's a musical remake of The Philidelphia Story. It's also one of the first movies that Louis Armstrong was in.
Danny Kaye did The Five Pennies, which is based on a true story...my oldest daughter used to fall asleep to Lullabye in Ragtime (from the movie).

Mona

[annettemarie]

Thought of another-- Guys and Dolls.

[velochic]

My 7 yo dd is a musical fanatic. She really loves Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Sound of Music (which has been her favorite since she was 4), Bedknobs and Broomsticks, On the Town, White Christmas, An American in Paris, State Fair, Oklahoma!, Carousel, Holiday Inn, A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court, and Anything Goes among many others. There's another one with Angela Landsbury, but I can't think of it now. Any older musical is going to be rated G.

[New]

Lion King.