The Top 10 High School Musicals Movies
Ranked #4,033 in Entertainment, #49,922 overall
A List of The Very Best High School Musicals
High school musicals there are a plenty these days! However, this page is NOT about Disney's High School Musical series but rather about ten other great musicals...if you love musical movies and particularly high school ones, you are going to love this page.
Even high school musicals, which seem at first to be on the same subject, can be very different. Depending on your taste in movies, you may strongly like some and not others on this page. That is why I have given you the option of voting for your favorites...I could guess which one might come out on top but I do not want to influence the voting. However, I will definitely be anxious to see the outcome. What high school musical do you think will be voted the best?
On this page you will find a list and disussion of the best high school musicals; links to movie posters, DVDs and even movie soundtracks; and links to more great reading and reviews about these movies. Remember that a 'best of' list is always subjective. That is, it is based on somebody's opinions or feelings. This list of the best high school musicals was inspired by an article in The Ottawa Citizen and deliberately excluded Disney's High School Musicals because there is already so much written about them.
Whether or not you love high school musicals, I hope that this page will inspire you to pick one up the next time you choose a movie! Maybe it will be a trip down memory lane as Grease is for me or perhaps it will be a chance to see what all the fuss is about as Hairspray was for my family...whatever the case may be, enjoy your high school musical!
Even high school musicals, which seem at first to be on the same subject, can be very different. Depending on your taste in movies, you may strongly like some and not others on this page. That is why I have given you the option of voting for your favorites...I could guess which one might come out on top but I do not want to influence the voting. However, I will definitely be anxious to see the outcome. What high school musical do you think will be voted the best?
On this page you will find a list and disussion of the best high school musicals; links to movie posters, DVDs and even movie soundtracks; and links to more great reading and reviews about these movies. Remember that a 'best of' list is always subjective. That is, it is based on somebody's opinions or feelings. This list of the best high school musicals was inspired by an article in The Ottawa Citizen and deliberately excluded Disney's High School Musicals because there is already so much written about them.
Whether or not you love high school musicals, I hope that this page will inspire you to pick one up the next time you choose a movie! Maybe it will be a trip down memory lane as Grease is for me or perhaps it will be a chance to see what all the fuss is about as Hairspray was for my family...whatever the case may be, enjoy your high school musical!
Do not judge all high school musical movies by modern standards; keep an open mind. Remember that many of them were made in different times than those that we live in now.
The Top 10 High School Musicals
Listed in chronological order.
Do you enjoy high school musical movies?
Loading poll. Please Wait...
West Side Story (1961)
"Unlike other classics, West Side Story grows younger."
Official West Side Story Movie Trailer
"You hoodlums don't own the streets!"
curated content from YouTube
West Side Story Specifics
Stars Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn.
West Side Story, the first movie on our list of high school musicals, won ten Academy Awards which included Best Picture. It is a 'Romeo and Juliet' movie set in the slums of 1950s New York which stars Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn. It was directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins and features music by Leonard Bernstein.
In the story, the two young lovers are not in the same ethnic group; as a matter of fact, they are in opposing street gangs. It is a gritty movie with elements of hope and tragedy. The song and dance numbers are considered outstanding. However, social issues, relationships and language make this movie suitable for a slightly mature audience and not young children. The Movie Mom, who happens to be one of my favorite family friendly movie reviewers, recommends it for children aged 10 and up.
In the story, the two young lovers are not in the same ethnic group; as a matter of fact, they are in opposing street gangs. It is a gritty movie with elements of hope and tragedy. The song and dance numbers are considered outstanding. However, social issues, relationships and language make this movie suitable for a slightly mature audience and not young children. The Movie Mom, who happens to be one of my favorite family friendly movie reviewers, recommends it for children aged 10 and up.
Click here to buy the
West Side Story Special Collector's Edition
from Amazon.
Click here to buy
The Making of West Side Story
from Amazon.
Bye Bye Birdie (1963)
Go! Go! See! See!
Bye Bye Birdie Movie Trailer or Video From YouTube
Bye Bye Birdie is all about "that certain something that excites young people when they reach that certain age!"
curated content from YouTube
Bye Bye Birdie Details
Stars Dick Van Dyke, Janet Leigh, Ann-Margret, Maureen Stapleton and Paul Lynde.
Bye Bye Birde is a satire of 1950s culture and suburban life centered a young female teenager who falls head over heels for Conrad Birdie, an Elvis Presley-like rock star. This film stars Dick Van Dyke, Janet Leigh, Ann-Margret, Maureen Stapleton and Paul Lynde and is directed by George Sidney. The Movie Mom recommends it for children 8 years old and up
Grease Details
Stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing and Jeff Conaway.
Grease is the exciting musical that launched John Travolta and Olivia Newton John into stardom. In this movie, a slick young male gang member falls for a sweet and wholesome girl. It is packed with memorable music and dancing. This movie may seem lighthearted at moments but be aware that is probably not suitable for children under the age of 13 and I was somewhat uncomfortable watching it with my sons even when they were a bit older than that.
Click here to buy Grease the Rockin Rydell Edition from Amazon.
$17.99
Click here to pre-order Grease blu-ray disc from Amazon.
$21.99
Rock N' Roll High School (1979)
"Will your school be next?"
Official Rock N' Roll High School Movie Trailer
"Do your parents know you're Ramones?"
curated content from YouTube
Rock N' Roll High School Information
Stars P.J. Soles, Vincent Van Patten, Clint Howard, Dey Young and Mary Woronov.
Fans of The Ramones will enjoy this high school musical! It stars P.J. Soles, Vincent Van Patten, Clint Howard, Dey Young and Mary Woronov and was directed by Allan Arkush, Jerry Zucker and Joe Dante. This movie, according to Amazon "is a blast, a goofy and liberating salute to the rebel spirit behind the teen rock & roll movies of the 1950s."
Fame (1980)
Fame Information
Stars Eddie Barth, Irene Cara, Lee Curreri, Laura Dean and Antonia Franceschi.
This 1980 high school musical follows the ups and downs of four teenage students from various ethnic and racial backgrounds through high school at the New York City High School for the Performing Arts. It stars Eddie Barth, Irene Cara, Lee Curreri, Laura Dean and Antonia Franceschi and was directed by Alan Parker and Mark Schneider. This movie won two Academy Awards for its soundtrack and contains one of the most popular songs of the 1980s!
Footloose (1984)
"He's a big city kid in a small town. They said he'd never win. He knew he had to."
Footloose Essentials
Stars Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest and Chris Penn.
Footloose propelled Kevin Bacon into fame and fortune when he played an urban teenager who has beem moved to a small town where dancing is illegal! Along with two friends, he creates a revolution in dance. Footloose stars Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest and Chris Penn and was directed by Herbert Ross. Recommended for individuals 15 years of age and up.
Click here to order Footloose Special Collector's Edition from Amazon.
$9.49
Cry-Baby (1990)
"He's a doll. He's a dreamboat. He's a delinquent."
"You've made me the happiest juvenile deliquent in Baltimore."
Johnny Depp Quote
From Cry-Baby
Official Cry Baby Movie Trailer
Johnny Depp is "Born To Be Bad" as Elvis Presley
curated content from YouTube
Cry-Baby Information
Stars Johnny Depp, Ricki Lake, Amy Locane, Susan Tyrrell and Polly Bergen.
Johnny Depp fans celebrate. Here is another Johnny Depp movie. I am a fan but had somehow missed this movie...I hope that does not diminish me in your eyes, Johnny!
Cry-Baby stars Johnny Depp, Ricki Lake, Amy Locane, Susan Tyrrell, Polly Bergen and was directed by John Waters. It is a comedy set in 1954 about a girl who cannot decide if she should remain good or hang out with the boys and a gang leader named Cry-baby, the who is able to shed a tear to set girls off screaming. I have read that this is a strange musical with weird characters, but I have yet to see it. What did you think of it?
Cry-Baby stars Johnny Depp, Ricki Lake, Amy Locane, Susan Tyrrell, Polly Bergen and was directed by John Waters. It is a comedy set in 1954 about a girl who cannot decide if she should remain good or hang out with the boys and a gang leader named Cry-baby, the who is able to shed a tear to set girls off screaming. I have read that this is a strange musical with weird characters, but I have yet to see it. What did you think of it?
Center Stage (2000)
"Life doesn't hold tryouts."
Official Center Stage Movie Trailer
The final dance scene features two songs: Michael Jackson's The Way You Make Me Feel and If I Was the One and Canned Heat's
curated content from YouTube
Information About Center Stage
Stars Amanda Schull, Zoe Saldana, Susan May Pratt, Peter Gallagher and Donna Murphy.
Center Stage is a "goofy fun" film. It follows the steps required in becoming a professional ballet dancer. However, the main story rotates around a sexy jazz dancer and the regular characters in a dancer's live. It deals with the hopes and dreams of ballet students as they prepare to be evaluated by the American Ballet Company. It stars Amanda Schull, Zoe Saldana, Susan May Pratt, Peter Gallagher and Donna Murphy and was directed by Nicholas Hytner.
Hairspray (2000)
"People who are different, your time is coming!"
"Hairspray was one of the best films of the year -- it's powerfully moving entertainment that leaves you energized and motivated to fight for what you believe in."
~~ Amazon
Hairspray Information
Hairspray stars John Travolta, Michelle Pffeifer, Queen Latifah, Zac Efron and Christopher Walken and was directed by Adam Shankman.
Hairspray managed to appeal to the movie-going public AND capture the excitement of a Broadway musical. My family, which includes two teenage boys, put off watching this movie for quite awhile, at first it just did not appeal. When we started hearing that it might actually be good, we became more interested but we still had to 'sell' it to two teenage boys. When we finally watched it, we thoroughly enjoyed it.
The story is one of a television dance show and big hair but, more importantly, of prejudice and racism in 1962 Baltimore. The main character, a girl who can sing deals with prejudice against 'chubby' people like herself and with the racism of 1962 when the world was still very much segrated.
The story is one of a television dance show and big hair but, more importantly, of prejudice and racism in 1962 Baltimore. The main character, a girl who can sing deals with prejudice against 'chubby' people like herself and with the racism of 1962 when the world was still very much segrated.
Click here to buy
the Hairspray Two-Disc Shake & Shimmy
DVD Edition from Amazon.
Click here to buy
the Hairspray Two-Disc Shake & Shimmy Edition
Blu-ray from Amazon.
Hamlet 2 (2008)
"Write a play and make it the best you've ever done..."
Hamlet 2
Stars Steve Coogan, Elisabeth Shue, Catherine Keener, Joseph Julian Soria and Skylar Astin and was directed by Andrew Fleming.
Hamlet 2 premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. A comedy, this high school musical features a failed actor who becomes a drama teacher and, when the drama program is threatened, who creates a politically incorrect musical sequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet. I have not seen this movie but it looks like a light-hearted and entertaining high school musical.
The Movie Mom had something interesting to say about this movie that I thought I would share with you. She starts off by saying that it is very raunchy and profane...the plot is about an outrageous high school production which sees Hamlet going back in time to prevent a tragedy from occuring. There is a song that it will offend some but those who come to the play to protest wind up applauding because Jesus is the one character who inspires all to be better and to be forgiving...an "unexpectedly sweet, sincere, and even reverent" film. I will have to see it now that I have read her words.
The Movie Mom had something interesting to say about this movie that I thought I would share with you. She starts off by saying that it is very raunchy and profane...the plot is about an outrageous high school production which sees Hamlet going back in time to prevent a tragedy from occuring. There is a song that it will offend some but those who come to the play to protest wind up applauding because Jesus is the one character who inspires all to be better and to be forgiving...an "unexpectedly sweet, sincere, and even reverent" film. I will have to see it now that I have read her words.
Follow These Links To More High School Musical Movie Reviews
- Hairspray Movie Mom Movie Review By Nell Minnow
- Which is the more surprising -- the idea that one of the most painful struggles in American history could become the subject of a light musical comedy, or the idea that it comes from one of the most profoundly transgressive writer/directors in film history...Hairspray returns to the screen with an all-star cast of Hollywood heavyweights (so to speak), starring an adorable newcomer, Nikki Blonsky. Like all good Cinderella stories, this one has some grounding in reality, as this is Blonsky's first professional role and she was working at her job at an ice cream store when she got the word she had the part. This latest version is like a box of pure sunshine.
- Hamlet 2 Movie Review by The Movie Mom
- Discussion two unexpectedly spiritual films 'Hamlet 2' and 'Henry Poole is Here',
- West Side Story Movie Review from the New York Times, Originally Published in 1961
- What they have done with West Side Story in knocking it down and moving it from stage to screen is to reconstruct its fine material into nothing short of a cinema masterpiece.
- Bye Bye Birdie Movie Review from the New York Times, Originally Published in 1963
- What with the streets of New York crowded with young people out of school and the breezes that blow in from New Jersey warm with the breath of spring, the Music Hall has a fitting picture to go with its holiday show and its annual "Glory of Easter" pageant. It is the screen adaptation of the musical comedy "Bye Bye Birdie," which is not about birds but about kids.
- Grease Movie Review from the New York Times Originally Published in 1978
- "GREASE," the film version of the still-running Broadway musical show, is not really the 1950's teen-age movie musical it thinks it is, but a contemporary fantasy about a 1950's teen-age musical-a larger, funnier, wittier and more imaginative-than-Hollywood movie with a life that is all its own. It uses the Eisenhower era - the characters, costumes, gestures and particularly, the music-to create a time and place that have less to do with any real 50's than with a kind of show business that is both timeless and old-fashioned, both sentimental and wise.
- Rock n' Roll High School Movie Review by Filmcritic.com
- I guess the film legacy of The Ramones is this, Rock n' Roll High School, the 1979 oddity about an oppressive high school (Vince Lombardi High, where "winning is better than losing") and its most exuberant student, Riff Randell (P.J. Soles), who only wants to share her love of The Ramones with her fellow students.
- Fame Movie Review from Answers.com
- Dancer-singer Irene Cara is the star, and the film launched her (short-lived) singing career. The music and the dancing are spectacular, helping to overcome a story that, despite a few directorial risks, is fairly predictable. Fame is a well-made feel-good movie.
- Footloose Movie Review and Rating by Common Sense Media
- Footloose Reviews & Movie Ratings for kids and families. Common Sense Media helps parents choose the best movies for kids and families.
- Cry-Baby Movie Review By The New York Times
- Not content to watch old Presley movies on television, John Waters has made a brand new one, and made it in the manner of a teen-crazed Cecil B. DeMille.
- Center Stage Movie Discussion on Wikipedia
- Center Stage, directed by Nicholas Hytner in 2000, is about a group of young dancers from various backgrounds who enroll at the American Ballet Academy in New York City. The film explores the issues and difficulties in the world of professional dance, and how each individiual copes with the stresses.
The Best High School Musicals Recapped
More Movie Lists
Do you like watching high school musicals?
-
-
sagebrush_mama
Feb 18, 2011 @ 4:20 pm | delete
- I enjoy some of those highlighted here...and I love some of the Disney ones that my kids have been drawn to in recent years! Great lens!
-
-
-
AmateurAtHTML
Nov 23, 2010 @ 1:46 am | delete
- We did musicals in high school, but not specifically high school musicals. My favorite two shows we did were Kiss Me Kate and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
-
-
-
tandemonimom Sep 9, 2010 @ 3:29 pm | delete
- I love these movies - well, the ones I've seen - but boy I wouldn't relive high school for anything! Why do you think I homeschool? ;-)
-
-
-
BuckHawk
Sep 9, 2010 @ 9:39 am | delete
- You picked all my favorites! Just saw Bye Bye Birdie a week ago, again! And loved every minute of it.
-
-
-
Surfie
Jul 16, 2010 @ 5:27 pm | delete
- Fun lens! Now I want to sign up for Netflix and rent all these movies for a musical movie marathon. Thumbs up!
-
- Load More
by Treasures-By-Brenda
Do you love high school musicals? Have you seen some of these great films, other than Grease that is? Did you know that so many have been made?
Feeling creative?
Create a Lens!
Explore related pages
- The Best Blu-ray Movies Ever & More The Best Blu-ray Movies Ever & More
- The Top 10 Best Blu-ray Movies EVER (2011) The Top 10 Best Blu-ray Movies EVER (2011)
- The 10 Best Nature & Adventure Imax Blu-ray Movie Documentary Films 2010 The 10 Best Nature & Adventure Imax Blu-ray Movie Documentary Films 2010
- What is The Disney Vault? What Is Disney Releasing From The Vault in 2012? What is The Disney Vault? What Is Disney Releasing From The Vault in 2012?
- Searching For The Best Food Movie? Searching For The Best Food Movie?
- Joyful Noise Movie Soundtrack Features Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson & Kirk Franklin Joyful Noise Movie Soundtrack Features Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson & Kirk Franklin
