1. Singin' in the Rain
   The Sound of Music
2. West Side Story
   The Wizard of Oz

Surprisingly, "Singin’ in the Rain" required more detailed and ornate costumes than "Gone with the Wind." The costumes also had to be more accurate, since the audiences of 1952 remembered Hollywood of the late 1920s more clearly than audiences of 1939 remembered the Civil War in the 1860s.

1. Singin' in the Rain
   West Side Story
2. My Fair Lady
   Chicago

The original producer of "West Side Story" stopped raising money for the show early in the development process because he thought tackling such serious topics was too risky for a Broadway musical. Another producer decided to take a chance on what would become one of the most successful musicals in Broadway history.

1. The Wizard of Oz
   Moulin Rouge!
2. Chicago
   La La Land

In "The Wizard of Oz," Toto reportedly earned $125 per week of filming — but each Munchkin actor earned just $50. Toto was played by a female dog named Terry.

1. Grease
   Mary Poppins
2. Cabaret
   Meet Me in St. Louis

Joe Masteroff, who wrote the book for "Cabaret," also provided the book for the lovely Broadway musical "She Loves Me," as well as the libretto for an opera adaptation of "Desire Under the Elms."

1. Cabaret
   An American in Paris
2. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
   The Sound of Music

"The Sound of Music" was originally titled "Love Song." The name was changed when the lawyer for composers Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein found dozens of copyrighted shows called "Love Song" and begged them to use something less susceptible to a lawsuit.

1. Hairspray
   Mamma Mia!
2. Funny Girl
   High Society

Grace Kelly had recently become engaged to Prince Rainier of Monaco when she began filming "High Society." The film was rushed into production, as she had said she was going to retire from acting after her wedding.

1. Mamma Mia!
   The Wizard of Oz
2. Mary Poppins
   Oliver!

Ten-year-old Mark Lester, who starred as the orphan Oliver, didn’t actually sing any of his songs in the film. The musical arranger, Johnny Green, didn't think he could sing, so . Lester’s songs were instead dubbed by Green's daughter, Kathe Green.

1. Beauty and the Beast
   Guys and Dolls
2. Top Hat
   Sweeney Todd

Since Betty Grable wasn't available to play Miss Adelaide in "Guys and Dolls," producer Samuel Goldwyn cast Vivian Blaine, who had originated the role onstage. Marilyn Monroe wanted the part of Adelaide, but a telephone request from her did not influence director Joe Mankiewicz, who wanted Blaine from the original production.

1. Little Shop of Horrors
   Fiddler on the Roof
2. The Sound of Music
   Mary Poppins

It took more than 20 years to convince the author of "Mary Poppins," Pamela Lyndon Travers, to sell the movie rights. It was only in 1961 that she finally relented, mostly because she needed the money. The 2013 film "Saving Mr. Banks" dramatizes this behind-the-scenes story.

1. Grease
   La La Land
2. Fiddler on the Roof
   The Band Wagon

All of the members of the "Grease" cast were too old for high school! John Travolta was 23, Jeff Conaway was 26 and Stockard Channing was 33. The two closest to high school age were Lorenzo Lamas (Tom) and Dinah Manoff (Marty) — they were both 19.

1. Top Hat
   Bugsy Malone
2. Oliver!
   Funny Girl

A cast of children stars in this spoof of gangster movies. In addition, all of the vehicles used in "Bugsy Malone" are pedal-powered, yet all of them use the sound effects of an engine even though it's clear that none of the vehicles have engines fitted.

1. An American in Paris
   Beauty and the Beast
2. Les Miserables
   The King and I

"An American in Paris" won the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1951, captured five other Academy Awards, and was placed on most lists of best films for that year.

1. All That Jazz
   Meet Me in St. Louis
2. On the Town
   A Star Is Born

The American Film Institute ranked "Meet me in St. Louis," which stars Judy Garland, as 10th on AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals list. Two songs from the film were featured in AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs ("The Trolley Song" at #26 and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" at #76).

1. La La Land
   Grease
2. Hairspray
   Annie

"Hairspray" was turned into a smash-hit Broadway musical in 2002, which led to a 2007 movie remake. While stars like John Travolta and Michelle Pfeiffer received top billing, many of the original film’s cast members appeared in the reboot.

1. The Wizard of Oz
   Hairspray
2. La La Land
   Frozen

Elsa has more strands of hair than Rapunzel. Rapunzel may have 70 feet of magic glowing hair, but Elsa’s hair contains 420,000 single strands.

1. Once
   Chicago
2. Into the Woods
   The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Once was shot with a skeleton crew on a 17-day shoot. The filmmakers saved money by using natural light and shooting at friends' houses. The musical party scene was filmed in lead actor Hansard's own flat, with his personal friends playing the partygoers/musicians.

1. Mary Poppins
   West Side Story
2. My Fair Lady
   Fiddler on the Roof

Audrey Hepburn was cast to play Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady.

1. Cabaret
   Les Miserables
2. Into the Woods
   An American in Paris

Director of Les Miserables, Tom Hooper, made the unconventional—though not unprecedented—choice to record his actors live on-set, as opposed to taping their vocals in a studio beforehand. This approach demanded a sound crew three times larger than what an average film possesses.

1. The Jazz Singer
   Aladdin
2. Guys and Dolls
   Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is based on a 1925 novel that has inspired several movies and stage productions. When Marilyn Monroe was told she was not the star of this film, she said, "Well, whatever I am, I'm still the blonde."

1. Moulin Rouge
   An American in Paris
2. Sing Street
   The Band Wagon

After fracturing her rib the first time while filming Moulin Rouge, Nicole Kidman broke it again trying to fit into a corset. She fell down a flight of stairs, dancing in heels at three in the morning, and had to film the part where Satine says, “a real actress,” in a wheelchair.

1. Bedknobs and Broomsticks
   Enchanted
2. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
   On the Town

The musical number Toot Sweets in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang took three weeks to film and involved 38 dancers, 40 singers, 85 musicians, and 100 dogs.

1. Victor/Victoria
   Fame
2. Guys and Dolls
   Top Hat

1935's Top Hat starred Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, a fabulous dancing duo. The dress that Ginger Rogers wore in the Piccolino number is on display in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.

1. Top Hat
   A Hard Day's Night
2. Mama Mia
   Fiddler on the Roof

The title track for A Hard Day's Night was written in one day, eight days before filming. The Beatles played it for producer Walter Shenson in their dressing room the following morning.

1. All That Jazz
   42nd Street
2. Footloose
   The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

All That Jazz loosely explores the life of the beloved choreographer, Bob Fosse. In 2001, All That Jazz was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

1. Babes in Arms
   Frozen
2. Enchanted
   Annie

Annie’s merchandising started three years before the film was released. Producer Ray Stark knew that the whole world was anticipating his movie, and he intended to capitalize on that interest with a licensing boom. Tie-ins included contracts with Crayola, Random House, Marriott Hotels, Sears Roebuck & Co., Knickerbocker Toys, Procter & Gamble, and even Ken-L-Ration dog food.

1. Sweeney Todd
   Dreamgirls
2. The Nightmare Before Christmas
   A Star Is Born

One minute of The Nightmare Before Christmas took about a week to shoot, and the entire movie took 3 years to complete. It took a lot of hard work to help Jack Skellington spread Christmas joy.

1. La La Land
   Chicago
2. Oliver!
   The Blues Brothers

2002's Chicago is set in the 1920s and features fabulous costumes and choreography. It was the first musical to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards since Oliver!

1. The Jazz Singer
   The Blues Brothers
2. On the Town
   Dancer in the Dark

The soundtrack for Dancer in the Dark, released as the album Selmasongs, was written mainly by Björk, but a number of songs featured contributions from Mark Bell and the lyrics were by von Trier and Sjón. Three songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music were also used in the film.

1. Sunshine on Leith
   The Broadway Melody
2. Footloose
   The Phantom of the Opera

Sunshine on Leith features the music of The Proclaimers. The film grossed $8,780,874 in its run, as of 17 September 2014. In its first week it debuted at number three at the UK box office, with £770,000 The following week it rose to number two.

1. Fame
   Evita
2. Annie
   Oliver!

In Evita, most of the costumes for Eva were based on outfits that the real Eva Perón wore. Some were recreated from photographs, but many of them were based on the originals, which are still kept in government vaults in Argentina.

1. West Side Story
   The Sound of Music
2. Meet Me in St. Louis
   Fiddler on the Roof

A ton of songs from Fiddler on the Roof were deleted. The writers conceived around 50 individual numbers, though all but 15 wound up on the cutting room floor. A Butcher’s Soul and Dear Sweet Sewing Machine were among those discarded.

1. Grease
   Funny Face
2. High School Musical
   The Lion King

Funny Face played well in big cities but not in small towns, where there seemed to be less interest in the movie's depiction of the fashion worlds of New York and Paris. It did not earn back its budget at the box office.

1. Funny Face
   Funny Girl
2. High School Musical
   Mamma Mia!

In Funny Girl, Barbra Streisand plays the role of Fanny Brice, a Jewish girl from New York who was made a star by Mr. Florenz Ziegfeld. Fanny Brice really existed. She not only starred in the Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway, but also made a few movies between 1928 and 1946.

1. The Who's Tommy
   Aladdin
2. Oliver!
   Dreamgirls

The building that is seen to be on fire, part of Tommy's holiday camp, is in fact really burning down. It is South Parade Pier in Southsea. A fire was accidentally started during the filming of The Who's Tommy and the crew decided to include the footage in the film. The fire crews and the fire are genuine. The pier was rebuilt and is still in use today.

1. Little Shop of Horrors
   Sweeney Todd
2. The Nightmare Before Christmas
   Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Technicians built six animatronic flytraps of varying sizes for the Little Shop of Horrors. The smallest was a mere 4 inches tall and the largest stood over 12 feet in height. Used toward the climax of the movie, it required as many as 60 human operators.

1. High School Musical
   Enchanted
2. Mamma Mia!
   Frozen

Mamma Mia! is based on the music of the Swedish pop group, ABBA. The movie made nearly $144 million at the U.S. box office, making it one of the highest-grossing live-action movie musicals in history. Only Grease, Chicago, and The Sound of Music have earned more.

1. Top Hat
   The Little Mermaid
2. New York, New York
   Into the Woods

The theme song of the film, New York, New York, found its own success when Frank Sinatra recorded a cover version of it in 1980. The song became a hit, and both Sinatra's and Minnelli's versions have become closely associated with Manhattan in New York City. Minnelli performs the number at nearly all of her concerts.

1. Beauty and the Beast
   My Fair Lady
2. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
   Les Miserables

The Rocky Horror Picture Show began as a way for Richard O’Brien “to spend winter evenings” when he wasn’t working as an actor. O’Brien poured his love of science fiction and horror films into the initial Rocky Horror songs, and eventually he showed the material to director Jim Sharman. Sharman liked it and convinced London’s Royal Court theater to give him a few weeks in the venue’s tiny Upstairs theater to stage a production.

1. Cabaret
   A Star Is Born
2. Stage Fright
   Victor/Victoria

Stage Fright stitches together a cutesy musical and a middling slasher movie. Critical reception has been mixed to negative, with the film scoring a mere 33% on Rotten Tomatoes.

1. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
   The Little Shop of Horrors
2. The Phantom of the Opera
   The Blues Brothers

The Sweeney Todd story became widely known in 1785, when Todd’s premises were searched. Supposedly, enough property and clothing were found to indicate there had been at least 160 victims, making him one of the world’s most prolific serial killers.

1. Sing Street
   The Blues Brothers
2. Bedknobs and Broomsticks
   Guys and Dolls

Most of The Blues Brothers was shot in Chicago, which wasn't a major film production hotspot at the time. While it pumped about $12 million into the local economy, all of the car stunts scared residents enough that many of them called the local newspapers to report what they were seeing.

1. One from the Heart
   The Broadway Melody
2. Enchanted
   The Little Mermaid

One from the Heart features an original soundtrack from Crystal Gayle and Tom Waits. Waits received an Academy Award nomination for Best Musical Score. Tavoularis, whose art department was next door to the musical rehearsal space, used Waits' music as tonal inspiration, incorporating it into the film's highly stylized look.

1. Fame
   Tophat
2. Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench
   Babes in Arms

Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2009, and went on to play festivals across the globe. It features jazz and tap dancing.

1. The Wizard of Oz
   Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
2. Enchanted
   Frozen

The chocolate river in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was actually made of real chocolate, water, and cream. It spoiled rather quickly and left a terrible smell. Most of the chocolate bars in the film were actually made of wood.

1. Funny Girl
   42nd Street
2. Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench
   8 Women

Set primarily in the entry hall of a manor house, the film, 8 Women, recreates much of the play's original theatrical feel. It also serves as a pastiche of and homage to the history of film and the actresses' filmographies.

1. On the Town
   Fame
2. Moulin Rouge!
   Golden Eighties

The Golden Eighties is a 1986 musical comedy produced by Martine Marignac and directed by Chantal Akerman. It has also been released as Window Shopping.

1. Singin' In the Rain
   Grease
2. South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut
   The Rocky Horror Picture Show

South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut was the highest grossing animated film with an R rating until Sausage Party outgrossed it in 2016. This film is said to have the most profanity used in an animated film, with a total of 399 swear words, 199 offensive gestures, and 221 acts of violence. Yikes!

1. My Fair Lady
   The Band Wagon
2. The Lion King
   The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

The film score from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg established composer Michel Legrand's reputation in Hollywood, where he later scored other films, winning three Oscars. In North America, two of the film's songs became hits and were recorded by many artists: I Will Wait For You (the main theme) and Watch What Happens.

1. Enchanted
   The Lion King
2. Tarzan
   The Jungle Book

King Louie and Baloo’s I Wan’na Be Like You dance in The Jungle Book was later repeated in Robin Hood, which also borrowed dances from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and The Aristocats. This was achieved through an animation technique called rotoscoping, where animators trace over the frames of old footage to use it in a different environment.