Arts & Culture

We debate the best musical movie numbers

WSHU | By Stephen Thompson,

Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, Aisha Harris, Hafsa Fathima

Published November 19, 2024 at 8:39 AM EST

Gene Wilder in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. — Gene Wilder in *Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory*.

If you've ever loved a movie musical, then you've probably got a favorite movie musical number — a song that makes you want to sing along, swoon, celebrate, or simply dance with the nearest lamppost. But what makes these moments great? With Wicked hitting theaters, there's never been a better time to debate the best movie musical numbers.

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Stephen Thompson

Stephen Thompson is a host, writer and reviewer for NPR Music and Pop Culture Happy Hour. He appears frequently on All Songs Considered and NPR newsmagazines.

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Linda Holmes

Linda Holmes is a pop culture correspondent for NPR and the host of Pop Culture Happy Hour. She began her professional life as an attorney. In time, however, her affection for writing, popular culture, and the online universe eclipsed her legal ambitions. She shoved her law degree in the back of the closet, gave its living room space to DVD sets of The Wire, and never looked back.

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Glen Weldon

Glen Weldon is a host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast. He reviews books, movies, comics and more for the NPR Arts Desk.

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Aisha Harris

Aisha Harris is a host of Pop Culture Happy Hour.

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Hafsa Fathima

See stories by Hafsa Fathima