Amidst the hype of the remake of “Mean Girls,” one popular question involves its rise and presence on social media: What made the creator decide to make this version a musical?
To answer this question, there are various aspects that may lead a production company to choose to make a musical adaptation of a movie.
The main reason a company might decide to make a movie a musical is to enhance the watching experience.
It is scientifically proven that music is a natural dopamine enhancer, with people who listen to music often more likely to have a better mood, less stress and a healthier mental state than those who don’t.
That said, a watcher of the film will be listening to the tunes in the musical adaptation of the movie, and due to the increase of dopamine levels, they are more likely to give a positive response to the movie. Throughout my experiences while watching movies, this has proven to be true. Music gives me a sense of peace, and definitely makes me feel a lot happier while watching a film.
While “Mean Girls” is the main source of relevance on this topic right now, unexpected musical movies have been reccurrent for decades. In fact, some of the most beloved musical movies were not originally intended to even be musicals in the first place.
The “Lion King,” with over 15 songs, was not originally supposed to be a musical. The composer of this film had no desire to do a musical, and even told the Associated Press that he would not do it. In my opinion, this entire situation is crazy because “Lion King” is one of the most iconic musicals on stage and on film. Inevitably, he went against his word and produced the Lion King; a musical with several iconic songs including “Circle of Life,” “Hakuna Matata” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”.
The “Lion King” isn’t the only example of an iconic musical movie that wasn’t originally intended to be this way. “Newsies,” “Uglydolls,” “Love Me Tender,” “Descendants” and even “Beauty and the Beast” were not supposed to be musicals. All of these movies are known for their musical aspect, and I think adding music into these films is the best thing that these production companies could’ve possibly done. Most of these musicals are some that I have rewatched multiple times, and I honestly believe that my motivation to see them again and again is solely for the purpose of their music.
Overall, there are multiple factors that go into a casting director’s decision on whether or not to make their movie a musical adaptation. It’s safe to say that more movies like those previously listed will be released in years to come, and will become beloved tunes for audiences to enjoy.
