When I talk about uplifting, I mean that when I’m done watching the movie, I am in a better mood. Most often it’ll be a musical, but I have a few that are not musicals. With things going on in the world as they are, this is a good time to think of feel-good movies.

The Greatest Showman (2017, 20th Century Fox) We will ignore the historical inaccuracies and the fact that P.T. Barnum was not a “great” person. This is an uplifting movie due to some of the themes and the music. Zendaya, Hugh Jackman, and Zac Efron lead the cast in this musical. They show that they are truly Triple Threats. Keala Settle’s solo is a song I have to hear each time the voice in my head tells me I’m not enough. If you don’t leave this movie feeling proud of yourself and your life, we have watch different movies.

Lilo & Stitch (2002, Disney) Yes, an animated film. I cannot put a direct finger on why this one is so uplifting other than it emphasizes family. There’s even a running joke in my family due to this movie. I texted a hint to my oldest son about the movie we were watching, the text was supposed to say, “Ohana means family.” The auto-wrong corrected Ohana to Obama. Well, we all found it hilarious. Can you go wrong with voice actors like Tia Carrarre, Jason Scott Lee, Daveigh Chase, Chris Sanders, David Ogden Stiers, Ving Rhames, and Kevin McDonald? Also, it takes place in Hawaii. There are Elvis Presley songs.

The Emperor’s New Groove/Kronk’s New Groove (2000/2005.Disney) Like Lilo, this is a sleeper movie/hidden gem. Truth be told Kronk’s New Groove is funnier, but you do have to watch the first one to appreciate the other. David Spade and John Goodman head the first one and reprise their roles for the second one. The real stars and hilarity come from the villains voiced by the late great Eartha Kitt and Patrick Warburton (he’s still living as of this post). Tracey Ullman adds to Kronk’s story in the second one. It’s the little face paced lines that make you laugh hard if you catch them.

Hairspray (2007, New Line Cinema) This is a musical version of the comedy Hairspray (1988). I’m not sure if this was before the Broadway version or because of it. Nikki Blonsky stars in this version and it’s my favorite version. You have Amanda Bynes, Zac Efron, Queen Latifah, James Marsdon, Christopher Walken, John Travolta, and the always great Michelle Pfeifer. The songs are uplifting. The message of desegregating is important. It ends on a really good song.

Wonka (2023, Warner Brothers) This is the back story on how Willy Wonka became such a good chocolatier. There are times where I think they forgot the original book story, but I still like this movie. Timothee Chalamet really captures Gene Wilder with a hint of Johnny Depp on how he plays Willy. Clah Lane is brilliant and has my favorite line, “The greedy beat the needy.” It makes me sad that it’s true. Keegan-Michael Kay and Paterson Joseph play wonderful antagonists. The songs get stuck in your head for days. The whole cast was perfect for their parts. You do get used to Hugh Grant being an Oompa Loompa, I promise.