Class 8 - Musicals

Today's class plan:

1. Talk about the Characteristics of Musicals
2. Do a Musicals Theme Songs activity
3. Watch the clips from the theme songs above
4. EdPuzzle, Singin' in the Rain
5. Reminder about Movie Review writing

Characteristics of Musicals

• Singing and dancing scenes can be found throughout the movie
• The story is often told partly in the song lyrics
• Musical movies are usually based on musical stage plays
  - However, the sets, locations and special effects can be more elaborate in the movie version
• Actors are usually chosen based on their ability to sing and dance
• The soundtrack is often marketed as a music CD
• There may be a hit theme song that is closely associated with the movie

In class, we will listen to music clips from  Annie, The Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins, Hairspray, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Les Miserables, Coco, and Singin' in the Rain.

Famous Songs from Musicals PDF

What are the names of the songs we heard? Can you match them to the musical they appeared in?

Kevin will post a list of links to the theme songs on the handout. Please wait a moment, then listen to the theme songs.


EdPuzzle, Singin' in the Rain





Watch ...
West Side Story (2021) trailer; directed by Steven Spielberg
Taylor Swift in Cats (2019) - Macavity
Exotic dance scene in Aladdin (2019) / Speechless - Naomi Scott in Aladdin (2019).
Shallow - A Star is Born (2018) Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper  
The Greatest Showman "A Million Dreams" (2018) clip
Beauty & the Beast (2017) trailer

Pitch Perfect (2012) - trailer (the original film, starring Anna Kendrick)
Pitch Perfect cups scene
Anna Kendrick - Cups ("When I'm Gone") - music video clip
Anna Kendrick doing Cups live on David Letterman 2012

La La Land - Another Day of Sun - Someone in the Crowd - City of Stars - This musical was popular in 2016 in the U.S. and in 2017 Japan. It stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling.

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Grammar Practice - 'Be' verbs; I'm, we're, they're form

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🔥 Hot Seat 🔥 today:  Tomohiro, Rinka, Sho, Daichi M., Erika (on deck: Terumasa)

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To Do List

1. Listen to all of the famous musical theme songs on the worksheet (see post below; if you can't see them, refresh your screen.)
2. Watch some of the musical trailers posted above
3. Do the EdPuzzle, 'Singin' in the Rain'
4. Grammar Practice - 'Be' verbs; I'm, we're, they're form
5. Hot Seat
6. Post a comment on your blog about Musicals

Theme Songs & Notable Songs from Musicals

The Wizard of Oz – Somewhere Over the Rainbow 

This is one of the best movies of all time and probably the best musical ever. This movie was made before the era of digital effects, but they made the most of the technology available at the time. In an amazing innovation, filming started out in black & white, but changed to color when Dorothy arrived in Oz. In this movie, Judy Garland sings the world's greatest theme song, Somewhere Over the Rainbow. An unforgettable classic!

Coco - Remember Me

A 2017 Pixar/Disney movie with a Mexican theme. "Remember Me" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Hairspray - Good Morning Baltimore 

A funny movie about prejudice with great music and dancing. John Travolta plays a woman in this movie. The actress at left, Nikki Blonsky, plays an overweight high school girl who has a great attitude, a lot of confidence, and a dream to be a dancer.


Singin’ in the Rain – Singin’ in the Rain

This 1952 musical is considered one of the best. It features the excellent dancing of Gene Kelly (who also co-directed the movie), and it is memorable for the classic scene of Gene Kelly dancing and singing in the rain.

An interesting bit of trivia is that the rain contains milk to make it more visible on film. This theme song was later used in another famous movie, "A Clockwork Orange," by Stanley Kubrick.



Annie – Tomorrow

This scene is from the 1982 version of "Annie." "Annie" was a Broadway musical based on the comic strip "Little Orphan Annie."

The young actress Aileen Quinn sang this song with its positive message for those whose "today" is not so great.

Idina Menzel ("Frozen") does a cover version of this song.

In 2014, a new version of "Annie" came out.starring Quvenzhané Wallis, Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz. Here's Tomorrow from that film. 

The Lion King – Can You Feel the Love Tonight (featuring Elton John). The great rock/pop singer, piano player and composer, Elton John, wrote and sang this song as a hit single, but in the movie, the song is sung by the lion characters. I posted the Elton John version here because it's awesome.

My Fair Lady – The Rain in Spain (featuring Audrey Hepburn; dubbed vocals by Marni Nixon). Audrey Hepburn is a beloved actress in Japan, but she wasn't a strong vocalist. Her vocals were dubbed in this movie. The song is supposed to show that the character in the film has mastered the correct pronunciation of polite British society.

The Sound of Music – Do Re Mi (featuring Julie Andews). Julie Andrews, an English actress, was in several hit musicals back in the 60s. Her voice was amazing, but unfortunately, her throat was damaged during surgery in 1997, and her voice hasn't been the same.

Mary Poppins - Supercalifragi-listicexpialidocious This movie from 1964 was the first big hit for Julie Andrews followed by The Sound of Music above. This movie was notable for combining live action with animated characters, a big innovation at the time.

Beauty & the Beast – Tale as Old as Time (from 1:00)

New Version (audio only) from 2017 live action film; sung by Emma Thompson as Mrs Potts.

Les Miserables – I Dreamed a Dream (Korean subtitles; this clip has the best audio)
The Little Mermaid – Under the Sea
Frozen – Let It Go (performed by Idina Menzel)
Dreamgirls – We’re Your Dreamgirls (featuring Beyoncé)
La La Land - Another Day of Sun - Someone in the Crowd - City of Stars -
This musical was popular recently in the U.S., and last year in Japan. It stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling.

30 Greatest Musical Numbers from Movie Musicals

Class #7 - Documentary (also Mockumentary)

Good morning, everyone.

Characteristics of the Documentary genre

• non-fiction
• informative; educational
• usually serious, but sometimes humorous (Super Size Me)
• almost any topic: travel, science, nature, history, music, sports, politics, health issues, etc.
• cheaper to make than movies with actors and special effects
• genre is expanding due to the lower cost of digital video cameras

A few famous documentaries:
Eight Days a Week (2016) trailer; about the Beatles early years
Free Solo (2018) trailer; about rock climbing without a rope
March of the Penguins (2005) trailer; about penguins
Hoop Dreams (1994) trailer; about boys trying to become NBA players
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011) trailer; about a Tokyo sushi chef
O.J. Made in America (2016) trailer; about a famous murder case in the U.S.
My Octopus Teacher (2020) trailer; about a man and an octopus; true story
The Cove (2009) trailer; about hunting dolphins in Japan

Some popular TV series documentaries:
The Last Dance (2020) about Michael Jordan and the Bulls' six NBA championships
Tiger King (2020) about people who raise tigers and other big cats in the US; crazy!
The Tinder Swindler (2022) about a guy who faked being rich to scam women
Prehistoric Planet (2022) on Apple+; great CGI about dinosaurs

Another genre: Mockumentary
A mockumentary is a fictional film that has the style of a documentary. Mockumentaries are humorous and make fun of a subject while pretending to take it seriously. Another way to describe it is a parody of a documentary. Some famous mockumentaries are: Zelig (1983), This is Spinal Tap (1984), Best in Show (2000), and Borat (2004). This genre is also popular on TV, as seen in various versions of The Office (U.K. & U.S.A.).

mock = make fun of
mockumentary = mock + documentary; a fake documentary

Best in Show (2000) trailer

For Japanese examples of the mockumentary genre, check:

• Big Man Japan (大日本人 Dai Nipponjin) (2007) trailer
• The Curse (ノロイ Noroi) (2005) trailer
• Matsumoto Tribe (2017) trailer 
• Extro (2020) trailer

Super Size Me clip (7 minute version of the documentary, 'Super Size Me' / in Japanese)
Handout questions start from 6:05 minutes. Super Size Me handout PDF

Useful online dictionary for today's activity: translate.weblio.jp 

How to do Super Size Me exercise:
1) Do Part 2 first (at the bottom of the PDF)

2) Use ALC.co.jp or Weblio to look up the words in Part 2. Write the Japanese translation in the blanks
3) Do the top of the page. Listen to the video (link above) and write the answers in the blanks 1-12. 

All About Sharks - short documentary for kids about sharks (optional)

History of Japan (2016), by Bill Wurtz, a recent viral video about Japanese history told in a simple (but fast!) and funny way. This YouTube video has more than 28 million views! Online Quiz on the History of Japan video.

Documentary Heaven; free documentaries online.

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🔥 Hot Seat 🔥 today:  Yuuto, Ryouga, Riki, Kaito F., Erika

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Documentary Blog Comment
Make a blog post on your blog re. a documentary or mockumentary that you have seen. You can choose from any documentary, including Super Size Me, The History of Japan, or another documentary you have seen, even if it was in Japanese. Tell me the title, who made the movie, the topic of the movie, and some information about what you learned from the movie.

To Do List:

1. Watch some documentary clips from the list above
2. Super Size Me – PDF Part 2 - dictionary translation at bottom of page
3. Super Size Me – watch full 7-minute clip
4. Super Size Me – fill in the blanks at the top of the page
5. Mockumentary – understand meaning and watch trailers
6. All About Sharks (if time)
7. History of Japan video
8. History of Japan quiz (optional)
9. Hot Seat: Yuuto, Ryouga, Riki, Kaito F., Erika
10. Blog post (documentary); you should watch trailers before you do this

Class #6 - Animation

Do you know "Kimba, the White Lion" by Osamu Tezuka? Did Disney copy this Japanese cartoon series when it made The Lion King?  Kimba (1965-1967); The Lion King (1994)

Kimba & The Lion King - How Similar Are They? 「ジャングル大帝」と「ライオン・キング」

The Lion King clip (from 1:09 minute mark) / PDF / Online exercise

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (optional)

• Part 1 (Watch at home if you like! link)
• Part 2 (From about 17:51 minute mark)

EdPuzzle: Maleficent clip from Sleeping Beauty (1959)



Do some 'be' verbs grammar practice. Use 'am', 'are', 'is' in the answers.

Watch the historical animation clips below. (Please check as many as you can, but you don't have to watch the entire clip.)

Make a blog comment about animation. What is your favorite animated movie and why?

U.S. cartoon history: a few cartoon and animated characters from the past:

Krazy Kat & Ignatz (1916); George Herriman

Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse at the Circus (1916!)

Felix the Cat (1919); Pat Sullivan/Otto Messmer

Felix the Cat - No Fuelin (1920-1929)

Steamboat Willie (1928); Walt Disney/Ub Iwerks

Steamboat Willie (1928)

Betty Boop (1930); Max Fleischer

The Origins of Betty Boop (WatchMojo)

Bugs Bunny (1940); Warner Brothers

Evolution of Bugs Bunny (1940 to now)

Woody Woodpecker (1940); Walter Lantz (Universal)

Woody Woodpecker (1941)

Tom & Jerry (1940); Hanna-Barbera

Tom & Jerry (1940)

Top 10 Animated Films of All Time (2021)

Top 10 Most Beautiful Animated Movies of All Time (2015)

Top 10 Animated Movies You Should See at Least Once (2019)

Why cartoon characters wear gloves

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🔥 Hot Seat 🔥 today: Erika, Hayate, Kosei, Kaito H., Ryusei

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To Do List
1) Compare Kimba and The Lion King (just watch the video and think about it)
2) Do the Lion King listening exercise in class
3) Watch some of Snow White
4) Do the EdPuzzle: Maleficent
5) Do the 'Be' verbs online grammar practice
6) Watch a few minutes of all the historical animation clips
7) Make a blog post about animation (your favorite animation, reasons, or other animations you like)
8) Fix the problems with your blog posts (see Kevin's comment in your blog comments section of last week's post.)