History Main / AllMusicalsAreAdaptations

* ''Theatre/{{Company}}'' is a borderline example: it was based on a cycle of seven short plays, which however went unproduced.

* One episode of ''Disney's WesternAnimation//{{Doug}}'' revolved around a musical that Guy was inspired to make, based on the ''Mona Lisa''. Yep, he made a musical based on a ''painting''. His reasoning was that it was a surefire hit because the painting is so famous. After [[ExecutiveMeddling demanding several rewrites]] to make it even more marketable, it ended up lifting elements from ''Cinderella'', ''Moby Dick'', and ''Pinocchio'', as well as featuring a scene during UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' had a scene featuring Terry taking Bruce Wayne to a musical about... Batman. Bruce was [[OtherMeAnnoysMe not pleased]] with the show's lighthearted campy tone. The sad part is that the idea for it came from the fact that someone [[Theatre/BatmanTheMusical actually proposed a Batman musical]] [[RealLifeWritesThePlot in real life.]]

* Most of the works of Creator/TeamStarKid are played with examples, in that they're unlicensed parodies (so far they've adapted ''Franchise/HarryPotter'', ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'', ''Franchise/StarWars'', and ''VideoGame/TheOregonTrail'' in such manner) rather than direct adaptations. They have done five original shows: ''Theatre/MeAndMyDick'', ''Theatre/{{Firebringer}}'',''Theatre/{{The Guy Who Didnt Like Musicals}}'', ''Theatre/{{Black Friday}}'' and, in a gray area, ''Theatre/{{Starship}}'', which has a setting modeled after ''Film/StarshipTroopers'' with a plot that combines ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' with ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid'', all three influences being extremely blatant.

* Most of the works of Creator/TeamStarKid are played with examples, in that they're unlicensed parodies (so far they've adapted ''Franchise/HarryPotter'', ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'', ''Franchise/StarWars'', and ''VideoGame/TheOregonTrail'' in such manner) rather than direct adaptations. They have done three original shows: ''Theatre/MeAndMyDick'', ''Theatre/{{Firebringer}}'', and, in a gray area, ''Theatre/{{Starship}}'', which has a setting modeled after ''Film/StarshipTroopers'' with a plot that combines ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' with ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid'', all three influences being extremely blatant.

* ''Disney/{{Moana}}'' was heavily inspired by the myth of Maui, but is not a direct adaptation, making it the first Disney musical to avert the trope. With the possible exception of ''Disney/TheLionKing'' depending on who you ask.

* Most of the works of Creator/TeamStarKid are played with examples, in that they're unlicensed parodies (so far they've adapted ''Franchise/HarryPotter'', ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'', ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'', ''Franchise/StarWars'', and ''VideoGame/TheOregonTrail'' in such manner) rather than direct adaptations. They have done three original shows: ''Theatre/MeAndMyDick'', ''Theatre/{{Firebringer}}'', and, in a gray area, ''Theatre/{{Starship}}'', which has a setting modeled after ''Film/StarshipTroopers'' with a plot that combines ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' with ''Disney/TheLittleMermaid'', all three influences being extremely blatant.

** A musical adaptation of ''[[ShowWithinAShow Itchy and Scratchy]]'' parodies the style of the Broadway version of ''Disney/TheLionKing''.

** Later issues had musical versions of ''Franchise/StarWars'' ("The Force and I") and ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' ("The Ring and I"). Note that ''Moby Dick'', ''A Tale of Two Cities'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' have since been adapted into serious stage musicals, and Disney's ''Disney/{{Tarzan}}'' received a ScreenToStageAdaptation. (''Lord of the Rings'' has also since been... rather ''less'' seriously [[http://www.fellowshipthemusical.com adapted]].)

** Theatre/ComeFromAway also fits- based on interviews with residents of Gander, Newfoundland, and the people on planes who were diverted there when American airspace was closed after 9/11.

* ''Theatre/{{Curtains}}''. The ShowWithinAShow, meanwhile, is an adaptation of RobinHood set in the Wild West.

* One episode ''WesternAnimation/PepperAnn'' begins with the title character finishing a lead role in a musical based on an in-series plush toy. She's complimented for her performance, then discover she was mistaken for an IdenticalStranger who starred in a musical called ''[[Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera Phantom]] of the [[Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes Apes]]''.
* ''Film/DeathBecomesHer'' opens with Madeline appearing in an awful musical version of ''Theatre/SweetBirdOfYouth'' called ''Songbird!'' that bombs

Incidentally, this is why so many so many musicals are subtitled [[TitleTheAdaptation The Musical]][[ExcitedShowTitle !]]

* ''Film/Once'' is an entirely original story...that then got adapted to Broadway, where it won a Tony.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'', Rusty wants to make a musical about his life (a Johnny Quest boy-adventurer sort of childhood with its own cartoon show), though this never gets off the ground. He does get a duet with the in-universe version of Spiderman, the Brown Widow, which might be a parody of ''Theatre/SpiderManTurnOffTheDark''. For a bonus joke, Brown Widow mentions being in The Sound of Music as a kid, the film of which featured Nicholas Hammond, the 1970s TV Spider-Man, as Friedrich Von Trapp.

* A significant chunk of Creator/DonBluth's work -- namely, ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'', ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'', ''WesternAnimation/ATrollInCentralPark'', and ''WesternAnimation/ThePebbleAndThePenguin''.

** Smithers wrote a musical inspired by Malibu Stacey dolls, providing an example of a musical based on a pre-existing concept while not being a direct adaptation.
-->'''Mr. Burns:''' A musical about a doll? Why not [[Theatre/{{Cats}} a musical about the common cat]]? Or [[Theatre/TheKingAndI the King of Siam]]?

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' has numerous fictional musical adapations which parody the concept by having drawing from bizarre or inappropriate sources:

* Linie 1 a german musical famous for almost completely taking place in a subway train

** "Lisa with an 'S'" returns to New York City and Broadway shows noted in passing include ''VideoGame/CandyCrush: The Musical'' and the very meta ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie Spider-Pig]]: [[Theatre/SpiderManTurnOffTheDark Turn Off the Pork]]''.

** The page image is from ''[[Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes Stop the Planet of the Apes: I Want to Get Off!]]'' ("A Fish Called Selma"), which featured [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlmzUEQxOvA breakdancing orangutans and spontaneous piano solos]].

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic'' features Jay and Doris going to Creator/AndrewLloydWebber's newest musical, ''Hunch!'', an adaptation of ''Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame''. The sequence takes swipes at the commercialism ("Brought to you by Toyota: the hatchback fit for a hunchback!") and strange staging common to ALW's musicals. Note that this episode predated the Disney adaptation of ''Hunchback'' -- which had its own problems trying to make the story a musical that could also move merchandise -- by two years, making this HilariousInHindsight.
** Also, ''Theatre/NotreDameDeParis'' premiered in 1998.

** "How Lisa Got Her Marge Back" has them visit Capital City to see a musical version of ''Film/TheBadNewsBears''.
Other shows playing that fit this trope include ''Film/PaulBlartMallCop: The Musical'' and ''[[Franchise/{{Batman}} The Riddler on the Roof]]''.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' has numerous fictional musical adapations which parody the concept by having drawing from bizarre or inappropriate sources.:
** Marge starred in a musical adaptation of ''Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire'' (opposite Ned Flanders) whose cheery closing song "You Can Always Depend on the Kindness of Strangers!" managed to [[ComicallyMissingThePoint completely miss the point of the original line]]. When Andre Previn made ''Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire'' into an opera, he explicitly cited the "Simpsons scenario" ("Stella, Stella, can't you hear me yell-a?") as an instance of what he tried to avoid. In fact, the libretto simply sets the original text of the play to music.
** ''[[Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes Stop the Planet of the Apes: I Want to Get Off!]]'', which featured [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlmzUEQxOvA breakdancing orangutans and spontaneous piano solos]].

** Who could forget "Kickin' It: A Musical Journey Through the Betty Ford Center"?
** The musical adaption of ''[[ShowWithinAShow Itchy and Scratchy]]'', parodying the style of the Broadway version of ''Disney/TheLionKing''.

* ''Theatre/AnnieGetYourGun''