Inspired by Matt Vs. The Academy, actor and film buff Matt Foster's quest to watch every movie nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, The Movie Musical Project is my attempt to watch every movie musical in chronological order!

I started the project in 2010, got interrupted by going to drama school, getting married, cancer, COVID, and all the life stuff in between. 

As of August 2025, I've finished 1927-1929, and started 1930. The fun part of coming back to this project after several years off is how many films appear to be readily available online for free. I’m slightly daunted by the next batch of films. There are 78 films in 1930 (though a bunch have been lost to time), and film historian John DiLeo describes this period (1930-1933) as “…that briefly treacherous period for the movie musical…” Oh goody, I can’t wait. 

Because I'm a self-confessed nerd, in addition to watching the films, I'm also doing research on each film's history.

The list is comprised mainly of American movie musicals, as catalogued by the American Film Institute (musical and musical comedy). The AFI has categorized over 800 films as musicals, although there are several omissions which I will attempt to cover.

The list is a work in progress and will continue to be updated.