31+ Musicals with Animals in Them – A Full List
Whether you’re doing some research, putting on a show, or simply looking for new musicals to get into, it’s good to get familiar with what’s out there. And that’s why we’ve put together this list for you! A full list of musicals with animals in them are listed below.
The following list is broken down into three categories – “Musicals with Animals in Them”, “JR. Musicals with Animals in Them”, and “Musicals with Animals in Their Titles”. Each category is sorted alphabetically.
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Musicals with Animals in Them
Music: Robert Reale Lyrics/Book: Willie Reale
Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)
Animals Featured: Performers in costume
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics/Book: Chad Beguelin Lyrics: Tim Rice, Howard Ashman
Musical Type: 1992 Film/Contemporary Musical (2011)
Animals Featured: Performers in costume
Music: Charles Strouse Lyrics: Martin Charnin Book: Thomas Meehan
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
Animal Featured: One live dog
Music/Lyrics/Book: Robert J. Sherman
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Animals Featured: Performers in costume
Music/Lyrics: Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman Book: A.J. Carothers
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1995)
Animal Featured: One live dog
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: T.S. Eliot, Trevor Nunn, Richard Stilgoe
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1981)
Animals Featured: Performers in costume
Music/Lyrics/Book: Leslie Bricusse
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)
Animals Featured: Performers in costume
Elephant and Piggie’s “We are in a Play”
Music: Deborah Wicks La Puma Book/Lyrics: Mo Willems
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Animals Featured: Performers in costume
Music/Lyrics: Robert Lopez, Kristen Anderson-Lopez
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Animals Featured: Performers in costume
Music/Lyrics: Robert Lopez, Kristen Anderson-Lopez Book: Jennifer Lee
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Animals Featured: Performer in costume
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Music: George Stiles Book/Lyrics: Anthony Drewe
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Animals Featured: Performers in costume
Music: George Stiles Book/Lyrics: Anthony Drewe
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1993)
Animals Featured: Performers in costume
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: James Lapine
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1986)
Animals Featured: Performers in costume
Music: Justin Paul Lyrics: Benj Pasek Book: Timothy Allen McDonald
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Animals Featured: Performers in costume
Music: George Stiles Book/Lyrics: Anthony Drewe
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1984)
Animals Featured: Performers in costume
Music/Lyrics: Nell Benjamin, Laurence O’Keefe Book: Heather Hach
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Animal Featured: One live dog
Music/Lyrics: Jay Livingston, Ray Evans Book: Abram S. Ginnes
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)
Animals Featured: Set/Props/Other
Music/Lyrics/Book: Robert J. Sherman
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Animals Featured: Performers in costume
Music/Lyrics/Book: Robert Longden, Hereward Kay
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1990)
Animals Featured: Set/Props/Other
Music/Book: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics/Book: Lynn Ahrens
Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)
Animals Featured: Performers in costume
Music: Jeanine Tesori Lyrics/Book: David Lindsay-Abaire
Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)
Animals Featured: Performers in costume
Music: Larry Grossman Lyrics: Hal Hackady Book: Warren Lockhart, Arthur Whitelaw, Michael Grace
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)
Animals Featured: Performers in costume
Music/Lyrics/Book: Nick Blaemire, Van Hughes
Musical Type: Contemporary (2022)
Animals Featured: Set/Props/Other
Music/Lyrics: Phil Collins Book: David Henry Hwang
Musical Type: 1999 Film/Contemporary Musical (2006)
Animals Featured: Performers in Costume
Music/Book: Jerry Bock Lyrics/Book: Sheldon Harnick Book: Jerome Coopersmith
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1966)
Animals Featured: Performer in Costume
Music: Elton John Lyrics: Tim Rice Book: Rodger Allers, Irene Mecchi
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)
Animals Featured: Performers in Costume
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Howard Ashman, Glenn Slater Book: Doug Wright
Musical Type: 1989 Film/Contemporary Musical (2007)
Animals Featured: Performers in Costume
Music/Lyrics: Various Book: Kyle Jarrow
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Animals Featured: Performers in Costume
Music: George Stiles Book/Lyrics: Anthony Drewe
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Animals Featured: Performers in Costume
Music: George Stiles Book: Anthony Drewe Book: Julian Fellowes
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Animals Featured: Performers in Costume
Music: Harold Arlen, Herbert Stothart Lyrics: E.Y. Harburg Book: John Kane
Musical Type: 1939 Film/Pre-Contemporary Musical (1987)
Animals Featured: Performers in Costume
Music/Book: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Jim Steinman Book: Patricia Knop, Gale Edwards
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1996)
Animals Featured: Set/Props/Other
Music/Lyrics: Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman Book: Jonathan Rockefeller
Musical Type: 1960s Films/Contemporary (2021)
Animals Featured: Puppets
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown
Music/Lyrics: Clark Gesner Book: John Gordon Additional Songs: Andrew Lippa
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1967)
Animals Featured: Performer in Costume
JR. Musicals with Animals in Them
Music/Lyrics/Book: Various
Musical Type: Contemporary/Post-Golden Age
Animals Featured: Performers in costume
Madagascar – A Musical Adventure JR.
Music/Lyrics: George Noriega, Joel Someillan Book: Kevin Del Aguila
Musical Type: Contemporary
Animals Featured: Performers in costume
Music/Lyrics: Opetaia Foa’i, Mark Mancina, Lin-Manuel Miranda
Musical Type: Contemporary
Animals Featured: Performers in costume
Musicals with Animals in Their Titles
These musicals have animals in their titles although animals may not be featured.
Music/Lyrics: Andrew Lippa Book: John August
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Animals Featured: Implied fish
Music: Milton Schafer Lyrics/Book: Ira Levin
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1965)
Animals Featured: A “cat burglar”
Music/Lyrics: Tim Minchin Book: Danny Rubin
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Animals Featured: Implied groundhog
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: Burt Shevelove, Nathan Lane
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1974)
Animals Featured: Ensemble frogs
Music/Lyrics/Book: Preston Max Allen
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Animals Featured: N/A
Music/Lyrics/Book: Dick Gallagher, Mark Waldrop, Howard Crabtree
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary/Revue (1996)
Animals Featured: N/A
Want a weekly list of stagey surprises?!
Which of these musicals with animals is your favorite?
Or have you ever played a role in any of the above musicals about animals? Feel free to share in the comments below! And if you like these types of lists, check out the musical database. That’s where you’ll find musicals sorted by composer, theme, setting, and more!
Author: Stacy Karyn
Stacy Karyn is the founder of Theatre Trip, author of The Thespian’s Bucket List, and creator of The Cast Album List. She has a TESOL drama certificate, a BA in theatre, and has worked and interned with Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.