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

A Year with Frog and Toad

Music: Robert Reale  Lyrics/Book: Willie Reale

Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)

Animals Featured: Performers in costume


Aladdin

Music: Alan Menken  Lyrics/Book: Chad Beguelin  LyricsTim Rice, Howard Ashman

Musical Type: 1992 Film/Contemporary Musical (2011)

Animals Featured: Performers in costume


Annie

Music: Charles Strouse  Lyrics: Martin Charnin  Book: Thomas Meehan

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)

Animal Featured: One live dog


Betty Blue Eyes

Music: George Stiles  Lyrics: Anthony Drewe  Book: Ron Cowen, Daniel Lipman

Musical Type: Contemporary (2011)

Animals Featured: One prop Pig


Bumblescratch

Music/Lyrics/Book: Robert J. Sherman

Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)

Animals Featured: Performers in costume


Busker Alley

Music/Lyrics: Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman  Book: A.J. Carothers

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1995)

Animal Featured: One live dog


Cats

Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber  Lyrics: T.S. Eliot, Trevor Nunn, Richard Stilgoe

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1981)

Animals Featured: Performers in costume


Doctor Dolittle

Music/Lyrics/Book: Leslie Bricusse

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1998)

Animals Featured: Performers in costume


Dog Man: The Musical

Music: Brad Alexander  Lyrics/Book: Kevin Del Aguila

Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)

Animals Featured: Performers in costume


Elephant and Piggie’s “We are in a Play”

Music: Deborah Wicks La Puma  Lyrics/Book: Mo Willems

Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)

Animals Featured: Performers in costume


Frozen

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  Lyrics/Book: Anthony Drewe

Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)

Animals Featured: Performers in costume


Honk!

Music: George Stiles  Lyrics/Book: Anthony Drewe

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1993)

Animals Featured: Performers in costume


Into the Woods

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Book: James Lapine

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1986)

Animals Featured: Performers in costume


James and the Giant Peach

Music: Justin Paul  Lyrics: Benj Pasek  Book: Timothy Allen McDonald

Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)

Animals Featured: Performers in costume


Jumbo

Music: Richard Rodgers  Lyrics: Lorenz Hart  Book: Ben Hecht, Charles MacArthur

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1935)

Animals Featured: Set/Props/Other


Just So

Music: George Stiles  Lyrics/Book: Anthony Drewe

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1984)

Animals Featured: Performers in costume


Legally Blonde

Music/Lyrics: Nell Benjamin, Laurence O’Keefe  Book: Heather Hach

Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)

Animal Featured: One live dog


Let It Ride

Music/Lyrics: Jay Livingston, Ray Evans  Book: Abram S. Ginnes

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1961)

Animals Featured: Set/Props/Other


Love Birds

Music/Lyrics/Book: Robert J. Sherman

Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)

Animals Featured: Performers in costume


Moby Dick

Music/Lyrics/Book: Robert Longden, Hereward Kaye

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1990)

Animals Featured: Set/Props/Other


Ratatouille

Music/Lyrics: Various  Book: Michael Breslin, Patrick Foley

Musical Type: Contemporary (2021)

Animals Featured: Performers in costume


Seussical

Music/Book: Stephen Flaherty  Lyrics/Book: Lynn Ahrens

Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)

Animals Featured: Performers in costume


Shrek

Music: Jeanine Tesori  Lyrics/Book: David Lindsay-Abaire

Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)

Animals Featured: Performers in costume


Snoopy!!!

Music: Larry Grossman  Lyrics: Hal Hackady  Book: Warren Lockhart, Arthur Whitelaw, Michael Grace

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1975)

Animals Featured: Performers in costume


Space Dogs

Music/Lyrics/Book: Nick Blaemire, Van Hughes

Musical Type: Contemporary (2022)

Animals Featured: Set/Props/Other


Tarzan

Music/Lyrics: Phil Collins  Book: David Henry Hwang

Musical Type: 1999 Film/Contemporary Musical (2006)

Animals Featured: Performers in Costume


The Apple Tree

Music/Book: Jerry Bock  Lyrics/Book: Sheldon Harnick  Book: Jerome Coopersmith

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1966)

Animals Featured: Performer in Costume


The Lion King

Music: Elton John  Lyrics: Tim Rice  Book: Rodger Allers, Irene Mecchi

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)

Animals Featured: Performers in Costume


The Little Mermaid

Music: Alan Menken  Lyrics: Howard Ashman, Glenn Slater  Book: Doug Wright

Musical Type: 1989 Film/Contemporary Musical (2007)

Animals Featured: Performers in Costume


The SpongeBob Musical

Music/Lyrics: Various  Book: Kyle Jarrow

Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)

Animals Featured: Performers in Costume


The Three Little Pigs

Music: George Stiles  Lyrics/Book: Anthony Drewe

Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)

Animals Featured: Performers in Costume


The Wind in the Willows

Music: George Stiles  Lyrics: Anthony Drewe  Book: Julian Fellowes

Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)

Animals Featured: Performers in Costume


The Wizard of Oz

Music/Lyrics: Harold Arlen, E.Y. Harburg  Music: Herbert Stothart  Book: L. Frank Baum, John Kane

Musical Type: 1939 Film/Pre-Contemporary Musical (1987)

Animals Featured: Performers in Costume


Whistle Down the Wind

Music/Book: Andrew Lloyd Webber  Lyrics: Jim Steinman  Book: Patricia Knop, Gale Edwards

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1996)

Animals Featured: Set/Props/Other


You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown

Music/Lyrics/Book: Clark Gesner  Additional Songs: Andrew Lippa

Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1967)

Animals Featured: Performer in Costume


JR. Musicals with Animals in Them

101 Dalmatians KIDS

Music/Lyrics/Book: Various

Musical Type: Contemporary/Post-Golden Age

Animals Featured: Performers in costume


Finding Nemo JR.

Music/Lyrics: Robert Lopez, Kristen Anderson-Lopez  Adaptation: Lindsay Anderson

Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)

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


Moana JR.

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.


Big Fish

Music/Lyrics: Andrew Lippa  Book: John August

Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)

Animals Featured: Implied fish


Groundhog Day

Music/Lyrics: Tim Minchin  Book: Danny Rubin

Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)

Animals Featured: Implied groundhog


The Frogs

Music/Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim  Book: Burt Shevelove, Nathan Lane

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1974)

Animals Featured: Ensemble frogs


We are the Tigers

Music/Lyrics/Book: Preston Max Allen

Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)

Animals Featured: N/A


When Pigs Fly

Music: Dick Gallagher  Book/Lyrics/Concept: Mark Waldrop  Concept: Howard Crabtree

Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1996)

Animals Featured: N/A


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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!


Stacy Karyn, author of Musicals with Animals.
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.


 

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