# Challenge: movies that have music boxes but are not scary or horror **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 21, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-movies-that-have-music-boxes-but-are-not-scary-or-horror/664142 "2013-07-21T23:04:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Renifer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Renifer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renifer)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-movies-that-have-music-boxes-but-are-not-scary-or-horror/664142/1 "2013-07-21T23:04:46Z")
This is related to _The Conjuring_. The music box seems to be a staple of the horror genre. Off the top of my head, there’s _The Woman In Black_, _The Cabin In The Woods_, _The Watcher In The Woods_. If a music box appears, things go bad. Are there any movies that have music boxes that aren’t horror or evil? The closest I can think of is Pirates of the Caribbean 2, which is partly horror, because it deals with undead pirates. Can any of you come up with any? ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-movies-that-have-music-boxes-but-are-not-scary-or-horror/664142/2 "2013-07-21T23:08:50Z")
Oz the great and powerful. He apparently has a closet full of music boxes! ---
**Author:** ![Rubixcube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Rubixcube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubixcube)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-movies-that-have-music-boxes-but-are-not-scary-or-horror/664142/3 "2013-07-21T23:10:23Z")
Not technically a box, but Mister Freeze made one in _Batman and Robin_. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-movies-that-have-music-boxes-but-are-not-scary-or-horror/664142/4 "2013-07-21T23:14:42Z")
Unsurprisingly, the movie [Music Box](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_Box_%28film%29) is a movie containing a music box. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-movies-that-have-music-boxes-but-are-not-scary-or-horror/664142/5 "2013-07-21T23:16:30Z")
“For a Few Dollars More” prominently features a music-playing pocket watch. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-movies-that-have-music-boxes-but-are-not-scary-or-horror/664142/6 "2013-07-21T23:25:21Z")
In White Christmas, Bob Hope sings the title song with music box accompaniment. Granted, the town gets shelled shortly thereafter… ---
**Author:** ![Morelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Morelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morelin)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-movies-that-have-music-boxes-but-are-not-scary-or-horror/664142/7 "2013-07-21T23:27:12Z")
It’s animated, but the plot for “Anastasia” revolves heavily around a music box. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-movies-that-have-music-boxes-but-are-not-scary-or-horror/664142/8 "2013-07-21T23:32:00Z")
It’s titled **The Music Box** , but we know it’s a player piano, so no points to the Laurel and Hardy fans. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-movies-that-have-music-boxes-but-are-not-scary-or-horror/664142/9 "2013-07-21T23:38:39Z")
The movie version of the Broadway musical **Phantom of the Opera** features, as the stage show did, a music box. The film really isn’t horror, but a twisted romance. **Fantasia 2000** , in the _Steadfast Tin Soldier_ segment. The ballerina the soldier falls in love with is from a music box. It’s a fantastic film, but not exactly horror – **Mighty Joe Young** features a music box that plays Stephen Foster’s “Beautiful Dreamer”, which becomes his signature tune, It’s not used in any creepy way. I actually love the “Reveal” scene where Joe is introduced to the nightclub audience by his mistress Jill playing the song on a piano. Beautifully done scene. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-movies-that-have-music-boxes-but-are-not-scary-or-horror/664142/10 "2013-07-21T23:39:25Z")
_Seven Years in Tibet_ has a music box that was a gift from the Dalai Lama. It is an adventure/biography and not scary or a horror film. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-movies-that-have-music-boxes-but-are-not-scary-or-horror/664142/11 "2013-07-22T01:35:32Z")
In _Dirty Rotten Scoundrels_ there is some dancing to a fancy music box. ---
**Author:** ![theR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@theR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theR)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-movies-that-have-music-boxes-but-are-not-scary-or-horror/664142/12 "2013-07-22T01:51:19Z")
In _Gangs of New York_, I seem to recall that they steal a music box with other loot from a burning building, then the cop breaks it when he takes what he perceives as his cut of the loot. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-movies-that-have-music-boxes-but-are-not-scary-or-horror/664142/13 "2013-07-22T02:07:50Z")
The movie **Speakeasy** , with David Strathairn, involves a guy who teaches the main character how to build a music box (and how to love life and other whimsical things). You see Strathairn working on the music box throughout the film and in the end he gives it to his wife, and no demons are summoned or hellmouths opened at any point in the film. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-movies-that-have-music-boxes-but-are-not-scary-or-horror/664142/14 "2013-07-22T02:50:50Z")
Somewhere In Time ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-movies-that-have-music-boxes-but-are-not-scary-or-horror/664142/15 "2013-07-22T04:02:17Z")
Ariel give Ren one (or vice-versa) in Footloose. It’s playing on the roof of his car in the scene after she gets beaten up by her boyfriend. ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-movies-that-have-music-boxes-but-are-not-scary-or-horror/664142/16 "2013-07-22T05:16:01Z")
_Brazil_ features a music box in [this scene](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSQ5EsbT4cE). ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-movies-that-have-music-boxes-but-are-not-scary-or-horror/664142/17 "2013-07-22T06:05:18Z")
In Labyrinth there’s a music box on Sarah’s desk. Later, during the ballroom scene, she’s dressed as the ballerina from the box. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-movies-that-have-music-boxes-but-are-not-scary-or-horror/664142/18 "2013-07-22T07:23:21Z")
There’s Sally Ann Howes as a [doll on a music box](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-gpZmcQrx0) in _Chitty[sup]2[/sup] Bang[sup]2[/sup]_. Not really scary, but the Child Catcher gave me a bad case of the willies when I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Bragg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4bbf92/32.png) [@Stealth\_Bragg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Bragg)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-movies-that-have-music-boxes-but-are-not-scary-or-horror/664142/19 "2013-07-22T10:52:00Z")
Land of the Giants seemed to feature one every couple of episodes or so. Giant captures lady, wants her to be a live music box ballerina etc. hilarity ensues. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-movies-that-have-music-boxes-but-are-not-scary-or-horror/664142/20 "2013-07-22T13:46:40Z")
Does _Labyrinth_ count as scary? It was scary when I first saw it as a kid, but it’s more of a straight fantasy movie with some scarier elements. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-movies-that-have-music-boxes-but-are-not-scary-or-horror/664142.md?page=2)