There has been a severe lack of musicals in today’s Hollywood. Recent films such as Moulin Rouge, Chicago, and Les Miserable are some of the more notable pictures, but finding a good musical is tough these days. That all changes with the release of La La Land, as it’s set to join the list of great musical films.

Starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, La La Land isn’t short on star power. The film is one of many to release this holiday season, but it’s one of the select few to receive Oscar buzz. And just like its predecessors in Les Miserable and Chicago, the film looks to take home many awards.

It’s rare that a musical gets so much praise and admiration. Maybe it’s because of the cast, but it could also be due to director, Damien Chazelle, who was already used to the Academy Awards spotlight with his film, Whiplash. The picture garnered him his first Oscar nomination for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay.

It helps that Stone and Gosling are beloved by so many fans, similar to the cast of Chicago, Les Miserable and Moulin Rouge, the star power is through the roof. In addition, Gosling and Stone have great chemistry together, as they’ve starred in two previous films, Crazy Stupid Love (2011) and Gangster Squad (2013).

Originally, it was Whiplash star, Miles Teller, and Harry Potter alumni, Emma Watson, who were the choices for the lead roles in La La Land, but both dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Gosling and Stone were more than up to task to star in the film, and both took the role extremely seriously. Gosling spent two hours a day, six days a week learning the piano and music for the film.

The key to Moulin Rouge, Les Miserable and Chicago is the music. Thankfully, all the music in the film is composed and written by Justin Hurwitz, who wrote and composed the music in Whiplash, which won a Grammy for Best Scored Soundtrack, Visual Media. Also, John Legend lends his talents to the mix, writing a few of the movies songs along with Hurwitz.

La La Land debuted at the 2016 Venice Film Festival in August to rave reviews. Some say it will revitalize the musical, and Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling deliver the performance of a lifetime. Critics have also praised Chazelle for his outstanding direction.

It’s possible that La La Land can re-ignite the musical in Hollywood, and if it does, we might see a lot more signing and dancing on the big screen.

Follow Daniel James Gentile on twitter @dgentleman9288