Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (2005)

Dude, where's my flying car? Fret not, for the onomatopoeic auto driving this frothy children's musical (lifted from the 1968 film) takes flight right on cue: In the grand tradition of Phantom's chandelier and Miss Saigon's helicopter, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ascends at the tail end of Act 1 to oohs and aahs. This T-shirt sales vehicle careens from Willy Wonka wackiness to Lemony Snicket malice, with Raúl Esparza's unwitting inventor at its charming, gooey center, and Jan Maxwell's child-hating Baroness Bomburst providing comic relief. Did we mention there's a flying car? B-