Heartwarming / The Greatest Showman

They managed to ♫ Rewrite the Stars ♫

• "The Other Side" has Phillip and Barnum both taking their hats off for Lettie. After all, a bearded lady is still a lady — and Lettie obliges with a Coy, Girlish Flirt Pose and a laugh. Right after that, Phillip falls in Love at First Sight with Anne.
• During "A Million Dreams", we see a newly orphaned Barnum try to steal bread to survive on the streets. While he is quickly caught by the baker, a deformed woman wordlessly gives him an apple, smiling kindly.
  • Really, just the entirety of A Million Dreams.
    Child Barnum: Special things I compile, each one there to make you smile on a rainy day.
• In "This Is Me", Lettie is nervous as she leads the carnies into the ballroom (which Barnum locked them out of). It isn't until Tom Thumb sings and holds her hand that she gets the courage to march through the ballroom and continue the song.
  • The group has to go past a room full of high society people who are glaring at them, and then past a bunch of screaming protesters outside. Then they reach the circus and we see shots of the audience cheering for them, smiling, even singing along to "This Is Me" with them. Even if Barnum doesn't see their worth, this particular audience absolutely does.
• "Rewrite The Stars" doubles as a Tear Jerker, but it's clear that for most of the song, Phillip is in fact winning Anne over. Of course, it makes it that much more heartbreaking when she still walks away.
• "Tightrope" also doubles as a Tear Jerker, but during the montage, we see Phillip taking care of the circus people in Barnum's absence. This culminates in Phillip walking into the ring to stand with Anne and the other performers in solidarity in the face of the nastier protesters.
• Near the end, it's clear that all of the acts have become a Family of Choice, alongside Phillip, when they ask Barnum what his intentions are after the Museum has burned down. His Heel Realization has him responding to them with "From Now On."
  Lettie: Maybe you are a fraud. Maybe it was about making a buck. But you gave us a real family.
  W.D.: And the circus... that was our home. We want our home back.
• "From Now On" is not only a Moment of Awesome of amazing song and dance to celebrate Barnum's triumphant comeback, it's also sweet to see him bursting through the streets to his wife while the circus people sing the bridge of the song while dancing in the bar. Celebration of humanity indeed.
  • Barnum then sees his family portrait and does a Race for Your Love to reconcile with Charity.
  • A minor one: Lettie sees Barnum staring at the portrait and realizes he misses his family; she quietly gives her blessing for him to go after them.
  • At the end of the song, Phillip wakes in the hospital to find Anne sitting by his bedside. Anne tearfully greets him with a kiss, not caring who sees them anymore. This also explains why she wasn't with the other performers during "From Now On"; she was at Phillip's side the entire time.
• Barnum appointing Phillip ringleader at the end, so he can attend his daughters' ballet recital. For that matter, the way Phillip takes to the stage to be with his new friends and the woman he loves.
  Phillip: What will you be doing?
  Barnum: Watching my girls grow up. The show must go on.
• During their debut in "Come Alive", the circus people are visibly nervous and uncomfortable at being stared at. Then a shy little girl peeks out to smile at Lettie and she smiles back, and when the Heaviest Man sees a crippled boy's face start to light up, he takes a very dignified pose and nods at the young man.

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