6 Best Oscar Best Original Score Winning Movies

By Vlad Zakh · June 11, 2026

A great score tells you how to feel before a character says a word. Soul and La La Land are recent winners, The Lion King soars with a young prince’s exile, and Out of Africa wraps a Danish baroness’s Kenyan romance in sweeping music. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Star Wars are the classics.

Soul (2020)

IMDb ★ 8.0 RT 95% Metacritic 83

A jazz musician's near-death experience sends his soul on an unexpected journey of self-discovery.

Directed by Pete Docter · 1h 41m · Rated PG

Won 2 Oscars125 wins & 91 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus, Hulu · Rent: Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

La La Land (2016)

IMDb ★ 8.0 RT 91% Metacritic 94

A jazz pianist and an aspiring actress's romance is tested by the very ambitions that brought them together.

Directed by Damien Chazelle · 2h 09m · Rated PG-13

Won 6 Oscars246 wins & 313 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Lion King (1994)

IMDb ★ 8.5 RT 92% Metacritic 88

A young lion prince flees his kingdom after his father's murder, only to return years later to reclaim it.

Directed by Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff · 1h 29m · Rated G

Won 2 Oscars43 wins & 35 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Out of Africa (1985)

TMDB ★ 7.2

A Danish baroness's life on a Kenyan coffee plantation is transformed by a passionate romance with a big-game hunter.

Directed by Sydney Pollack · 2h 41m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: YouTube TV · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

IMDb ★ 7.9 RT 99% Metacritic 92

A boy hides a stranded alien from the government while trying to help it phone home.

Directed by Steven Spielberg · 1h 55m · Rated PG

Won 4 Oscars52 wins & 39 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, Starz Amazon Channel, Starz, Starz Apple TV channel, Starz Roku Premium Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Star Wars (1977)

IMDb ★ 8.6 RT 93% Metacritic 90

A farm boy joins a rebellion to rescue a princess and destroy an empire's planet-killing superweapon.

Directed by George Lucas · 2h 01m · Rated PG

Won 6 Oscars70 wins & 31 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent: Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Oscar Best Original Score Winning Movies

Soul (2020)

La La Land (2016)

The Lion King (1994)

Out of Africa (1985)

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Star Wars (1977)

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