The day is here: Hamilton is officially available to stream on Disney+ around the world. The award-winning musical from Lin-Manuel Miranda chronicles the life of Alexander Hamilton, and you can now watch it on Disney+ right on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.
Why is ‘Hamilton’ streaming on Disney+?
Hamilton was originally scheduled to hit theaters on October 15, 2021, but like many things, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shift in plans. As detailed in a story from the New York Times, Disney ultimately paid roughly $75 million for the rights to the film.
Disney executive chairman Bob Iger approached the Hamilton team, including director Thomas Kail and creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, about moving up the release after the onset of the pandemic. With production halted on new content and theatrical releases on hold, Disney+ needed new content. At first, the Hamilton team’s response was a firm “no,” but as it became clear that the coronavirus was here to stay, they reconsidered.
‘I thought we should stay the course, but I confess that was early in the epidemic, when we thought we might go back to work in the summer,’ said Seller, still reeling from having to shut down all six productions of Hamilton. ‘As the profundity of this pandemic set in, and I realized we’re not coming back this year, I thought we should reconsider.’
Tommy Kail remains optimistic that Hamilton will still be released in theaters at some point, once it’s safe to do so. “I hope at some point, when people go back to movie theaters, there’s an opportunity for people to experience this in a group, sitting in the dark,” he told the Times.
The version of Hamilton available on Disney+ is edited together from three performances of the show at the Richard Rodgers Theater in New York City in 2016. It features the original principal Broadway cast, including:
- Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton
- Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr
- Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton
- Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson
- Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler
- Jonathan Groff as King George III
- Christopher Jackson as George Washington
- Jasmine Cephas Jones as Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds
- Okieriete Onaodowan as Hercules Mulligan and James Madison
- Anthony Ramos as John Laurens and Philip Hamilton
Now that you know the backstory on how Hamilton ended up on Disney+, raise a glass and read on as we explain how to actually watch it.
How to watch:
Hamilton is available to stream wherever you can access Disney+, which includes iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Fire TV, Roku, and the web. Here are the countries where Disney+ is available as of July 3:
- Australia
- Austria
- Canada
- France
- Germany
- India
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Monaco
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Spain
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- United States
Unfortunately, Disney no longer offers a free trial of any sort for Disney+. With that being said, you can sign up for the service at just $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year. You can also subscribe to a bundle of Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+ for $12.99 per month.
The Disney+ app is available on the App Store for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. On Apple TV, simply open the App Store and search for Disney+. On the Mac, just head to the Disney+ website and log in, and you’re all set.
Apple even has a special story on the App Store celebrating the release of Hamilton on Disney+. This story includes links to playlists, albums, and more for Hamilton fans. Check out the App Store here.
There’s no reason to wait for it: stream Hamilton on Disney+ today and let us know what you think of it down in the comments.
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