The Walt Disney Company has acquired several companies and brands throughout its history. Most especially, during the Iger era. During his tenure with Disney, Bob Iger oversaw the acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel Entertainment, Lucasfilm, 21st Century Fox (which allowed for Disney to purchase several Fox assets under that), just to name a few. And Just this morning, the former CEO turned Executive Chairman, made the announcement on Good Morning America that Hamilton will be available to stream on Disney+ on July 3rd. However, the announcement made on GMA this morning is just the beginning of this record-breaking acquisition! Buckle up, fellow Hamilton lovers, it’s going to be a fun ride!
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton has been a huge success since the moment it debuted on Broadway in 2015. I should know, I’ve been trying to get tickets for it ever since, with no success. Hamilton went on to gross $500 million, won 11 Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize, and was staged for three US tours, a production in London’s West End, and one in Chicago. The soundtrack is equally successful and has been at the top of the iTunes music charts for years.
This isn’t the first time the playwright, and also one of the coolest humans ever, has been associated with Disney. Yes, I called him a cool human, but the man single-handedly made American history trendy and by rapping lyrics, he rapped his way into our hearts. I think that alone, cements his status as one of the coolest humans ever. Moving on, Miranda contributed music and vocals for a scene in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015); wrote music and songs in the animated musical Moana (2016), which earned him nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and the Academy Award for Best Original Song, for the song “How Far I’ll Go”; and starred as Jack in Mary Poppins Returns (2018), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Miranda also performed several songs for the movie, including, “Nowhere To Go But Up.”
Disney presents:
Hamilton.
With The Original Broadway Cast.
Filmed onstage at The Richard Rodgers Theatre.
In A Theater Near You.
October 15, 2021.#Hamilfilm pic.twitter.com/z4ohfWXzi3— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) February 3, 2020
Given their history, in early February when Lin-Manuel Miranda announced the acquisition on his twitter, it was a surprise but not to some. Those of us who are fans of Disney and Hamilton, have been foaming at the mouth for details, and could hardly contain our excitement. Literally, the best of both worlds had collided!
Of course, one of the most successful musicals of all-time comes at a cost, a cost that would discourage other companies from even thinking about a deal of this magnitude. Fortunately, the Walt Disney Company has the brawn to carry such a heft price tag. According to Deadline, Disney paid $75 million for worldwide rights, and it’s being reported that Disney won the deal under the commitment for a wide global theatrical release of a live version of the musical, featuring the original cast.
This morning’s announcement was a bold move on Disney’s part because the company is effectively canceling its planned theatrical run for Hamilton. The version Disney+ will stream on July 3rd, was meant for theaters and was recorded 2 weeks before the original cast (including Lin-Manuel Miranda) moved on to other projects. Given the current state of our world, Disney decided to push up a release date and forgo theaters all-together, hence this morning’s announcement. Miranda was excited with Disney’s plan to bring his musical to theaters (and now, Disney+). At its height of success, while under the original cast, a seat to the show could run someone up to $500 a ticket. Miranda saw this as an opportunity for everyone to enjoy the musical because not everyone can pay the price to see it on Broadway. Just a quick side note, I would have loved for the opportunity to even consider paying that price! I, like millions of others, haven’t even had the chance to get that far in the tickets for Hamilton purchasing process. Yes, it’s that good, from what I’m told.
With Disney buying the rights for $75 million, the acquisition is thought to be the most expensive acquisition of a single film ever made. That being said, I have to believe that Disney plans on doing much more than releasing it on their streaming service. Has the House of Mouse ever been a “one and done” kind of operation? I don’t think so. In fact, I’d venture to bet that Hamilton streaming on Disney+ is only the beginning.
A film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical, “In The Heights,” will be released by Warner Bros. June 26. The film was originally meant to be produced by the Weinstein Company in 2016, but we all know what happened there. In 2018, two years and $50 million later, Warner Brothers had won the rights for the film. “In The Heights” is scheduled to be released in theaters this summer.
Could Miranda follow a similar path for Hamilton, but this time with Disney? Since the version we’ll see on July 3rd was originally intended for the big screen, this leaves the door open for a film adaptation of the musical. I can’t help but wonder if the $75 million price tag came with much bigger plans than releasing a live version of the uber-successful musical on Disney+. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Lin-Manuel Miranda as a person. He’s extremely likable, seems like a kid at heart, and seems to embody everything the Walt Disney Company is and stands for. It seems to me, like a match made in heaven. A very expensive match, but a match none the less.
If anyone were to ever doubt the Walt Disney Company and their ability to create film adaptions from some of the most beloved stories or musicals of all time, I’d quickly point out the success Disney had with Beauty and the Beast. In 2017, Disney released a live-action version of the animated classic to theaters worldwide. When all was said and done, 2017’s Beauty and the Beast grossed a record-shattering 1.2 Billion worldwide. A film adaption of Hamilton will be successful, but a potential partnership with Disney to produce it could bring in box office sales we’ve never seen before.
Then there’s attractions and park placement. Disney acquiring Lucasfilm was just the beginning. They created several more Star Wars movies, as well as an entire Star Wars-themed land in Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Within that land is one attraction that allows you to pilot the Millenium Falcon (making piloting the biggest hunk of junk in the galaxy an actual reality and dream come true for so many), and another attraction, Rise of the Resistance. Not only does Rise of the Resistance up the any on making Star Wars dreams come true, but it also happens to be the single most technologically advanced attraction Disney and every other theme park across the globe have ever seen.
I’m not saying there will be an entire Hamilton land, per se, but there is Liberty Square in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. I’m just going to throw it out there, Hamilton would be the perfect fit for that area of the park. Dare I even suggest, a potential overhaul of The Hall of Presidents? As much as I love hearing the wise words of some of our most prolific presidents, I’d much rather see the cast of Hamilton appear in animatronic form. Just imagine Hamilton animatronics with a 10-15 minute show of their own in the Magic Kingdom. Disney could also re-purpose the current president animatronics. See, all it takes is one little spark! Walt Disney Imagineering, if you’re reading this, I’m available and willing to consult with you on this potential attraction (I’m joking, but also not really).
With the second season of The Mandalorian set to premiere this October, Disney+ subscribers (all 54.5 million of us) needed something this summer to fill a potential lack of content void for adult consumers. We not only got something to fill the void, but we also got the whole nine yards! I, for one, am extremely excited about the streaming release of Hamilton on Diseny+. For one, I believe it will bring us closer together as a country, during these challending times, but mostly because I can officially concede my long-standing effort for purchasing tickets. For now, at least.
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