The world will never be the same is one way to describe how powerful Hamilton’s release on Disney Plus was. The Broadway musical that enchanted audiences in the Richard Rodgers Theatre for the past four years was finally made available for public streaming on July 3. The writer, Lin-Manuel Miranda, surprised fans with the news on Twitter back in May. It came as a shock since Disney originally planned to release the film in mid-October of 2021. It does, however, seem that Disney couldn’t have planned a better time to make the musical film available for viewers. Amid the civil unrest that continues to escalate throughout the country, “Hamilton” holds parallels from movements in history to movements today.

“Hamilton” follows the life of Alexander Hamilton who leaves the Caribbean and arrives in the colonies at 19 years old. He wishes to make a name for himself and be part of breaking away from England and starting a new nation. Audiences watch as he goes off to war, gets married, buries a son, and faces Aaron Burr in a duel. The whole time he sings about not throwing away his shot and worrying about his legacy.

The musical performance was filmed over three nights in 2016 and features the original Broadway cast. The show is two hours and forty minutes long and is filled with rap and hip hop. On top of this, Miranda, who plays Alexander Hamilton, selected a cast of actors and actresses from minority backgrounds to play the founding fathers. This added a unique twist to the original story and has become an inspiration for many.

“I think it takes on a different meaning when you see Black and Brown performers telling the origin story of a country,” Miranda said in a reflection video on the experience.

Watching the film on TV also gives viewers an advantage. For starters, the cameras can zoom in on characters’ faces and capture the emotional aspects of the musical that are harder to see in live theatre. There is also the added bonus of watching over and over again without paying hundreds of dollars. Although the live version has a different atmospheric feeling, the musical film offers so many benefits and has been beautifully produced.

“I’m proud of Hamilton because I feel like we made something that spoke to the moment when we made it and also can speak to the moment now,” said director Thomas Kail in the same reflection video.