Hamilton

After years of speculation as to when exactly the filmed version of Hamilton—complete with original cast, of course—would arrive, Disney recently announced that Disney+’s latest exclusive would premiere on July 3rd. In addition to arriving just in time for Independence Day in the U.S., of course, the release was probably also timed and decided upon as a result of the ongoing pandemic.

The trailer begins with a soundbridge, foregrounding the music, appropriately; no time is wasted in devising and using opportunities to synch the sound and image, beginning with the intentional alignment of the fireworks in the standard Disney castle opening sequence with the sound of foot stomps and percussion.

The music itself combines the opening number of Hamilton with a separate track, “Satisfied”. It’s a mashup that offers a sense of freshness and vitality, even—or perhaps especially—for those who are already intimately familiar with the 2015 cast album. Hit House Music is the trailer music outfit responsible for this new score, with William August Hunt credited in particular.

Notice in particular the use of the G major chord at 0:28 as a chord used to smoothly transition from B minor to C minor, just as the vocals come in on the title card simply stating “experience”. It’s this confluence of a subtle yet exciting change in key, along with the aforementioned mashup, that produces a very concentrated dose of interest and excitement in half the length of a typical trailer.

Lastly, it helps that Lin Manuel Miranda’s music, itself, lends well as trailer music. Layers of rhythmic patterns undulate and mesmerize the audioviewer in the spectacle of the production; in only the span of a minute, one gets a broad sense of the expansiveness of the world of Hamilton, with both sound and image that reward repeat viewing and listening as one might focus on a different instrumental layer or background visual element each time. You are immersed in the experience, which the producers hope will motivate you to attend through Disney+.

At 0:48, the music pauses only to deliberately feature the audience cheering. It’s a visceral moment that serves to remind the audioviewer that Hamilton is meant to be a live, liminal experience. It is the “original Broadway Production”, and part of the proposition of the trailer is the sense of authenticity that comes with a production that, for years, came exclusively only to those who could afford the tickets in New York.

In a nice bit of symmetry, the music also syncs with the final studio / streaming service title card at the end, with the final note of the solo piano line played in tandem with the Disney+ “click” audio logo—this aural pairing may also serve to reinforce and draw attention to the Disney+ audio logo itself, giving it a little more meaning and significance to those who particularly love the music in this trailer.

— Curtis Perry