Is Hamilton the musical really kid-friendly? Our Hamilton parent movie guide is filled with tips on what parents should know BEFORE watching the Hamilton play with kids. Plus 12 kids Hamilton lesson plans ideas and resources if you want to continue learning after the movie!
Before we get to the Hamilton the musical review for kids, here are answers to some common questions you may have (including the answer to: Is the play Hamilton appropriate for kids?)
What Is Hamilton the Musical?
What is the storyline of Hamilton?
Hamilton is about Alexander Hamilton, who played key roles in the founding of America. It is set during the time of the American War of Independence and is performed to hip hop music. It includes several historical figures of that time like George Washington, King George, Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr and many others you will recognize from history.
What makes Hamilton: An American Musical so unique is that it is a story of history told with a mix of hip-hop, rap, R&B, and traditional Broadway show tunes singing and songwriting by a diverse cast.
Is there a movie version of Hamilton?
What is Hamilton movie about?
The Hamilton movie is exactly the same as the Hamilton play (it’s a film of the play). It follows the life of Alexander Hamilton during the Revolutionary War. He was known as one of the most influential Founding Fathers of America. It is inspired by a 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow.
What age is appropriate for Hamilton?
You may be wondering is Hamilton family friendly and is it age appropriate. Disney+ rates the Hamilton movie on their streaming service as appropriate for ages 13 and up. The theater production of Hamilton listed the appropriate age range as 10+.
Some of the topics covered in the film include dueling (and killing), death, grief, and even Hamilton’s infidelity.
Does Hamilton have curse words?
Hamilton has cussing intermittently throughout the entire film. The “F word” was taken out in order to make it PG-13 friendly for DisneyPlus, but it does include F-bomb insinuations after they changed it from the real word for the Disney release.
How can I watch Hamilton the musical?
You can watch Hamilton the musical on Disney+ (DisneyPlus), starting on July 3, 2020. It is a subscription video on-demand streaming service that is owned by The Walt Disney Company. You can watch it anytime on Disney+ with a paid subscription.
Is Hamilton free on Disney Plus?
Hamilton is included with your paid monthly or annual subscription to Disney+. The month-to-month subscription to the streaming service is $6.99. The annual subscription to Disney+ is $69.99/year. You can stream Hamilton anytime, anywhere with one of those subscriptions, but not with a free Disney+ trial.
How long is Hamilton on Disney Plus for?
Disney has not stated, but when Lin-Manuel Miranda — the American composer who wrote Hamilton and also played the lead Hamilton character — was asked the question on Twitter, he replied that it will be available for as long as you want to watch it.
Is Hamilton coming to Netflix?
Hamilton is not coming to Netflix, at least not for the foreseeable future. Hamilton is streaming exclusively on Disney+ and you can only watch it there. It appears that Disney+ may have exclusive rights to it.
Can I watch Hamilton on Amazon Prime?
No, you cannot watch Hamilton on Amazon Prime. Hamilton the movie is only available on Disney+, but you can stream it anytime, from anywhere, as many times as you like if you have a paid monthly or annual Disney+ subscription.
Is Hamilton only on Disney Plus?
Yes. Hamilton is available exclusively on Disney+ and not available on any other platform or service. Hamilton is not on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Quibi or any other streaming service besides Disney+.
Is there a DVD of Hamilton the musical?
There is not currently an official DVD of Hamilton the musical available. You may see some offerings of Hamilton DVDs available online, but those are most likely bootleg copies filmed during the play illegally. You can only watch the Hamilton film on Disney+.
There is Hamilton: One Shot to Broadway which is an unauthorized documentary about the Hamilton musical.
OK!
Now onto our Hamilton musical parents guide and tips on watching Hamilton with kids.
Hamilton Musical Review for Families
Tips on Watching Hamilton the Movie with Kids
Before watching the movie, read through our Hamilton parents guide. It will really help (we promise!).
1. Prepare with the history ahead of time.
I wasn’t prepared for how FAST Hamilton moves.
(My daughter’s tip: Turn on subtitles for the movie, especially at the beginning. That might help you follow along with the fast pace.)
If I had not known the history, I would’ve been lost from the beginning and probably would not have enjoyed the movie as much.
So, before you watch Hamilton, be sure to brush up on the history with your kids (and for yourself!).
We read, The Story of Alexander Hamilton: A Biography Book for New Readers.
It says “new readers” but, honestly, this was a really good short book for any age to give them an overview of Alexander Hamilton before watching the film.
The book also has some cool myths versus facts sections throughout that help clear up things.
This was the most we’ve studied Alexander Hamilton individually and this book was enough that my 12-year-old understood the Hamilton movie.
Here are other books if you want more Alexander Hamilton children’s books:
2. Learn the Hamilton songs BEFORE you watch.
We watched with our friend who had not seen Hamilton, but listens to the soundtrack frequently. She really enjoyed it and I think it helped her follow along better.
I wish we had listened to the soundtrack a few times before we watched.
You can grab the Hamilton Original Broadway Cast Recording here.
(If you have Amazon Prime, it’s free to stream.)
Be aware, though, it has the cursing from the original play. (It’s listed as “Explicit”)
There is also an edited (or “clean”) version here.
3. Be aware of adult content and cursing.
Hamilton covers serious topics and has adult content.
If you (or your kids) are uncomfortable with death, grief, some drinking, a little violence (not graphic), and even cursing, then you may want to pass on the film.
It doesn’t dwell on these topics, but they are sprinkled in throughout the entire play.
Infidelity
In the scene immediately after the intermission, the play covers Alexander Hamilton’s infidelity with Maria Reynolds and how he paid blackmail payments to her husband to shut up about the affair.
It’s a significant part of his history because it ruined Alexander’s chances of running for president when the affair was made public (by Hamilton, who released what later became known as the “Reynolds Pamphlet”).
My daughter is 12 and she did *not* enjoy that part. (There’s no sex, but there are a couple of sexy parts.)
It starts immediately after the intermission and you can easily fast forward through that part and still enjoy the movie.
Cursing
The original Hamilton play has the “F word” three different times. They had to remove the F-bombs for the Disney+ PG-13 rating, but they are definitely implied (even saying FFFFFFFuuu… and then trailing off) and your older kids will probably catch it.
There are also other curse words throughout (including God d—), so that’s something to be aware of for your family.
You can see what Common Sense media says about it here, but it’s probably the same amount/type of curse words if your child has watched other PG-13 movies.
4. Prepare for the length.
Hamilton streaming is pretty long, so you need to prepare for that with kids.
How long is the Hamilton Movie on Disney Plus?
The Hamilton movie on Disney+ clocks in at 2 hours and 40 minutes. There is one 1-minute intermission that counts down for you during Hamilton the Movie. However, you can pause and take a break at anytime since it’s on a streaming platform.
5. Know that there are actors who play two roles.
This is important, especially for kids: there are four actors who play dual roles (before and after intermission).
• Daveed Diggs who is Marquis de Lafayette also plays Thomas Jefferson
• Anthony Ramos plays John Laurens and Philip Hamilton
• Jasmine Cephas Jones plays Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds
• Okieriete Onaodowan plays Hercules Mulligan and James Madison
It’s helpful to know this information so you can assist with an explanation if the kids are confused.
6. Add some fun to keep kids’ attention.
At our house, we made it a fun Hamilton viewing party.
We made HAMilton sandwiches and Patriotic Popcorn.
We also grabbed a free Hamilton printable pack from York County Libraries in Pennsylvania.
It has photo op props, tickets, puzzles and more, including HAMILTON BINGO CARDS that we had a BLAST using during the film!
Use the Hamilton Bingo to keep your kids engaged with the movie! (You may even want to have a small Bingo gift for the winner who is first to get Bingo.)
GO HERE TO GET THE FREE HAMILTON PRINTABLE
7. Don’t miss the discussion points.
Hamilton provides for great discussion points with your kids.
It’s also a great jumping off point for a unit study after watching.
Use these discussion points if you need to get started:
- Why do you think they had a diverse cast play roles of white men and women?
- Did you learn anything about history that you didn’t know before?
- Was Hamilton considered a good or bad man? Why?
- What mistakes do you think Hamilton made?
- What good things do you think Hamilton did?
- Was Aaron Burr good or bad? Why?
- Above all, Hamilton persevered. Do you think this is a good quality in someone? Why/why not?
(And, so many more!)
8. Take learning beyond the movie.
Don’t stop after watching Hamilton (especially if your kids loved the movie!).
Here are some additional ways you can learn more about Hamilton, that period in history, and even the Hamilton play:
• Get the free EDUHAM At Home learning for Hamilton (hurry! Ends August 2020!) (go here once registered)
• Learn more about Alexander Hamilton from childhood to adulthood
• Read about King George
• Watch The American Heritage series
• Download a printable PDF of the original Hamilton playbill
• Explore the PBS resources on Hamilton’s America
• Watch Our Founding Fathers
• Learn about where Hamilton used to hang out in New York
• Grab some free lesson plans for Alexander Hamilton
• Do a lesson plan on works of art depicting the American Revolution
• Get lesson plans on the American Revolution
• Watch School House Rock on Revolution and also on the Declaration of Independence
So…
Is Hamilton good for families?
Hamilton is good for families with older kids (ages 11/12 and up) or if you have younger kids (around 10 years old) who are more mature AND have an interest in history. It’s fast-paced and covers difficult topics (death, infidelity, to name a couple) and also has curse words throughout. If you’re unsure, view the Hamilton movie on your own before introducing it to your kids.
All in all, we really enjoyed the Hamilton film and plan to watch it again. It’s a fun way to get your kids interested in history lessons!
WILL YOU WATCH HAMILTON THE MUSICAL WITH YOUR KIDS?
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