YouTube/Guitar_Knight14
Hamilton was a huge success when it transitioned from the stage to Disney Plus last year, yet the musical film may not be the most impressive reimagining of the hugely popular play. That accolade may instead go to Guitar_Knight14, a YouTuber who meticulously recreated Hamilton’s first act in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
The clip, posted in December and catching fire this week, runs over 70 minutes. It features the music, characters and sets from Hamilton, dramatic camera cuts and all. Guitar_Knight14 is preparing Act 2, which can be seen early if you subscribe to their Patreon.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which centers around the player transforming a barren island into a paradise, features a photo studio for which players are encouraged to create elaborate sets and costumes. The game’s developers at Nintendo probably didn’t expect the life and times of one of the United States’ founding fathers to be cinematically created within that studio, but that creativity is the magic behind Animal Crossing. Since the game’s release, players have recreated Pokemon, Pac-Man and more.
It’s a beautiful clash of two of 2020’s pop-culture smash hits. Hamilton, one of the biggest straight-to-streaming successes yet, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which became a surprise phenomenon when it launched on Switch right as COVID-19 locked the world indoors.
With over 30 million units sold, New Horizons is the second-best-selling game on Switch. Nintendo still updates the game regularly, most recently letting players customize their characters with Super Mario items.
