The Walt Disney Studios announced today the West Side Story Disney Plus release date has been set for March 2 in the U.S. and most international countries. The Steven Spielberg film will launch in Taiwan on March 9 and Japan on March 30.
In addition to the West Side Story Disney Plus release, the ABC one-hour special Something’s Coming: West Side Story – A Special Edition of 20/20 is available to stream on Disney+ now.
The film has been nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress (Ariana DeBose), and 11 Critics’ Choice Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress (Ariana DeBose, Rita Moreno).
West Side Story is the winner of three Golden Globe awards – Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy; Best Actress, Musical or Comedy (Rachel Zegler) and Best Supporting Actress (Ariana DeBose).
The film has also received nominations from the DGA (Steven Spielberg), PGA (Steven Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger), WGA (Tony Kushner), and SAG (Ariana DeBose for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role).
The movie has been named one of the year’s Top 10 films by the American Film Institute and the National Board of Review, the latter having voted Rachel Zegler Best Actress of the Year.
Directed by Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg, from a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Tony Kushner, West Side Story tells the classic tale of fierce rivalries and young love in 1957 New York City.
This reimagining of the beloved musical stars Ansel Elgort (Tony), Ariana DeBose (Anita), David Alvarez (Bernardo), Mike Faist (Riff), Brian d’Arcy James (Officer Krupke), Corey Stoll (Lieutenant Schrank), Josh Andrés Rivera (Chino), with Rita Moreno (as Valentina, who owns the corner store in which Tony works), and introducing Rachel Zegler (Maria.)
Moreno — one of only three artists to be honored with Academy, Emmy, GRAMMY, Tony, and Peabody Awards — also serves as one of the film’s executive producers.
Bringing together the best of both Broadway and Hollywood, the film’s creative team includes Kushner, who also served as an executive producer, and Tony Award winner Justin Peck, who choreographed the musical numbers in the film.
The crew also includes renowned Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor and GRAMMY Award winner Gustavo Dudamel, who helmed the recording of the iconic score; Academy Award-nominated composer and conductor David Newman (Anastasia), who arranged the score; Tony Award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home, Thoroughly Modern Millie), who supervised the cast on vocals; and GRAMMY-nominated music supervisor Matt Sullivan (Beauty and the Beast, Chicago), who serves as executive music producer for the film.
The film is produced by Spielberg, p.g.a., Academy Award-nominated producer Kristie Macosko Krieger, p.g.a. and Tony Award-winning producer Kevin McCollum.
West Side Story has been adapted for the screen from the original 1957 Broadway show with original choreography by Jerome Robbins. It is based on the stage play, book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, play conceived, directed, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and music by Leonard Bernstein.
The West Side Story Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (check price at Amazon) features 21 songs from the film and is available in both standard digital and physical (CD and vinyl) configurations, as well as a digital release in Dolby Atmos Music.
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills in 2018 to cover the latest news on streaming, movies, TV, and video games.