Disney+ Adding 3 ABC Holiday Specials Before Christmas

By Daniel S. Levine

Disney+ is adding a group of ABC specials before Christmas, making them available for anyone not already using Hulu. The Magic Maker will join Disney+ on Dec. 17, while CMA Country Christmas will be added on Dec. 21. A Very Boy Band Holiday will be added on Dec. 24. Disney+ will also add the non-holiday-centric Something's Coming: West Side Story, an ABC special about the making of Steven Spielberg's West Side Story remake, on Dec. 31. These shows were already released on Hulu, the streaming platform also owned by Disney.

The Magic Maker originally aired on Thanksgiving Day in November. The hour-long special stars magician Adam Trent, who broke the biggest rule in magic to share the tricks of the trade with everyday people. Trent helped a soldier "magically" reappear to his family and taught a young man to "walk" on the water for a marriage proposal in the show.

Country music fans will want to check out CMA Country Christmas, which debuted on ABC on Nov. 29. The show was filmed in Nashville and was hosted by Gabby Barrett and Carly Pearce. Performers included Jimmie Allen, Carey Underwood, Pistol Annies, Lainey Wilson, Brett Eldredge, Breland, and Lady A. They performed Christmas standards like "The Christmas Song," "Merry Christmas Baby" and "O Holy Night."

A Very Boy Band Holiday debuted on Dec. 6. The special featured performances of classic Christmas songs by former boy band members. Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick performed "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," while Joey McIntyre sang "This One's for the Children." Bobby Brown, Shawn Stockman, Wayne Morris and Michael Bivins performed "Give Love on Christmas Day." "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," "Let It Snow," "Merry Christmas Happy Holidays," and "This Christmas" were also performed.

Something's Coming: West Side Story was a 20/20 special that aired on Dec. 5. In it, Spielberg talked about his decision to make a new adaptation of the iconic 1957 Broadway musical, even though there is already an Oscar-winning and beloved film adaptation from 1961. "West Side Story is for all the generations, one – you know, two generations at a time, " he told ABC News. "And I just felt that – that most people who go to see this movie will not have seen West Side Story in a theater. This is a story I really believe is worth bringing back to the current generations." The special's release on Disney+ comes weeks after the film hit theaters though. West Side Story opened on Friday and grossed a disappointing $10.5 million over the weekend.

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