Disney just always knows how to make our dreams come true, don’t they?

They’ve provided countless hours of entertainment for families pre-coronavirus and now they’re coming in clutch for us while we’re deep in this new COVID-19 world. They so kindly released both Frozen 2 and Onward earlier than expected on Disney+ to cheering crowds of quarantined parents and children everywhere, and now, they’re gifting us a—drum roll, please—star-studded Disney singalong coming to your living room this week.

This Thursday, April 16 at 8-9 pm EDT, ABC Network will air The Disney Family Singalong, an “unforgettable night of music” hosted by Ryan Seacrest.


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According to The Walt Disney Company, the magical special will start with vocal warm ups by Kristin Chenoweth and an intro by Elle Fanning who plays Princess Aurora (aka Sleeping Beauty) in the Maleficent series.

Performances for the night will include:

  • “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes”—Demi Lovato and Michael Bublé
  • “A Spoonful of Sugar”—Little Big Town
  • “Be Our Guest”—Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert, with a special appearance by Julianne Hough
  • “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”—Christina Aguilera
  • “Colors of the Wind”—Tori Kelly
  • “Do You Want to Build a Snowman”—Thomas Rhett
  • “Friend Like Me”—James Monroe Iglehart with Broadway Company of Disney’s ALADDIN
  • “Gaston”—Josh Gad, Luke Evans and Alan Menken
  • “How Far I’ll Go”—By Moana herself, Auliʻi Cravalho
  • “I Won’t Say I’m In Love”—Ariana Grande
  • “I Wan’na Be Like You”—Darren Criss
  • “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You”—Donny Osmond
  • “It’s a Small World”—John Stamos
  • “Let It Go”—Amber Riley
  • “The Bare Necessities”—Erin Andrews, Bobby Bones, Carrie Ann Inaba and Marcus Scribner
  • “Under The Sea”—Jordan Fisher
  • “You’ve Got a Friend In Me”—Josh Groban

And, of course, a rendition of “We’re All in This Together” with the cast of High School Musical, Descendants, ZOMBIES and more.

When asked about gathering the original cast for this performance, director Kenny Ortega said they all jumped on board immediately, including HSM’s very own Sharpay Evans, who Ortega thinks might have been the original source of inspiration for this. “I think Ashley [Tisdale] started this whole movement with her home video,” he said, referring to one of the many TikTok videos out there singing and dancing to the now theme song of this pandemic, if you will.

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The coronavirus has caused these past few months to be extremely tough for many. It’s easy to sink into the heaviness of it all, but our friends at Disney are hoping to provide some hope and plenty of smiles at home (and also likely some off-key singing and questionable dance moves—at least if you’re in my home). And if you forget some lyrics, fear not. Our favorite animated characters will be our musical guides by providing the lyrics on-screen for us throughout the hour.

Karey Burke, president of ABC Entertainment said, “If there’s something that we’ve all learned in the past few weeks, it’s to cherish every moment and the importance of connection, whether through laughter, stories or music. We hope that we can help create some new unforgettable moments in everyone’s home in a way that only the magic of Disney can.”


The Disney Family Singalong

The special will not only be entertaining, but it also aims to raise awareness around the various resources (and opportunities to donate to your local food banks) that Feeding America has made available during a time when many families and vulnerable members of our country are facing hunger and food-related challenges due to COVID-19.

In a moment in time when fear, worry and turmoil seem to dominate the headlines and news cycle, we’re grateful to our friends at Disney for always helping us see the magic around us—even right inside our very own living rooms.