On April 16th, ABC aired the Disney Family Singalong, hosted by Ryan Searcrest and full of Disney celebrities and songs, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.  Some clips of it are on youtube, with the full show available to stream on ABC’s website, Disney plus and Hulu. 

“I think it’s great because it can be a way for families to do something together and just have fun,” said Mihika Srivastava (‘21)

The show itself was almost an hour long and had everything from classic songs like “A dream is a wish your heart makes” to more recent hits like “Let it go”. For some numbers, the original casts made an appearance to sing the songs they had years ago.

“I loved the high school musical song because I used to love high school musical when I was a kid and it felt like I was hanging out with old friends,” said Saheli Thakkar (‘21)

Other songs were sung by popular singers like Beyonce, Demi Lovato, Darren Criss, Christina Agulera, and Micheal Bublé. There was even a vocal warm up before the main show by Kristin Chenoweth.

“I was a little surprised that I recognize so many of the singers, even the ones I didn’t know I at least recognized their voices,” said Thakkar. 

In between clips of stars singing hit numbers from their homes, the special also features PSA’s to raise awareness about Feeding America’s efforts to provide help to those struggling because of the current pandemic. 

Those messages reached a wide audience, as on April 16th over 10 million viewers tuned in to watch the show when it aired live.  It’s the latest in the growing list of celebrities, performers and talk show hosts who have turned online to connect with their fans from home.

“I think a lot of people are getting easily bored during this time so it’s a fun way of keeping people entertained and boosting morale,” said Srivastava (‘21).

With uncertainty in the media and families sheltering in their homes, it’s nice to have some Disney nostalgia to make us and those around us smile.