# The Disney Family Singalong

The Disney Family Singalong is a series of American music television specials that were broadcast by ABC in 2020. First aired on April 16, 2020, and all hosted by Ryan Seacrest, the specials featured performances of songs from Disney films by musicians and other celebrity guests from their respective homes. The performances featured on-screen karaoke lyrics, encouraging viewers to sing along.
The first special was seen by 10.3 million viewers. A second special—The Disney Family Singalong: Volume II—was aired on May 10, 2020, which was seen by 5.74 million viewers. This was followed by a Christmas-themed edition, The Disney Holiday Singalong, on November 30. The specials gained a spin-off in November 2021, The Queen Family Singalong, featuring similar performances of songs by British rock band Queen. Another spin-off titled Schoolhouse Rock! 50th Anniversary Singalong aired on February 1, 2023, featuring similar performances of songs from Schoolhouse Rock!

## Production

Produced by Done and Dusted, the special was first announced on April 10, 2020, for a premiere on April 16. It was produced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, and as part of impact on television. The special would include public service announcements highlighting Feeding America's COVID-19 response, featuring various Walt Disney Television talent.
Kenny Ortega organized a cast reunion of High School Musical for the special, with a performance of "We're All In This Together". Ortega noted that the song had experienced a resurgence in popularity amid the pandemic (including videos of medical workers and others singing the song in support of their responses), explaining that "I can’t imagine that Matthew Gerrard and Robbie Nevil, who wrote this song, had any idea that it would have the legs and perhaps mean more now than when we first did it." The performance featured cast members from the film, as well as Raven-Symoné, and cast members from fellow Disney Channel films Descendants and Zombies, and the film's Disney+ spin-off High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Zac Efron was unable to participate, but made a special guest appearance to introduce the performance.

## Performances

Performers & Songs featured on The Disney Family Singalong :
| Artist(s) | Song(s) | Film |
| Derek Hough Hayley Erbert Julianne Hough | "Be Our Guest" | Beauty and the Beast |
| Josh Groban and friends | "You've Got a Friend in Me" | Toy Story |
| Little Big Town and their respective children | "A Spoonful of Sugar" | Mary Poppins |
| Auliʻi Cravalho | "How Far I'll Go" | Moana |
| Beyoncé | "When You Wish Upon a Star" | Pinocchio |
| Amber Riley (introduced by her niece) | "Let It Go" | Frozen |
| Darren Criss | "I Wan'na Be Like You" | The Jungle Book |
| James Monroe Iglehart The cast of Aladdin | "Friend Like Me" | Aladdin |
| Ariana Grande | "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" | Hercules |
| Bobby Bones Carrie Ann Inaba Erin Andrews Marcus Scribner | "The Bare Necessities" | The Jungle Book |
| Josh Gad Luke Evans Alan Menken | "Gaston" | Beauty and the Beast |
| Donny Osmond and his grandchildren | "I'll Make a Man Out of You" | Mulan |
| Christina Aguilera | "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" | The Lion King |
| Jordan Fisher and friends | "Under the Sea" | The Little Mermaid |
| Tori Kelly | "Colors of the Wind" | Pocahontas |
| John Stamos Caitlin McHugh Billy Stamos and friends | "It's a Small World" | Disneyland |
| Thomas Rhett and daughters | "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" | Frozen |
| Kenny Ortega Raven-Symoné Charli D'Amelio The cast of High School MusicalVanessa Hudgens Ashley Tisdale Monique Coleman Lucas Grabeel Corbin Bleu Kaycee StrohThe cast of DescendantsSofia Carson Dove Cameron Sarah Jeffery Booboo StewartThe cast of ZombiesMilo Manheim Meg DonnellyThe cast of High School Musical: The Musical: The SeriesOlivia Rodrigo Joshua Bassett Matt Cornett Sofia Wylie Larry Saperstein Julia Lester Dara Reneé Frankie Rodriguez Joe Serafini | "We're All In This Together" | High School Musical |
| Michael Bublé Demi Lovato | "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" | Cinderella |
| Various | Thank You (sung to the tune of Heigh-Ho) | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs |

## Appearances

* Kristin Chenoweth
* Chris Harrison
* AJ Michalka
* Nathan Fillion
* Jaina Lee Ortiz
* Anthony Anderson
* Wendi McLendon-Covey
* Cobie Smulders
* Jimmy Kimmel
* Marcella Izaguirre
* Lionel Richie
* Robin Roberts
* Taran Killam
* Elle Fanning (introduced Ariana Grande)
* Tracee Ellis Ross (introduced Christina Aguilera)
* Zac Efron (introduced Kenny Ortega and the casts of High School Musical, Descendants, Zombies, and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series)
* Elizabeth Olsen
* Sebastian Stan
* Jeff Goldblum
* Paul Bettany
* Anthony Mackie
* Emily VanCamp
* Don Cheadle
* Raven-Symoné
* Charli D'Amelio

## Broadcast

The special received 10.3 million viewers during its initial airing, making it the most-watched program of the evening. It also held a 2.6 share of the key demographic of adults 18-49, beating its nearest competitor Young Sheldon.
On April 24, 2020, an encore of the special on Disney Channel (accompanied by an airing of the sing-along version of High School Musical) drew 515,000 viewers.
On April 21, the special was made available for streaming on Disney+, before being removed exactly one year later.

## Follow-ups
### Volume II

On Mother's Day, May 10, 2020, ABC aired a follow-up special, The Disney Family Singalong: Volume II.
Volume II was seen by 5.74 million viewers, with a 1.3 share among viewers 18-49; albeit lower than the initial special, it was still the highest-rated program of the night. The special served as a lead-in for that night's American Idol, which also featured Disney songs as a theme.

#### Performances

Performers & Songs featured on The Disney Family Singalong: Volume II :
| Artist(s) | Song(s) | Film |
| The Muppets Seth Rogen | "The Muppet Show Theme" | The Muppet Show |
| Billy Eichner Seth Rogen Walter Russell III Donald Glover | "Hakuna Matata" | The Lion King |
| Rebel Wilson | "Poor Unfortunate Souls" | The Little Mermaid |
| Merle Dandridge Heather Headley Adam Jacobs Caissie Levy Kara Lindsay Kevin Massey Josh Strickland | "You'll Be in My Heart" | Tarzan |
| Keke Palmer Dancing with the Stars professional dancersLindsay Arnold Alan Bersten Witney Carson Val Chmerkovskiy Jenna Johnson Sasha Farber Emma Slater | "Zero to Hero" | Hercules |
| Idina Menzel Ben Platt | "A Whole New World" | Aladdin |
| Halsey | "Part of Your World" | The Little Mermaid |
| Katy Perry and her poodle, Nugget | "Baby Mine" | Dumbo |
| Josh Gad and friends | "When I Am Older" | Frozen II |
| Chloe x Halle Anika Noni Rose (introduced by her godchildren) | "Almost There" | The Princess and the Frog |
| Jennifer Hudson John Legend | "Beauty and the Beast" | Beauty and the Beast |
| Shakira | "Try Everything" | Zootopia |
| Miguel Christina Aguilera Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea | "Remember Me" | Coco |
| Derek Hough Hayley Erbert Julianne Hough | "Step in Time" "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" | Mary Poppins |
| Sabrina Carpenter Lang Lang | "Your Mother and Mine" | Peter Pan |

#### Appearances

* Kermit the Frog
* Miss Piggy
* The Muppets
* Tituss Burgess
* Chris Harrison
* Charlie Day
* Dan Orlovsky
* Edward James Olmos
* Gordon Ramsay
* Jason Schwartzman
* Jimmy Kimmel
* Katie Stevens
* Lionel Richie
* Michael Eaves
* Michael Strahan
* Morgan Freeman
* Nathan Fillion
* Robin Roberts
* RZA

### The Disney Holiday Singalong

On November 30, 2020, ABC aired a third, Christmas-themed edition of the special, The Disney Holiday Singalong, as a lead-in for ABC's CMA Country Christmas special. The special was seen by 5.73 million total viewers, with a 1.3 share among viewers 18-49.

#### Performances

Performers & Songs featured on The Disney Holiday Singalong :
| Artist(s) | Song(s) |
| Michael Bublé, Luisana Lopilato and their family | "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" |
| Chloe x Halle | "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" (Frozen) |
| BTS | "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" |
| Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert | "Jingle Bells" |
| Pink and Willow Sage Hart | "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" |
| Ciara, Future and Sienna | "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" |
| Disney Theatrical Group casts Frozen North American tour castCaroline Bowman Aisha Jackson Tracee Beazer Austin Colby Nicholas Edwards Nina LaFarga Adam Perry John Riddle Ann Sanders The Lion King Broadway castLindiwe Dlamini Bongi Duma Ben Jeffrey Kyle Mitchell Nteliseng Nkhela L. Steven Taylor Nicholas Ward Aladdin Broadway castOlivia Donaldson April Holloway Telly Leung Isabelle McCalla Paul HeeSang Miller Amber Owens Dennis Stowe | "Finale: Let It Go (reprise)" (Frozen) |
| DCappella | "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" (no on-screen lyrics) "Deck the Halls" (no on-screen lyrics) |
| Julianne Hough | "Whistle While You Work" (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) and "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" |
| Kerry Washington | "Joy to the World" |
| Leslie Odom Jr. | "What's This?" (The Nightmare Before Christmas) |
| Katy Perry | "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and "Cozy Little Christmas" |
| Adam Lambert | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" |
| Andrea Bocelli | "Silent Night" (no on-screen lyrics) |

#### Appearances

* Kermit the Frog
* Miss Piggy
* Robin Roberts