(Photo Credits: Asterio Tecson / (CC BY-SA)
Beyoncé surprised her fans when she made an unannounced appearance at ABC’s “Disney Family Singalong” hosted by Ryan Seacrest on Thursday night, April 16, 2020. She performed When You Wish Upon a Star, a song from the 1940 animated musical fantasy film “Pinocchio.” Critics described Beyoncé’s rendition of the song as “dreamy” and “heartwarming.” Watch her sing below.
The Crazy in Love singer dedicated her performance to the embattled healthcare workers who are serving at the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis. She said:
To all the families across the world, I’m very proud and honored to be a part of the Disney family and to help present the Disney Songbook Singalong in partnership with Feeding America. I’d like to dedicate this song to all of the healthcare workers who’ve been working tirelessly to keep us healthy and safe. We greatly appreciate you.
It can be remembered that Beyoncé starred as Nala in the 2019 live-action remake of Disney’s The Lion King. She ended her segment by telling viewers to “Please hold on to your families tight, please be safe, don’t give up hope. We’re going to get through this, I promise. God bless you.”
Openly gay Beauty and the Beast actor Luke Evans also performed the song Gaston with Josh Gad and legendary songwriter Alan Menken. Watch their epic performance below:
Other stars who participated in “Disney Family Singalong” included Ariana Grande who sang I Won’t Say I’m In Love from Hercules (Grande’s number included an amazing video which she reportedly shot and mixed herself using her iPhone); Christina Aguilera who performed Can You Feel the Love Tonight from The Lion King; and the cast of High School Musical (Vanessa Hudgens, Zac Efron, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu, and Monique Coleman etc.) who sang We’re All In This Together to name a few.
Check out some of the viewers’ reactions on Twitter:
ARIANA CREATING A GIRL GROUP WITH 5 ARIANAS WILL END EVERY TALENTLESS GIRL GROUP OUT THERE. #DisneyFamilySingalong pic.twitter.com/RimiWNsWKH
— tine #OustDuterte (@jandeybpogi) April 17, 2020
Now, you wanna cry? Here’s how 😎 #DisneyFamilySingalong pic.twitter.com/vzML7r3h9T
— PeeJay 🎸🎤🎬 (@pidzijamalik) April 17, 2020
My dog is ready to sing Moana #DisneyFamilySingalong pic.twitter.com/LhI0Giaa5e
— Nate Jacob (@itsNaterTots) April 17, 2020
The singalong event lasted for an hour and featured the celebrity guests’ favorite Disney songs. It also highlighted Feeding America, a nonprofit hunger relief organization with over 200 food banks nationwide that reportedly “feed more than 46 million people through food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other community-based agencies.” The aforementioned charitable organization is currently setting up food banks to serve people and communities facing hunger across America due to the COVID-19 crisis.
As of this writing, around 680, 541 have contracted COVID-19 in the US. Out of this number, 34, 723 people have reportedly died while 58, 066 have so far recovered. US currently has a total number of 587,752 active COVID-19 cases.
The story behind the event is that it came together in only 2 weeks after Disney CEO Bob Iger noticed that families and individuals were posting their singing of Disney songs on the Internet. Normally, such a production would been planned months if not years in advance and hyped with weeks of advertising. In this case, a Disney-sponsored Feeding America fundraiser flew into production and landed in homes in less than 2 weeks. Adverting was less than a week. Just about everything about the event was a surprise for thousands and thousands of people badly needing a break from Covid-19.… Read more »
Celebrities’ are no more important than anyone else Hunter.
Hunter: What you wrote is indicative of Americans who need to be entertained – externally – instead of internally. Corona is not a harbinger of “The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse”; It is indicative of too many persons; two many crowded cities; ignorance and the ever-occurring influx of immigration…and, ultimately…The United States Of America is not the whole world…just a part of it.. I understood what you wrote and it is noted, but quite frankly, it bespeaks the mundane of our Cultural Life as Americans and how everything is routed down to the ankles and not upwards to the head.… Read more »
Beyoncé, just another “celebrity” with the need to remain relevant. Why not focus on people actually helping during this virus outbreak? First responders, ER personnel and those working with the public?
Yeah, like cracking open J-Zs billion dollar wallet and helping those healthcare workers out, you know, probably quite a few who are your customers. Just a thought Bey.