Disney Princesses United to Sing ‘When You Wish Upon a Star,’ and Fans Are Not Okay
World Princess Week has always been a big deal for Disney fans, but this year’s celebration arrived with extra weight attached. With D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event kicking off in Anaheim, Disney used the days leading up to the convention to remind everyone why these characters have stuck around for generations.
That build-up culminated in a one-night-only spectacle at Disney California Adventure on August 13, when Disneyland hosted D23 Day, a celebration meant to bridge the gap between the theme parks and the convention center down the street. Paradise Gardens Park, usually reserved for World of Color, was transformed for the evening into the stage for something Disney billed as the largest gathering of Disney Princess talent ever assembled.
That promise paid off in a moment that’s now spreading fast online: a trio of Princess performers standing together at the water’s edge, voices layered in harmony, singing ‘Pinocchio’s’ signature anthem, “When You Wish Upon a Star.” Lit by projections and towering fountains, the performance turned into an instant highlight of the night, the kind of clip that has fans replaying it on repeat.
The song’s presence in the lineup makes sense given its place in Disney history, long serving as something closer to a company anthem than a simple movie tune. Pairing it with a stage full of Disney Princess voices gave the moment an emotional weight that went beyond any single film or character, tying the night’s celebration back to the very roots of Disney animation itself.
The full concert, officially titled ‘Disney Princess: The Ultimate Concert Celebration,’ brought together performers representing both animated and live-action eras of the franchise. Brandy, Paige O’Hara, Susan Egan, Jodi Benson, Halle Bailey, Auli’i Cravalho, Catherine Laga’aia, Lea Salonga, Judy Kuhn, and Anika Noni Rose all took part, spanning everything from ‘The Little Mermaid’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’ to ‘Moana’ and ‘The Princess and the Frog.’
That range gave the night a generational quality rarely seen in a single production. Longtime Disney Legends shared the stage with newer stars who’ve stepped into these roles for live-action reimaginings, creating a lineup that felt less like a nostalgia act and more like a genuine passing of the torch from one era of Princess storytelling to the next.
LaughingPlace’s on-the-ground coverage captured some of the concert’s most memorable moments, including instances where two actresses who voiced or portrayed the same Disney Princess character shared a duet together. Those pairings turned individual songs into full-circle reunions, letting fans hear both the animated and live-action versions of a character’s voice blending in real time.
Those duet moments are likely to be a major selling point once the special reaches a wider audience. Disney has confirmed the concert will stream on Disney+ and later air on Disney Channel, Freeform, and ABC’s ‘The Wonderful World of Disney’ on August 16, giving fans who couldn’t score a spot in the limited virtual queue a chance to see it for themselves.
With D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event now underway at the Anaheim Convention Center, this Princess-filled sendoff set an appropriately magical tone heading into the weekend. Between new movie reveals, cast reunions, and now an all-star sing-along, Disney has made it clear that nostalgia and fresh storytelling are both very much part of the plan going forward, with three full days of programming still ahead for fans following along at home.
Which Disney Princess moment would you have loved to see most?
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