D23 Day at Disneyland kicked off with an absolute powerhouse of a night — Disney Princess: The Ultimate Concert Celebration brought together the largest gathering of Disney Princess talent ever assembled, and some of these pairings are genuinely once-in-a-lifetime.
Held at Paradise Gardens Park in Disney California Adventure, the concert leaned all the way into spectacle…lighting, flowing fountains, and film projections washing across the park’s cascading wall of water while a lineup of legendary voices performed some of Disney’s most beloved songs.
This wasn’t just a concert, either; it doubled as the kickoff to World Princess Week, Disney’s global celebration of these storytelling franchises, and it set the tone for the rest of D23 weekend perfectly.
The lineup alone is worth talking through, because it’s stacked. Brandy opened the show with “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes” from Cinderella, following a Princess montage performed by viral vocalists Anthony Gargiula, Jonathan Tilking, Lauren Paley, and Loren Lott. From there, Disney Legend Paige O’Hara (the original voice of Belle) teamed up with Susan Egan, Broadway’s original Belle, for “Belle Reprise” and “Something There.” Be still my animated-meets-Broadway heart.
Jodi Benson, the original voice of Ariel, joined Halle Bailey, the live-action Ariel, for “Part of Your World,” and Auli’i Cravalho performed “How Far I’ll Go” before bringing out Catherine Laga’aia (the upcoming live-action Moana) for “Along the Way.” Lea Salonga, who voiced both Jasmine and Mulan, joined Brandy for “A Whole New World” before delivering a solo “Reflection.” Judy Kuhn brought “Colors of the Wind” to the stage, and Anika Noni Rose performed “Almost There.” The whole night closed out with the full cast coming together for “When You Wish Upon a Star.”
Make-A-Wish families were also in attendance and given the royal treatment for the night, including Mikayla, who made history back in 2023 as Disney’s 150,000th wish granted through Make-A-Wish, after performing a Disney Princess medley of her own at a prior Disney event.
If you missed it live, you’re not totally out of luck…the concert is set to stream on Disney+ and air on Disney Channel, Freeform, and The Wonderful World of Disney on ABC this Sunday, August 16th.
Which performance from the lineup would you have wanted to see most? Let me know!
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