Wildcats, everywhere: We have some epic news!
The cast of High School Musical are gearing up for an exciting reunion during ABC's The Disney Family Singalong. The news was confirmed by HSM franchise director Kenny Ortega, who took to Instagram to announce that the East High gang, which featured Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Lucas Grabeel and Monique Coleman, will be getting their heads in the game once again.
It appears that the Disney alums have already been practicing for the big event. Earlier this week, Kenny, Vanessa, Ashley, Corbin, Lucas and Monique took part in a Zoom call together. Sharing a screenshot of their virtual get-together, Vanessa wrote, "Guess who's back.."
Thrilled to be reuniting with her castmates, Vanessa also treated fans to a video of herself rehearsing. "Had such a blast putting this together," she wrote. "So special to come together with my HSM family during this time to spread some joy."
Ready to see the HSM cast reunite? Here's everything you need to know:
Who's involved?
Speaking to Deadline, Kenny confirmed that the original cast members will be participating in the special—including Zac. After revealing that The Greatest Showman star would be a part of the reunion, the famous director noted that he was added to the roster too late and will share a special message during the show instead.
"We couldn't reach Zac until late but when we did, he immediately jumped in, of course," he told the outlet. "Everyone we reached out to was quick — and you'll see it in their spirit and the way they come together from their homes. They recognize this is an opportunity to strengthen spirits for those joining us for the broadcast."
What are they going to sing?
According to Kenny, the East High alums will be treating fans to a rendition of the film's anthem "We're All In This Together" from their respective homes. For him, selecting the song was a no-brainer after seeing the way it's resonated with people in recent weeks.
"You're hearing those words chanted out — I've been sent videos from doctors, orderlies, nurses and medical professionals in masks and hospital gowns singing ‘We're All In This Together' in the hallways of hospitals," he said, adding, "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."
Who else will be there?
The HSM stars aren't the only ones that will be having a reunion. Kenny shared that fans can also expect appearances from the cast of The Cheetah Girls, The Descendants, Zombies and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series during the performance.
In fact, Cheetah Girls stars Raven-Symoné and Kiely Williams had themselves a mini reunion on April 10 via Instagram Live, where the former co-stars made amends for their longtime feud.
Also on The Disney Family Singalong's star-studded roster is Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Christina Aguilera, Michael Bublé, Tori Kelly, Kristin Chenoweth, Auliʻi Cravalho, Darren Criss, John Stamos and more. Like the cast of HSM, each star will perform a classic Disney song from their homes.
When can we watch?
The Disney Family Singalong special will take place on Thursday, April 16 at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.