We’re all in this together — again!
The cast of High School Musical will be reuniting in the upcoming The Disney Family Singalong special set to air on ABC on April 16 — including Zac Efron.
According to Deadline, the 32-year-old actor will be joining Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, and Lucas Grabeel from their respective homes to perform “We’re All in This Together” from the 2006 Disney movie.
“We couldn’t reach Zac until late but when we did, he immediately jumped in, of course,” director Kenny Ortega 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.”
Ortega, 69, added that the group recognizes the singalong is “an opportunity to strengthen spirits for those joining us for the broadcast.”
The director also noted the communal spirit of the song and its uplifting message being used as an anthem amid the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
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“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,” Ortega told Deadline. “It’s a really nice fun coming together of a lot of young people that are banding together under the lyrics of this song for the show.”
Several of the original High School Musical cast members, including Tisdale, 34, and Hudgens, 31, have already performed the now-iconic choreography on social media.
“If you need to work out while on #selfquarantine try this 😂 hopefully this will brighten your day a little!” Tisdale wrote on Instagram last month. Hudgens later shared Tisdale’s video on Tik Tok, singing along as she enjoyed a glass of wine.
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Ortega even credited Tisdale with starting the “movement” of the song “with her home video” in his Deadline interview.
“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,” he added to the outlet.
Ortega called the participants in the special “heroes” for bringing a sense of community to people during the ongoing public health crisis.
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“There are young people out there that look up to these people and have for a long time,” Ortega explained. “To see them in their own living rooms and in their sweatpants hanging out with their families helps everyone realize there’s truth behind these words — we’re all in this together in various circumstances.”
“We need to feel that company,” he added.
The “We’re All In This Together” performance will be part of a singalong special that will feature stars like Christina Aguilera (Mulan), Auli?i Cravalho (Moana), Luke Evans (Beauty and the Beast), Jordan Fisher (Moana), Josh Gad (Frozen, Beauty and the Beast), and several more.
The Disney Family Singalong is scheduled for April 16 at 8 p.m. on ABC.
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