ABC’s special Disney Family Singalong had everything fans could want—and then some. From Zac Efron introducing (but not participating in) the High School Musical cast’s performance of “We’re All in This Together” to Ariana Grande‘s show-stopping performance of “I Won’t Say I’m in Love” from Hercules, the special broadcast was full of treats for fans. And there was one special surprise nobody saw coming: Beyoncé.
That’s right, Beyoncé popped up with a special self-filmed performance of “When You Wish Upon a Star” in the one-hour ABC special.
According to Robert Mills, ABC’s head of alternative programming, it’s all thanks to Disney honcho Bob Iger. In an interview with BuzzFeed, Mills said Iger reached out to Beyoncé personally. Beyoncé recently starred in Disney’s The Lion King.
“She sent something in and it was absolutely beautiful. Beyoncé singing ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’ was in the total spirit of not only what the special is about, but what the country is about right now, and it was something only she could do,” Mills told BuzzFeed.
Beyonce wasn’t announced as part of the special like Grande, Demi Lovato and Christina Aguilera were, probably because her involvement came down to the last minute. Mills told BuzzFeed she sent the recording in on Wednesday afternoon leaving producers and editors of the special just hours to edit the broadcast for Thursday evening.
As for how some of the stars had such clear and professional setups, you can thank producers for that. Executive producer Katie Mullan revealed some stars got professional equipment delivered and were taught how to set up the shot and troubleshoot over meetings on Zoom.
That’s a little insight into Disney magic.