Disney princess concert special films at Anaheim D23

A Disney princess concert special filmed at Disney California Adventure during D23 in Anaheim brought together performers tied to animated, live-action and Broadway versions of the characters, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

The event gives Orange County a central role in a Disney production built around one of the company’s most recognizable entertainment franchises and a major Anaheim venue.

ABC7 Los Angeles reported that organizers described “Disney Princess: The Ultimate Concert Celebration” as the largest gathering of Disney princesses ever assembled. The special was filmed at Disney California Adventure as part of D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim.

The program paired performers associated with the same roles across different Disney productions. Jodi Benson, the voice of animated Ariel, and Halle Bailey, who performed as Ariel in live action, appeared together. “What a moment!” Benson said, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. “I know, it's magic, isn't it? We've been waiting to get all of our girls together.”

The special also featured Belle performers Paige O'Hara and Susan Egan in duets, along with a collaboration by Moana performers Auli'i Cravalho and Catherine Laga'aia, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. “It's a lot of kindness. It's a lot of love and light. It's also a lot of memes,” Cravalho, the voice of animated Moana, said.

Laga'aia, who portrays Moana in the live-action adaptation, described joining the group as “Insane,” according to ABC7 Los Angeles. “Like, these are my my childhood. These are the women that I grew up with that were, you know, part of raising me in a way,” Laga'aia said.

Other performers in the special include Brandy, Lea Salonga and Anika Noni Rose, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. “It was very moving and very, I don't know, very emotional and poignant to me,” Rose, the voice of animated Tiana, said. Salonga, the singing voice for the animated versions of Mulan and Jasmine, said, “I think I'm just doing this for that little girl in the Philippines that stood on top of a coffee table and sang,” adding, “It's special.”

The special airs Sunday on ABC and streams on Disney+ at 8/7c, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. Egan, the original Belle on Broadway and the voice of Megara in “Hercules,” is also being inducted as a Disney Legend.