High School Musical reunites as Zac Efron introduces rendition of We’re All In This Together

The original cast of High School Musical reunited for the first time in over a decade for ABC’s The Disney Family Singalong Thursday night.

Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman and Lucas Grabeel led the way, via remote, from their homes for a performance of We’re All In This Together from the Disney Channel Original Movie.

And what better way to kick off the anthem than to have show host Ryan Seacrest hand it over to Zac Efron for the introduction.

‘Hi everyone and I hope that you are safe and healthy you’re doing as well as possible during these unprecedented times,’ Efron began amid his home sequester due to the coronavirus crisis.

‘It is my greatest pleasure to introduce a musical performance by some of my oldest friends and some new ones.’

He ended by adding, ‘I hope you enjoy and remember that we’re all in this together.’ 

After Efron’s classy words, Seacrest handed it over to the man who directed the High School Musical trilogy, Kenny Ortega.

He then joined the class reunion with Hudgens, Tisdale, Bleu, Coleman and Grabeel for the rendition of We’re All In This Together from the Disney Channel Original Movie. 

Joining them in the performance were stars from Descendants, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Zombies, as well as Raven-Symoné, Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, Meg Donnelly and Milo Manheim.

Ortega revealed that the request for his participation on the singalong special came straight from Disney CEO Bob Iger, which didn’t leave any hesitation on his part.

‘I wanted to find something I can do to participate and it was so great to be given the call and invited by ABC to join,’ he said.

‘It gave me a purpose to get up every morning. I feel really good that we have an opportunity to do something like this — it’s good medicine.’ 

Apparently everyone was excited to be a part of the reunion, but it took a bit more wrangling to get ahold of Zac Efron. 

‘We couldn’t reach Zac until late but when we did, he immediately jumped in, of course,’ Ortega said.

The original East High Wildcat’s song We’re All In This Together has become a rallying call of sorts as people across the globe self-quarantine to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.  

‘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 added.

He credited one of the show’s stars with renewing the song’s popularity via her social media videos.

‘I think Ashley [Tisdale] started this whole movement with her home video,’ he said. ‘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.

‘These artists that have come together are heroes,’ he continued. ‘There are young people out there that look up to these people and have for a long time. 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 .’ 

The Disney Family Singalong also featured a bevy of celebrity guests, including Christina Aguilera, Michael Bublé, Kristin Chenoweth, Auliʻi Cravalho, Amber Riley, John Stamos, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Alan Menken, Elle Fanning, Josh Groban, Darren Criss, Tori Kelly, among others.