Disney’s ‘Descendants/ZOMBIES Worlds Collide Tour’ Is Must-See

Disney’s ‘Descendants/ZOMBIES Worlds Collide’ tour

Disney

Just one week after Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires debuted on the Disney Channel, and landed on Disney+ the following day, Disney’s Descendants/ZOMBIES Worlds Collide Tour kicked off in San Diego on July 17. The live show features the young talent that will be ushering Disney’s Descendants and Zombies franchises forward.

It stars Kylie Cantrall (“Red”, Descendants: The Rise of Red), Freya Skye (“Nova”, Zombies 4), Malia Baker (“Chloe”, Rise of Red), Malachi Barton (“Victor”, Zombies 4), Dara Reneé (“Uliana”, Rise of Red), Joshua Colley (“Young Captain Hook”, Rise of Red), and Mekonnen Knife (“Vargas”, Zombies 4). I was able to catch the show with my family in Rosemont, Illinois this past week.

The show begins with the “Worlds Collide” song. The music and lyrics were impressive, given it was written just for the live show. Then came one of everyone’s favorite Descendants songs, “Red“. Cantrall was electric in this number and quickly established why she has top billing on the show.

Early on, it was obvious the show touts big production with even bigger talent. It used video footage in economical fashion by showing old clips from the films not just to set up song performances, but to illustrate how monumental the franchises have become. There was a sentimental clip that tugged on the audience’s heartstrings showing Cantrall as a very young Disney performer.

One of the most memorable moments from the entire show was footage of Zombies 4 stars Skye and Barton auditioning together singing “Rewrite the Stars” of The Greatest Showman fame. Their chemistry was as palpable back then as it was when the pair wowed Rosemont’s Allstate Arena with an inspiring duet of “Dream Come True” from Zombies 4.

The performers offered words of inspiration and encouragement for their young fans throughout the show. Parents sang along to every song just as much as their kids (guilty).

The structure of the show allowed each young star their own spotlight.

Cantrall showed she has what it takes to be mainstream pop star with her dancing and singing along to old and new tunes from the two Disney franchises, as well as her own hits. Skye’s vocals were unrivaled as she sang “My Own Way” from Zombies 4 solo in a beautiful gown in arguably the most memorable rendition of the evening.

Baker owned the stage when she played “If Only” on the guitar and sang the hit originally performed by Dove Cameron in an earlier Descendants film in another of the show’s top moments.

Colley regularly displayed the vocal skills that landed him on Broadway at a young age. Knife is a future Avenger. His movement and acrobatics were on full display as he confidently established himself as the best physical performer on the tour.

Speaking of confidence, Reneé’s big voice was beyond impressive. My eyes and ears locked in on the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star whenever she was onstage.

After thinking we had already seen great dancing and singing performances of some of each franchise’s best songs, I looked at my watch and we were only 25 minutes in. When I thought we had seen an incredible show and unlocked another big core memory for the family, I realized it was just intermission. The show ran almost three hours and only picked up steam as it went along. Despite the steep ticket prices, the parents got more than their money’s worth.

It seems likely we’ll see these worlds collide onscreen soon.

The next stop for Worlds Collide is in Columbus, Ohio at the Schottenstein Center before wrapping up in Fort Worth, Texas at Dickies Arena on September 16.