Two hours of live Disney music on ABC? Now that’s the kind of corporate synergy we can get behind.
American Idol’s remaining five finalists — Colin Stough, Iam Tongi, Megan Danielle, Wé Ani and Zachariah Smith — got in touch with their inner children on Sunday for Idol’s annual salute to the House of Mouse (aka the best night of the year), and it was just as magical as ever.
This season’s Mickey-approved setlist featured songs from beloved movies and shows like Frozen II, The Lion King, Cars, Maleficent, Lava, Hannah Montana, Pete’s Dragon, Onward and even Guardians of the Galaxy, which the contestants fine-tuned with help from guest mentor Sofia Carson.
And what would Disney Week be without a few more special guests? Sunday’s episode also welcomed Sara Bareillis for a special performance of “When You Wish Upon a Star,” as well as The Little Mermaid herself Halle Bailey for a musical preview of the live-action remake. (Click here to watch “Part of Your World.”)
Read on for a breakdown of tonight’s performances, as well as the results of America’s votes. Once you’ve digested everything, do some voting of your own in our polls and drop a comment with your thoughts on Sunday’s Idol.
Ani kicked off Disney Night big with a new classic, “Into the Unknown” from Frozen II. It was a thrill to watch Ani stand in her power this week, looking like Elsa in a gorgeous blue gown and sounding even better. The fact that she sang Aurora’s harmony notes (if you know, you know) towards the end was even more impressive. Ladies and gentlemen, the bar has been set.
This performance was so much better than it had any right to be. The moment I heard that the cheesiest singer in the competition (sorry!) was performing the cheesiest song from The Lion King (not sorry!), I nearly wrote the whole thing off.
But I’ll be damned if Smith didn’t totally crush it, keeping the energy going with all of the showmanship we’ve come to expect from this former burger flipper. Don’t get me wrong, he still belongs in prison for that glittery jungle shirt he was wearing, but the vocals were solid.
Generally speaking, I don’t mess with the Cars franchise. In a world populated entirely by talking cars, where are the humans? Who created these cars? What do they eat? Far too many unanswered questions for my taste.
That said, Stough’s performance of “Real Gone” — written by Sheryl Crow and John Shanks for the 2006 film — tasted just right. His confidence has never been stronger, he sounded fantastic and he owned that stage.
Song choice? Bad. It’s Disney night. Your possibilities are endless. Why would you choose a random song Bebe Rexha wrote for the second Maleficent movie? Pick something people know!
Despite all of the above, this ended up being a strong first showing from Danielle tonight. She really excelled in the song’s bigger moments, belting some powerful notes that confirmed she’s exactly where she belongs.
Pixar shorts are basically designed to leave viewers emotionally wrecked, and “Lava” — which preceded Inside Out in theaters — is no exception. Needless to say, Tongi’s voice melted into the song like butter. I lava’d every second of it. It wasn’t the most exciting performance, but it was easily the most authentic and charming. And the screaming audience seemed to agree. Once again, Tongi proved that you don’t need all those bells and whistles to put on a good show.
I wasn’t expecting to hear any Hannah Montana tonight, so Ani’s decision to perform “The Climb” was both surprising and delightful. Maybe it’s because we’ve spent so much time with her on this journey, but it was hard not to feel the emotions behind the lyrics about the importance of the journey vs. the destination. Echoing Luke Bryan, I also appreciate that the arrangement catered towards Ani’s strengths. This was Ani at her best.
American Idol is determined to make me a Cars fan, isn’t it?
Frankly, I’m surprised it took someone this long into the episode to perform “Life Is a Highway,” which seems to be a staple of Disney Night whether I like it or not.
Once again, this performance was better than it had any right to be. Smith’s showmanship may be a bit much for some viewers, but it fit this song perfectly. And the vocals were on point.
Easily the most random song choice of the night — yes, even more than Danielle’s Maleficent performance — was this one from Stough. I mean, I’m pretty sure I believe that a live-action Pete’s Dragon exists, I just don’t know anyone who has actually seen it.
My assumption is that it’s the saddest movie Disney has ever made, at least based on this major downer from Stough. I kept waiting for it to pick up into something triumphant, but it just… never did. Vocally it was solid, but I’m not sure what Bryan was yammering about Stough holding the room.
Another of Disney’s lesser-known songs written for a recent movie, this emotional Brandi Carlile tune sounded like it was written for Danielle. Don’t get me wrong, I really wish Idol kept the energy going in the second half of the night (so many ballads!), but this was strong.
Stretching the limits of what constitutes a Disney song, Tongi performed Cat Stevens’ “Father and Son,” which technically qualifies because it’s played during *checks notes* Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Qualifications aside — and ignoring that this show needed more upbeat songs and less ballads — this was a beautiful performance, fittingly devoted to Tongi’s late father. If anyone watching didn’t already love Tongi before this, they do now.
America got it wrong with this one, plain and simple. Ani slayed both of her songs tonight, and she absolutely deserves to compete in the finale.
He wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but as the judges frequently pointed out, Smith is an entertainer. His talent and charisma got him this far, but I can’t say I expected him to make it to the finale.
I would have eliminated Stough in favor of Ani, especially after that sleepy second performance this week — but I wish him well next week.
Danielle has presented herself as a true artist all season, so seeing her sail through to the finale was neither surprising nor objectionable.
Of the five remaining singers, Tongi was the only one I absolutely knew was going to make it to next week’s finale. No surprise here, nor will my jaw drop when the Hawaiian crooner wins it all.
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We’ Ani, signs circles around all of them. She should be going to the finals. Real talent!!!
You got it wrong this time I don’t know how you pick, but We Ani should still be there you need to bring her back.
Many times the ones who don’t win do great. Also they aren’t tied down to a contract with AI and can get on with what they want to do. . I predict that WeAni will do just fine!
another Jennifer Hudson
absolutely
And I think that Megan danielle will win American idol and we ani will come back and win American idol too because we ani can sing and I mean sang and Megan Danielle can sing too and they both deserve to win American idol
The fact that We Ani isn’t in the top 3 of this competition is absolutely ridiculous!! She is fantastic, and deserves to win! Unbelievable! Who are these people voting for Iam?? I just don’t get it. He’s a nice guy and all, but every song he sings sounds exactly the same and he’s a little boring. If he wins, that’ll just be sad for the rest of the contestants. Guess my votes are going to Colin now. Still shocked We isn’t in the top 3!!!! Absolutely crazy!! Well, I hope she goes on to have a fantastic career. She deserves it!
I agree. He is a one note wonder.
The two I continuously voted for went home tonight. I’ll be rooting for iam. If he doesn’t win I hope Colin does. Haven’t liked anything Meagan has performed
Facts!
This makes absolutely no sense.
So true
The only reason Colin made the finale and not We Ani is because there always has to be one WGWG. He won’t win because Iam is going to, I am sure We will have a big career.. but she was robbed.
Please knock off the very racist — WGWG — comment.
Yes, please!
Sorry about that. For the record, I’m white, but I totally understand.
Hoping We AnI makes it big. I think she will.
You don’t need to apologize. I’m a white guy and was thinking exactly the same thing. These thin-skinned commenters don’t have a clue as to what defines racism and like to cry “racism” merely to deflect from their own or claim victory in an argument they can win on merits. “Very racist”–considering the actual racism occuring in this country call your benign and generally true comment “very racist” may be one of the most tone-deaf, out-of-touch, preposterous things I’ve ever read on this site.
It is not racist…it is not derogatory…it is simply a truly stated fact, an acronym so everyone needs to knock it off about another country boy with a guitar winning Idol for goodness sake!
I only called it racist because if the acronym referred to a Black guy with a guitar, then that would be deemed extremely racist and would be removed without question. Just looking for equal treatment here.
It’s not racist at all. The fact that you think it is says a lot about you. But it’s definitely not racist.
what is racist about it? Enlighten me please
See my replay above.
The judges already handed Iam the win. I’ll be shocked if Colin takes it, Wei was totally robbed.
Worst top 3 in Idol history!
I agree worst top 3. We Ani was the best
So the two best performers of the night went home for two country singers and a guy with a gutair. Same ol’ American Idol.
Agree.
America got it wrong again. The two with the most talent as entertainers got voted off. Iam has a great voice but I wouldn’t pay 5 dollars to watch him perform, Megan is good too but not great, and Colin will definitely have a career in country western music but not as strong as Zacheria and We Ani.
Well, We and JHud have something else in common!
I think Vote for the Worst still exists…they must because look at the top 3 for 2023! Tyson and We Ani would have been what I think the perfect 2 in the end to fight it out. Real talent!
I couldn’t stand that hokey intro to last night’s show…and I don’t care for Disney night…all these big overly produced numbers is so wrong. Ugh.
We Ani was seriously robbed! Anyways hope she becomes a success story and show everyone how to do things!
Will be rooting for Megan and Iam in the finale
i agree
We Ani was great. She should be in the top 3. Iam isn’t a top 3 performer. I have no clue how he got there other than maybe Vote for the Worst is back in style. He better not win.
WeAni will go very far. I stopped watching idol because it’s about popularity and pity. Not truly about talent. I will never watch it again. Very sad show.
Seriously … Wi Ani … eliminated … come on!!
But just like Jennifer Hudson, she will become huge despite American Idol!
Here is what America will do. Vote Colin to the win. Why? The voting block of this show lives white male country singers. Just like they did the last 2 seasons. The subpar contestant won. Don’t get me wrong, I like Brad Pitt more than I liked the other two white men that won these last two seasons. But America will do their white thing. We Ani going home was disgusting. An absolute travesty. They may as well just call this Country Folk Idol. Oh well, look at JHud, Adam Lambert, etc. Better, bigger careers w/o having won.
People vote for the entertainment style they like. Obviously tastes vary. The people who say they won’t watch any more because their favorite was eliminated sound a bit childish to me. And by the way , white people aren’t the ones most likely to vote along racial lines.
No reason to continue watching. Unbelievable results. Wé Ani was the only one worth watching. Thank goodness for fast fwd. Certainly don’t understand the talent appeal to Iam. Hawaii must be overwhelmingly supporting their local or tugged at enough heartstrings.
He try’s singing like the legendary Manu Kahaialii and for whatever reason folks think that’s better than Ani….makes no sense.
It’s a crime that Wé Ani was eliminated, but I can’t say I was surprised. Angry and disappointed but not surprised. I wish Wé much success in the future.
There’s many Disney songs to choose from through their animated films and yet only 2 of them choose the animated film songs yet they choose forgettable ones that’s not Disney night
I’ll vote all night for Megan.
Iam is Taylor Hicks II. No thank you.
That is insulting… Taylor wss way better lol
I am gobsmacked that We Ani is not in the top 3 (by the way, I voted for her). That is a crying shame. While I think Colin’s most recent performances have been strong, I don’t think he should have moved forward.
I happen to love the song “You Can’t Stop the Girl” and was thrilled that Megan sang it (and slayed it!!).
American Idol voters really blew this one. we’ ani should have been in along with Zach and Megan
Absolutely! It always ends up being a popularity contest instead of of it being about the singing!!
Rooting for Colin and Megan. They are both very consistent and have that star quality. Megan’s voice is so unique.
Colin, yes. Megan, no. She can sing, but lacks likability or star power.
I don’t watch AI anymore (except when Alanis was on) because of Katy Perry, BUT even I know eliminating We Ani was wrong.
My hot take: Wé was robbed and Iam is overrated, but still easy to root for. I cannot believe Colin found his way to the finale. Can they please just make a Country Idol spin-off and keep them off the main show for once?
Yeah but then that would be called discrimination. I’ve always read that the American south casts more votes than anywhere else but this time Iam he of the same sounding song each time has a support system out there in the islands no doubt. A few times only has the truly gifted and right person won Idol.
Year after year American Idol and The Voice are ruined by white folks who don’t or can’t vote based on vocal ability. We’ Ani’s talent is in another league compared with the rest of the singers, in the top five, this year and she should have easily won it all. I would love to see the demographic breakdown of the voting to try to figure out how in the world this happens year after year. Absolutely disgusting and heartbreaking to see the best vocalists sent home in favor of mediocre singers. I wonder how the judges really feel about the voting results?
Everytime a black singer is voted off we get the “white folks” did it comments. Many of these reverse racist comments come from “white folks”. I’m a elderly white man and here is how I voted last night: Megan 10, We 6, Colin 2, Iam 1, and Zach 0. I really don’t see how race can be injected in everything that happens in our society. American Idol has had several black winners (5, I think). So before this year, 20% of Idol winners were black. That is higher than the <15% black population in the US.
I noticed that there are a couple of facts in error in my previous reply. Five black winners out of 20 would be 25% not 20%. I then researched past black winners and I now see at least 7 past winners that were black (hope I didn’t miss any). That means that 7 of the previous 20 winners were black. That means blacks have won 35% of the previous titles while being less than 15% of our population. Doesn’t appear to be anything racist about those results. Plus 33% of the judges on the show are black.
People don’t want to hear facts and reason. The popular trend right now is to blame racism for anything that doesn’t work out for someone who is . black .
America you got it wrong We Ani should have been saved. Colin should have been eliminated We Ani was the pure best singer end of story .
I never believed Idol was rigged, as some say it is, but now I’m starting to believe it. The judges have wanted Iam to win since day one & looks like they might get their wish. Makes absolutely no sense to me how this guy has gotten so far in the competition.
Are people suppose to vote for the best or for what they like? I think We Ani is a great singer but I don’t listen to any of the type of music she sings. Zachariah sings some of the music I like but while he has a pretty good voice, I agree with the author he’s cheesy. Iam sings well, seems quite likeable, has a sad story and I think people can relate to him and his easy listening music. Again not what I listen to. As for Megan and Colin, I think Megan has a really cool voice, if she were on the radio she’s easy identifiable by her voice. She’s different in a good way. I like Colin’s voice and his song choices. Not so much the Pete’s Dragon one. But America likes their country. I’ll be honest I’m surprised to see Colin make it the last two times and this one. happy but surprised. Just as I was surprised We Ani didn’t make it.