ABC was the most magical place on Earth on April 16 with the Disney Family Singalong, which brought in some of Disney's biggest stars to deliver some safe, socially distant performances of classic Disney songs. The special culminated with a High School Musical reunion, which had been announced as including Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Lucas Grabeel, and other familiar HSM faces. Unfortunately, some fans weren't prepared for the performance of "We're All In This Together" not to include Efron singing.
Zac Efron contributed to the reunion by introducing the performance via video seemingly filmed on a phone, and Ryan Seacrest explained that Efron had sent in the message over patchy wifi. The quality of his footage was certainly not as high as the rest of the videos throughout the night. High School Musical director Kenny Ortega, who returned for the performance, had explained the situation to Deadline:
We couldn’t reach Zac until late but when we did, he immediately jumped in, of course. Everyone we reached out to was quick — and you’ll see it in their spirit and the way they come together from their homes. They recognize this is an opportunity to strengthen spirits for those joining us for the broadcast.
So, Zac Efron did not participate in the sing-along version of the High School Musical anthem "We're All In This Together." It was otherwise an energetic performance packed with High School Musical stars, who seemed as excited to see each other again (even via video) as to relive their Wildcat days. They busted out the original High School Musical dance moves and the Wildcat gear.
As somebody who has had the High School Musical songs periodically stuck in my head since high school, I loved the enthusiasm and the nostalgia. Other fans didn't realize that Zac Efron wasn't going to sing, they weren't happy about it. Take a look!
One person on Twitter embraced the Wildcat spirit and went for a High School Musical gif to express their dismay about Zac Efron not sticking to the HSM status quo, channeling his inner Troy Bolton, and singing despite the bad wifi.
Another High School Musical fan went for a callback to High School Musical 2, but with a tweak to the dialogue:
Do I personally think it's an outrage that Zac Efron couldn't work this out and sing? Not quite. Did I laugh out loud at the tweak to the HSM 2 scene? 100%.
While Kenny Ortega did reveal before the Disney Family Singalong that Zac Efron wouldn't be singing, not everybody knew that the much-hyped appearance of Efron wouldn't involve music:
The disappointment must have been pretty bitter for old school High School Musical fans who haven't seen (or heard) the full crew back together in all their Wildcat glory since High School Musical 3 in 2008.
Another person took it personally that they couldn't bet on it that Zac Efron would break free from bad wifi and scream out the familiar lyrics:
"Offended" undoubtedly was not what ABC was going for with Disney Family Singalong. Hey, at least Zac Efron not singing didn't happen until the end of the hour!
Another person on social media chose a very straightforward gif that definitely gets the point across:
Zac Efron didn't sing, there are no signs of a High School Musical 4, and the odds aren't too great that any new High School Musical material (even from the Disney+ series) will release for the foreseeable future. So, what time is it? Maybe time to hit up Disney+ for the three High School Musical movies and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series!
For some additional viewing options now that TV shows are running out of episodes, check out our 2020 spring premiere schedule. If you're already looking ahead to the warmer months, we have a summer TV premiere schedule as well.
