Kicking off Thursday, July 17, at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California, the Descendants/ZOMBIES: Worlds Collide Tour will be a one-of-a-kind interactive concert experience. Featuring Descendants: The Rise of Red‘s Kylie Cantrall, Malia Baker, Dara Reneé, and Joshua Colley and ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires‘ Freya Skye, Malachi Barton, and Mekonnen Knife, the North American arena tour will feature popular songs from the Descendants and ZOMBIES films that families and fans can experience together.
“There are so many incredible songs in these franchises,” said Cantrall, who plays Red in Descendants. “Getting to perform them live is an amazing way for us to connect with fans.”
While Descendants: The Rise of Red celebrated its first anniversary on July 12 and ZOMBIES: Dawn of the Vampires premiered just last week, the joint tour has actually “been a long time in the making,” Darryl Franklin, VP Business Affairs, Business Development & Legal Counsel, Disney Music Group/Disney Concerts, revealed.
What began as just a ZOMBIES tour morphed into something more all-encompassing.
“The teams at Disney Branded Television and Disney Concerts thought a live musical celebration focusing on the many hits from both franchises would make for a more unique and exciting concert experience for fans,” Franklin explained. “[Touring company] AEG confirmed they were excited about that concept — and just over a year later, here we are.”
Given how beloved each franchise is, Disney is pulling out all the stops.
“With Descendants and ZOMBIES being two crown jewel franchises of Disney Branded Television, the Disney Concerts team knew we had to deliver something truly world class,” Franklin explained. “For many fans, this might be their first in-person, arena-sized concert. For other fans, they might have been to see Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, or Olivia Rodrigo concert in the past year. Either way, the pressure has been on all of us to create a concert experience of the highest level — something memorable that everyone involved can be proud of and that all the fans walk away from saying, ‘That was awesome!’”
From Screen to Stage
With a set list that includes approximately 30 songs across the two franchises, the Descendants/ZOMBIES: Worlds Collide Tour will be a “giant pop concert celebration,” Franklin said. Over the span of 10 weeks, a touring party of 90 people, 13 trucks, and eight buses will visit 43 arenas across North America, playing to thousands of families and fans.
“The magic of ZOMBIES and Descendants is that you already feel so immersed when you’re watching it on a screen at home,” said Skye, who plays Nova in ZOMBIES. “You’ll feel even more immersed — like you’re actually in the world — when you see the concert. It’s going to be such a fun experience. There are new songs and throwbacks that feel nostalgic, but also super fresh. We’ll be keeping people on their toes, because there is a lot going down.”
Just don’t expect to see actual characters, like Red or Nova, taking the stage.
“The seven talented artists from the two franchises are performing as themselves, not as their characters, and they sing and dance on most of the songs,” Franklin said. “We do have clips from the films, as well as behind-the-scenes and other moments, but all as part of the amazing original concert put together by creative director Amy Tinkham, video director and choreographer Scotty Nguyen, wardrobe Stylist Zerina Akers, and assistant creative director Jaimie Selkie. Fans will get to enjoy all their favorite hits in a way and at a scale that one would normally find only at concerts by some of the biggest and best pop artists.”
“The concert showcases these talented artists in a whole new way and proves that these songs deserve to be the hits they are,” Franklin continued. “I also suspect the parents bringing the kids will have a great time and be equally thrilled at the quality of the show.”
An Elevated Experience
Barton, who plays Victor in ZOMBIES, can’t wait to perform for two hours each night.
“This show is nuts,” Barton said. “It’s got a ton of numbers, with some intense dancing and some crazy props. The dancers are absurdly good. I can’t wait to get out on the road, get onstage, and finally show everyone what we have been cooking up in the rehearsal studio.”
According to Franklin, “We have left nothing on the table in terms of production: great video, lighting, special effects, and a lot of great wardrobe and props, all of it brought to life by our seven stars from the films and the six incredible dancers. The teams at Disney Branded Television and Disney Music Group/Disney Concerts — as well as the amazing leading creative and production teams from across the industry that we have assembled for this project — have worked incredibly hard over the past year to make this all happen.”
The seven stars also recorded a brand-new song for the tour, the aptly titled “Worlds Collide.” As for other surprises, Franklin said, “You just have to come and see and hear for yourself. What I can say is you will be impressed by the vocal talent of these stars. They also dance at a [high] level and at a pace throughout the show, which is pretty astounding.”
There are plenty of reasons to be excited for the Descendants/ZOMBIES: Worlds Collide Tour, Franklin said, from “watching young artists who have not previously done anything like this really deliver” to “bringing the music from eight films together in one concert. My own first concert experience led to me wanting and having an entire career in the music industry. I am excited at the thought of this concert igniting a passion in the fans who might get inspired to say, ‘I want to do that,’ or, ‘I want to be that,’ or who simply will tell their own children, ‘I still remember my first concert — Worlds Collide — and it was great.’ That would be something magical. After all, aren’t we all in the business of delivering magic to our guests in everything that we do? I think this concert and tour delivers on that promise.”
For tour dates, visit www.descendantszombiestour.com.