It’s one thing for Lea Salonga to hold a concert, but it’s another for her to lead a magical night to sing Disney classics with the country’s best singers. That’s what happened on March 22 at the Mall of Asia Arena, when the Disney Legend performed with the country’s best belters in Disney Princess: I Dare to Dream, the concert that crowned the winner of Disney and Globe Studio’s first digital reality series Disney Princess: I Dare to Dream.
Out of hundreds of girls that auditioned for the series, six young and vibrant girls were chosen to start their quest to reach their dreams. Carrying Disney values and sharing their own life stories, the girls went on a journey of self-discovery and confidence with Salonga alongside mentors from different industries.
The six finalists were Sirach Catipay, an aspiring chef who wants to share the world’s cuisines to others; Stephanie Jordan, a singing competition contestant who wants to enter the world of hosting; Hyacinth Leonado, who dreams of becoming a Broadway singer and actress; Jaden Narvios, who wants to be the president of the Philippines; Liana San Diego, who wants to be a veterinarian; and Alexi Tan, who’s striving to become an animator.
Together with Salonga, the girls were each mentored by top chef Jessie Sincioco, YouTuber and host Charisma Star, theater actress Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, social educator Efren Peñaflorida, veterinarian Dr. Nielsen Donato, and animator Tito Romero. They were also joined by vlogger Janina Vela, who served as the guiding elder sister.
At the end of the concert, in a surprising turn of events, Salonga announced all six girls as winners of Disney Princess: I Dare to Dream. As grand winners, all them flew to Japan for the premiere of the live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. They also had a chance to meet and greet Disney Legend and composer Alan Menken and director, screenwriter Bill Condon, and visit Tokyo Disneyland.
“Globe recognizes the change in how Filipinos consume entertainment, content is on demand now, so we brought this unique show to where most Filipino are: online. Both the concert and the digital reality series are a celebration of young kids everywhere who are dreaming big. It was tough to select only one winner from a pool of incredible girls. They are talented in their own way, and have shown remarkable depth and maturity. All the Disney princesses got their happy endings, and we felt that they should, too,” shares Quark Henares, Head of Globe Studios.
Salonga led a series of spectacular performances of Disney songs with Christian Bautista, KC Concepcion, Sam Concepcion, Morissette, Julie Anne San Jose, Tippy Dos Santos, Aicelle Santos, Erik Santos, and Janina Vela, who performed favorites like Beauty and the Beast’s “Be Our Guest,” The Little Mermaid’s “Under the Sea,” Aladdin’s “A Whole New World,” and Moana’s “How Far I’ll Go.”
What’s next for these girls? It’s hard to tell because they’re so young, but joining the series allowed them to be one step closer to becoming a chef, a host, a Broadway singer, president of the Philippines, a veterinarian, and an illustrator. And it all began with a dream in their mind and a wish in their heart.
To learn more about the cast and watch all the episodes of Disney Princess: I Dare to Dream, visit Globe Telecom’s YouTube channel or www.idaretodream.ph. This will also be aired on Disney Channel and on the Disney Channel mobile app in May.