We’re just two years shy of the 20th anniversary of High School Musical, a Disney Channel Original Movie that introduced a generation to musical theater. It’s not lost on me that Disney Jr.’s newest series, Kindergarten: The Musical, premieres at a time when the first generation of East High Wildcat fans are becoming parents. This show is designed to help prepare preschoolers for the exciting milestone of going to Kindergarten, and encourage current students to foster a love of learning and making friends. It helps kids set expectations for what their school days will be like, all through a colorful, music-driven animated series.
(Disney)
Kindergarten: The Musical’s main protagonist, Berti, has a few parallels to Gabriella, the female lead of Disney’s High School Musical trilogy. Not only is she Latinx, but her parents live apart. In the HSM trilogy, we never met Gabriella’s father, and her parents’ marital situation was never specified. For Berti’s Mami and Papi, the situation is much more specific – they’re divorced. In one of the episodes (“One Singular Self-Portrait”), Ms. Moreno has the kids make a self-portrait for their parents, and Berti struggles to decide which parent to give it to. The main title sequence also alternates which parent is with Berti when she arrives at school. Similarly, the show seeks to normalize all types of living situations that kids can have, giving kids some familiarity with the backgrounds their peers come from.
The series uses CG animation for the most part, but fantasy musical sequences transition into 2D animation, helping kids differentiate between real-world scenarios and fantasy elements. As for the musical sequences themselves, the show leans into the High School Musical aesthetic, often featuring kids on a stage with red curtains. The first of these musical segments within the show seemingly pays homage to “Bop to the Top,” with characters on top of rolling stairs.
The first two High School Musical films received stage adaptations, traveling the country to bring Broadway-style shows to cities across America. This helped the HSM generation develop an interest in musical theater. Around that same time, one of the biggest Broadway musicals of all time debuted, Wicked, a perfect stepping stone into the wonderful world of musical theater. This is another fun way that Kindergarten: The Musical caters its theme to parents, tying the story to a cultural touchstone – The Wizard of Oz. A winding Yellow Brick Road leads to Ms. Moreno’s classroom door, and episode titles frequently pull inspiration from the classic MGM film and Universal’s prequel stage musical (soon to be a two-part major motion picture).
(Disney)
Kindergarten: The Musical officially debuted on Disney Channel on September 3rd, and the first 10 episodes are now streaming on Disney+. Episode plots are rooted in real scenarios that kids will encounter at Kindergarten, including getting a time out (Ms. Moreno calls it “The chill zone”), making crafts, celebrating themed weeks, earning stickers, and how to handle feeling homesick. But the title of each episode (split into two stories) draws inspiration from musicals. I recognize that not everyone is a big theater nerd, so here’s a little cheat sheet about the references made in this first batch of episodes.
Kindergarten: The Musical Episode Title References
- 1A: “There’s No Place Like Kindergarten” – A twist on the classic line “There’s no place like home” from The Wizard of Oz.
- 1B: “We’re Off to Get a Sticker” – Another The Wizard of Oz reference that pays homage to the skipping down the yellow brick road song, “We’re Off to See the Wizard.”
- 2A: “Shoeloose” – Birdie’s gotta cut loose, Footloose (the 1984 film became a hit Broadway musical in 1998)
- 2B: “If I Only Had a Scarf” – A third The Wizard of Oz homage, this one to the “I want” songs sung by Scarecrow and Tin Man, “If I Only Had a Brain/Heart.”
- 3A: “All or Muffin” – Rodgers and Hammerstein’s legendary partnership began with the 1943 musical Oklahoma!, which introduced the world to the classic tune “All Er Nuthin'”
- 3B: “Bring in ‘da Cake, Bring in ‘da Fun” – Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk debuted Off-Broadway in 1995, telling the story of African American history through tap dance, moving to Broadway in 1996 and winning 4 Tony Awards.
- 4A: “Little Job of Horrors” – A twist on the title of the Alan Menken/Howard Ashman Off-Broadway hit Little Shop of Horrors.
- 4B: “Bye Bye Albie” – A reference to the classic 1963 musical Bye Bye Birdie.
- 5A: “Bunny Girl” – Barbra Streisand headlined the original Broadway cast of Funny Girl, a performance she reprised in the film adaptation.
- 5B: “Give My Regards to Backdrops” – George M. Cohan’s timeless song “Give My Regards to Broadway” is more famous than the 1904 show it was written for, Little Johnny Jones.
- 6A: “Twin the Heights” – Before becoming a household name with Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda built his name on the Great White Way with his Tony-winning musical In the Heights.
- 6B: “Everything’s Coming Up Jamil” – A nod to “Rose’s Turn” from the 1959 musical Gypsy with its memorable line, “Everything’s coming up roses.”
- 7A: “Don’t Grow for Me” – The show’s second Little Shop of Horrors-inspired title, this one a play on the song “Grow For Me.”
- 7B: “You Can’t Stop the Beads” – Marc Shaiman’s musical adaptation of John Waters’ Hairspray opened on Broadway in 2002, closing with the hit song "You Can't Stop the Beat."
- 8A: “Phantom of the Trumpet” – The longest running Broadway musical of all time is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, which opened in NYC in 1988 and didn’t close until 2023.
- 8B: “Food Glorious Food Fair” – Lionel Bart’s Dickensian musical Oliver! introduces its title character as a line of orphans sing about their hunger in the song “Food, Glorious Food.”
- 9A: “One Singular Self-Portrait” – Inspired by the hit song from A Chorus Line with it’s lyric “One singular sensation.”
- 9B: “Don’t Cry for Me Kindergarten” – An homage to the standout song from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita, “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.”
- 10A: “The Witch and I” – Adjacent to The Wizard of Oz, this episode’s title takes it’s inspiration from Elphaba’s “I want” song in the first act of Wicked, “The Wizard and I.”
- 10B: “Berti and the Beast” – If you’re a Disney fan, this title is instantly recognizable as a twist on Beauty and the Beast, which birthed Disney Theatrical when it opened on the stage in 1994.
(Disney/Universal)
Kindergarten: The Musical is a fun way to help kids get excited about school. Whether you grew up with High School Musical or not, the series delights in turning every day Kindergarten scenarios into imaginative musical numbers, which are as catchy as they are colorful. In addition to showcasing the fun of Kindergarten classroom activities, the series focuses on social-emotional development in an inclusive setting. Every parent and child experiencing the show together should feel represented in some way.
Kindergarten: The Musical airs weekdays at 8am ET on Disney Junior and 11am ET on Disney Channel. The first 10 episodes are now streaming on Disney+, including a Halloween episode.