Warning! The following contains spoilers for American Idol Season 18. Read at your own risk!
American Idol revealed its Top 10 in its latest episode, but the judges' save to make it a Top 11 wasn't the only surprise it had for fans during the at-home episode. The season has been shortened due to Idol not being able to film in-studio, but some of the pageantry will remain, and there's a theme night coming for the Top 7. Unfortunately for some, it's the trademark Disney night.
For those who maybe weren't tuning into the past couple of seasons on ABC, American Idol's Disney night has become a staple like it is for Dancing with the Stars. Disney characters romp around on stage, Katy Perry cheekily dresses like a prominent Disney fave, and everyone performs songs specifically from Disney movies. It's a night of arguable fun, courtesy of the House of Mouse's synergy, but frankly, it needs to be retired after this season.
American Idol's Disney Night, in my personal opinion, does more harm than good for competitors on the show. Disney songs are classics, without a doubt, but so many of them are performed in a style that's unlike how most modern pop music is put together. The themed night favors competitors with big voices and a vast love of Disney, but the limited song choices can potentially knock out unique singers whose voices just aren't meant to mesh with the likes of Celine Dion or Elton John. That's true of all themed nights on the show, to be fair, but at least other themes can be justified for using songs that are commonly heard on the radio.
Beyond the competitive risks, Disney Night is also a fairly formulaic evening for some singers, especially the ones with deeper voices. Lots of the men with deeper bluesy registers are forced to tackle Randy Newman songs (probably "You've Got A Friend In Me"), and most competitors stick with the classics any Disney fan has heard thousands of times before. In fact, it almost seems like risk-takers who've performed deeper Disney cuts have suffered, despite taking chances. For example: Season 17's Uche, who performed Tevin Campbell's "I 2 I" from A Goofy Movie, only to confuse the judges and get eliminated.
What might make Season 18's Disney Night either amazing or awful, depending which side of the coin you may fall, is that American Idol will be preceded by Disney Family Singalong: Volume II. That's a whopping three hours of Disney-flavored songs and performances, for an audience that may be completely burnt out on such tunes by the night's end. Also, what happens if one of the competitors picks a song that was handled better by someone in the Singalong special? Let this be the last time American Idol embraces this gimmick, at least for a season or two.
Are you a fan of American Idol's Disney Night, or do you think it should go the way of the dodo? Sound off in our poll and continue to catch Season 18 Sundays on ABC at 8:00 p.m. ET. As always, continue to stick with CinemaBlend for all the latest news happening in television and movies.
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