Disney Rewind Concert Turns D23 2026 Into a Live 80s and 90s Mixtape
Broadway stars and beloved Disney Legends gather in Anaheim for a nostalgic celebration of the music that defined a generation, with a Saturday encore streaming live on Disney+.
Todd Ruffner-Schoenfeld
Editor in chief. A knack for the fine print, and likes it.
D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event has returned to the Anaheim Convention Center for its 2026 gathering, running August 14 through 16. Among the weekend’s most anticipated moments is the Disney Rewind Concert, a live tribute to the Disney and Broadway music that shaped the 1980s and 1990s. Disney has billed it as the ultimate throwback event, and fans who grew up taping their favorite songs off the television are already calling it a dream come true.
The concert premieres on Friday, August 14 at 7:00 p.m. inside the convention center, giving the thousands of fans on hand in Anaheim the first live experience of the show. Disney has described the production as a live mixtape concert, built around rock concert lighting and massive screens that lean into the look and feel of the VHS era, the tapes and box art that so many Disney kids of that generation still remember fondly.
For anyone who cannot make it to Anaheim, there is good news. A Saturday encore called the Disney Rewind Encore Concert is set to stream live on Disney+ at approximately 6:30 p.m. PT, bringing the full concert experience to fans everywhere. It is one of several D23 programming blocks Disney+ is carrying during the weekend, and it means the celebration will not be confined to the show floor.
A Setlist Built for Disney Kids of the 80s and 90s
Reports indicate the concert draws from some of the most beloved corners of the Disney songbook. Music from Powerline, the fictional rock star at the heart of A Goofy Movie, is expected to make an appearance, and it is easy to imagine an arena full of fans singing along to those anthems the way Max once dreamed of doing onstage. The Disney Afternoon block, the after-school lineup that introduced a generation to characters like DuckTales and Darkwing Duck, is also expected to be represented in the music.
The soulful sound of the Muses from Hercules is reportedly part of the show as well, a fitting choice given how those gospel-tinged numbers have become fan favorites in their own right. Together, the expected setlist reads like a love letter to the Disney Renaissance and the animated television era that grew up alongside it.
Broadway Voices Bring the Songs to Life
Disney confirmed a lineup of Broadway performers to carry the concert, each one closely tied to a beloved role. Jared Dixon, known for playing Simba, joins Alyssa Fox, who has starred as Elsa. Arielle Jacobs brings her experience playing Jasmine, and Josh Strickland, who originated the role of Tarzan on Broadway, rounds out a group that also includes Raena White, who has played Sarabi.
These performers have spent years living inside Disney’s biggest stage musicals, and their presence gives the Disney Rewind Concert a distinctly Broadway heartbeat even as it celebrates songs that first reached fans through movie screens and Saturday morning television.
Disney Legends Join the Celebration
The concert also features appearances from voices fans have known for decades. Bill Farmer, the longtime voice of Goofy and Pluto, is confirmed to appear. Jodi Benson, forever beloved as the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid, joins him. Susan Egan, who voiced Megara in Hercules and originated the role of Belle on Broadway, rounds out the group of special guests.
Egan’s appearance carries extra weight this year. She is set to be honored as a Disney Legend in 2026, a recognition reserved for those who have left a lasting mark on the Disney story. Having her share the stage during a concert built around the exact era she helped define feels like a fitting way to mark that honor.
- Jared Dixon, Broadway’s Simba
- Alyssa Fox, Broadway’s Elsa
- Arielle Jacobs, Broadway’s Jasmine
- Josh Strickland, Broadway’s Tarzan
- Raena White, Broadway’s Sarabi
- Bill Farmer, voice of Goofy and Pluto
- Jodi Benson, voice of Ariel
- Susan Egan, voice of Megara and 2026 Disney Legend honoree
A Weekend Built on Nostalgia
The Disney Rewind Concert fits naturally into a D23 weekend that has always leaned into fan memory as much as it looks toward the future. Anaheim has hosted the event since it began, and the convention center once again becomes a gathering place for fans who want to celebrate the stories that raised them.
What makes this concert stand out is how specific its focus is. Rather than surveying the entire Disney songbook, it zeroes in on a narrow and cherished window of time, the years when Disney Afternoon reruns played after school and animated musicals filled theaters with new classics. For fans who came of age during that stretch, hearing those songs performed live by Broadway voices and original Legends is the kind of moment D23 was built for.
With the Friday premiere already drawing excitement from the Anaheim crowd and the Saturday encore opening the experience to fans watching from home on Disney+, the Disney Rewind Concert looks set to become one of the warmest, most singalong-friendly moments of D23 2026.
This is part of our coverage of The Concerts of D23 2026 at D23 2026.
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