Students in third through fifth grade at Pleasant Hill Elementary were among three hundred students from four local elementary schools in Central Florida who came together to sing their hearts out while performing Disney Musicals in May at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. The young actors from Pleasant Hill Elementary spent 17 weeks preparing to perform the musical "The Lion King" while other schools in the program performed "The Aristocats" and "The Jungle Book."

"I sing like everywhere I go," Hector David Rosario, a third grader from Pleasant Hill Elementary School who played Pumbaa, said. "I sing in the car, I sing on the airplane. I always listen to Disney songs on my earbuds."

The Disney Musicals in Schools program is an outreach initiative developed by Disney Theatrical Group to create sustainable theater programs in elementary schools. The program was launched in 2010 in response to Disney Theatrical Group’s concern that under-resourced public elementary schools were not afforded equitable access to the arts. After successfully offering the program in New York City schools, Disney Theatrical Group began partnering with organizations in other communities across the United States. With a professional development focus, participating school teachers partner with Dr. Phillips Center teaching artists to learn how to produce, direct, choreograph and music direct their first school show. The program culminates in a 30-minute Disney KIDS musical at each school.