Disney Mousketeers join the club of rock ‘n’ rollers with a social message

“Music has always been one of the highlights of our show,” points out Mousketeer Tony Lucca, 16. “And we thought we’d take that aspect to get the viewers interested and teach them something about the environment.”

The special Mickey Mouse Club Rocks the Planet was originally intended as song and skit segments to be intertwined in regular “Mickey Mouse Club” episodes. However, after seeing it in its entirety, the concert--recorded live at MGM Studios in Orlando, Fla.--Disney decided to air it as a complete special.

The concert features such songs as “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions,” “I’ll Be Your Shelter,” “Hole Hearted” (sung by Lucca), “That’s What Love Is For” and “Mercy, Mercy Me.”

“Through the course of the songs, which are geared toward the environment, as well as the commentaries, the viewers will hopefully be educated on how to conserve the environment,” Lucca says.

Skits feature hosts Fred Newman and Terri Misner and the Mousketeers offering recycling hints and environmental observations in funny monologues.

The live concert was a fund-raiser for the Nature Conservancy and the World Wildlife Fund.

“Mickey Mouse Club Rocks the Planet” airs Friday 6-6:30 p.m. on the Disney Channel. For ages 4 to 12.

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