Disney’s Friends for Change Games

The DC Games are back… sort of.

Disney’s really pushing the environmental agenda and re-branding this year’s event as the Friends for Change Games with eco friendly game themes and what I’m sure will be a lot of the usual holier than thou preaching about saving water and the like. How many times do we need to be told to turn off the faucet while brushing our teeth anyway? This isn’t really about saving the planet, it’s about public relations, publicity, politics, and power.

But I digress. Go blue team! 🙂

WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

Over 30 Disney Channel and Disney XD stars from around the globe will compete in “Disney Friends for Change Games” to promote conservation and the power of coming together with friends and family to make a difference in one’s community and the world. Four teams of young stars will compete in a series of fun physical challenges to benefit specific charities and Friends for Change community projects on a global basis.

“Disney Friends for Change Games” teams will compete on behalf of Fauna and Flora International (Green Team), World Wildlife Fund (Red Team), Ocean Conservancy (Blue Team) and UNICEF (Yellow Team). Disney will make a donation of $125,000 to each charity, and the winning team’s charity will also receive an additional $100,000 donation from Disney.

Eighteen year-old Hollywood Records recording artist Bridgit Mendler (“Lemonade Mouth” and “Good Luck Charlie”) co-wrote and performed this year’s Disney Friends for Change anthem, “We Can Change The World,” a buoyant pop/rock song which will be released globally this summer. All of the proceeds from the song will go towards environmental charities through Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund.

Disney stars will invite kids and families worldwide to visit Disney.com/projectgreen, and Friends for Change international sites to pledge actions they will take in their own lives that will make a difference and help the planet. To date, over four million pledges have been made by kids worldwide. Additionally, young planet crusaders can play online versions of the games that took place during “Disney Friends for Change Games” and donate their earned points to their favorite teams. The team with the most points will be named the regional “Fan Favorite” team and awarded an additional $100,000 for their team’s charity. Through “Disney Friends for Change Games” and with the help of kids at home, Disney is donating almost one million dollars globally.

“Disney Friends for Change Games” are hosted by Tiffany Thornton (“So Random”) and Jason Earles (“Kickin’ It”). Maria Canals-Barrera (“Wizards of Waverly Place”) was on-hand to encourage and support the players as only a mom can do.

The teams are:

Blue Team

Captain: Debby Ryan (“Jessie”), Allisyn Ashley Arm (“So Random”), Olavo Cavalheiro (Disney Channel Brazil), Hutch Dano (“Zeke and Luther”), Roshon Fegan (“Shake It Up”), Doc Shaw (“Pair of Kings”), Stefanie Scott (“A.N.T. Farm”) and Jake Short (“A.N.T. Farm”).

Green Team

Captain: Brandon Mychal Smith (“So Random”), Valeria Baroni (Disney Channel Argentina), Paula Dalli (Disney Channel Spain), Adam Hicks (“Zeke and Luther”), David Henrie (“Wizards of Waverly Place”), Sterling Knight (“So Random”), Ryan Ochoa (“Pair of Kings”), Eve Ottino (Disney Channel France) and Bella Thorne (“Shake It Up”).

Yellow Team

Captain: Bridgit Mendler (“Good Luck Charlie”), Jorge Blanco (Disney Channel Mexico), Valentina Colombo (Disney Channel Italy), Adam Irigoyen (“Shake It Up”), China Anne McClain (“A.N.T. Farm”), Sierra McCormick (“A.N.T. Farm”), Logan Miller (“I’m In The Band”) and Gregg Sulkin (“Wizards of Waverly Place” and Disney Channel UK).

Red Team
Captain: Mitchel Musso (“Pair of Kings”), Jake T. Austin (“Wizards of Waverly Place”), Doug Brochu (“So Random”), Kelsey Chow (“Pair of Kings”), Davis Cleveland (“Shake It Up”), Dean Delannoit (Disney Channel Holland and Belgium), Carlon Jeffrey (“A.N.T. Farm”), and Zendaya (“Shake It Up”).

*Special guest Leo Howard (“Kickin’ It”) will also participate.

“Disney Friends for Change Games” challenges are comprised of the four areas of environmental conservation: saving water, preventing waste, saving energy and protecting our habitats. The games emphasize the power of coming together with your friends and family to make a difference in your community and your world.

The games are:

High Energy Dance Battle:

Teams perform a freestyle dance routine on an energy generating dance floor.

Wash Out:

Players will race against time in a multi-stage relay race, taking laundry to the extreme through a series of sorting, washing and hang drying. Some of the clothes in the giant laundry pile were recycled from Disney Channel and Disney XD series.

The Recycler:

Players on stationary bicycles power a high-speed conveyor belt loaded with recycled items.

The Ultimate Course for Change:

Players tackle a challenging multi-part course that incorporates all of the Friends for Change green themes.

“Disney Friends for Change Games” are executive produced by Art Spigel and Hayma ‘Screech’ Washington for Dario Productions. The production was eco-conscious to ensure best efforts were made to lighten impact on the environment.