{"id":1142560,"date":"2026-08-11T09:21:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T09:21:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1142560\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T09:21:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T09:21:25","slug":"camp-rock-3-director-on-jonas-brothers-demi-lovato-surprise-cameos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1142560\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Camp Rock 3’ Director on Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Surprise Cameos"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t[This story contains spoilers from Camp Rock<\/a> 3.]<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s been 16 years since viewers got their last look at Camp Rock.<\/p>\n

\n\tDisney Channel\u2019s two Camp Rock films, starring the Jonas Brothers<\/a> and Demi Lovato<\/a>, were released in 2008 and 2010. They made a star out of Lovato and gave the Jonas Brothers \u2014 Kevin, Joe and Nick \u2014 even more exposure and fueled their rise to global superstars. Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam rank among the Top 10 Disney Channel Original Movies of all time.<\/p>\n

\n\tNow, Disney Channel and Disney+ are reviving the franchise with Camp Rock 3, which finds the Jonas Brothers returning as the band Connect 3, who are now looking for a new opening act. Of course, they head back to Camp Rock to discover the next big thing. Hot up-and-comers (and Disney favorites) Liamani Segura (Descendants<\/a>: Wicked Wonderland) and Malachi Barton (Zombies<\/a> 4: Dawn of the Vampires) star in the new movie, along with Lumi Pollack, Sherry Cola, Hudson Stone, Casey Trotter, Brooklynn Pitts and Ava Jean. And Maria Canals-Barrera reprises her role as Connie, mom to Mitchie Torres, played by Lovato in the first two films.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tFrom left: Liamani Segura, Hudson Stone, Casey Trotter, Malachi Barton and Lumi Pollack in Camp Rock 3.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDisney\/David Astorga<\/p>\n

\n\tVeronica Rodriguez (Disney\u2019s The Slumber Party), who directed the movie, says she made a conscientious effort to strike a balance between keeping the tone of the original films while also updating the sensibility for today\u2019s audience.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cEven when I first went out to be the director of this movie, I knew immediately that that was going to be my Mount Everest,\u201d she says. \u201cI needed to make a movie that simultaneously satisfied the new Camp Rockers and the nostalgia campers like myself who grew up with the franchise and know it and love it so much and hold it as a beloved piece of DCOM [Disney Channel Original Movies] canon, just really threading that needle of making a movie that is enjoyable and fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tShe began thinking of the movie as \u201cCamp Rock Plus.\u201d \u201cI wanted to take everything we know and love about the original Camp Rock movies and \u2018plus\u2019 them up in every way that I could,\u201d which meant everything from the costumes to the characters. \u201cThese are kids in the arts,\u201d she continues. \u201cI wanted them to have a personality in how they dressed and their personalities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tFrom left: Kevin Jonas<\/a>, Joe Jonas<\/a> and Nick Jonas<\/a> in Camp Rock 3.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDisney\/David Astorga<\/p>\n

\n\tPart of that effort was also reflected in the musical numbers, which feature everything from big group dances to quieter acoustic tunes. \u201cEven the musical numbers, I wanted to \u2018plus\u2019 those up a bit and not have off of them just be the kids dancing around the campground,\u201d Rodriguez adds. \u201cI was like, how can I make those feel different and have each one be unique?\u201d To that end, the songs incorporate several musical genres, she notes, which is a reflection of the pop charts themselves that also feature a variety of genres. (The soundtrack will be released Friday, while Barton and Segura also will be performing some of these songs on the upcoming Worlds Collide Concert Tour, featuring stars from the Descendants, Zombies and Camp Rock franchises.)<\/p>\n

\n\tGiven how the Jonas Brothers and Lovato\u2019s careers blew up after the release of the first movie, Rodriguez expects the same thing to happen with Segura and Barton, who are already wildly popular with the tween crowd. Segura \u201cis on the Demi [Lovato] track,\u201d she says. \u201cThat girl has the voice of an angel and a heart of gold and talent beyond measure.\u201d Barton, meanwhile, is going to be \u201cthe next Zac Efron,\u201d she predicts, adding that he learned to play guitar for Camp Rock 3. \u201cThe cast is insanely talented.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tDemi Lovato with the Jonas Brothers in Disney\u2019s 2008 musical film Camp Rock.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBob D\u2019amico\/\u00a9Disney Channel\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

\n\tSpeaking of Lovato, she makes a surprise appearance in the film, which has been kept top secret until now. We won\u2019t spoil more about her appearance here, but Rodriguez said there were thoughtful discussions with Lovato, who also served as an executive producer, about how to bring Mitchie back while not taking away from the newer generation of stars. \u201cWe wanted to find the right balance of how much she should be in the film and what Mitchie\u2019s involvement looked like,\u201d Rodriguez says. \u201cHer character literally says in the movie, to her mom, \u2018This isn\u2019t about me, it\u2019s about them. It\u2019s their time to shine. This is the new generation of campers.\u2019 With Mitchie and Connect 3, we wanted them to be ingrained and necessary for the story but also leave enough room and space for the world to fall in love with the new generation of campers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAnother surprise star cameo comes in the form of Zombies franchise alum (and Barton\u2019s co-star in the fourth movie) Milo Manheim<\/a>, who turns up as a songwriting pro helping to instruct the campers. \u201cMilo passed the Zombies torch to Malachi, and they\u2019re buds,\u201d Rodriguez says. \u201cWe were over the moon when it ended up working out for Milo to come play with us. It\u2019s a really fun, meaningful cameo.\u201d She said it was also heartwarming to see Manheim, along with the Jonas Brothers and Lovato, helping to mentor the younger talent on-set, such as guiding them on how to navigate social media.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Jonas Brothers also were executive producers on the movie, and Rodriguez says they were \u201cvery hands-on\u201d throughout the process, including the production and creative on a song that Connect 3 performs in the movie.<\/p>\n

\n\tFans of the original will likely spot some throwbacks to the first two films. Cola, who plays Connect 3\u2019s tour manager, lands a funny line during a hip-hop class that calls back to the original (hint: it has something to do with hats), while Mitchie\u2019s songwriting book introduced in the first film plays a role in the story. In addition, the antagonist of the story, Maddie (played by Ava Jean), was modeled in the vein of Tess (Meaghan Martin) from the original movies, giving \u201cthe most lovable mean girl vibes that take us back to the past,\u201d Rodriguez adds.<\/p>\n

\n\tRodriguez was also happy to bring Canals-Barrera back for a third go-round. The camp\u2019s former head cook and Mitchie\u2019s mom is now the camp director: \u201cShe\u2019s the ultimate camp mom.\u201d After the first table read, \u201ceveryone in the room loved it and we put more Connie in the movie because she brings such good energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tFrom left: Maria Canals-Barrera and Liamani Segura in Camp Rock 3.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDisney\/David Astorga<\/p>\n

\n\tToday\u2019s audience is quite different from that of 16 years ago. Rodriguez says there was a conscious choice to incorporate what kids today are dealing with, including a scene showing the campers having their phones taken away so they can be more present.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI am a very big proponent of face-to-face communication, hanging out with your friends together, not on devices,\u201d she says. \u201cMy hope is that kids watch this, and they like want to go jam with their friends in person and listen to music and sing and dance and just create, create memories. As amazing as technology can be, sometimes just that human-to-human, friend-to-friend, kid-to-kid interaction that can be life-changing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRodriguez is excited for fans to watch the movie. \u201cIt was such an honor to be able to bring back a beloved franchise like this, and I did not take that responsibility lightly,\u201d she says. \u201cI gave this movie a lot of care and heart and, you know, effort and love. Everyone involved really worked hard and I think succeeded in making a movie that will satisfy all generations. It just feels like pure joy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tCamp Rock 3 premieres at 8 p.m. ET\/PT Thursday on Disney Channel and the next day on\u00a0Disney+.\u00a0 Watch the trailer below.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tRodriguez directs from a script by Eydie Faye. The movie is produced by Disney Kids & Family and features choreography by Jamal Sims. Tim Federle executive produces, along with the Jonas brothers, Lovato, Betsy Sullenger, Spencer Berman and Gary Marsh, with a \u201cspecial thanks\u201d to Alan Sacks for his contribution to the Camp Rock franchise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[This story contains spoilers from Camp Rock 3.] It\u2019s been 16 years since viewers got their last look…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1142561,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3935],"tags":[120434,120429,268617,77,25952,148185,206553,3943,53050,120431,16,15,995],"class_list":["post-1142560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-camp-rock","tag-demi-lovato","tag-descendants","tag-entertainment","tag-joe-jonas","tag-kevin-jonas","tag-milo-manheim","tag-movies","tag-nick-jonas","tag-the-jonas-brothers","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-zombies"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1142560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1142560"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1142560\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1142561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1142560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1142560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1142560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}