Prom Pact follows High School senior Mandy Yang who is more focused on attending Harvard than anything else. In support of the new Disney film, we spoke with some of the cast and the filmmakers. Not only did we learn what drew them to this film, and what makes it different from other Disney movies, we learned that there are two versions of it — one for Disney+ and one for the Disney Channel.

Participating Talent: 

• Peyton Elizabeth Lee (“Mandy Yang”)
• Blake Draper (“Graham Lansing”)
• Margaret Cho (“Ms. Chen”)
• Julie Bowen (Executive Producer)
• Anya Adams (Director)

There Are Two Versions Of The Movie

Probably the biggest surprise that we learned from the interviews for Prom Pact is that there are two different versions of the movie. The original, unedited, version of the movie was made for Disney+, where there is a little more leeway when pushing the boundaries. Executive Producer Julie Bowen explains that Disney loved the movie they shot so much, they wanted to put it on the Disney Channel as well. She says they had to think about the difference in audiences. For Disney+, older kids are watching, and likely with their parents. “With a young child watching the Disney Channel after school hanging out, you don’t want them to have too many inappropriate questions.” she says. So the version on Disney+ opens the doors for conversations for parents to have with their kids, while the Disney Channel version is safer for a younger audience.

What Makes Prom Pact Different From Other Disney Movies?

Julie loves that with Prom Pact, Disney has opted to grow with their audience. “Our Disney Plus version, our original version, is definitely addressing some topics like sex or parties or things like that. We don’t hit it like a hammer, but it’s in there. Because we think that these are issues that kids are addressing and seeing all around them these days. And Disney+ wanted to do something that was a little bit more elevated for a teenage audience.”

Director Anya Adams adds “One of the things we were really excited about was that we feathered all this stuff in and people can enjoy this and have a good time. And if you want to have a conversation about what it’s like to be driven and want to go to Harvard, and how that impacts you, you can do that. If you want to have a conversation about different ways to talk about sex, you can do that or not.”

Margaret Cho Loves Her Character, Miss Chen

Margaret Cho plays Miss Chen in Prom Pact, who is absolutely hilarious. So what drew her to the role? She claims she loves being the cool adult. “It’s reminiscent of Annie Potts from Pretty in Pink. It’s somebody who is a grown-up, but really understands what it’s like to be a kid. And I think that’s really meaningful.” Margaret likes that her character pushes Mandy to have a more balanced look towards life, while still supporting her dreams.

Margaret Cho says that Prom Pact is centered on a biracial Asian American young woman who is excellent in her academic work, but she’s very closed-minded about what other possibilities exist in her life. And really, when you can have everything, why do you want to limit yourself to one thing? Kids now are always looking on social media and thinking the grass is always greener on the other side. She says “We don’t know what they are like outside of the camera frame. So we’re judging our lives compared to a curated vision of what somebody else’s is.”

Peyton Elizabeth Lee & Blake Draper Play Who Said It? Disney Edition

In this fun video, lead actors Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Blake Draper play Who Said It? They are given quotes from Disney Channel and Disney+ movies and series and must recall who said it. Will Peyton be stumped when presented with her own quote from Andi Mack? Watch to find out!

ABOUT PROM PACT: It’s the height of prom season, and high school senior Mandy Yang and her best friend and fellow outsider Ben are surrounded by over-the-top ’80s-themed Promposals. However, Mandy keeps her eyes focused on a different goal: her lifelong dream of attending Harvard. When she finds out that she has been put on the waitlist, she is determined to do whatever she can do to get herself accepted, even if that means asking for help from the one person she abhors – popular all-star jock Graham Lansing, whose father is a powerful senator and Harvard alum. Once Mandy becomes Graham’s tutor, she begins to realize there’s more to him than she thought and perhaps something more to life than Harvard.

Prom Pact premieres Thursday, March 30, on Disney Channel, and it will be available the next day on Disney+.

Tessa Smith

Tessa Smith AKA Mama's Geeky, is a journalist that covers geek and Disney culture on her own website, as well as freelances for other sites such as What's On Disney Plus and Screen Rant. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Marketing and loves all things geeky. She is a Disney Vacation Club member and a Founders Circle Member of Disney+. She is also an approved critic for Rotten Tomatoes and a member of the Critics Choice Association. Tessa lives in Upstate New York with her husband, two daughters, and two dogs named Sansa and Khaleesi.

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