Demi Lovato is going back to “Camp Rock.”
The singer-actress makes a surprise appearance in “Camp Rock 3,” reprising her iconic role as Mitchie Torres in the Disney franchise that helped launch her career.
Lovato also serves as an executive producer on the third installment alongside the Jonas Brothers. “Camp Rock 3” premieres Thursday, Aug. 13, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel and will stream on Disney+ the following day.
The new film reunites Lovato with Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas, who return as the fictional Gray brothers and members of the band Connect 3. Years after the events of “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam,” the band loses its opening act ahead of a major reunion tour and returns to Camp Rock to find its next big star.
As campers compete for the chance to open for Connect 3, tensions rise, friendships shift, and new romances begin.
Liamani Segura stars as Sage, a “bold and determined” camper, while Malachi Barton plays Fletch, the camp’s “bad boy.” Lumi Pollack, Sherry Cola, Hudson Stone, Casey Trotter, Brooklyn Pitts and Ava Jean also star.
GettyDemi Lovato’s Mitchie Torres Returns to Camp Rock
While Mitchie returns, director Veronica Rodriguez wanted to make sure the character did not overshadow the new generation of campers.
“We wanted to find the right balance of how much she should be in the film and what Mitchie’s involvement looked like,” said Rodriguez.
Rodriguez said Mitchie herself acknowledges that the new campers deserve the spotlight.
“Her character literally says in the movie, to her mom, ‘This isn’t about me, it’s about them. It’s their time to shine. This is the new generation of campers,” Rodriguez said.
The director added that Mitchie and Connect 3 remain important to the story while allowing the new cast to establish its own place in the franchise.
Lovato first played Mitchie in the 2008 original “Camp Rock,” starring opposite Joe Jonas’ Shane Gray. The shy but talented singer-songwriter attends the summer music camp while chasing her dream of becoming a performer. She eventually develops a close friendship and a romantic relationship with Shane.
What to Know About “Camp Rock 3”
The film became a major success for Disney Channel and helped catapult both Lovato and the Jonas Brothers to international fame. Disney followed the movie with “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam” in September 2010.
GettyBoth films ranked as the No. 1 cable movie premieres in their respective years and remain among the network’s most popular original movies.
“Camp Rock 3” also brings back Maria Canals-Barrera as Mitchie’s mother, Connie Torres, who previously worked as a cook at Camp Rock to help her daughter attend the camp.
Earlier this month, Lovato reunited with the new cast at Disneyland. The singer shared a video Aug. 4 showing herself dancing with the actors and lip-syncing to Meaghan Martin’s “Too Cool” from the original movie.
Now, more than 15 years after audiences first met Mitchie, Lovato is returning to the place where her Disney Channel journey began, this time to help introduce Camp Rock to a whole new generation.
