American Idol: Katy Perry goes all out as Tinkerbell with wings and pixie dust for Disney Night

Katy Perry pulled out all the stops to dress up as Tinkerbell for the Disney Night episode Sunday on American Idol.

The 36-year-old pop star embraced the theme with a blonde updo, matching eyebrows, wings and a wand, sprinkling her comments to contestants with numerous Disney allusions.

‘You are a permanent princess; you will never turn back into a pumpkin,’ she told Alyssa Wray 19, also reminding Willie Spence, 21, that he was no longer a ‘Lost Boy.’

At one point, Katy pulled out a surprise from behind the judges’ table, throwing a fistful of sparkly confetti from her green purse in honor of Chayce Beckham, 24.

‘I think all you need is faith, trust and a little pixie dust!’ she told the diffident contestant.

Disney Night is a favorite of the 13-time Grammy nominee, who in past seasons has dressed up as Snow White, Ursula from The Little Mermaid, and Dumbo’s mother for the show.

Show host Ryan Seacrest, 46, revealed that next week will see the music of Coldplay featured as part of Coldplay Week.

Lead singer Chris Martin, 44, also will mentor contestants and the band will debut its song Higher Power.

This week’s remaining singers went into Disney Week knowing that by show’s end they’d be cut from 10 to seven.

Arthur Gunn, 23, from Wichita, Kansas, was first announced as the season 18 contestant who’d return to compete after fans voted last week.

He managed to survive re-entry unscathed, but Alyssa, Deshawn Goncalves, 20, and Cassandra Coleman, 24, were all sent home.

The show opened with everyone but Arthur at Walt Disney World in Orlando, where they visited four parks with their family members.

While there, they were mentored by former Full House star John Stamos, 57, a Beach Boys drummer and Broadway performer who’d been in ABC’s The Little Mermaid Live! production.

Once back in Los Angeles, they joined Disney Channel star Sofia Carson, 28, at the Dolby Theatre to perform A Whole New World, from Aladdin.

Oscar winner Jon Batiste, 34, also stopped by the show to revisit his hit It’s Alright (Why You Gotta), from last year’s animated film Soul.

High schooler Caleb Kennedy, 16, from Roebuck, South Carolina, was the first to compete and rocked out on Real Gone from Cars.

The judges were impressed by his enthusiasm, with Katy praising his ‘infectious’ energy and cracking, ‘I think this thing is really Peter Pan-ing out for you!’ 

Willie Spence, 21, from Douglas, Georgia, was next, doing Circle Of Life from Lion King as a tribute to his late grandfather, who’d recently died of COVID-19.

‘You just have the magic,’ said Luke Bryan, 44, pointing out that someone screamed while Willie sang. ‘Get ready—you’ll be hearing that the rest of your life.’

Cleveland college student Deshawn then did a jazzy rendition of When You Wish Upon A Star from Pinocchio, working the stage like Frank Sinatra.

‘How amazing is this show to watch guys and girls like you blossom and come out of their shell in front of our eyes?’ Luke asked him. ‘You are not the same person we saw at audition.’

High schooler Casey Bishop, 16, from Estero, Florida, moved everyone with her cover of When She Loved Me from Toy Story 2.

‘Casey, your vocals will take you to infinity and beyond,’ Katy said, marveling at how many different ‘colors’ the teen was showing as an artist. ‘You can do anything.’

Luke called Casey ‘a superstar in the making,’ and revealed that her performance had given him more ‘chillbumps’ than any in his past four years on Idol.

Machinery operator Chayce, from Apple Valley, California, then turned in a gravelly version of Dumbo’s Baby Mine, which the judges admired.

Luke said he’d given the tune a ‘retro-cool-country moment’ and loved his steel guitar.

‘You took a lullaby, and made it a cool song,’ Katy said before throwing ‘fairy dust.’

Former Idol contestant Graham DeFranco, 27, who’d appeared with Hunter Metts’ family in Tennessee, last week, was shown onscreen with Chayce’s family in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

College student Alyssa, from Perryville, Kentucky, turned out a pretty, R&B-inflected cover of A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes, from Cinderella.

‘Everything that you’re presenting—from the presentation of who you are to the way you deliver the song—is truly a work of art,’ Luke raved.

Returning contestant Arthur then took his shot with a version of Remember Me from the film Coco, changing the arrangement to make it brighter and more hopeful.

Katy felt it was one of Arthur’s best songs ever, adding, ‘I even heard a little Dave Matthews!’

Coffee shop manager Cassandra, from Columbia, Tennessee, chose to sing Go The Distance from Hercules, recalling her challenging journey through Idol.

‘It was an amazing, solid performance,’ offered Lionel Richie, 71, after she finished.

‘Any other little doubts you have, you leave in the fairy dust,’ Katy encouraged.

Software developer Hunter, from Franklin, Tennessee, then sang a surprisingly countrified version of You’ll Be In My Heart, from Tarzan.

‘You really swung that one,’ a mesmerized Katy punned. ‘Keep taking those leaps. That’s what’s going to make your voice and your artistry stand out.’

Last up was Grace Kinstler, 20, from Lakewood, Illinois, whose take on Frozen II’s Into The Unknown was so good in rehearsals that John merely emphasized, ‘Just do that!’

Katy loved it, too, saying, ‘Oh my goddess! Grace! It was like you had a magic wand in your voice, and the smoke was swirling and you were moving the energy and all of a sudden it was like lights and thunder and it was like you had the whole room controlled with your voice!’

America’s live vote was then revealed, and Grace was saved along with six others.

American Idol will return Sunday on ABC.