It’s the beginning of July, and that means that, for some of us, summer is just around the corner. As a recent university grad, I feel as though it would be accurate to say that my entire life has suddenly become one giant summer vacation. But, since I am on a bit of a nostalgia trip right now, I thought it would be fun to look back on one of my favorite aspects of summer vacation from the sunshine filled days of my youth. No, it’s not beach days, trips to the amusement park, or evenings spent watching fireworks.
In the eyes of all of the introverted couch potatoes of the world, the absolute greatest aspect of summer vacation was when the Family Channel reorganized their daily schedule in order to make room for a double dose of back to back Disney Channel Original films. During the school year, those films could only be seen on the weekends, but during those two sweet summer months, those films were scheduled to play twice a day all week long. These are the films that shaped our generation. They taught us that honest communication solves all of our problems, that we should always look over our shoulders before talking trash about someone, and emphasized the importance of never pretending to be someone or something you’re not in order to get people to like you.
Here’s to you, Disney Channel Original Movies. Now, without further ado, I present the readers of the world with twenty-five little-known facts about these classic made for TV films.
25 Moto And Gender-Crossed
Shakespeare is one of those authors whose work simply transcends time. Themes, plots, and intrapersonal issues that are prevalent in his most classic works are still applicable to the lives and films of our modern era. During the surge of classically inspired teen films that overtook the world in the late 90s and early 2000s, Disney decided to dip their toes into the lake of adaptations with Motocrossed.
This film, which follows the story of a girl who pretends to be a guy in order to prove her biking chops, was based on the play Twelfth Night (this play also inspired the Amanda Bynes film She’s The Man).
24 Clue: The Original Mystery
Though modern Disney Channel films tend to focus on uplifting and family-friendly topics, older Disney Originals never used to shy away from the nitty-gritty aspects of life. And the film Get A Clue is no exception. This film followed the efforts of a group of prep school teens who break numerous laws in the attempt to track down their missing teacher.
Even when juxtaposed against the darker themes of older DCOM films, Get A Clue stands out. And that is because the film was based on a 1993 Woody Allen film, which followed a couple who believed that someone had off’ed their neighbor’s wife. Screenwriter Alana Sanko loved the film and thought that adapting it for children would be a fun twist on a classic plot.
23 Camp Rock’s Two Endings
I am about to admit a major Disney Channel sin. Alright, here it goes. I have never seen Camp Rock 2. I have seen and thoroughly enjoyed the first film, but I never got around to seeing the highly anticipated sequel. In fact, the sequel was so highly anticipated that the cast and crew did everything they could to safeguard the film against the possibility of leaks and spoilers making their way online.
Since fans of the franchise were used as extras on the set, the crew decided to film two separate and complete endings to prevent extras from leaking details of the plot once returning home. The true ending was only revealed when the film finally aired.
22 Giving The Fans What They Want
One of the coolest things about the Disney Channel is the fact that it allows their viewers to maintain a certain level of involvement in their favorite franchises. Nothing is cooler than turning on a film and seeing something onscreen that you made happen.
After the massive success of the first High School Musical film, the studio allowed the fans of the series to influence some of the smaller aspects of the film. For example, every single slogan-bearing shirt that Chad wore in the second film was chosen by the viewers. Fans also got to pick the contents of the picnic shared between Gabriella and Troy as well as which Disney Channel star would make a guest appearance in the film (Miley Cyrus was chosen).
21 Color-Changing Lemonade
One of my favorite things to do is to analyze the different aspects of the media in which I consume and costuming is one of the most fascinating things to break down. Every single piece that a character wears was chosen for a reason. The color, fabric, shape, and texture were all intentional.
In the film Lemonade Mouth, all of the main characters (save for Mo who joins the color scheme later on) are dressed in shades of orange or violet at the beginning of the film. Since violet and orange are opposite on the color wheel, this combination symbolizes the fact that their opposing characteristics are the source of their strength.
20 Double Teamed: Off And On The Screen
Double Teamed is a lot more than a film that you should not Google without including the words “Disney Channel” in the search bar (unless you want to be utterly scared for life). It is also, surprisingly enough, based on the true story of two real-life sisters! While it is true that the girls ended up playing for the WNBA (Heather for the Sacramento Monarchs and Heidi for the LA Sparks) after discovering their love for the sport while playing the sport in high school, it is important to note that the girls did not play for the teams simultaneously as presented in the film.
19 High School Lipsynchers
I am sorry to burst the internets High School Musical bubble but Zac Efron’s beautiful pipes are not the ones that tickled our ears in the musical numbers that filled the first film of the franchise. Though this tidbit has been circling the interwebs for a while, it is important to note that the reason for this switch is rarely stated.
Drew Seeley’s voice was used in the place of Efron’s in the first film because Efron’s voice was simply too low for the music they had already written for his character. Though Efron did sing without assistance for the rest of the franchise as they adjusted the music to fit his natural voice (I wonder why they didn’t just do that from the beginning).
18 The Even Stevens Lawsuit
Since The Even Stevens Movie premiered over a decade ago, the details of the plot may be a little rusty for some. So allow me to briefly refresh your memories. Louis Stevens, the resident prankster of the Stevens family, ruins his neurotic sister’s graduation with a poorly conceived prank and ends up having to take up a summer job to make up for it (which is cut short when they win a fake all expenses paid vacation to a fictional island).
But the initial prank almost went awry in more ways than one as the spaghetti which Coach Tugnut (Jim Wise) was pelted with was far denser than expected. Jim Wise revealed in an interview with Seventeen magazine that he nearly blacked out after having the heavy spaghetti unleashed upon him.
17 Descended From The Worst
It’s no secret that not everyone was born into a family that fully appreciated them. Some people are born into families that make them feel like they are a constant source of disappointment. Take Mal from Descendants, for example. Though it is true that not all villains are outright evil as some are simply misunderstood or the victims of circumstance, some villains are simply the worst. And with the case of Maleficent, the latter is true. She is such a piece of work that her teenage daughter is forced to go by a nickname because she has yet to “earn” her full name. I’m sorry, what?
16 Wish Upon A Dancer
For those of you who have not seen the made for TV classic that is Wish Upon a Star, allow me to summarize the plot as quickly as I can. Nerdy awkward teen switches bodies with her dumb yet popular older sister, Freaky Friday style. While the older sister is in the younger sister’s body, she dons a dress that can only be described as leather saran wrap and dances on a cafeteria table in a way that would have outraged parents had the film aired today. The dance made actress Danielle Harris a bit of a nervous wreck, so, in order to calm her nerves, she asked for that only those who were uncomfortable with the performance to sit at the table she would be dancing on. This would prevent her from feeling ogled or on display.
15 Parental Guidance Advised
There are twist endings in film and then there are twist endings. Tiger Cruise is a film which contains a twist so intense that it feels like a punch to the stomach. You think that you are watching a lovely film about the children of military personnel taking a peaceful cruise together. And then BAM! Suddenly it’s 9/11 and the children are in a blind panic because communication is down and they don’t know whether or not their parents will make it through the events taking place at the Pentagon. Due to this intense subject matter, this film became one of the only Disney Channel original films to ever earn a PG rating.
14 Wendy Wu: Power Ranger In Disguise
When making a film centered around martial arts, fighting sequences, and ancient legends like Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior, it only makes sense that one would look to the Power Rangers for inspiration. I mean, for 90s kids around this green Earth, the Power Rangers were the most awesome martial artists that our little eyes had ever seen. Though I am not afraid to admit that I believe that Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior was a solid C film, I do think that watching Sally Martin (Tori, Power Rangers Ninja Storm) and Anna Hutchinson (Lily, Power Rangers Jungle Fury) who brought some of the Power Rangers to life get back to their stunts was an absolute delight.
13 A Real Life Cadet
One thing I never understood about the film Cadet Kelly is why the plot attempted to portray Kelly like a naughty child who needed to attend her step-father’s military school in order to reform her questionable behavior when she was probably one of the most well-behaved and respectful characters to ever appear in a Disney Channel Film. Though the plot is questionable, the film does contain a lot of realistic and intriguing military sequences that required a large amount of training for the actors to properly complete. In fact, Hilary Duff actually received the title of “honorary Cadet Sergeant” at the academy in which the movie was set after completing her mandatory training.
12 Liars In Leopard Spots
Are you, the people of the internet, ready for me to blow your minds wide open? I do not think you can handle the fact which I am about to drop on all of y’all. Alright, here it goes. In the hit Disney Channel film The Cheetah Girls, the main four cast members are never actually seen wearing cheetah print at any point throughout the movie. I’m going to take a pause to let that fact sink in. I know what you’re thinking, “But Zooey, you beautiful and talented woman, I think you might be mistaken for they wear elements of animal print throughout the film!” Yes, but that animal print is that of a leopard rather than a cheetah. Talk about a misnomer.
11 The Proud Family’s Running Gag
Recurring gags and mysteries are some of the best aspects of children’s media. And the majority of those mysteries usually tend to center around the true faces of many of the adult characters in our favorite shows. And The Proud Family is no exception. One of the most infuriating aspects of the show is the fact that we never got to see Wiz Kelly’s face. However, if you decide to watch the made for TV Disney Channel Original film that accompanied the show, you will be delighted with a long-awaited face reveal near the end of the film. When the peanut butter floods the stadium, for one brief frame, Wiz Kelly’s face can finally be seen.
10 Halloweentown’s Original Ending
For a strictly family-friendly film, Halloweentown almost ended things on an incredibly dark note. In the original ending, the town’s jack o’lantern was not located in the town center. It was actually situated in the middle of a dense and magical forest that Marnie had to trek through in order to save the town from Kalabar’s dastardly plot. As she journeyed through the forest, its evil magic was supposed to take over her body and rapidly age her until she barely had the strength to reach the jack o’lantern and end the curse. But it was ultimately decided that this ending was a bit too dark for a children’s film and it was replaced with the ending that we all know and love.
9 Sisters Seeing Double
For those of you who did not see the Aly and AJ film Cow Belles, allow me to briefly film you in. Two rich sisters find themselves having to work at their father’s dairy factory after nearly burning their house down and their carelessness is a recurring theme throughout the film as it nearly costs their father his company in the end. However, several critics pointed out that it bore a striking resemblance to another film that came out around the exact same time and followed nearly the exact same plot. The Hilary and Haylie Duff film Material Girls (an Austen adaptation which follows two spoiled sisters who fight to save their fathers company) came out the exact same year.
8 Goodbye Lizzie… Or Not
I love Lizzie McGuire but someone should have fired whoever was in charge of ordering those episodes. For some reason, the pool party episode (which introduces every single character) was aired in the midst of the first season and the episode where Lizzie claims Kate stuffs her underwear became the official pilot. And for some reason, Clover and Daisy’s episode was selected to exist as the official finale while the episode that features the characters graduating from junior high aired much earlier that same season.
And things get even more confusing when the film gets added to the mix as it features the characters graduation and a post-grad trip abroad but premiered in the midst of the second season. Meaning new episodes, featuring a middle school attending Lizzie, still continued to air for nearly a year after its release.
7 The 21st Century Bookworm
Adaptations are the backbone of the modern film industry. In an age of remakes, reboots, and constant sequels, it seems like the concept of an original idea is completely absent from the minds of Hollywood executives. But that’s not to say that everything needs to be a unique thought or idea. Clever adaptations that but a twist on their original source material are always welcome in my books. It’s always so fascinating to see what writers do with their source material and how they convert it to film. Now, it might surprise fans to know that the Disney Channel classic Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century was inspired by Marilyn Sadler’s children’s book of the same name.
6 Like Fabulous Daughter, Like Fabulous Father
One of the best ways to establish a connection between characters is through music and costuming. Colour schemes, similar outfits and textures, and similar scores played when the camera is focused on certain characters establishes connects them in a way that isn’t intrusive or overpowering. For example, when Sharpay’s father first appears in the second High School Musical film, the score which can be heard playing in the background that accompanies his arrival is a instrumental version of Sharpay’s earlier sung song “Fabulous.” Though it is important to note that the song has been re-recorded to give off a more regal flair.
