What I learned while re-watching DCOM classics as an adult
No matter how old I get, Disney Channel Original Movies will always hold a special place in my heart — and probably yours. Thanks to Disney Channel there was a major DCOM marathon over the summer and it was epic. It reminded us that there are a LOT of quotes from these films we should be using every day!
That wasn’t the only thing I learned from re-watching the DCOM classics. Seriously, there was so much to pick up on, like the fact that what we thought was fashionable back in the day (thanks to Cheetah Girls or Get a Clue) so wasn’t cute — or at least it’s not cute now. To see what else I discovered as I watched these classics as an adult read on.
You should always have two passions, even if they are polar opposites
In pretty much every movie the main character has two loves in life, not just one. In Eddie’s Million Dollar Cook-Off, Eddie plays baseball, yet loves to cook. In High School Musical, Troy is a basketball star, but wants to perform. This happens more often than not, so if we’re picking up the message correctly here, it’s that you can have more than one passion.
Dads have terrible style
Sorry to report, but dads, at least in these types of movies dress really lame. If you need proof please re-watch Johnny Tsunami, his dad is a total square. Plus, if we’re being honest Steve Stevens from The Even Stevens Movie is always a mess (not only when he’s stranded on the island).
The future is not as bizarre as we expected
Based on Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century and Smart House, the future was going to be crazy, weird and full of intense technology, oh and we’d all be in space. Sadly, it’s not like that, although there is probably someone who has a full-wall TV that blasts Bewitched‘s “C’est La Vie” like the little sister did in Smart House, which we’d be very envious of.
Girls can do anything, even in a man’s world
This was an exciting thing to realize! Dollars to donuts your favorite DCOM was about girl power on some level. From Cadet Kelly and Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama, to Get a Clue and Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, girls were kicking butt and it was — and still is — pretty impressive.
Kids will eat anything put in front of them
Hello, seaweed pizza in Read it and Weep? You’re in high school and you eat that? I don’t think so!
Most of the parents are SO overbearing
After re-watching a LOT of these movies, I wanted to punch a lot of the parents in the face and tell them to calm down, specifically the dad on Motocrossed. Andrea was a great rider, sure she was a girl, but what should that matter? All she wanted to do was help the family and yet he yelled at her all the time and never congratulated her on the cheerleading trophy or her win at the motocross race. Ugh!
Do these kids ever actually go to school?
The answer is no!
There are always (or almost always) two sports or things talked about, even if it’s for a split second
Take some time and really think about it, because this is SO true. In Double Teamed they talk about being volleyball players, and play basketball. In Alley Cats Strike it’s all about basketball in the beginning before switching to bowling and the list goes on and on.
The acting is not as top-notch as you remember
Sorry to burst your bubble and taint your childhood, but if you watch your favorite DCOMs again you will be sadly disappointed by the lack of killer acting chops some of these actors posses. That’s not to say that some of them aren’t excellent. In fact many of them have come a LONG way since their Disney Channel days and it’s definitely a good thing.
Kids really have a lot of freedom in the DCOM universe
In any movie you choose to watch, there is definitely a lack of parental supervision. The characters have a LOT of freedom, and rarely get into trouble (unless they have the overbearing parents previously talked about). Come on, just look at this outfit, worn at school, in Wish Upon a Star! How did her parents not see her leaving the house like this?
Magic would’ve made high school a lot easier
Okay, so magic might not be the answer to becoming popular or passing your classes, but films like Halloweentown High, Read it and Weep (the fake side of it) and Twitches made magic in school seem awesome and the perfect fix to all teenage woes.
You will forever love them, no matter how bad they really are
It doesn’t matter if the acting isn’t as great as you remember, or if the story takes a long time to pick up, DCOMs are amazing because they are a piece of our childhood. We will forever love them, even if they are SO strange looking back at them.
Which DCOM is still your favorite?
