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- While the entertainment giant that is Disney is working on upcoming live-action remakes of classics like The Little Mermaid (May 26, 2023), the best Disney Channel films from fans' childhoods continue to fly under the radar.
Everyone who grew up in the 90s and 2000s has their favorite Disney Channel movie. Admit it, everyone has sung along to a Camp Rock song, or have fond memories of Stuck in the Suburbs. Before the rise of Disney+, the Disney Channel was the place to go for original Disney content, including their original movies.
Sure, most of those movies haven’t aged well, and look dated by today’s standards; however, those movies were a prime part of every kid’s childhood, and as the Disney Channel is now a shell of its former glory, let's count down the best Disney Channel movies, with most available to stream on Disney+.
Updated on May 11, 2023, by Hannah Saab:
While the entertainment giant that is Disney is working on upcoming live-action remakes of classics like The Little Mermaid (May 26, 2023), the best Disney Channel films from fans' childhoods continue to fly under the radar.
12 'Smart House' (1999)
It may seem somewhat commonplace now, but back in 1999, kids' minds were filled with wonder as to what it would be like to live in a computerized home. That was the premise behind Smart House, one of Disney Channel's oldest original movies.
Starring Katey Sagal, the movie told the story of the Coopers, who move into a “smart home” that begins to take on a life of its own. Cheesy? God, Yes, especially by today’s standards; but it’s still a nice little nugget of what made Disney Channel’s original movies special.
11 'Radio Rebel' (2012)
For a while, Radio Rebel seemed like a forgotten footnote in Disney Channel’s plethora of original movies. Then came the meme of Debby Ryan hilariously sliding her hair from her face, and, all of a sudden, there was renewed interest in the movie from which that clip came.
Radio Rebel starred Ryan as a geeky kid by day, and radio DJ by night. This film was, believe it or not, based on a book, Shrinking Violet, and although the film didn’t nearly do the book justice, it wasn’t as bad as people made it out to be, and is a bit of a cult favorite among Disney Channel loyalists.
10 'Jett Jackson: The Movie' (2001)
Don’t be hard on yourself if you don’t have any memories of the Disney Channel show The Famous Jett Jackson. It was one of the network’s premiere shows at the turn of the 21st century, as all Disney Channel hits go, it demanded its own DCOM, creatively titled Jett Jackson: The Movie.
The film expanded on the series and may have acted as a setup for Season 3, but instead, the DCOM marked the end for Jett Jackson. Nevertheless, it was a surprisingly good movie, and, as with most DCOM films around this time, it has not aged well, but it’s still worth a watch to get that trip of nostalgia.
9 'Johnny Tsunami' (1999)
Brandon Barker is known for two projects: NBC’s One World (which many may not remember), and the early DCOM film Johnny Tsunami, which many Disney fans know all too well. Johnny Tsunami was one of the network's earlier hit movies, and it tells the story of a kid from Hawaii (who loves surfing, obviously) who has to adjust after his family moves to Vermont.
So, instead of being a surfer, he turns into a natural snowboarder. Simple premise, it is, but the film was a ton of fun, and its “fish-out-of-water” tale is truly one of the best the network has told.
8 'Stuck in the Suburbs' (2004)
Do you know what a pop star’s worst nightmare is? Being stuck in the suburbs without their cell phone. That’s part of the premise of Stuck in the Suburbs, the early 2000s Disney Channel movie starring Brenda Song (who was riding high on her The Suite Life of Zack & Cody fame), and Danielle Panabaker.
The two portray suburban teenage girls who get a hold of Jordan Cahill's (Taran Killam) cell phone and try to return it to the pop star. This DCOM is special in that it was the first to have a soundtrack accompany it, with some of the biggest pop stars of the day such as Haylie Duff and, you guessed it, Jordan Cahill.
7 'Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior' (2006)
One of the most popular Disney movies at the time of its release, Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior captivated the world with its story about the titular character (played by Brenda Song), a seemingly perfect and popular teen whose life is transformed after a Chinese monk tells her she's actually a mighty warrior with a destiny she can't run away from.
Its mix of an unbelievably wacky premise, a fantastic performance from Song, and laugh-out-loud moments make it a fan-favorite that's surprisingly rewatchable.
6 'Cadet Kelly' (2002)
She's too cool for rules, she's Cadet Kelly. Played by Hilary Duff, the high school student who takes it a bit too far is soon sent to a military school to learn some discipline. Soon, she finds something worth changing for and even joins a notoriously difficult performance that highlights her grit and talent.
While some of its content hasn't aged well, Cadet Kelly is fondly remembered by audiences today thanks to the hard lessons it taught young kids about responsibility, as well as the complex relationships people can often have with their families.
5 'The Cheetah Girls' (2003)
Before High School Musical danced its way into pre-teens' hearts, there was no bigger DCOM movie out there than The Cheetah Girls. Starring Raven-Symone and Adrienne Bailon, The Cheetah Girls had it all: killer music, killer dance moves and a tried-and-true storyline of just trying to make it big and keep a friendship together.
When it premiered in 2003, it was more than just a regular Disney movie coming out, it was an event, and remains one of the best-produced original films Disney has made for the channel.
4 'The Proud Family Movie' (2005)
The Proud Family is one of Disney Channel’s most well-known animated sitcoms, and to wrap up its original run, the network decided to make a movie, The Proud Family Movie, that was just as sassy and bold as its series predecessor.
Plot-wise, the film was kind of a mess, mixing Penny Proud’s upcoming 16th birthday with a scientist who was cloned out of a peanut (yes, this was part of the plot). It was a weird plot, yes, but it all tied together at the end and makes for an enjoyable family watch today.
3 'Halloweentown' (1998)
One of the first Disney movies ever made for the channel, Halloweentown was the first of four films in the series (a Halloweentown universe if you think about it), some even believe it's a Disney film that deserves a better sequel. Starring Debbie Reynolds, the film tells the story of a group of kids who find a secret portal that will transport anyone who steps through to Halloweentown – a place where Halloween is on 365 days of the year.
Of course, in a universe where Halloween never dies (Michael Myers would have loved this place), the kids have to battle all sorts of Halloween evil in this world. The plotline was a bit too thin for it to be stretched into a series, but the original Halloweentown is, by far, considered one of the best DCOM movies ever made, and for good reason.
2 'Camp Rock' (2008)
What do you get when you team up a young, up-and-coming Disney Channel princess with a hot boy band? You get Camp Rock, the 2008 film starring Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers.
The movie’s plotline is spelled out in the title, as it tells the story of Mitchie (Lovato) who aspires to be a singer at a summer music camp, called Camp Rock. In hindsight, Camp Rock had all of the usual DCOM teen cheese, but it was one of the biggest TV films of that year. It was so big that it also got a showing on ABC, the second Disney Channel film to have that honor.
1 'High School Musical' (2006)
There was no Disney movie bigger than High School Musical. One can argue that, if it wasn’t for the huge success of this film, Disney Channel movies would have slid into obscurity. Instead, this film, about a high school basketball prodigy and shy transfer student who tries out for their school’s musical, was the Disney event to end all Disney events.
High School Musical scored some of the biggest names of that day: Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Zac Efron in all his helmet hair glory, you name the actor, they were probably in this movie. High School Musical would become the most successful DCOM movie ever, and even spawned two sequels, one of which would be released in theaters (High School Musical 3: Senior Year). Now there is even three seasons of a High School Musical Disney+ show – High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.