Everyone remembers when Zac Efron shot to superstardom thanks to the phenomenon that was High School Musical, or when Disney Channel put Grammy-nominated singing sensations like Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato on the map, or when Miley Cyrus took over the world as Hannah Montana. But with over 100 Disney Channel Original Movies under the magical network's belt, they sometimes star some unexpected notable names.
Whether it was one of their very first works or just another addition to the resume, plenty of major celebrities have appeared and starred in DCOMs over the years, from some Saturday Night Live stars to a someday superhero in the MCU.
Debbie Reynolds – 'Halloweentown' (1998)
The legend that was Debby Reynolds, who starred in everything from Singin' in the Rain in 1952 to guest appearances on shows like Will and Grace, Rugrats and Kim Possible, also had a very memorable stint in a DCOM film franchise.
Reynolds played Aggie Cromwell in Halloweentown, the grandmother to the Piper children who doubled as a beloved witch in her magical, spooky town. The actor went on to reprise her loveable role in the three sequels that followed, Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge, Halloweentown High and Return to Halloweentown.
Taran Killam – 'Stuck In The Suburbs' (2004)
Actor Taran Killam is best known for his six seasons on Saturday Night Live and being the other half to How I Met Your Mother and The Avengers star Cobie Smulders. But long before the actor was any of these things, he starred in a popular DCOM alongside some other notable names.
Killam played a cocky popstar named Jordan Cahill in Stuck in the Suburbs, who accidentally winds up befriending two of his biggest fans - played by Brenda Song and Danielle Panabaker - after he and Panabaker's fangirl character end up swapping phones.
Brie Larson – 'Right On Track' (2003)
Despite starting her career at 9 years old, it wasn't until 2019 that actor Brie Larson made headlines as Marvel's newest superhero Captain Marvel, starring in four films and counting for the film franchise. But long before joining the MCU, Carol Danvers' portrayer appeared on Disney Channel.
Larson starred alongside 7th Heaven alum Beverly Mitchell in Right on Track, a 2003 DCOM based on a true story about two sisters who succeeded at what was referred to as a "man's sport," and won a national drag racing title as teenagers.
Tim Meadows – 'The Even Stevens Movie' (2003)
Tim Meadows' long and impressive career ranges from Mean Girls to The Goldbergs to being one of the longest-running cast members on Saturday Night Live. And in between it all, the actor had an important role in an unforgettable DCOM.
Meadows' played Miles McDermott in The Even Stevens Movie, the accompanying DCOM to the Disney Channel sitcom Even Stevens, which followed the Stevens family on a vacation to paradise where everything that could go wrong, does go wrong, but Miles is one of few people in on a secret surprise.
Kristen Stewart – 'The Thirteenth Year' (1999)
Kristen Stewart shot to fame in 2008 when she was cast as the beloved book character Bella Swan in the Twilight saga, but her time as a vampire was far from her first acting gig, starting with her very first role in a Disney Channel Original Movie.
Stewart began her acting career when she scored a small, nonspeaking role in 1999's The Thirteenth Year, a film about a boy who starts growing scales and fins on his 13th birthday and learns of his mermaid heritage. Stewart's character is known as Girl in Fountain Line, although she was uncredited in the film.
Katey Sagal – 'Smart House' (1999)
Katey Sagal is known to each generation as a different character; Peggy Bundy on Married... with Children, Leela on Futurama, Louise on The Connors, and so many more. But for millennials, Sagal is most likely known simply as The Smart House.
The actor played Pat, the face of a computerized house, in the 1999 DCOM Smart House opposite DCOM alum Ryan Merriman in a film about a family who wins a computerized household that suffers a glitch that turns her into an overbearing mother who takes over their lives long before Alexa ever existed.
America Ferrera – 'Gotta Kick It Up!' (2002)
America Ferrera got her biggest break when she starred on ABC's Ugly Betty for four seasons, and later earned new fans with her starring role on NBC's Superstore. But one of the actor's first-ever roles was on Disney Channel in the 2002 movie Gotta Kick It Up!.
Ferrera played Yoli in this film about a group of young, Latina girls who learn to overcome the obstacles of society and learn the rhythm of their roots thanks to their dance team after convincing their new teacher to coach them.
Bryan Cranston – 'Twas The Night' (2001)
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Despite his notable career, Bryan Cranston got a resurgence in 2008 after starring on AMC's Breaking Bad. But one of the actor's lesser-known works comes in the form of a 2001 Christmastime DCOM.
Cranston had a starring role as Uncle Nick in Twas the Night, which follows an irresponsible uncle and his young, mischievous niece and nephews who take Santa's sleigh for a joyride and wind up inadvertently jeopardizing Christmas when they decide to deliver all the presents while Uncle Nick has an ulterior motive for trying out Santa's job.
Mickey Rooney – 'Phantom Of The Megaplex' (2000)
Mickey Rooney's long and vibrant career spanned television, movies, silent films, stop-motion holiday specials, Broadway and so much more. But one of his hundreds of credits you may not remember the actor had was a role in a DCOM.
Phantom of the Megaplex premiered on Disney Channel in 2000 and followed a young movie theater employee who discovers a phantom may be haunting his place of work during a special movie premiere when strange happenings arise and his fellow employees start disappearing, including Rooney's senile character Movie Mason.
Justin Timberlake – 'Model Behavior' (2000)
Whether you know him as the "SexyBack" popstar or one-fifth of the 90s boy band NSYNC, odds are you've heard Justin Timberlake's voice at one time or another. But many might not know that the singer doubles as an actor, with one of his earliest roles being in Model Behavior.
While not technically a DCOM, Model Behavior aired as part of ABC's Wonderful World of Disney - and later ran on Disney Channel - and followed a geeky girl and a popular model, whose similar looks allow them to trade places, causing some unexpected mishaps for Timberlake's male model character Jason.