Edited By: Anav Sawhney
Ghosts with a sense of humour, 90s rock band style and a killer soundtrack. What more could you ask for? Julie and The Phantoms has all these and more. The new Netflix original series that came out late September has already made its way into the hearts of teenagers and adults alike. The series created by Dan Cross and David Hoge and directed by Kenny Ortega is based on the Brazilian television series Julie e os Fantasmas. Kenny Ortega and David Lawrence, team up together 14 years after the debut of High school Musical, to produce a killer original soundtrack.
The show follows three seventeen-year-old boys who were in a rock band back in 1995 named Sunset Curve but hours before the biggest show of their lives, they were met with an accident involving hotdogs and tragically faces death. Fast forward to 25 years later. Julie Molina, a young girl, is facing terrible grief and aching with her mom’s passing. With the fate of her music in the air, she decides to put in an old CD she finds in her family’s garage, accidentally summoning the three ghosts. What follows is a light-hearted and heart-warming tale of a found family navigating the hard times to lift the others and especially Julie up, through the one thing that connects them- music.
The show is not only just a teen show, but it also gives the younger generation a new set of role models and the older a breath of fresh air and nostalgia to their Disney roots. The show though does not shy away from heavier topics or concerns. Exemplifying this is Alex, an openly gay teen with an actual romantic plotline. This gives space for a huge change in LGBTQ+ representation in teen shows, making way for a new set of role models. It also deals with wholesome supportive male friendships. Sure the friendship between the drummer, the bassist and the guitarist [ Alex, Reggie and Luke] might be a little more progressive than one would expect from rock bander boys in the 90s but their friendship/family dynamic is honestly one of the best in recent television. They lift each other up in a lot of ways- “could you just own your awesomeness for once?” and are wholly supportive of Alex, even as it’s revealed his parents weren’t. The same could be said for the other boys as it’s revealed throughout the season how close they are to each other “you’re the only family I have”.
The same could be said for the dynamics between the friendship of the main protagonist Julie with her phantoms and her best friend Flynn. Madison Reyes plays the charming Julie, and at 16 she has a killer voice that captivates the audience by the end of the first song wake up in the first episode. The young girl provides a much needed latinax representation in the media, innocently portraying the protagonist. Jadah Marie plays Julie’s sassy but supportive best friend Flynn and the healthy innocent friendship provides a beautiful storyline. The dynamics between Julie and her dad and brother is also interesting and shows the idea of a family dealing with grief together and bringing music back into their lives.
Not only does the show have a good soundtrack, the talented artists have all sung and played the instruments, creating an actual band within the show, even writing a few songs themselves. Charlie Gillespie plays the charming heartthrob guitarist Luke, while Jeremy Shada best known for his voice as Finn in Adventure Time and Lance in Legend of Voltron plays the humorous bassist Reggie, and Owen Patrick Joyner best known as a rising star from the Nickelodeon show Knight Squad plays the anxiety ridden drummer Alex. They provide a beautiful chemistry while their voices balance well with each other, providing the best original music to the show. The show also consists of a talented side cast with Booboo Stewart playing Willie, a friendly skating ghost and Alex’s romantic interest, Cheyenne Jackson playing a ghost magician by the name of Caleb.
The show hits all the nails for a perfect fun watch with the right amount of everything, a well produced Disney show with a quality that’s been missing and a lightheartedness needed in this world. Watch the show on Netflix for a fun ride.