We all remember High School Musical” and “The Cheetah Girls,” and even if we don’t admit it… we were fans. But what about those movies that we loved, but, well, we might have forgotten about? Disney Channel gave us some classics and so it might be time to get the friends together for a little blast from the past. Here are the top ten of those totally awesome movies that don’t deserve to be labeled as ‘forgotten.’
10. “Double Teamed”-
The 2002 movie tells the story of twin sisters, Heidi and Heather. One of the first sports movies we really fell in love with, this movie centers around the great game of basketball. High school drama, sibling rivalry and the passion of the game make up this Disney classic. And as per usual, Disney lets us see the softer side of the supposed villain and shows us that if we get to know our enemies they can ultimately turn into friends. Originally released on VHS (oh, remember those days of rewinding our movies?), this film is currently out of print. It can be ordered on Amazon, however, it is pretty pricey.
9. “Mom’s Got a Date With A Vampire”-
Premiering in 2000, this Disney Channel movie portrays vampires how they should be- scary and only interested in your blood. Three siblings get their single mom in a jam and then have to band together to clean up the mess, and save their mom from the vampire intent on making her his queen. And of course who could forget Lizzie McGuire’s dad making a special appearance as the rogue vampire hunter? And as with all Disney Channel films, good must prevail. Love is what breaks the evil spell of the vampire and reunites the family. Love conquers all–good job Disney, good job. Keep an eye on the television schedule around Halloween; Disney usually brings out this classic around then.
8. “The Luck of the Irish”-
This 2001 film solidified our love of St. Patrick’s Day. Before we partied it up St. Pat’s style, this was what really made St. Patrick’s Day for all us kids. The popular boy gets his world turned upside down when one day he discovers he is actually half leprechaun. With his lucky coin stolen, he loses his luck. He must retrieve the coin if he hopes to gain his luck back and to do that he must team up with friends and family (isn’t that always the case). With this movie, Disney taught us that our past is what makes us who we are and that sometimes you need more than just luck to succeed. Check out the Disney Channel schedule in March and you are pretty much guaranteed to come across a few screenings of this lucky film.
7. “Don’t Look Under the Bed”-
1999 was a pretty awesome year for Disney Channel movies, and if you watched this one on its premiere date, chances are it probably freaked you out the first time. At one point or another we have all run into our room and jumped onto the bed for fear of what’s underneath. This movie brought those fears to life. It would appear that main character Frances is going insane, but she’s not–she’s just being stalked by the boogeyman and the only one around to help is an imaginary friend named Larry that only she can see. Disney gave us some lovable characters and Larry was definitely one of the best. Frances must right the wrongs she has done if she wants to save herself, Larry, and her little brother from the boogeyman. There are some pretty scary scenes but all’s well that ends well and we viewers got a happy ending. You might be able to find this on Disney Channel around Halloween, but fortunately this one is also available on Amazon instant video.
6. “Get a Clue”-
This 2002 Disney movie starred Lindsay Lohan as the cute and adorable teenager–before all the rehab. Four friends set out to locate their missing teacher only to discover that he was framed for stealing $10,000,000. The friends must prove his innocence and discover the true thief before it’s too late. It wasn’t just the mystery plot that sucked us in, but also the budding romance between the beautiful Lexy (L.L.) and the quirky and lovable Jack. Comedy, mystery, and romance–this one has it all. Plus we never could get Simon and Milo’s “Get A Clue” out of our heads. “Get A Clue” hit stores in 2005 and you can purchase the DVD on Amazon for pretty cheap.
5. “The Color of Friendship”-
Set in the 70’s but released in 2000, this movie deals with racial tolerance and acceptance. For most of us, this was one of the first films we watched that actually addressed the issue of racism as it applies to us. Mahree and Piper are excited to participate in an exchange program but when they discover that Mahree is white and Piper is black, they are both angry and confused. While the issues of apartheid are rapidly growing more dangerous, Piper and Mahree gradually begin to accept one another and learn to be friends. It’s a long and difficult process but Mahree eventually begins to see the immorality of her country’s way of life and how much is wrong with apartheid. This film actually won a few awards including an Emmy for “Outstanding Children’s Program.” This film is on Amazon but it isn’t cheap. Although the film was a hit and was shown many times when it first aired, it is rarely shown anymore. Occasionally Disney will show it to honor Black History Month so check the schedule in February.
4. “Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century”-
In 1999 we were all eagerly anticipating the 21st century and we did so right beside Zenon, our comical space age heroine. Zenon is a typical teenager, except for the fact that she lives on a space station, and after getting into trouble she is essentially ‘grounded’ to planet Earth to live with her aunt. But Zenon soon discovers that her entire space station is in danger and she must do all she can to prevent it from losing power and crashing. With the help of her new and old friends she saves the day and along the way gets to meet her favorite band, Protozoa. We even get to see Raven-Symoné before her own breakout Disney show, “That’s So Raven.” Everyone can agree that not only did we love watching the movie, but our hearts thoroughly melted when Protozoa took the stage. Singing along to “Supernova Girl” was practically a requirement of watching this Disney classic. Once again, we come across another classic that was thrown out of the spotlight and is now hardly ever shown on Disney Channel anymore. The film is available for purchase on Amazon but is expensive–even for the 21st century.
3. “Smart House”-
1999 continues to bring us the best of the best, and “Smart House” is definitely in that category. A computer genius, Ben, wins a contest and he, along with his father and sister, move into a computerized “smart house.” Everything seems awesome until Ben begins to get fearful that his dad is replacing his mother with his new girlfriend, so Ben tampers with the computer system and accidentally transforms the house into a mom-like figure who insists on controlling the family and ultimately locking them inside. The creator of the system must attempt to save the family but ultimately it is Ben who convinces the house to let him go. This film was possibly the coolest technology film of its time. Who didn’t want a house that would literally clean itself, cook your meals and even play fetch with the dog? Disney played this movie pretty regularly but it wasn’t officially released on DVD until 2009. It can be found on Amazon for pretty cheap.
2. “Cadet Kelly”-
“Cadet Kelly” premiered on Disney in 2002 and had 7.8 million viewers–pretty impressive, even for Disney. It was Hilary Duff’s second big movie role and it was a rousing success. When Kelly’s (Hilary Duff) mother marries the Commandant of a military school, Kelly is forced to leave her old life behind. She has to adjust to life as a cadet and she soon develops a rivalry with her Cadet Captain. Lizzie McGuire versus Ren Stevens was an amazing showdown for any true Disney Channel lover. After multiple issues with struggling to adjust in this less than fun and carefree world, Kelly joins the drill team. She learns to accept military life and, just like in “Double Teamed,” she turns her enemy into her friend. And after a scary situation involving both her birth and step father, Kelly finally accepts her new step-father into the family. In good Disney fashion, “Cadet Kelly” taught us that you can still be yourself even if it seems like you are living in a different world. This film is available both on Amazon and on Instant Netflix.
1. “Halloweentown”-
In celebration of Halloween in 1998, Disney gave us the ultimate classic, “Halloweentown.” The film follows the story of siblings, Marnie, Dylan and Sophie. One Halloween night, they sneak out of the house and follow their grandmother back home, only to realize that she lives in another world called Halloweentown and all of the residents are magical. The siblings discover that they, along with their mother and grandmother, are witches. It seems to be a night of magical fun until their mother arrives to take them home, but instead it ends up that both their mother and grandmother are captured by an evil warlock who wants to take over the human world. Marnie and her siblings must tap into their own powers and the powers of Halloween to help stop the warlock. Ghosts, werewolves, skeletons and goblins alike delight us in this wonderful Halloween tale. We all dream of magical places where anything is possible, and “Halloweentown” brought those dreams to life. Ordinary kids suddenly discover they have magical powers, who wouldn’t love that? It was followed by three sequels but none surpassed this one. “Halloweentown” is played pretty regularly every October and all four installments of the series are available for purchase on Amazon.