One of the things I miss most about being a kid is putting on cozy pajamas and watching some Disney Channel Original Movies. These movies basically defined my childhood and I probably quote them more often than I should. If you’re a huge Disney fan like I am, you definitely will agree that DCOMs are some of the best movies ever made. Here are some of my favorite DCOMs that everyone needs to watch.
Stuck in the Suburbs
This movie came out in 2004 and is basically every teenage girl’s dream. The movie revolves around two teenage girls, Brittany and Natasha, who are super fans of pop singer, Jordan Cahill. Brittany and Natasha end up watching Jordan perform at a video shoot. When Jordan and his team accidentally knocks into Brittany and Natasha at the end of the video shoot, the girls end up taking Jordan’s phone by accident. The rest of the movie follows Brittany and Natasha messing around with Jordan’s phone and arranging him to get a whole new hairstyle and wardrobe. At first, Jordan hates it, but he eventually realizes that’s the person he wanted to be all along, not the teenage heartthrob his record label made him out to be. In the end, Jordan befriends Brittany and Natasha and thanks to them for helping him discover who he really wants to be. Not only is this movie pretty much a fan fiction come to life, but it also has an amazing soundtrack.
Smart House
Premiering in 1999, this DCOM essentially predicted the future of Amazon Echo’s and Google Home. After his mom died, 13-year-old Ben Cooper enters a competition to win a Smart House to help him, his dad and his little sister with chores around the house. Ben ends up winning the competition and moves into the Smart House, also known as Pat. Ben decides to reprogram Pat to serve as a motherly figure, but she ends up becoming extremely strict and turns herself into a human hologram. Pat then decides that it’s too dangerous outside and basically holds Ben and his family hostage. This might sound extreme for a Disney movie…and it is, but that’s what makes it so good. This movie used to seem so cool to me as a kid because wouldn’t everyone want a computerized house that picks up your clothes for you, cleans up spills, turn on and off your lights and make you food? Being that it’s 2019, the concept of a Smart House is getting more and more real.
Eddie’s Million Dollar Cook-Off
This movie is your typical, “no dad, I’m giving up your dream” type of vibe. It’s pretty much High School Musical, but instead of basketball it’s baseball, and instead of musical theater it’s cooking. Premiering in 2003, this movie follows 14-year-old Eddie, who is the best player on his baseball team. However, in his spare time, Eddie prefers to watch the Food Network and decides that cooking his passion. Eddie ends up getting accepted as a finalist in a million-dollar cook-off, which would get him into a culinary institute. While Eddie is thrilled about the news, he struggles to balance preparing for the cook-off, while also taking baseball seriously. His dad, the coach of the baseball team, is not happy about this, especially when the day of the cook-off turns out to be the same day as the baseball finals. When Eddie realizes that his idol Bobby Flay is the judge of the cook-off, he leaves the baseball final to go to the competition. In the end, his dad joins him to help and everyone is happy. Eddie didn’t end up winning, but Bobby Flay said he liked Eddie’s dish the best, so that’s really what matters. If you are a fan of High School Musical and happen to also be an avid Food Network watcher, you definitely need to see this movie.