Our eyes were fixated on the screen and a bowl of popcorn sat in each of our laps. This was how my sisters and I spent our last weekend together in August. Oddly enough, every year around this time, we seem to have this strong urge to time travel and relive some of our best childhood memories together: watching Disney Original movies.
If you want to go down memory lane and recall some of the best Disney Original movies that you probably forgot existed, keep on reading. I can promise you, you won’t regret this!
1. Gotta Kick it Up!
Gotta Kick it Up! is about a group of Latina-American dancers who are in need of a new coach at Marshall Middle School. Coincidentally, Ms. Bartlett, the new biology teacher, holds a background in dance and is asked to be the new coach as well. Ms. Bartlett hesitantly agrees. Rather than bringing out the best in the team, Ms. Bartlett and the girls begin to butt heads. They all realize that they need to first improve themselves before being able to properly work as a team and compete together.
What I love about Gotta Kick it Up! is the fact that it is one of the few Disney Original movies that embraces diversity. It also teaches viewers important lessons, like believing in yourself and working hard, in a fun and exciting way.
2. Life Size
Life Size tells the story of Casey Stuart, a 7th grader who loses her mother and attempts to resurrect the dead using a magic book. Instead of resurrecting her mother, she accidentally resurrects a popular doll named Eve, who is known for being positive. Shocked by all of this, Casey attempts to figure out how to reverse the spell, but later, the unusual duo forms a great friendship.
Eve helps Casey cope with losing her mother and learn how to be more confident in her own skin, while Casey teaches Eve how to be a better role model. Soon, Eve realizes that she needs to go back to her doll life, choosing to reverse the spell herself after saying her goodbyes.
This movie incorporates elements of comedy, romance, and musicality, so if you are into these genres, you will definitely enjoy it. Iconic stars, such as Tyra Banks and Lindsay Lohan, are the main characters, which is even more reason to watch.
3. Pixel Perfect
Pixel Perfect is about a computer science genius, Roscoe, who creates a hologram named Loretta. Loretta is talented in everything and anything you want it to be with the click of a few buttons. To help his best friend Samantha and her struggling band, The Zetta Bytes, improve their stage presence, Roscoe convinces Sam to make Loretta the lead singer and star of the band.
Little to Roscoe’s knowledge, Sam has been crushing on him for the longest time. After noticing Roscoe’s attachment to Loretta, Sam becomes envious, which begins to damage their friendship. On top of that, the more Loretta experiences human life, the more she wants to be a true human and explore other aspects of life, which becomes problematic.
This movie is a great mix of musical, dance, romance, and drama!
4. Ice Princess
Ice Princess tells the story of Casey Carlyle, a physics genius, who discovers her passion and talent in figure skating. She spends most of her high school career working towards her and her mother’s goal of attending Harvard University. However, this changes after one summer.
Casey was nominated for a Harvard scholarship where she must complete a physics project. She ultimately decides to conduct an experiment on how physics can improve the techniques of a figure skater, using herself as the subject. From there, she realizes that figure skating is what she is most passionate about, not physics or Harvard.
If you love a wholesome figure skating movie with a hint of romance and drama, this Disney Original movie is definitely one to watch.
5. Go Figure
Go Figure is another great figure skating movie, but with its own little twist. Katelin Kingsford has hopes to be a world champion figure skater. At 14, she gets scouted by Natasha Goberman, an esteemed Russian figure skating coach. In order to train with Natasha, Katelin must enroll in Buckston Academy (BA), an expensive boarding school that Katelin’s parents cannot afford.
To help Katelin reach her dreams, Natasha strikes a deal with Coach Reynolds. If Coach Reynolds grants Katelin the one and only hockey scholarship available at BA, then Natasha will go on a date with him. This leaves Katelin living a double life at BA as both a figure skater and a hockey player while facing a handful of challenges.
Similar to Ice Princess, Go Figure is a wholesome figure skating movie with a hint of romance and drama.