“It’s like I’m in your body and you’re in my body!”
The famous line from the 2003 Disney Channel original movie Freaky Friday, based off of the book by Mary Rodgers. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, a mother and daughter that constantly fight and end up switching bodies because of a magic fortune cookie.
It’s one of the most famous movies that Lohan ever did along with Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen and Mean Girls.
Suddenly, about two weeks ago Disney tweeted that it’s making a Freaky Friday musical!
“Could you like, chill for a sec?”
That quote was the question every Disney movie lover had on their mind when they saw the quick clip.
Who was the person that thought adding in singing would make this a great new edition? To me, this is one of the worst ideas Disney has had out of all the successful films or television shows that they have tried to bring back. The original film was so great on its own for so many reasons.
Here are all the reasons the original movie was so great and why the musical doesn’t need to exist:
1. Funny banter
During the early 2000s, Disney was way less filtered and conservative. The characters were allowed to make comments and jokes suited for a PG audience, which helped the film stand the test of time and be entertaining to older audiences.
2. The band Pink Slip
One of the biggest reasons a musical “Freaky Friday” is a bad idea is that the movie already had music influence. In the film, Lohan and her friends were in a garage band together called Pink Slip. Not only did the band play at the famous House of Blues entertainment lounge, where Curtis’ character performed her famous guitar solo, but they were also honored with performing the final song of the movie. If the musical plans to incorporate Pink Slip or a version of a music group into its plotline, they’re going to have a hard time filling the shoes of lead singer Lohan.
3. Lindsay Lohan
Speaking of Lindsay, she is one of the greatest parts of this movie, not to mention the entire 2000’s. As mentioned earlier, Lohan was the lead for a majority of the greatest feature films created during the 2000 era. What made her so great and sought after during this time was her ability to play her characters in such a genuine and relatable way. In “Freaky Friday” she portrays a rebellious teen who acts out for attention; even the most cookie-cutter kid felt like they were misunderstood after this. Forget Pink Slip, just finding an actress that will fill the shoes of Lohan seems like a recipe for disaster.
4. No annoying mushiness
One thing this generation loves to hate and love again is the famous Disney movie-musical High School Musical. What made the film so great and cringe-worthy was the singing about every emotion. Even when Lohan and the guy she likes in the film finally get together they keep things subtle and cute. To put it plainly it didn’t seem like a “Disney couple,” the two seemed like an ordinary couple. A musical is going to completely change the energy and make them sing about what they feel in every other moment. How much more “boring Disney” can you get?
5. Good soundtrack
The film has such a good soundtrack. Aside from Chad Michael Murray singing “…Baby One More Time,” which is actually pretty great when you think about it, the soundtrack to the film has songs you would actually listen to in your free-time and not feel judged. The punk rock vibes make it perfect for any casual setting, which isn’t common for most musical numbers. Most musical lovers will tell you that the songs are perfect for all times, but the reality is that most of them are either jazz or heavy pop based. Pop-ballads in a musical would totally take away from the edge the original film depicted.
Overall, the whole idea of this musical seems like a disaster that Disney doesn’t plan on stopping. At this rate, it seems like Disney is going to just keep reimagining films and making sequels that we don’t want rather than creating great new content. I don’t think I can think of any other Disney films that need to come back in a new way, can you?