Best Disney Channel Original Movies

Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century
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Tory: She lives in space, has access to sweet technology, and wears ridiculously bright but awesome clothing. Oh, and she goes on an awesome adventure that involves befriending a rock star (named Protozoa… Protozoa!) and communicating with aliens. What’s not to love? The only flaw of this movie is that she and Orion don’t end up together. Also, the sequels are all awesome, and the guy she does end up with in Z3 is pretty cute, so overall, I’m a big fan.

Chrystina: The phrases she says in this movie are wonderful like minor and major (which are used by putting nouns in front of them) and zetus lapedus. Her best friend was named Nebula. She saves the world. And there’s a soundtrack to it (Tory already covered the awesomeness of the name Protozoa. There’s three of them. I’m sad Tory reminded me that her and Orion don’t end up together.

Smart House
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Tory: Before the house goes haywire, it seems like it would be a pretty sweet place to live. I distinctly remember there being one room, I think his bedroom, that basically you could project anything you wanted to on the walls. I’m not sure I would want to leave the house, to be honest. Plus, the only reason it went haywire is because Ben tried to turn his house into a replacement mom, and that is a mistake I would never make.

Chrystina: First let’s talk about how cute Ryan Merriman is. Then let’s talk about the party scene in the house – well, actually the dance scene to Slam Dunk Da Funk that happens before the party. I LOVE this little sister, she was great in Au Pair. Also, what a great concept for a movie – the house takes over everything. I know it’s been done before, but it’s great.

Motocrossed
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Tory: I think this is one of the greatest movies of all time, and it is an absolute outrage that they never made a sequel. Andi is just awesome – she’s both a girly cheerleader and a badass motocross rider, which I really, really like. I can’t emphasize enough how much I like that she gets to be both. The whole family is just an awesome unit, though I particularly love the hilarious little brother. My only issue was the slightly unsatisfying ending between her and Dean: yes, I know they’re both going to work things out and end up together, but it is far more satisfying to see them kiss. (This is a recurring flaw in DCOMs.)

Chrystina: First let’s talk about how cute Riley Smith is. (Sense a pattern here? I was a pretty boy crazy teenager.) Any movie where people switch places is great. It gets even better when a girl is taking on a guy’s role yet again proving girls can do anything. (That was the point of all of those movies?) I always thought it took a lot of nerve for her to cut her hair. Also, these motocross races keep you on the edge of your seat.

The Luck of the Irish
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Tory: I don’t really remember much of the plot of this movie, other than that the main character is like half-leprechaun, but come on. It’s Ryan Merriman, aka the DCOM Boy of the 90s. I was pretty deeply in love with him, as deeply in love as anyone can be when all they know about the other person is that he’s cute and stars in DCOMs. I wonder where he is now…

Chrystina: We’re back to Ryan Merriman again here. I love the process of watching him turn into a leprechaun. I love the scene where his mother is super tiny and cooking in the kitchen. I love his grandfather and that there was a priest at my old church that reminds me of him. There’s another great best friend in this movie. And I love that basketball championship at the end of the movie – I like when reality and fiction combine like that.

Cadet Kelly
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Tory: I am always a fan of movies where two people start out as adversaries and grow to become friends, and also movies where people are thrown into situations they don’t like but manage to bring what they do like to the situation to make things better, so this movie is an all-around win for me. I also like how many strong female characters there are in the movie, rather than a plot revolving around her finding love or trying to prove something to some boy.

Chrystina: I really like Hilary Duff. I like that she’s thrown into a place where she’s out of her element and makes the most of it – and finds a best friend in the process. I love how artsy she is and how she finds a way to use that artsiness at a military academy. She’s super clumsy. I love that she has two dads and how they both have a place in her life. And that she and Christy Carlson Romano end up developing a respect for each other and kicking butt in that drill scene at the end. Oh, I mean, and how great is the song “One Girl Revolution”.

High School Musical
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Tory: Look, I get that this movie is basically a tamer version of Grease, but it’s just so good. There’s cheesy spontaneous musical numbers, a G-rated love plot, a sweeter-looking high school than anything I’ve ever seen, and ridiculous over-exaggerated drama that all gets neatly resolved in less than 2 hours, which is all I ever need in a movie. Again, though, the whole lack of a kiss thing at the end was annoying.

Chrystina: I absolutely love this movie. I listen to the songs all the time. I have a Pandora station. The song “Can We Have This Dance” is one of my go to sad songs. I love watching Troy and Gabriella together. Kelsi (the song-composing piano player) is by far one of my favorite characters. The third movie in the trilogy is my favorite because I feel like the characters are the most real in it. I got to see Corbin Bleu in Godspell on Broadway which was pretty awesome. Oh, and Zac Efron always gets some ridiculous scene where he’s being over dramatic in a desert or something and that’s pretty fun to watch too.

Camp Rock
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Tory: I was skeptical about this movie for a long time, because I am always skeptical of things that get overhyped, which is true not only of this movie, but also the JoBros. Out of boredom, though, I watched it on Netflix recently, and I loved it. I mean, it’s a cheesy feel-good movie with musical numbers, so of course I loved it. I even loved the sequel. Plus, I always find Demi Lovato’s characters adorable.

Chrystina: I kind of like the Jonas Brothers a lot. I also loved Demi and Joe together a lot. There’s so much great talent in this show though besides just the leads – like Anna Maria Perez de Tagle (who I also saw on Broadway in Godspell) who sang Hasta La Vista, Alyson Stoner who I love whenever she appears in life (Mike’s Super Short Show anyone?), and Meaghan Martin. I think the song “This Is Me” is incredibly inspirational. And I always love when people overcome their fears – and duets.

Princess Protection Program
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Tory: I generally love Selena Gomez a lot, for no specific reason. Then you add in Demi Lovato, who I also have an affection for, and an overdramatic and not even remotely realistic plotline involving a princess in hiding, a secret agent who also doubles as a small-town single father from Louisiana, and a tomboy teenage girl struggling to find her identity who discovers her confidence by befriending a girly princess with a bad fake accent and coming up with a plot to sacrifice herself to an evil power-hungry dictator, and you’ve got a winner in my book. (Yes, I’m aware that was a ridiculously long sentence, and I apologize.)

Chrystina: I actually went out of my way to watch this movie for voting on it. I loved it. I love that Selena and Demi get to act in a movie together (which if you didn’t know they are actual best friends and were on Barney together). I love that it doesn’t turn out exactly like you think it’s going to – and I love that they get to wear masquerade masks to prom. Also that scene where Selena Gomez finally builds her confidence up all the way is pretty great too.

Quints
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Tory: I really like Jamie. She was goofy and had a cheesy sense of humor, and at the end of the day, she grows up enough to have the courage to tell her parents about her dreams, and also to realize she loves her siblings. Happy endings all around.

The Cheetah Girls
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Chrystina: Literally as I went to write this a song came up on my iPhone. I love the songs from this movie – that they write their own music. I really love what an awesome dancer Sabrina Bryan is (the blonde one) and that it gave a chance for 3LW to come back together. I love that their parents fought for them but were reasonable. I love that the end up traveling to India.

Honorable Mentions

Chrystina:  Gotta Kick It Up, Brink, Alley Cats Strike

Tory: Get a Clue, A Ring of Endless Light

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