The Best Disney Channel Original Movies
When you read the title of this article did that little song pop in your head? You know the one. "Let's watch. A Disney channel mooooovie. Let's watch. Adisneychannelmovie!" If you weren't switching between channels 54, 55, 56, this is most definitely not for you my friend. Below we have fifteen of the best DCOM of all time, for the culture of course. We'll start from decent to the absolute most lit DCOM of all time. Narrowing this list down to just 15 was already a struggle. My mans just hit the mid-air splits 🤸🏾♂️, the theme song is poppin', and it's time for a Disney Channel Movie.
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15. Halloween Town
Release Date: October 17, 1998
Starring: Kimberly J. Brown, Debbie Reynolds, Joey Zimmerman, Emily Roeske & Judith Hoag
Verdict: Let's go ahead and get this out the way now, this movie is overrated. Dubbed a classic by the masses amongst my generation, it ultimately falls flat upon rewatch. But, because the people love this movie, be happy it made it THIS far.
14. Jett Jackson: The Movie
Release Date: June 8, 2001
Starring: Lee Thompson Young, Linda Booth, Kerry Duff & Ryan Dowell Baum
Verdict: RIP to Lee Thompson Young 🙏🏾 The film follows sixteen-year-old Jett Jackson and his role as the TV action hero, Silverstone, but what started as an acting gig turned into a real mission. It's a fun watch that still holds up and highlights Young's acting skills early on.
13. Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century
Release Date: January 23, 1999
Starring: Kirsten Storms, Raven-Symoné, Lauren Maltby, Holly Fulger, & Phillip Rhys.
Verdict: A classic indeed and still pretty enjoyable, albeit annoying at times. The plot isn't that solid and I mean, 2049 is only 26 years from now (YIKES), do you really think we’ll be living in space by then? Now that I say that out loud and with the way the world has been working, only time will tell. Nonetheless, the movie produced two decent sequels, starred Raven-Symoné (the Beyonce of Disney), and gave us the HIT that is Supernova Girl. Remember that song?
12. The Proud Family Movie
Release Date: August 19, 2005
Starring: Kyla Pratt, Tommy Davidson, Paula Jai Parker, Orlando Brown & Omarion
Verdict: A great stand-alone animated movie if we're being honest and an instant classic for the culture. The Proud Family is arguably one of Disney's best original TV shows and the movie, which serves as the series finale before the show’s recent return, neatly ties the bow on a childhood classic. Oh, and who can forget the iconic dance battle scene?
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11. Kim Possible Movie: So The Drama
Release Date: April 8, 2005
Starring: Christy Carlson Romano, Will Friedle, Tahj Mowry, John DiMaggio, Nicole Sullivan & Nancy Cartwright
Verdict: Go back and watch this movie y'all, it still stands. Dr. Drakken has a solid plan this time and is deep in his villain bag. We see Kim Possible facing a very real threat and a complex love triangle between the homie, Ron & new dude Eric who (spoiler) is one of the bad guys. Ron finally gets the girl and our girl Kim ends up saving the day of course. Instantly a classic and one of Disney's last great-animated shows of our time.
10. Up, Up, and Away
Release Date: January 22, 2000
Starring: Michael J. Pagan, Robert Townsend, Alex Datcher, Sherman Hemsley (RIP) & Kasan Butcher
Verdict: A big moment for a young black superhero geek such as myself back in 2000. This is one of the first times we get a black lead in a DCOM (right behind Don't Look Under the Bed). The movie has a solid plot, a decent villain, and good acting on all parts. #10 is a pretty solid position for a movie where all the main characters share the same weakness… aluminum foil? Bro, black people love aluminum foil!
9. Cadet Kelly
Release Date: March 8, 2002
Starring: Hilary Duff, Christy Carlson Romano, Gary Cole, Andrea Lewis & Shawn Ashmore
Verdict: Cadet Kelly gave us character development, good acting from Hilary Duff & Christy Carlson Romano, comedy, and that relatable feeling of starting a new school for the first time. We also have to give Hilary a W since The Lizzie McGuire Movie technically doesn't count as a DCOM, which is a shame.
8. The Even Stevens Movie
Release Date: June 13, 2003
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Christy Carlson Romano, A.J. Trauth, Margo Harshman, Nick Spano, Tom Virtue, Donna Pescow & Steven Anthony Lawrence
Verdict: The Even Stevens Movie serves as a series finale to another Disney Channel classic. Shoutout to Christy Carlson Romano for making her third appearance on the list already! The movie gave us the goofiness that we loved from the show along with tying up loose ends. Somewhat unrelated, but I went down the rabbit hole that is Christy Carlson Romano’s YouTube channel where she talks about what she went through being a child actress for Disney and why she doesn’t talk to Shia LaBeouf anymore and it is quite entertaining.
7. Get a Clue
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Release Date: June 2, 2002
Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Brenda Song, Bug Hall, Ian Gomez, & Ali Mukaddam
Verdict: Man I love a good who-done-it mystery movie & Get a Clue delivers on all parts. Lindsay Lohan was always a great actress before anything and she holds her own here alongside Suite Life of Zack & Cody's Brenda Song. The story is pretty good and keeps you on your toes as the mystery continues to unravel. Not only is this a great DCOM, but it’s a good movie all in all and is 2000's af.
6. Brink!
Release Date: August 29, 1998
Starring: Erik von Detten, Christina Vidal, Patrick Levis &Asher Gold
Verdict: I can hear the masses yelling: "Brink! should be in the top five!". Shut up. This is the third DCOM ever produced and after seeing this you were begging your parents to get you a pair of rollerblades so that you too could be a soul-skater, weren’t you? We get a solid lesson on friendship and all-in-all keeping it real with your day 1's, at least that's what I took away from it. This is also the first time we meet Christina Vidal who went on to star in Freaky Friday and as the titular character in Nickelodeon's Taina.
5. The Color of Friendship
Release Date: February 5, 2000
Starring: Shadia Simmons, Lindsey Haun, Travis Davis, Penny Johnson & Carl Lumbly
Verdict: This movie honestly may be the sole reason why I can tolerate caucasians as well as I can now, no joke. Premiering in Black History Month of 2000, The Color of Friendship wasn't afraid to tackle some heavy material like foreign affairs, racism & oppression. After a rewatch, this still is one of the best DCOM of our time. I loved the idea of using a white South-African girl as a parallel to an African-American one. Honestly, this movie could've debuted in theaters and made a killing for Disney.
4. Smart House
Release Date: June 26, 1999
Starring: Ryan Merriman, Katey Sagal, Kevin Kilner, Katie Volding & Jessica Steen
Verdict: First off, this house was incredibly cool despite the circumstances. The whole time I was watching this movie, I just kept thinking of how cool a mid-2000s juke party would've been in there. That is until Katey Segal (aka Peggy from Married... with Children) became the house personified and wanted to become a wife/mother to the kids and their dad. Smart House is some of the most fun you're ever going to get watching a DCOM. I recommend a rewatch.
3. High School Musical
Release Date: January 20, 2006
Starring: Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Lucas Grabeel, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu & Monique Coleman
Verdict: High School Musical gave us CUTS. This movie catapulted the careers of both Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron. And if I’m being honest, Ashley Tisdale deserved an Emmy, Oscar, and Grammy for her work and songs as Sharpay. This was one of those DCOM that I didn't want to admit to watching back in the day, but a classic is a classic. HSM also managed to have an impressive trilogy with the third film hitting the big screen; an accomplishment that no other DCOM has seen. Go back and play the soundtrack, you're welcome.
2. The Cheetah Girls
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Release Date: August 15, 2003
Starring: Raven-Symoné, Adrienne Bailon, Sabrina Bryan, Kiely Williams.
Verdict: Let’s not even act like this wasn't one of the greatest movies of our young lives. In hindsight, it’s kind of insane that Raven-Symone’s Galleria was painted as the villain when she was the only one trying to put in the WORK. This movie still holds up in terms of acting, plot, and of course the soundtrack. Fun fact: the soundtrack actually went double platinum. Gone head and bump that feminist-bop Cinderella and report back with a status update.
1. Don't Look Under the Bed
Release Date: October 9, 1999
Starring: Erin Chambers, Eric "Ty" Hodges II, Steve Valentine & Jake Sakson
Verdict: The creme de la creme of Disney Channel Original Movies, Don't Look Under the Bed. I mean this movie was quite scary, had decent acting on all parts, and had a great plot twist.
Honorable Mentions
As much as I'd love to keep this list going, I had a few films that ALMOST made the cut, check them out below.
Under Wraps
Johnny Tsunami
Tru Confessions
The Ultimate Christmas Present
Stuck in the Suburbs
My Date with the President’s Daughter
Phantom of the Megaplex
Did I leave your favorite movie off the list? Did I get it just right? Let me know in the comments!