For us millennials, there's nothing quite as nostalgia-inducing as sitting down and watching an old Disney Channel Original Movie. They were the pre-bedtime rituals that taught about love and friendship, creativity and individualism, success and failure. They supplied for us a security blanket marked with conflict, humor and characters we strived to emulate and become. They validated even the craziest, most far-fetched dreams, instilling both passion and a yearning for adventure in a young generation.
Perhaps one of the most difficult decisions I've had to face in my life (I'm not melodramatic or anything), here's my personal top 10 Disney Channel Original Movies. Roll the credits, heat up that popcorn and practice drawing the Disney Channel logo because here we go!
10. "Stuck in the Suburbs" (2004)
Come on, it hardly gets better than this. You have "SNL" Taran Kiliam featuring some Justin Timberlake circa N'Sync frost tips and JT-type super-stardom. It was every 2000's tween's dream.
9. "Twitches" (2005)
As a child, I was a self-proclaimed Tia and Tamera Mowry groupie who loved nothing more than all things "Sister Sister." So naturally my little eight-year-old heart nearly burst with excitement with not just one. but two movies. Not only did it leave me wishing to be a witch, but immensely bitter for not being a twin.
8. "Cadet Kelly" (2002)
If you were a '90s or early 2000's kid, then it was basically a rite of passage to be obsessed with Hilary Duff. Between her iconic fashion, relatable middle school drama and my everlasting love for Gordo, she was the "it" girl everyone wanted to be. Pair her up with Ren Stevens and Kim Possible superstar Christy Carlson Romano and some impressive gun spinning, and you have a recipe for a rad DCOM indeed.
7. "Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior" (2006)
A female protagonist in a Disney Channel film is one thing, but a female protagonist who doubles as a person of color and a Chinese warrior all whilst being her "girly" fashion-forward self? Be still, my feminist heart.
6. "Halloweentown" (1998)
Likewise to waiting until my 11th birthday for my acceptance letter to Hogwarts, I yearned to be told I was witch and to enter the world of Halloweentown. Also, Grandma Aggie was and will always be the most kick-butt grandma to ever grace the Disney screen.
5. "The Cheetah Girls" (2003)
If you didn't want to be a part of an all-girls singing quartet in New York City featuring bomb female-empowerment ballads and synchronized Cheetah print sweatsuits, then you're severely disturbed.
4. "Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century" (1999)
Sincerely disappointed in the universe for not being half as rad in the 21st century as Zenon expected us to be. Step up to the plate, Earth, get your head in the game.
3. "High School Musical" (2006)
"Someday, you guys might thank me for this. Or not."
Yes, thank you random ski resort karaoke dude for helping bring together the first Disney Channel couple to give me heart palpitations and a thirst for all things Zac Efron.
2. "The Thirteenth Year" (1999)
An absolutely underrated DCOM, in my humble opinion. Cute boys and breaking mythically-contrived gender stereotypes on mermaids (excuse me, mermen) got me feeling some type of way on this iconic Disney film.
1. "The Color of Friendship" (2000)
If you've never seen this DCOM, then I beg of you to drop everything you're doing and seek it out right now. Notably the most poignant, racially-charged film Disney Channel has ever produced, it dealt with the friendship and tense racial divides between black teenager Piper and her African exchange student, a white South African girl named Mahree. Taking place in Washington, D.C. during the 1970's, the film highlights the effects of apartheid on South African culture and black-white relations. This is an absolute must see.
