10. "Jump In" (2007)
"Jump In" starred Corbin Bleu, known only from "High School Musical" at the time, and Keke Palmer who was relatively unknown in 2007. "Jump In" was about a boxer turned double dutch star who didn’t want to live out his father’s dream. When Bleu’s father in the movie sees him enjoying double dutch, unlike boxing, he realizes his son has a dream of his own. The movie received 8.2 million viewers the day it premiered making it the 6th most watched movie in Disney Channel history.
9. "Stuck in the Suburbs" (2004)
This is one of the OG Disney Channel movies about a pop star (Taran Killam) whose phone gets switched with a regular girl’s phone who just so happens to be a big fan of his. They meet up to exchange the phones back, but the girl (Danielle Panabaker) realizes the star’s real dream in the process... To record music he has written himself. So, she decides to help him make this dream a reality. This movie also introduced us to Brenda Song, later made famous from her role on "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody," which makes this movie a great one to watch after all these years have passed.
8. "Cadet Kelly" (2002)
While she was "Lizzie McGuire," Hilary Duff starred in this movie as a free spirited artsy girl who was transferred to a military academy. The movie is forever a Disney favorite with 7.8 million viewers on its premiere, making it number eight on the list of top viewed Disney Channel movies. The unforgettable rifle show to the song, “One Girl Revolution” is one of the greatest highlights of the movie, along with its theme of perseverance and friendship.
7. "Read It and Weep" (2006)
Kay Panabaker starred alongside her sister, Daniel Panabaker, already known for her role in "Stuck in the Suburbs," as a girl whose private journal accidentally gets released to the public. The movie is a Disney classic and also stars a young Jason Dolley who would continue to make a name for himself with Disney. The movie which made seaweed pizza famous also contains a notable ending song named, “I Will Be Around” which is sure to bring back memories if you give it a listen.
6. "Halloweentown" (1998)
Where to start with "Halloweentown?"… The first of the legendary four movie series introduced us to the Cromwell witches and the multiple creatures that existed in the fantasy village of Halloweentown. The original centers around Marnie who discovers she has powers and helps her family save the town from the evil mayor, Kalabar. It’s a movie worth watching Halloween after Halloween and has a creative flare making it a timeless classic among Disney Chanel's first original movies.
5. "Princess Protection Program" (2009)
Some people may be surprised by this one on the list, but this is a personal favorite of mine. Demi Lovato starred as a princess that needed to be protected from the dangers in her country alongside Selena Gomez as the typical American teenager. To cast the stars of "Wizards of Waverly Place" and "Camp Rock" made for a well-anticipated film filled with timeless lessons about friendship and overcoming obstacles. The movie remains the 4th most viewed in Disney premiere history with 8.5 million viewers.
4. "Minutemen" (2008)
"Minutemen" stands as one of Disney’s more creative movies. It stars a motley crew consisting of a nerd, a typical outcast teenager, and “bully” that come together to create a time machine. They go back in time over and over to help prevent unfortunate events from occurring until they create a black hole. After the group closes the black hole it returns them to the first day they time traveled making everyone else forget about the "snowsuit guys." The trio remembers everything however, showing how the movie focuses on friendship no matter how odd the pairing appears.
3. "Camp Rock" (2008)
To have a movie with the most famous boyband, the Jonas Brothers, at the time helped earn this movie the 3rd most popular spot in Disney Channel original movie history with 8.9 million viewers on its premiere date. "Camp Rock" centers around Joe Jonas, who hears a girl singing and then tries to figure out who she is for the rest of the movie. A modern day Cinderella story filled with notable songs like “We Rock” and “This is Me” makes this movie a Disney Channel classic along with the rise of a Disney power couple.
2. "Lemonade Mouth" (2011)
A movie that I feel doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves follows five diverse teens who end up in detention for different reasons. While they are there they spontaneously play instruments and sing a song, making the teenagers believe they can form a band. Though they face many struggles along the way they get through it together and end up winning The Battle Of The Bands as well as even playing at MSG by the end of the movie. A movie filled with some of the catchiest songs Disney has ever written, like the most distinguished, “Determinate,” makes "Lemonade Mouth" a Disney treasure.
1. "High School Musical" (2006)
The original "High School Musical" is probably the most beloved and infamous movies in Disney Channel history. A movie that any high schooler can relate to, consisting of romance and life lessons like "don’t stick to the status quo." The movie focuses on a couple, Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, that have passions of their own until they realize their love for singing. The first of the classic trilogy contains some of the most legendary songs like “Breaking Free” and the anthem, “We’re All in This Together” of which you’d still know all the words to today if you loved the movie as much as I did.
