Millennials seem to be obsessed with nostalgia and I'm definitely no exception to that. One of the biggest parts of my childhood was Disney Channel Original Movies, affectionately known as DCOMs. Just as the school year is wrapping up and all of us college students will be back at home, Disney Channel will be airing a marathon of all of their original movies in celebration of the release of their 100th movie. Now, that's a lot of movies over the years. However, in my opinion, these 15 DCOMs are the ones that make the top of my list.
1. "Halloweentown" (1998)
Let's be real. October was nothing without a viewing of the Halloweentown movies. Growing up, we all secretly wished we were Cromwells. Come on, who doesn't want to have magic powers? If only Disney had never made "Return to Halloweentown"...let's just pretend that one never happened.
2. "The Even Stevens Movie" (2003)
Ah, back before Shia LaBeouf got super weird. The movie followed all of our favorite characters from "Even Stevens" as they starred in a super weird reality show on an island. This one makes the list because it is probably one of the funniest DCOMs of all time.
3. "Cadet Kelly" (2002)
Back in the day, Hilary Duff was the reigning Queen of Disney Channel and this was one of the few times we got to see her outside of her role as the lovable Lizzie McGuire. I'm pretty sure Hilary is the only one who can make military school look cute.
4. "High School Musical" (2006)
This wouldn't be a true DCOM list without "High School Musical." This entire franchise was nothing but perfection and was a huge part of my childhood. I'm not proud of the amount of Zac Efron posters I had adorning my walls. I'm pretty sure I will be able to sing every word of "Breaking Free" for the rest of my life.
5. "Stuck in the Suburbs" (2004)
If I'm being honest, this one might be my own personal favorite. I can't tell you how many times I've imagined getting to spend the day with my celebrity crush, so this DCOM was basically everything to me. Not to mention the soundtrack, which features the song "Over It" by Annalise Van Der Pol, which is still one of my number one jams. Was anyone else weirded out when they realized Taran Killam was on Saturday Night Live?
6. "Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century" (1999)
I'm pretty sure "Zenon" is the first DCOM I ever remember watching. This was another one of Disney's best franchises, because who doesn't love space? Not to mention, two of the movies featured future Disney star Raven-Symone before she was our favorite psychic. Just writing this has has made the "Zoom" song get stuck in my head.
7. "The Color of Friendship" (2000)
Some of the best DCOMs were the ones that touched on more serious subjects, and "The Color of Friendship" is one of the best examples of that. The story focuses on a black family in the United States that make the decision to host a white South-African exchange student during the time of apartheid in South Africa. The movie carries a beautiful message and is one of my personal favorites.
8. "The Luck of the Irish" (2001)
When you think about the concept of this movie, it's pretty weird. A kid finds out his mom is a leprechaun..and he's also one too. This one was also a classic St. Patrick's Day staple on Disney Channel. Despite it's lack of having anything to do with the actual holiday, this DCOM was always super funny and the scene at the end where everyone sings "This Land Is Your Land" has always been one of my favorites.
9. "The Cheetah Girls" (2003)
The ultimate girl power DCOM. Everything about these movies was spot on, from the music to the matching velvet sweatsuits. We all had our favorite Cheetah Girl, and a long list of reasons about why you're just like them. These movies were spot on, except for the third one...How dare they get rid of Raven?
10. "Get A Clue" (2002)
THIS WAS HANDS DOWN THE MOST UNDERRATED DCOM OF ALL TIME. First of all, Lindsay Lohan in all her glory. This fabulous crime solving DCOM is one of my absolute favorites and always seems to get left off of these lists. Not to mention, the theme song for this movie was perfect.
11. Camp Rock (2008)
Personally, there was no way I was leaving this one off the list. Every girl in my middle school was obsessed with the Jonas Brothers. I'm still convinced I'll marry one of them someday. "Camp Rock" was the perfect addition to this obsession. I can't lie, I totally cried during "This Is Me." I feel no shame.
12. "Gotta Kick It Up!" (2002)
Yet another extremely underrated DCOM. This movie introduced me to America Ferrara before I became obsessed with her in "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." I remember dropping everything to watch this movie whenever it came on. Am I the only one who is a sucker for dance movies?
13. "Tiger Cruise" (2004)
Another one of Disney Channel's movies that takes on a more serious subject. Tiger Cruise focuses on the topic of 9/11 and does an excellent job of explaining it to a young audience. I remember how emotional this movie was when I first watched it and it's still perfect to this day. Not to mention that Hayden Panettiere is amazing.
14. "Pixel Perfect" (2004)
15. "Smart House" (1999)
This is probably the best DCOM of all time. "Smart House" is the absolute classic Disney Channel movie from start to finish. The party scene, despite being super awkward, is still hilarious. Not to mention the fact that this movie introduced me to the song "C'est La Vie." Even though the creepy house robot terrified me, I absolutely loved this movie, and you weren't a real DCOM fanatic if you didn't feel the same way.
Although all of the DCOMs are great, these are some of the best. Looking back on all these classic movies has me super excited to curl up on the couch and binge all of them during the marathon. I know where I'll be on May 27th, what about you?
