The BEST Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) From Each and Every Year (1997-2019)

  

  Welcome Back to Disney! I hope you enjoyed my last post where I created A Ranking of Every Concert Performance from the Disney Channel Games. I know I’ve been a little MIA lately (since my last post), but that’s only because I was working on this AMAZINGLY, FUN post for you guys to enjoy before the summer officially comes to an end. Remember in my last post when I said summer is all about the music and seeing amazing concert performances? Well, it’s also all about staying up late and watching great movies. At least it was when we were kids. But we can still do those same things as young adults now, just on the weekends.😉 Let’s not ever forget that some of the greatest movies to watch growing up were Disney Channel Original Movies (aka, as true Disney Channel fans call them, DCOMs), at least for me they were. As a big Disney fan myself growing up, it was always fun and exciting seeing commercials on Disney Channel for the new up and coming DCOMs. Am I right or am I right? That’s why I thought it would be a great idea and a fun time to get to go back and watch every DCOM, and I mean EVERY DCOM (except the Christmas and Halloween themed ones), from the beginning (1997) to when I personally stopped watching newer Disney Channel which was after 2019. If you were not a big Disney Channel fan growing up and you have no idea what I’m talking about when I say the word 'DCOMs', then let me just give you a brief explanation and a little history of what DCOMs were and are today. 

Formerly known as Disney Original Premiere Films (and later Premears), from 1983 until October of 1997, many TV films have been solely produced for Disney Channel. Since late 1997 and onwards, such TV film productions were branded under the name Disney Channel Original Movies (aka DCOMs). At least one movie a year has been made since it began in 1983. The first Disney Channel Premiere Film being Tiger Town. At their peak, 1999 to 2002, DCOMs were released at a rate of approximately one per month. It eventually slowed to an average of one every two months, from 2003 to 2006. However, in the summer during that same time period, it was about three movies in three months which was usually for some marathon or theme they had celebrating summer. After 2012, they got much slower, with releasing on average only two movies a year.  Most hit films were subsequently released on some home video format, be that VHS, DVD, or Blu-ray. Now they’re just released automatically on Disney Plus. High School Musical 2 was the highest-rated premiere for the brand which came out in August 2007 with more than 17 million viewers. Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie being the second highest-rated premiere with 11.4 million viewers at the time. Other major DCOM franchises include: The Cheetah Girls, the Zenon trilogy, Halloweentown, Camp Rock, Twitches, the Descendants trilogy, and the Teen Beach films. Though, these statistics did not affect my opinion of the best DCOMs from each year on this list at all.

Oh, and I forgot to explain one more thing. This post is not a ranking, but more of a favorites post. Since there are over 100 DCOMs (107 to be exact that I included in this post) I knew it would be too difficult and even more tedious to rank all 107 of them from least to most favorite, so that is why I decided to just go year by year (from 1997 to 2019) and choose my favorite and what I think is the BEST DCOM from each and every year. Just because it’s a little bit easier that way and a little more interesting this way, as well. Also, as I briefly mentioned before, I did not watch all the Christmas and Halloween themed DCOMs on this list just because I only watch those during the holiday that it is meant for and I had already watched majority of them last year so they were still fresh in my mind. Plus, I would never pick one of the Christmas and Halloween DCOMs as being the BEST DCOM for any year on this list, just because that's how I feel and I wouldn't choose to watch a holiday themed movie any and every day of the year. Most of these BEST DCOMs that I chose for each year are good enough to watch at any time of the year, not just one certain time of year, if you know what I mean.😝😊 Also, a couple years only had one DCOM for the whole year, so since I couldn't choose a BEST or MOST FAVORITE movie for that year because there was only one to choose from, I just give you a reflection of my thoughts on the movie.

Everyone’s got their favorite when it comes to the BEST DCOMs, but I’ve taken the liberty of choosing the twenty-three movies that I’m pretty sure will live on in the DCOM hall of fame forever (or at least they will live on in my mind forever). So, what are we waiting for? Let’s get into The BEST Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) From Each and Every Year (1997-2019), in no particular order. 💓🎬🎥📺🍿

  

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1997

 #1 Under Wraps Premiered October 25, 1997  

This is, by some sources (and myself), considered to be the FIRST EVER DCOM and obviously the only one released in 1997 (the same year I was born, which is pretty cool😎). I remember watching this movie for the first time during the 100th DCOM Celebration in 2016 and I loved it. Of course, like I mentioned before, I did not watch any Halloween DCOMs for this post, including this one, just because (like I also mentioned before) I had already watched this movie last October and I don't like to watch Halloween movies in the summer or any time that it's not Halloween time (or like I prefer to say Chilloween time). If you remember from my Top Ten Disney Channel Original Halloween Movies Of All Time post that I did last year, than you know that this movie made the list because it truly is one of my most favorite Halloween DCOMs of all time. Since I already talked about this DCOM before on this blog, I'll just keep this short and recommend that you definitely check this movie out when Chilloween time comes back around this year, because it's a must, and if you want to read more of my thoughts on this movie just click here. 🤎🎃

 

     

    

 

     1998 

 

DCOMs: 

You Lucky Dog

Brink!

Halloweentown 

 

MY CHOICE: 

 

#2 Brink! Premiered August 29, 1998

 

This decision was pretty easy for me. I love Halloweentown, I mean it's a classic for Halloween, but I really love Brink and I think it's a great movie for any time of the year. In other words, I would choose to watch Brink over all the other DCOMs from 1998. Ultimately, I chose Brink because I do think it's the best DCOM that came out of 1998. Even though I was only a baby when this movie premiered I do have fond memories of watching this movie as a kid/teen. This is one of the more memorable DCOMs to me. But, I hadn't seen this movie in a long time before doing this, so I was excited to watch it for this post. I mean it's a classic and it's also the first sports DCOM. 

Basically, if you've never seen this movie before it's about a high school inline skater Andy Brinker aka "Brink" and his group of friends - Gabriella, Jordy, and Peter - (the "Soul Skaters" (meaning that they don't skate for the money, they skate for the joy of it) as they clash with another group of sponsored skaters, Team X-Bladz, led by Val. Brink must choose between sticking to his morals and sacrificing his friends to make money from his passion in order to help his family's financial troubles. I just love the 90s, beach, summer skate vibes of this movie. It reminds me a little bit of my childhood, when my sisters and I would always go skating at our local roller rink. (Ahhh...Those were the days.) It's really fun and interesting to watch all the skate stunts in this movie. Every time after I watch this movie, it just makes me want to skate again. (And yes, I can still skate. Not as good as they can in this movie, but I still got it). This movie is also pretty funny at times because of some of the slang that they use, which just makes me laugh, but I love it.

This is not only a great DCOM because it features the sport of inline skating but it also has some great messages. One being that "winning isn't everything", as Brink says to Val at one point during the movie. Also the important message about money not being everything either, as Gabriella says to Brink "That's how it starts you know. First you do something that you really love and then you start doing it for the money. Then, before you know it, you're just another sell out". In other words, the importance of doing something because you love it not because you love the money is a great message. I also like what Brink's dad says to him at one point during the movie when he says, "I used to define myself by my job title. But you wanna know something? After being laid off for 6 months, I finally figured out that construction foreman is what I do not who I am. Andy you are defined by the company you keep and how well you keep it, not by what you just happen to do". I think that's great advice and another great message and one that Andy repeats again at the end to his friends, as he says, "Remember skating is what we do, not who we are". Those are just some of the great messages I took away from watching this movie again and I'm sure there are a few others, as well. This is just a classic, unforgettable, must-watch DCOM and one I would most certainly watch again. 💓🛹⛸

   

     

  

   

   

    

     

 1999

 

DCOMs:

Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century  

Can of Worms

The Thirteenth Year 

Smart House 

Johnny Tsunami

Genius

Don't Look Under the Bed

Horse Sense 

 

        MY CHOICE:

#3 Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century Premiered January 23, 1999 

  

I mean c'mon, would I dare to choose anything else. Okay, there are a few other DCOMs that I really like in this category, but of course Zenon tops them all. There were actually not ONE, but TWO Halloween movies released this year and both are ones that I did not watch for this post, but honestly I wouldn't have chosen them over Zenon anyways. And actually all the other non-Halloween DCOMs for this year are all great, seriously. I enjoyed every one of them. But, again, Zenon is the overall winner for this year of DCOMs. 

I'm just going to assume that whoever is reading this has seen this DCOM, because it would be crazy if you haven't, but I will give a short synopsis of the movie anyways just because I love it that much. This movie is all about a 13-year-old girl, Zenon, who lives happily in 2049 on an orbiting space station with her mom and dad, along with all her friends and other people on the space station. However, she ends up getting grounded (literally), as she is sent down to Earth for punishment after her curiosity gets her into trouble on the space station;and she then must learn how to fit in there. But during her time on Earth, Zenon discovers an evil plot to destroy her space station home, and therefore it's up to Zenon and her new Earth friends to prevent the villain's plan to destroy the space station that she calls home. This movie never gets old and I was so excited to finally get to talk about this movie on this blog. Right away, I got such nostalgic vibes, even though I had just watched this movie fairly recently with my sisters just before doing so again for this post. Not only is this movie iconic in and of itself but Zenon's outfits in this movie are beyond iconic and the song that Proto Zoa sings. It's all so macro. 

Every time I watch this movie it just makes me want to go to space. Of course, only if it was like it is in this movie, with the amazing outfits and a cool performance by Proto Zoa. I mean wouldn't that be stellar major?! (Okay, I need to stop with the Zenon slang now. Lol). I thought it was so funny and so TRUE when Zenon and her friends were talking about Earth, because she didn't want to go, and one of her friends says, "Everything down there is motivated by money" and Zenon adds to that by saying, "Everything down there is motivated by self-defense. You gotta watch out for germs, speeding trucks, earthquakes, mad men, muggers...". Yep. Sad, but so TRUE for many people but not all people who live on Earth. In other words, not everyone on Earth is motivated by money and self-defense but most are. Also, when she's at lunch with her Aunt and they are talking about the preservatives in food on Earth, I of course love that part. I never really understood that scene as a kid, nor did it use to stand out to me, but now as an adult I'm like "Oh, wow. Zenon is so right" and what she says to Greg on their dinner date, I also agree. A lot of food on Earth should be illegal because a lot of it is bad for you. SAY NO TO PRESERVATIVES KIDS. 

Another great moment and quote in this movie is when Zenon first gets to her Aunt's house and she sees the flowers and she says, "They're interesting but what's their purpose? I mean our hydroponic chambers are for producing oxygen but you've got plenty of that" and her Aunt replies, "Down here not everything has to have a purpose hun. Some things are just good for your soul". I don't know, but that scene just stood out to me and I thought it was pretty deep and real. The music in this movie is also great, from the iconic song that Proto Zoa performs at the end to the actual music in the background of the scenes themselves. It really gives off that space, atmospheric, otherworldly, nostalgic, soothing, feel-good vibes. This movie has everything. Space, cute animals (horses), music, romance, friendships, drama, adventure, and a little bit of mystery. What's not to love. This DCOM is one of my all time favorites and one that I've seen many times before and would watch many more times over again. Also, just a couple little fun facts about this movie: Did you know that this movie was originally conceived as a pilot for a potential TV series?!? And maybe you already know this one, but this movie was also the first under the DCOM banner to produce a sequel. Crazy right?!?💜🌑🌎★

   

   

    

    

       

            

 2000

 

 DCOMs:

Up, Up, and Away 

The Color of Friendship 

Alley Cats Strike 

Rip Girls 

Miracle in Lane 2

Stepsister from Planet Weird 

Ready to Run 

Quints 

The Other Me 

Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire 

Phantom of the Megaplex 

The Ultimate Christmas Present  

 

MY CHOICE:

 

#4 Rip Girls Premiered April 22, 2000

  

Wow, I know. They released a lot of DCOMs this year on Disney Channel, the most DCOMs released in a year actually, and a lot of good ones at that. Choosing the best and my most favorite DCOM from this year was hard because I like and enjoyed watching a lot of them. I had never seen Up, Up and Away before doing this and I actually enjoyed that one way more than I thought I would. Phantom of the Megaplex is one of my all time favorites but I didn't watch it because I put it on my Halloween post last year. Even though, I know, it's not technically a Halloween movie. But, The Other Me and Rip Girls were the two that I was really having a hard time choosing between on this list. Ultimately, I decided that Rip Girls is the best out of all the DCOMs for the year 2000. Oh, and there is a movie on this list that I literally had to stop like 5 minutes in because I found the portrayal of God and the funeral scene at the beginning very offensive and I was like, "No, I don't like this movie" and that is Miracle in Lane 2. Even though I turned off Miracle in Lane 2 and didn't therefore get to watch the whole movie, like I initially intended to, I would say it's the WORST DCOM that I've ever seen. 

Now, back to Rip Girls being the best. I was so excited to get to watch this movie again because I love it so much and I hadn't seen it in a long time before doing so again for this post. However, I was very familiar with this movie and what happens in it because I used to watch it every summer when I was younger. I mean this is one of the best summer DCOMs ever. If you've never seen this DCOM, which I highly recommend that you do, it's about a teenage girl named Sydney who visits Hawaii for the first time with her dad and step-mom where she learns that she's inherited a portion of the land. She at first is very quick to want to sell it to a major developer, that is until she discovers a deeper appreciation for her island home. A place where she finds new friends, a new hobby (surfing), and learns the truth about her deceased mother. I love that it takes place in Hawaii (even though it was actually filmed in Australia) cause I love all those Hawaiian island vibes. It feels like I'm there myself every time I watch this movie. Well, at least I always wish that I were, when I watch it. I not only want to go to Hawaii every time I watch this movie but it also always makes me want to learn how to surf. 

This is one of the most, probably THE MOST, peaceful, calming, and comforting DCOMs to watch. I like the part when she is surfing for the first time and the music is playing. I don't know, but the song is just very fitting for that scene and it is really interesting and fun to watch. This movie has everything from the beach, cute cats, horseback riding, dancing, and of course surfing. Oh and a great soundtrack to back it all up. But most of all, like most DCOMs do, this movie has some important life lessons and messages, as well. Such as money not being everything or the most important thing; the importance of deciding what's right for you and not anyone else, as Gia says to Sydney, "You don't surf for your friends, you do it for yourself. For the way it makes you feel inside"; as well as knowing that it's important to know where you come from even if there is tragedy, 'cause even if someone is gone from your life, you must celebrate their lives regardless. Also the scene when Sydney is having a conversation with her step-mom and Sydney says to her, "Sometimes I wish I wasn't. That I wasn't so careful. I could just try things, like everyone else. Not think so much" and her step-mom says back to her, "Sweetheart, we all do things at our own pace and there's nothing wrong with that. As far as thinking too much, you just keep using that head of yours. You're good at it". I can really relate to how Sydney feels in that moment because I too am an overthinker and can play it safe a lot of times, but that's okay, and I also love the advice that her step-mom gives to her during that scene about doing things in life at your own pace.

The only thing that I don't like about this movie is a word that Sydney's friend Gia says at one point during the movie, and that is when she mentions the word "goddess", which I don't like at all but I still love and appreciate this movie anyways. I mean that's a very tiny, minor flaw of this movie that I can look past and still enjoy this movie for what it is. This movie never gets old and is one I could watch over and over again. It's one of the most memorable DCOMs for sure. 💛🏄

   

       

     

   

        

2001

 

DCOMs: 

Zenon: The Zequel 

Motocrossed 

The Luck of the Irish 

Hounded 

Jett Jackson: The Movie

The Jennie Project 

Jumping Ship 

The Poof Point 

Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge 

'Twas the Night  

 

MY CHOICE:

 

#5 Jumping Ship Premiered August 17, 2001 

  

Picking the best DCOM from this year was pretty easy after I had watched all of them. Other than Jumping Ship, the only other ones that I liked and enjoyed were Zenon: The Zequel and The Luck of the Irish. Two of the movies were holiday-themed ones, so of course I wasn't going to choose those as the best and The Poof Point was a new one to me and one that I actually thought was okay but it also kinda gave me weird vibes; and The Jennie Project was pretty good but kinda sad and really emotional for me to watch. So, ultimately Jumping Ship won by a lot. I love a good Lawrence Brothers movie and this is the best one that features all three of them. I had seen this movie already a few times before doing this. I also remember watching it during the 100th DCOM Celebration on Disney Channel in 2016, which I believe was actually the very first time I saw this movie, and I've liked this movie ever since then. So, I was excited to get to watch this movie again for this post. 

If you didn't know, this is actually the sequel to the other Lawrence Brothers DCOM from 1999 "Horse Sense", which is pretty cool and interesting. As the characters not only have the same names from the first movie but there are many other references to the movie that came before this one, such as when they mention the tree house from the ranch after they have to build a little tree hut on the sand with what they have available. There's also a part when Tommy is talking to Jake about not owning the farm and just running it now, as we remember from what happened at the end of the first movie. So, there's a few mentions of their farm back home which is what the first movie was all about. However, what's good about this movie is that you don't necessarily have to watch the first one in order to understand this one. It really does stand good on its own. 

Basically, if you've never seen this movie, it's about Michael trying to show his cousin Tommy a good time aboard a luxury yacht. That is until he discovers that the one he chartered is actually an old rusted fishing boat. They are then forced to jump the ship (hence the title) when modern-day pirates are trying to chase it, which leaves the cousins stranded on a desert island with the captain, Jake. It's always fun and interesting watching people try to survive on a deserted island while also making you think about what you would do if you were in that same situation, and this is exactly that kind of movie. Plus, I love watching movies where the characters are siblings in real life and this is also that kind of movie. It just adds even more fun and entertainment when watching this movie, at least for me it does. I also love that this movie takes place in Australia. Another place I would love to visit one day. 

This DCOM is very funny at times, especially the scenes of Michael struggling on the island, but it also has those sweet sentimental and dramatic moments and scenes, as well. This is a great summer movie but also just a great movie you can really watch any time of the year if you want. There is also some great lessons/messages viewers can take away from this movie as well, or at least ones that I did, such as not blaming others for your actions because it doesn't solve anything and not taking things for granted and things can't just be handed to you in life if you want something you must work hard for it yourself. I also like the quote that Michael's dad says to him in the beginning when he says, "In my book, success is when preparation meets opportunity". But, also knowing that what success is for one person isn't the same for everyone, as it should be. In other words, success is not defined the same way for everyone. This movie is also really relatable as there's talks about divorced parents, deceased parents, and those feelings of seeing your parent move on with someone else. Overall, this DCOM is forever ingrained in my mind and it honestly never gets old. I highly recommend that anyone watch this movie at least once ,because trust me you won't regret it. 💙🚢

     

         

         

    

             

           

     

      

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2002

 

DCOMs:

Double Teamed 

Cadet Kelly 

Tru Confessions 

Get A Clue 

Gotta Kick It Up!

A Ring of Endless Light 

The Scream Team 

 

 MY CHOICE:

 

#6 Gotta Kick It Up! Premiered July 26, 2002 

 

All of the DCOMs from this year (2002) are great, except The Scream Team. I watched The Scream Team last year and I didn't like it. Tru Confessions was the only one that was new to me. I had never seen it before doing so for this post. It's a great DCOM, but the only reason why I didn't choose it as the best DCOM from the year 2002 is because it literally made me cry, and so I'd rather watch a more upbeat, fun, and happy DCOM like Gotta Kick It Up. Also I know, I know, I'm kind of shocked myself that I didn't pick A Ring of Endless Light as the best and my most favorite from this year, because if you remember from one of my earliest blog posts, here, A Ring of Endless Light was listed as one of the top ten DCOMs of all time. So, I guess my mind has changed a lot since I created that post. But don't get me wrong, because A Ring of Endless Light is still one of my favorite DCOMs. Just after watching all these DCOMs over again this time, Gotta Kick It Up is better. Though, I have to be honest, Cadet Kelly is a very, very close second. It almost made it as the best DCOM for this year, but after very long considerable thought Gotta Kick It Up officially takes the #1 spot as the best DCOM from the year 2002, at least in my opinion. 

Anyways, I'm so excited that I finally get to talk about this movie on this blog. This is one of the most memorable and iconic DCOMs ever. It's so nostalgic to me and I was so excited to watch this movie again because I hadn't seen it in so long before doing this. I mean I grew up watching this movie, so I remembered everything that happens in it before I even watched it. It's that unforgettable and amazing. This movie is all about a group of Latina girls from Marshall Middle School who find themselves without a dance team coach, after she retires, which leaves their future as cheerleaders called into question. But with the help from a young executive turned biology teacher (Ms. Bartlett), who they find out was once a dancer herself, they are able to continue their cheerleading dreams in hopes to win a big competition. I won't tell you if they actually do win, just in case someone reading this hasn't seen this movie, but you can probably already guess what happens next. They say dance team a lot in this movie, but you can tell it's obviously cheerleading. I love that this movie is all about cheerleading. The first and only DCOM that solely focuses on the sport. I was a cheerleader myself for two years when I was a kid, so watching this movie brings back a lot of fun memories of when I did cheer, and therefore I can relate to this movie somewhat in that way. This movie also has a character with my first name in it, so it gets bonus points just for that, as well. 

This DCOM never gets old. Every time I watch this movie I just want to be a cheerleader again, just for even a day. 'Cause it looks like so much fun in this movie and it was for me as a kid, too. This movie will just cheer anyone up instantly (ha, see what I did there). Well, at least it does for me every time that I watch it. It has its funny moments, music moments, emotional moments, and its dramatic moments. So, there's really nothing you can't not love about this movie. Speaking of music, I love all the music in this movie. One of my favorite quotes from a Disney Channel movie, that I also mentioned once before on this blog, is also featured in this movie; which is, "Si Se Puede". This DCOM also has a couple of really great and important messages to viewers like the importance of teamwork and the importance of doing things for the joy of it not for the trophies or medals or any other physical reward. As Ms. Bartlett says to Daisy at one point during the movie that dancing from your heart is more important, more valuable, and more contagious than having a thousand trophies. I also love what Ms. Bartlett says to Daisy when she says, "There is a big difference between being THE best and being YOUR best. Aiming to be the best, it's fruitless. It's a matter of opinion. But to be YOUR best, that's where you find your spirit". And well, in my opinion, this DCOM is THE BEST from the year 2002 for all the reasons I mentioned above. I could watch this movie over and over again and never get sick of it. It's a classic.💓📣

     

    

           

      

      

     

     

       

2003

 

DCOMs: 

You Wish!

Right on Track

The Even Stevens Movie 

Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off

The Cheetah Girls

Full-Court Miracle  

MY CHOICE:

 

#7 The Cheetah Girls Premiered August 15, 2003

Choosing the best DCOM from this year was a no brainer for me. I mean, how could anyone not choose The Cheetah Girls as one of the best DCOMs EVER?!? Well actually, I'm kind of guilty of that myself, because for my Top Ten Disney Channel Original Movies post last year I didn't even have this movie on that list. (Oops) But, I was crazy not to, because this has always been a childhood favorite of mine and it definitely deserved to be in that top ten list. (Hmmmm, maybe it's time I do an updated Top Ten DCOMs ranking...😉). Anyways, I enjoyed watching most of these movies, but of course The Cheetah Girls tops them all by A LOT. I mean, I'm a big music lover, and this DCOM is the only one from 2003 that is jam packed with singing and dancing. Okay, honestly, it could have had more singing and dancing, but what we got in this movie is amazing. As this is The Cheetah Girls movie with the least amount of songs, but they are all bangers, so it doesn't even matter. It certainly makes up for having the least amount. Also, I just have to give this movie props for being the first musical to come out of Disney, because it did pave the way for many other great musical DCOMs to come. 

I just love, love, LOVE this movie SO MUCH. I've seen this movie way too many times to even count and it never gets old. Basically, if you've never seen this movie before (which if you haven't...what?!?, that's crazy), it's about four teen girls from New York, who name themselves "The Cheetah Girls", as they are discovered by a famous record producer Jackal Johnson while rehearsing for their school's talent show. When Jackal wants to remake The Cheetah Girls into something that they're not, their path to stardom challenges their friendship and the four friends must find a way to come together in order to achieve their dreams of taking the world by storm with their music. Ahhhh, the nostalgia that comes running through my mind whenever I watch this movie. This movie is EVERYTHING. Again, I love that this movie is a musical and therefore has a lot of singing and dancing in it. I love all the songs in this movie. In fact, if you would like to know my ranking of the songs from this movie, then you can refer back to my post from last year, here. Like I just mentioned, I've talked about the songs from this movie before on this blog, but I've never actually got the chance to talk much about the movie itself. So, I'm so excited that I get to do so now. 

I love that this movie is all about girl power (no pun intended) and it's about four different girls that come from different backgrounds and have different family dynamics and situations. Which is great, because there's at least one character that viewers can relate to when watching this movie. One of my favorite moments in this movie, and one that has always been the most memorable to me since I was a kid watching this movie, is when Chanel finds out where Dorinda lives and everything with that is just such a great scene. It's a super emotional scene, but I'm a pretty emotional girl, so I love that scene. I love when Chanel says to Dorinda during that scene, "Do, you're a Cheetah Girl because of who you are and what's in your heart. And you're pure Cheetah Girl. Pura Vida". And there are many other great messages that viewers, like myself, can takeaway from this movie. This movie just gets me hyped up right from the very beginning. 'Cause they start singing and dancing right from the very beginning. Definitely one of the best DCOM intros ever and most memorable, at least to me it is. 

There were a couple quotes with good messages in them that stood out to me when watching this movie for the 1,000th time. One being from Galleria's mom when she says to Galleria, "You see sometimes you just have to let go and let the people you love make their own choices,  even if you don't agree with them. You see I'm learning to do that with you and you've got to learn with your friends". I also like what Derek says to Galleria at one point during the movie when he says, "Well, welcome to the world of a true artist. You really do have to walk alone sometimes. But you got the talent, and you can walk it". This is just an awesome movie and I can't overhype it enough, 'cause it deserves all the hype. Of course I would watch this movie again and again and again.🖤🤎🐆🎶

                 

    

     

    

      

     

       

     

       

        

       

2004

 

DCOMs: 

Pixel Perfect 

Going to the Mat 

Zenon: Z3

Stuck in the Suburbs 

Tiger Cruise 

Halloweentown High 

 

MY CHOICE:

 

#8 Going to the Mat Premiered March 19, 2004 

 

All of the DCOMs in this category are great and ones that I really enjoyed watching. Except, of course I did not watch the third Halloweentown since I watched it last year. It was very hard for me to choose Going to the Mat as the best DCOM over Stuck in the Suburbs and Zenon: Z3 and even Pixel Perfect, 'cause those are definitely ones I watched a lot more growing up and still love so so much. But, ever since I first watched Going to the Mat in 2016 during the 100th DCOM Celebration on Disney Channel, I've loved it ever since. It is now one that is forever ingrained in my mind as one of the best DCOMs ever. This is not only the BEST DCOM from 2004 but it's also the BEST Lawrence Brothers DCOM, even though only one of the brothers (Andrew Lawrence) is featured in it. This movie is about Jace Newfield who's the new kid at school and thinks that his talent on the drums is his ticket to fit in. So, he shows off in music class one day only to find out that his teacher is also blind like him. People at school begin to treat him differently but he soon finds out that it's not because he is blind, but because they think he's a snob. So, being desperate to fit in and be accepted, he must join a sport and become a jock. Therefore, he joins the wrestling team.

First of all, I love that this movie is about a guy who is blind. It makes this DCOM more special and unique than any other DCOMs for that reason alone, and more interesting. I had only seen this movie a couple times before watching it again for this post, but I remembered really liking it a lot. So, I knew going back to watch it this time around wouldn't be any different, and I was right. It's still one of the best. Again, I hadn't seen this movie in forever before doing this, so I was very excited to get to go back and watch it for this post. This movie is emotionally deep at times but also really funny at times. It's a good balance of the two. I also totally forgot that the kid from Holes, Hector aka "Zero", plays in this movie as Jace's friend (Vincent aka "Fly"), which is just an added bonus. One of my favorite scenes in this movie is the one with Jace and Mary Beth. When Jace is asking Mary Beth why she would ever want to hang out with him and Mary Beth says to him, "Because you don't care that I look like a hideous mutant she-beast" and Jace tells her that that's not true and then Mary Beth says, "How would you know?" and he says to her, "Because somebody like you would have to have a face that matches her heart". It's just the sweetest scene ever. I love their relationship in this movie. 

There are so many great, meaningful quotes I took away from watching this movie and therefore many great messages I think anyone can takeaway when watching this movie. Such as the importance of knowing that you can do whatever you put your mind to, the importance of not being fearful and taking chances, not worrying about what other people think about you, listening to your heart and the importance of just being yourself. Another important quote that stood out to me that I just wanted to add here too is from Mr. Wyatt to Jace at the end of the movie when he says, "You joined the wrestling team to be just like everybody else. Well, I got some news for you Jace, everybody's afraid man. Especially people your age. Trying to figure out who they are and where they're going and who they're gonna be. Man it is absolutely terrifying. But see, what you gotta do right, is you have to treat that fear like one of your opponents. You have to wrestle it to the ground, and then you have to get on top of it". That's so true and some great advice from Mr. Wyatt to anyone, even if you're not a wrestler. Don't ever let fear stop you from doing something. I've never been interested in wrestling or watching it, but this movie is an exception, because I would watch this movie any day. It's also just a very calming and relaxing DCOM to watch that I highly recommend anyone watch at least once in their life. 💓🤼

            

    

     

        

     

       

2005

 

DCOMs: 

Now You See It...

Buffalo Dreams 

Kim Possible Movie: So The Drama  

Go Figure 

Life Is Ruff 

The Proud Family Movie 

Twitches 

 

MY CHOICE:

 

#9 Go Figure Premiered June 10, 2005 

  

This is another choice that was pretty much a no brainer and one that I am so, SO EXCITED to finally get to talk about on this blog. There were two Halloween-themed movies (Now You See It and Twitches) in this category that I did not watch because, again, I watched them and talked about them last year on my blog that you can read here. All the other non-Halloween DCOMs on this list for 2005 I watched and enjoyed, except Buffalo Dreams was the most boring one to me. So, of course Go Figure was the clear winner for best DCOM of 2005. My words here can't even begin to explain how much I LOVE this movie. But, I will try to explain why I love this movie so much and why I chose it as the best DCOM from 2005. This movie was in my Top Ten DCOMs post and for good reason. I honestly wouldn't change my mind about that one. 'Cause after watching this movie again for the 1,000th (okay maybe that's a little bit of an exaggeration, but I have seen this movie A LOT) time it still made me feel the way I did the very first time I watched it as a kid in 2005, which is just so happy. It's just one of the most feel-good DCOMs for me to watch anytime that I watch it. 

If you've never seen this movie before, which I highly suggest you watch as soon as possible, it's basically about a 14-year-old girl named Katelin who has given everything to become a world champion figure skater. She is discovered by a renowned Russian figure skating coach (Natasha) who offers to take her figure skating to the next level, but of course, there's a catch. In order to obtain a scholarship to this private boarding school, Katelin must join the girls' hockey team. This DCOM gets a bonus point just for the main character having my middle name. (Although it is spelled very differently than mine) Oh, and my first name is mentioned at the very end of this movie, as well. Pretty cool. This movie never gets old. I have such fond memories of watching this movie growing up and I still remember exactly when and where I was when I watched this movie for the very first time when it premiered on Disney Channel in 2005. So, this movie will always hold a special place in my heart for that reason alone. Even though I had obviously seen this movie so many times before doing this and knew everything that happens in it, I was still so excited to get to watch it again. I mean, I'm always excited to watch this movie any day. This movie just gives me all the feels, and every time I watch it, it just makes me want to ice skate (which I can do by the way, but not nearly as good as the figure skaters in this movie). Which is great that a movie like this one can have an impact or influence like that on someone like me. Just shows even more how great of a movie it is. 

This is another one of those DCOMs that makes me super emotional while watching it (not in a bad way, but in the best way) just because it is so nostalgic to me. When I turn it on it just instantly brings me back to that time in my life when this movie first premiered and things were just a lot more simple and magical back then. Or so it seemed. No, but for real, movies like this one just make me miss my childhood. I love the part when Katelin's doing her first practice with the other girls on the hockey team and Spencer demands her to keep doing these leg lifts (Sorry, I forgot what you actually call them. Lol) and he says, "Come on 36. Up, down, up, down..." and when he says that Katelin stops for a second and says to him, "Excuse me, but I am not a number, I have a name and it is Katelin". There's also another great quote that Katelin says in this movie when one of her hockey friends is talking about figure skaters (twirl girls as they call them in this movie) and says, "They make it totally impossible for us to get any respect" and Katelin says back to the girls, "Which is why we must respect ourselves first". It kinda goes along with that message of loving yourself first, which I love. 

There's so many great, positive messages in this movie that one can takeaway, like the importance of never giving up on your dreams, not compromising yourself in order to please others (aka doing what makes you happy and not what makes others happy), and it also shows that girls can do anything boys can do. 'Cause some would think hockey is just a guys' sport, but in this movie it's all girls who play it and they play it well and just as good as any guy could. I actually also love when Katelin is talking to her mom, when she is trying to choose between going to nationals or the hockey game and her mom says to her, "What's gonna make you a better woman?" and Katelin ends up choosing the hockey game to go to. The music in this movie is also so on par and iconic in and of itself. That big montage scene when the music is at the forefront gets me the most emotional every time I watch this movie. This movie just makes me smile so much. The day I watched this movie for this post, I actually wasn't feeling the best, but once I turned this movie on and watched it it made me feel so much better. It like took my worries away for like an hour and a half. This is just a must-watch DCOM and one that I would of course watch many more times again. ⛸🏒

         

      

     

     

    

     

     

2006

 

 DCOMs: 

High School Musical 

Cow Belles 

Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior 

Read It and Weep 

The Cheetah Girls 2

Return to Halloweentown

 

MY CHOICE:

#10 High School Musical Premiered January 20, 2006

  

Man, this was a pretty tough decision to make, 'cause I really do love all of these movies in this category a lot. Except Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior, that one I could live without. I just really felt bad about not picking The Cheetah Girls 2 though, because it's such a great DCOM and another one that was in my Top Ten DCOMs post before. However, High School Musical to me, changed everything when it came out on Disney Channel in 2006. This movie defined my childhood. Okay, other things defined my childhood, too. But, this movie was really a big deal to me and obviously for Disney Channel, as well. I mean, I probably don't even have to give a synopsis of this iconic DCOM, but I'll do it anyways just for fun. 

Basically, this movie is all about a popular high school basketball player (Troy) and a shy, smart, science girl (Gabriella) as they develop a relationship after a chance meeting on winter break. They both discover that they might have a real passion for singing and end up getting roles in their school musical which threatens East High's social order. Okay, honestly my summary of this movie doesn't even do it justice. Trust me, this movie is AMAZING and so ICONIC for so many reasons. I obviously had seen this movie way too many times to even count before watching it again for this post, but I was still very excited to watch this movie because it had been quite a while since I did before this. I mean you can't not love this movie. It's just that great of a movie. If you also remember from one of my earliest blog posts when I did the Top Ten DCOMs ranking, this movie did make it on that ranking as well. I mean, how could it not? When I say iconic, I really mean this movie is ICONIC. When I think of DCOMs this is always the first one that comes to mind. Of course, along with the second one that came after it, but this is the one that started it all for the franchise as a whole. To me, this was always the one and only musical DCOM. Even though, again, The Cheetah Girls was the very first. But I've always looked at this movie as the very start of Disney musical movies, and even though it technically isn't, it always will be in my mind.

This movie has everything: music, comedy, romance, friendship, dancing, singing, great lessons, just EVERYTHING you would expect from a great movie and more. I pretty much knew from the very start that this DCOM was going to be my most favorite from all the ones from this year and I never changed my mind once. I mean this movie is just so nostalgic to me. I still remember being a kid and seeing all the commercials leading up to the premiere of this movie on Disney Channel and I remember exactly when and where I was when I first saw this movie. Well, the one scene that I saw, because the very, very first time that I saw this movie I only caught the end of it and I remember the exact scene it was. I remember I went to my parents room and nobody was in there and I turned on the TV and it was the scene where Troy shows up to Gabriella's house to try to fix things. I remember that night, seeing this scene on the TV, so vividly. I then stopped the movie when it went on commercial break so that I could watch the full thing with my sisters. I've seen this movie so much that I literally know every single scene that happens before it happens and pretty much every line that the characters say before they say it. This another one of those movies that just gets me hype right from the very beginning, obviously because Troy and Gabriella sing the "Start of Something New". I was literally just smiling throughout watching this whole movie. I just get so happy every time I watch it. 

When I was watching all the DCOMs up to this point, I realized that this movie is the first one to mainly show the characters in school. In other words, it takes place mostly at school. Maybe that's why viewers at the time could relate to it so much, because we were kids like them in school most the time, too. I don't know I just thought of that and found that a little interesting while watching this movie. This movie never gets old and still holds up today. Even the positive messages still hold up. There's lessons/messages about the importance of not being afraid to be yourself or to try something new just because you're afraid of what others might think of you, the importance of teamwork, and the importance of not giving up when others bring you down. I also think this is a great movie because I'm sure there is a character that someone watching it can relate to in some way or know someone that is like one of the characters. I personally, can relate to Gabriella, because she's more shy and I am definitely that way sometimes. Well, at least at first to people that I don't know very well, and I also have a passion for singing like she does but I can be shy about that, too. When Gabriella says to Taylor, "Do you ever feel like there's this whole other person inside of you just waiting to come out", I can relate to that. 'Cause I feel that way sometimes. Every time they start singing and dancing in this movie I can't help but want to sing and dance along with them. I, of course, sing the songs in my head the whole time, just not always out loud. This DCOM also has one of the best, if not THE BEST, endings ever. When they perform "We're All In This Together". ICONIC. Again, this movie never gets old and still holds up today. I think it always will. I've seen this movie too many times to even count and I would watch it many more times over again. What else can I say? My love for this movie is strong. Or let me just say, GO WILDCATS!!!💓🏀📣🎹🎶

   

    

    

    

   

    

      

   

      

      

    

      

     

      

        

       

       

       

 2007

 

DCOMs:

Jump In!

Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board

High School Musical 2

Twitches Too

 

MY CHOICE:

#11 High School Musical 2 Premiered August 17, 2007 

I mean all I have to say about this DCOM is...I.C.O.N.I.C. . The MOST ICONIC DCOM EVER. I've already talked about my love for this movie before in one of my first ever blog posts (here) and if you remember from that post (SPOILER ALERT), this was my #1 choice for the BEST DCOM EVER. So, obviously this movie was going to win as the best DCOM from 2007. Although, don't get me wrong, because I still love all the other DCOMs that came out in 2007. Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board and Jump In! are still some childhood favorites of mine and I enjoyed watching them so much this time around too, but High School Musical 2 is the better one of them all, no doubt. 

This is another DCOM that I shouldn't have to give a short summary about, but I will anyways just for fun. Basically, in this movie, school's out and all the East High Wildcats spend their summer at Sharpay and Ryan's country club where they will be spending the summer of their lives while also working. However, of course, the country club has a Talent Night looming, which puts relationships and friendships to the test. Okay, again, my synopsis of this movie doesn't do it justice at all. If you've seen this DCOM, than you know how AMAZING it is. I've seen this movie way too many times to even count at this point. It truly never gets old. It's one of those movies where again, I know every scene before it happens and basically every line that the characters say even before they say it. I just LOVE this movie so so much. I have such fond memories, some of the best memories ever, watching this movie as a kid/teen. I still remember all the commercials and hype leading up to this movie and exactly when and where I was when I watched it for the first time ever the night it premiered on Disney Channel. 

This movie makes me feel all the feels every time that I watch it and watching it this time was no different. I actually get kind of emotional (in the best way) every time I watch this movie because it always brings me back to that time in my life and just makes me remember what a special time it was. I mean, I loved this movie so much as a kid that I even got the DVD for my birthday one year (or some special holiday, maybe it was Christmas, I don't remember exactly), and not just the original version but the EXTENDED version of the movie. Let me tell you, I watched that DVD so much, but I also just loved that DVD for the behind the scenes. I've always been obsessed with seeing the behind of the scenes of movies and stuff. I loved watching them rehearse all the dances. I thought it was so fun and cool. Usually, I don't prefer sequels, but they did it right with this one because it's way better than the first one if that's even possible, which it is. Though, again, don't get me wrong because the first HSM is still great. This movie relates back to so many different times in my life. Ever since I sang "You Are the Music in Me" in 9th grade chorus, I can't not think of my 9th grade chorus concert now whenever I watch that scene in the movie. 

Just like the first movie, and really any and all DCOM musicals, every time I watch it I just want to sing and dance along. All the songs are so catchy and iconic in and of themselves. To me, this is just the most unforgettable DCOM ever. I mean how could it not be? (You don't have to answer that). Again, I've seen this movie so many times and I could watch it again so many times over and never get sick of it. Every time I get to the end of this movie I already just want to start it over from the beginning again, because I just don't ever want it to end. I just want the feeling that I get while watching this movie to last forever. It's that great. I used to try to make sure that I watched this movie every summer because it's just the perfect summer movie. I mean it's THE summer DCOM movie of all summer DCOM movies. What's great about this movie, and just the franchise as a whole, is that people of all ages can enjoy watching it. 'Cause before watching this movie alone for this post, the last time I had actually watched it was last year with my dad. I could go on and on about how much I love this movie, but I want to save time and space for all the other best DCOMs that I've chosen, so I'll just finish by saying this: Watch this movie any time you get because it's full of nostalgia and feel-good vibes. 💙💦🌞🌊🎶🏌

    

       

     

     

    

    

      

     

    

    

       

     

    

    

    

         

      

      

    

    

    

      ❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤

     

     ❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤

2008

 

DCOMs: 

Minutemen 

Camp Rock 

The Cheetah Girls: One World 

 

 MY CHOICE:

 

#12 Camp Rock Premiered June 20, 2008 

Ahhh, I'm so excited to get to talk about this movie, even though I've already mentioned it a little bit before on this blog when I ranked the songs from this franchise. But, now I get to solely talk about this ICONIC movie itself and not just its ICONIC songs. I am always excited to get to watch this DCOM. It's another one of the most memorable and just classic DCOMs ever. I have such fond memories of watching this movie for the first time as a kid when it premiered on Disney Channel and of course I still even remember some of the commercials leading up to it. This is another great summer DCOM and one that I made sure to watch every summer growing up. Although, I could honestly watch this movie any time of the year if I wanted to.

Basically, for those of you who aren't familiar with this movie it's basically all about a teen girl named Mitchie who finally gets the chance to spend her summer at the music camp of her dreams, "Camp Rock". But, she can only attend if she works as a cook in the kitchen with her mom. One day at camp when teen pop star Shane Gray overhears someone singing, he then sets out to find who that amazing voice belongs to. Unbeknownst to him, the voice actually belongs to Mitchie, the girl who works in the camp kitchen who has a fear of being heard. Like a lot of the best choice movies I've picked so far, this movie never gets old. The music is great, the characters are great (well, most of them), and the overall message of the movie is great. This movie actually has a lot of great, positive, and important messages you can take away from it. Like the importance of not lieing about who you are or what you do or trying to change yourself in order to fit in, the importance of having confidence in yourself, never giving up on your dreams, not using people to make yourself feel better, not being afraid to try new things, and so much more. The messages aren't just in the songs either. I really love that this movie takes place at a camp, which was the first DCOM to do so. Well, unless you count the boot camp in Cadet Kelly, then it isn't. But, this is certainly the first music camp featured in a DCOM and music camps are way better than boot camps.

I've seen this movie so many times, and I mean SO MANY times, but I would still choose to watch it so many times over again. Also, even though I've seen this movie many times before, I still got so hyped and excited to watch it again for this post because it had been a long while since I had last watched it. This is another one of those movies where I knew every scene before it even happened and like every line the characters would say before they even said it. Because this is a musical DCOM, it makes you stay hyped all throughout the movie, which I love. Every time I watch this movie it just makes me want to go to camp, but not just any camp, obviously a music camp would be the coolest just like in this movie. This movie just gives me all the feels. I actually get pretty emotional sometimes (again, in the best way) because it just brings back all those great, fun memories of when I watched it for the first time as a kid and all the wonderful times after that. 

Although, I said this movie makes you very hype while you're watching it (at least for me it does), it's also a very chill movie at the same time. It's just a very soothing, comforting movie to watch, in my opinion. I also feel like I gravitate more to liking this movie not only for the nostalgia that it brings me, and not only because of the music, but also because it's pretty relatable. In other words, I feel like I can relate a lot to Mitchie and her shyness with singing and stuff even more than I can relate to Gabriella in HSM. Anyways, this is just a must-watch DCOM that I recommend to anyone. It can be cheesy at times, also very funny at times, but overall it's just a great, feel-good, must-watch DCOM. Definitely one that holds a special place in my heart and one that will forever be one of my most favorites. I actually enjoy this movie more and more every time I watch it. I don't know why that is, but it just makes me so happy to watch and it's just a very comforting movie to me.💓🎸🎹🎶🔥🏕🎤

    

        

      

   

     

     

    

     

      

      

      

     

      

      

     

      

     

    

    

    

    

    

    

2009

 

DCOMs:

Dadnapped 

Hatching Pete 

Princess Protection Program 

Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie 

 

MY CHOICE:

 

#13 Princess Protection Program Premiered June 26, 2009 

Okay, so all these movies are great and ones that I really enjoyed watching. But, after watching all of them, it really only came down to Princess Protection Program or Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie, as being the best DCOM from 2009. As you can see, I ultimately chose Princess Protection Program, because I mean why wouldn't I choose this one? No, but for real, Princess Protection Program has always been a stand out favorite DCOM of mine. I mean, it is another movie that was in my Top Ten DCOMs post, so of course I was going to choose it as the most BEST for this year of DCOMs. 

This movie is about a small-town girl from Lousiana (Carter) and a South American Princess from the country of Costa Luna (Rosalinda) who must learn to live together after Carter's father, who is an agent in the private Princess Protection Program, rescues Rosalinda from a military takeover. The two girls end up having to devise a plan in order to take down Costa Luna's dictator and so that Rosalinda can return to her rule. Ahhh, I just LOVE this movie so much. I have such fond memories of watching this movie as a kid/teen. I used to make it a priority when I was teen to watch this movie every summer and most of those times my little sister (celebrategoodtimesblog.blogspot.com) would join me in watching it, too. So, I of course was very excited to watch this movie again after so long of having not seen it, for this post. 'Cause I'm pretty sure the last time I watched this movie was during the 100th DCOM Celebration on Disney Channel in 2016. But, this is one of those movies that no matter how long it's been, I still remember everything about it. There's a lot of familiar faces in this movie, as well, which is fun to see. This movie not only stars Selena Gomez from Wizards of Waverly Place and Demi Lovato from Camp Rock/Sonny With A Chance, but it also stars Nicholas Braun from the DCOM "Minutemen" and another great Disney movie, Prom. Samantha Droke is also in this movie, who played on a couple of other Disney things, as well as the guys that play the characters Donny and Bull in the movie, who both played on a Soap Opera I used to watch as a kid. 

After just the first five minutes of playing this movie, all the great memories and nostalgia came flooding back into my mind. This movie is just so nostalgic to me and I love that about it. Of course, what makes me love this movie even more is the princess story line aspect. One of my favorite scenes in this movie is the ice cream shop scene, when Carter smashes an ice cream cone on Bull's head. That's just such a great scene, and obviously it's not right to do that to anyone in real life, but if you watch the movie you understand why she did it and you're glad that she did cause he deserved it. This movie is funny and emotional at times, too. I like that it takes place mostly down south in Louisiana, where Carter and her dad live, because I once lived in Louisiana when I was a little kid, too. So, this movie also just gets another bonus point for that. However, fun fact, this movie was actually filmed in Puerto Rico not Louisiana at all. 

There is also a lot of great, positive messages in this movie. Like the importance of friendship, loyalty, what you are on the inside being more important than what you look like on the outside, the importance of doing something to make a difference in the world and not caring about the superficial things in life, as well as the importance of knowing that if a guy doesn't like you for you than he is not worthy of you. (I'll list some of my favorite quotes from this movie below that go along with some of these messages because there are some really great, memorable ones in this movie that stick out to me). Again, this movie is just one of my all time favorite DCOMs and one of the BEST in my opinion, and I also think that it's highly underrated. It is a really cute and sweet friendship movie and knowing that the characters in this movie were best friends in real life makes it that much more fun and interesting to watch. I don't care what anyone says, this DCOM is a classic, it never gets old, and it still holds up today. I would watch this movie again and again and again. 💛👑

Fav Quotes: 

- Ed to Carter, "You really hate this whole princess thing don't you?" and Carter says to him, "I don't hate it exactly. I just think it's shallow. Girls like Chelsea and Brooke, all they care about is shoes. Like wearing the right clothes makes them superior. I just want to do something more important with my life. Like my dad" 

- Carter to Rosie, "What was I thinking, a guy like Donny would never go out with me" and Rosie says to her, "Then he is not worthy of you" 

- When Rosie says to Carter, "You are a princess ...You think that being a princess is superficial. That it is about what you wear and how you look. Well, it is a little bit about how you look, but more importantly it is about what you have to offer the world and who you are inside"

- Rosie, "It is a princess's job to help people" 

- Rosie's speech at the end when she wins homecoming queen, "Since I've been here, I've learned many wonderful things. Most importantly I've learned about friendship, and loyalty, and trust and that those are not things that are just given but things we must earn"  

        

   

    

    

    

   

    

   

    

    

   

    

    

    

    

   

    

    

     

   

    

    

     

   

2010

 

DCOMs:

Starstruck 

Den Brother 

Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam 

Avalon High 

 

MY CHOICE:

 

#14  Starstruck Premiered February 14, 2010

This was pretty much another no brainer, when it came to choosing the best DCOM from 2010. I mean I knew Starstruck would be my most favorite and the BEST from the very beginning and I never changed my mind once about it. If you remember, it was in my Top Ten DCOMs post last year, so of course it was going to be one of the best on this list as well. Although, I will say that I still do like all the other DCOMs in this category, except for Avalon High. Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam would have been my second choice for this year, because I actually really enjoyed Camp Rock 2 way better than I ever did before. I used to not like it except for the songs, but after watching it this time around for this post, Camp Rock 2 is not bad at all. But, back to the BEST DCOM of 2010, Starstruck is obviously the clear winner for so many reasons.

First of all, if you've never seen this movie you have to watch it ASAP, because I can't stress enough how great it is. Second, if you're not familiar with this DCOM, it's basically all about pop star Christopher Wilde who has the fortune, fame, and a big Hollywood movie awaiting him. But he gets tangled up after a chance meeting with a down-to-earth, small-town girl Jessica Olson, as they both set out for a hilariously, wild (no pun intended) adventure across Hollywood. And he ends up having to choose between doing what's best for his career or following his heart and doing the exact opposite. This movie is just super nostalgic to me. I have such fond memories of watching this movie growing up. I still remember exactly when and where I was when I watched this movie for the first time as a kid with my family when it premiered on Disney Channel, and it will always hold a special place in my heart for a certain special reason. I always think of that family movie night moment every time that I go back and watch this movie. This is a great summer movie and just a great movie in general. It did come out on Valentine's Day, so it isn't just meant to watch in the summer. But, every time I watch this movie it does make me think of summer and gets me in the vibes of summer. This movie just makes me feel all the feels. It kind of makes me emotional at times (in the best way possible) just because it's so nostalgic to me.

This is a great DCOM because I believe that people of all ages can watch it and enjoy it. This DCOM has just always stood out to me among a lot of the others and it always will. It's just ICONIC and so unforgettable, and the songs are just as great in and of themselves. This movie, like a lot of DCOM musicals, gets me hype right from the very beginning because we see Christopher Wilde perform the ICONIC title song "Starstruck" which just gets me excited to watch the rest of the movie. I just want to sing and dance along every time that I watch this movie, which I always do end up singing along (just in my head, where no one can hear me). Other than Sterling Knight from Sonny With A Chance being in this movie, there are some other notable Disney Channel stars as well; such as Danielle Campbell from the Disney movie Prom, the mom from Dog With A Blog is Jessica's mom in this movie, Chelsea Staub from many other Disney shows and DCOMs plays Alexis in this movie, as well as Brandon Mychal from Sonny With A Chance and So Random who plays Christopher Wilde's best friend Stubby in this movie. I had seen this movie too many times to even count before watching it again for this post, but I still got so excited to watch it again. Even though the last time I had watched this movie before doing this, was just the beginning of this year with my dad and little sister (celebrategoodtimesblog.blogspot.com). This is another one of those DCOMs where I knew every scene before it even happened and pretty much every line the characters said before they even said it. I just love the the vibes I get while watching this movie. My favorite part of this whole movie has always been when they go sightseeing around Los Angeles and the ICONIC song, "Something About the Sunshine" plays, as well as when they are singing that song in the car right after that sightseeing scene. I mean it's the most ICONIC scene from the movie. I love a good road trip, summer adventure movie, and this one is just that. 

This movie is funny but also pretty deep and emotional. It has a great message and really shows viewers just a glimpse into what fame for some people is really like and that it's not at all what it's cracked up to be. What you see on the outside is really not what it's like on the inside or behind the scenes. And this movie makes you realize even more that fame is never worth it if you just end up losing your true self and the people that truly love you for you. I love the part when Jessica is talking to the press and she says, "You don't want the truth. You want a story. You take a good normal person and turn him into your own little reality show. You build him up into a big celebrity just so you can tear him down in public. Just so you can sell magazines and TV shows. That's really sick. And Christopher Wilde's just one example. He's talented and successful. He's all the stuff lots of kids dream of having, but thanks to you he's had to give up some of the best things in life. Freedom, privacy, honesty, so congratulations you've created a celebrity. But you've wrecked the human being inside. You should be ashamed of yourselves". Every time she says that I'm like "Amen, sista. You tell 'em". Seriously, what she says there is so true. I could go on and on about this movie, but I will just leave it at that and say that you should watch this movie any chance you get because it's great and a must-watch for sure. 💜💙🎶🎸🌊🌞🎤📸

            

    

   

     

   

    

     

    

    

    

    

   

   

   

     

     

    

    

      

    

   

  

2011

 

DCOMs: 

The Suite Life Movie

Lemonade Mouth 

Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure 

Phineas & Ferb The Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension 

Geek Charming 

Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas!

 

MY CHOICE:

 

#15 Lemonade Mouth Premiered April 15, 2011

 

Again, this was another no brainer. Lemonade Mouth is not only the BEST DCOM from 2011 but it's also just one of the BEST DCOMs of all time. Of course, it was a movie that was in my Top Ten DCOMs post last year, as well, so you should have expected that I would pick this one for this category. If you are not very familiar with this movie (which if you're not..what?, that's crazy?!?), well it's basically all about five high school kids (Olivia, Mo, Charlie, Stella, and Wen) with nothing in common who meet in detention and decide to start a band. Through this (music), they are able to form an unbreakable bond and are discovered to be the greatest high school garage band in history. However, they have to continue to lean on each other if they want to book the gig of their dreams. 

This is a movie that I had seen many, many times before, so of course I knew this movie very well before going into watching it again for this post. I knew every scene before it happened and like every line the characters would say before they even said it. Yes, I've watched this movie that much to know. I also just love this movie a lot obviously because it has a lot of music and dancing in it, and DCOMs like this one always stick out the most to me for that reason alone. I have such fond memories of watching this movie growing up. Like many others on this list, I still remember exactly when and where I was when this movie first premiered on Disney Channel and I watched it with my dad and sisters. This was definitely a great movie that I needed at the time. The last time I had watched this movie, before this time for this post, was actually during the pandemic with my dad. My dad loves this movie just as much as I do, therefore you know it's good when the whole family can enjoy watching it. I'm always excited when I get to watch this movie and this time around was no exception. Like all DCOMs with music and singing in them, every time I watch this movie I just want to sing and dance along and this movie is one of the best to do so, especially during the "Determinate" and the "She's So Gone" scenes. I mean, just ICONIC scenes, and I mean I.C.O.N.I.C. . And yes, when I watched this movie again, just like all the other times that I've watched this movie in the past, it just made me want some lemonade. Even just typing this and thinking about this movie now makes me want to go get some lemonade. 

This movie is great because it is based on a group of friends that all have their own family dynamics, family troubles, personal struggles, and just are very diverse and different in many ways yet they all come together to form this band that really ends up having a positive impact and influence on a lot of people. There is a character for everyone in this movie to relate to. I personally, can relate to Olivia the most because she is the more shy one and she also doesn't have a good relationship with her dad. Although, I have a great relationship with my dad, but not with my mom. So, in the scene when they are about to sing "More Than A Band" and Olivia is talking about her dad to her friends and how he writes her letters but she doesn't write any back and she feels like her and her dad are strangers because she hasn't seen or visited him ('cause he's in jail). I can really relate to that part. Again, not regarding my dad and not because my other "parent" is in jail, but the letter and feeling like strangers part that she talks about is what I can relate to. This movie has a great message as well. There are so many great, positive messages that you can take away from this movie, but the main one about the importance of being yourself and standing up for what you believe in, is a universally great one. Like they say, "Be Heard, Be Strong, Be Proud". This movie just makes me feel all the feels and is one that I could watch over and over again and never get sick of. Definitely a must-watch DCOM and one of the BEST ever. 💛🎤🍋

     

      

    

  

    

   

   

   

     

    

     

    

    

      

     

    

    

      

    

    

    

         

    

   

      

    

2012

 

DCOMs: 

Frenemies 

Radio Rebel 

Let It Shine

Girl vs. Monster 

MY CHOICE:

 

#16 Let It Shine Premiered June 15, 2012

 

Okay, I know, I'm very shocked myself that I didn't choose Frenemies as the best DCOM of 2012. 'Cause for the longest time I was so set on Frenemies being the winner for this category. I was like no other DCOM for 2012 is going to change my mind, but then I got to Let It Shine and it completely changed my decision. It's crazy, because younger me would have totally picked Frenemies as the best for this category, but after watching it this time around the movie as a whole is not the best. The only story line I really cared about and thought was good was of course Bella and Zendaya's story line in the movie and of course the other small scenes that they were in. Let It Shine is way better overall, though. The WHOLE movie is GREAT. 

Younger me would have never chosen Let It Shine as one of the best, because I used to think that it was lame, but I've definitely grown to love this movie. I mean DCOM musicals are always the best, so I should have known better. I don't know if this movie gets a lot of hype, but it definitely should get all the hype because it's really great. Basically if you've never seen this movie, which I highly suggest you watch at least once, it's about three artistic teens from Atlanta, Georgia (Cyrus, Roxie, and Kris) who compete in a songwriting competition. Cyrus, under the moniker "Truth", ends up winning the contest with his rhyme about Roxie but it's his best friend Kris who gets all the credit for it. Therefore, it's then up to Cyrus (the true poet) to overcome his self-doubt and take hold of the opportunity to pursue his dreams. I had only seen this movie a couple times before watching it again for this post. I think this was my third or fourth time watching it. The very first time I watched it, it was like a year or so after it initially was released, and I don't think I really payed attention to it. But the second and third time I watched it, I actually enjoyed it some and then this time of course I really loved it. Even though I didn't watch this movie when it premiered on Disney Channel for the first time in 2012, I do still remember seeing some of the commercials they would play leading up to the premiere and snippets of music videos that they would also play after the movie had already premiered. I do always remember seeing the "Don't Run Away" song on Disney Channel and thinking it was really catchy and great, though. Again, I always just had no interest in really watching this movie before in the past, but this time around I was interested in seeing it and I actually liked it way more than I thought I would. 

The last time that I watched this movie (the third time) was just last year with my sisters but I didn't even get to see the whole movie because we had stopped it when it had like 30 minutes left or something like that and we were doing some craft. So, I was really looking forward to actually getting to watch the whole movie this time and really get to focus on it. Of course, I knew that I was going to like this movie even just a little bit just because it does have singing and dancing in it, which I love. It's also cool because this is the only DCOM that takes place where I live in Georgia, and they did actually film it in Georgia, so it gets bonus points just for that reason alone. I love the vibes of this movie. This DCOM honestly should have been in my Top Ten DCOMs post because I appreciate that it's the first and only DCOM that features the Christian faith and gospel music, and is the first to bring religion and music together like this. Me, being a Christian myself (Well, these days I don't really like to use that label or any label when it comes to my faith. I am just a BELIEVER in God and Jesus and that's all that matters, because there are certainly things that I don't agree with that most Christians do. I don't agree with majority of church-culture. I believe that you don't have to go to church (a building) in order to worship God or in order to have a relationship with God/Jesus. But that's a whole other rant I could go on about in and of itself.) Overall, I do appreciate that this movie is a faith-based movie, and a great one at that. 

This movie gets me hyped right from the very beginning because it starts out with a worship music scene. This movie is funny but also very deep and emotional. I love all the music in this movie. Literally, after I watched this movie, I had the songs stuck in my head the rest of the night and all day the next day. I also just listened to them on repeat that whole week. They're SO good. I also love the chill vibes of this movie. It's peaceful to watch and very inspirational and left me wanting more. I literally wanted to start the movie over again after I finished it, probably more so, just to hear the songs again. This movie literally had me clapping, singing (in my head), and dancing (well, moving my shoulders and tapping my feet) along every time a song would come on. 

Seriously, this movie really has some BANGERS and the raps are interesting and fun to listen to as well. They had me going like "Ohhh, yeahhh, oh no he didn't". Of course, if this movie didn't have the songs it wouldn't be as good of a movie, in my opinion. But, it does, so you don't have to worry about that. I love that this movie ends with a performance and a little different rendition of "This Little Light of Mine" but the song in this movie is actually called "Let It Shine" because they do add a lot of other lyrics to the song . It made the ending scene so good and I was just smiling all throughout while watching it. It literally made me so happy and I loved it so much that I re-winded it again just because I didn't want it to end. The importance of being yourself, speaking up for yourself, and not letting anyone dictate how you want to live your life are just some of the great, positive messages from this movie. I also like, that when it comes to music, his dad learns that's it's not about the type of music you sing but the message of the music you sing. Definitely a must-watch, feel-good DCOM with a great message. I certainly, will never forget this DCOM ever again and I will most definitely watch it many more times. 💛⭐🎤🕇

     

     

   

   

   

    

    

   

   

    

    

     

    

    

   

    

    

    

     

2013

 

#17 Teen Beach Movie Premiered July 19, 2013 

 

Unfortunately, this was the only DCOM that came out in 2013 and I did watch this DCOM even though I really didn't want to at first. I've only ever seen this movie once before doing this. I don't even remember watching it during the 100th DCOM Celebration on Disney Channel in 2016 because I never really cared for this movie. No offense though, to anyone who does like this movie. I really wanted to try to watch every DCOM (that is not Halloween or Christmas-themed) for this post so I put my past feelings aside and gave this movie another chance for the sake of this post I wanted to create. So, again obviously since this is the only DCOM I could choose as the best from 2013, I'm just going to give you a bit of my reflection of the movie after watching it for this post, so here it goes. 

Well, first, let me give you a bit of a synopsis of the movie for those who haven't seen it before. Basically, this movie is about two surfers (Brady and Mak) who mysteriously get transported inside a retro beach party musical from 1962, "Wet Side Story", after trying to surf a big wave. While there, Brady and Mak change the script by having the leading roles fall for them instead of each other. So, they must try to get the plot back on track in order to get back home. Otherwise, they'll be stuck in the retro world forever. I will say, I did enjoy this movie a little more than I thought I would, but it's still not one of the best DCOMs ever in my opinion. It's a very unique concept, them getting stuck in a movie, but you can tell they took a lot of other things from other movies that we've already seen before so it doesn't make this movie that unique and special. Though, I will admit too, that a lot of the songs are really catchy. I do remember seeing a lot of commercials for this movie when it was getting ready to premiere on Disney Channel in 2013, but I remember finding it so annoying and I wasn't excited about it at all. However, I was curious to see what all the hype was about later on, so I did end up watching it with my sisters one night. But that was the first and last time that I watched it, until now of course. I also remember my older sister (shout out to you Ariel) liking this movie and being obsessed with the performance scene of the song "Cruisin' For A Bruisin'". She literally used to dance along with them to that song all the time and so that is the one and only scene that I knew the most from this movie and it's the scene/song performance that I've always associated this movie with the most. Oh, besides the most annoying song, "I Can't Stop Singing". That one I also remember seeing being played a lot in my house a lot. My sister also bought the CD of this movie, so I heard the songs even more from her. Watching this movie back now, I'm not gonna lie, I did get into the whole "Cruisin' For A Bruisin'" scene. I mean it just always makes me think of my sister dancing and singing along to it when we were younger.

I mean, I love a musical DCOM, so of course I was a little excited to watch this movie just to hear what songs they sing and I knew that I would probably only like it for that reason. I was also just curious to see what this movie is really all about because like I mentioned before it had been so long since I had last seen it and I didn't remember much about it at all. And since I'm a little bit older than I was the first time that I saw this movie, I was really going into watching this movie with new eyes. I won't lie, I did catch myself a few times singing and moving along to some of the other songs in this movie, besides "Cruisin' For A Bruisin'". I mean, what can I say? They're very catchy songs. 

This movie is just really funny because at times it was so random. Way funnier than I expected or even remembered it to be. But I think that's what made this movie not the best to me because it just seemed like they were laughing at themselves a lot when they didn't need to be, which just didn't help me like the movie any more than I already didn't. I do love that this movie had a lot of great messages though, such as never letting anyone tell you what you can and can't do in life cause it's your life, the importance of following your heart and doing what you love, the importance of not rushing to grow up (which is one I really love that they say), for women a great message that Mak says in this movie is the importance of knowing that you don't need a man to make you happy, knowing that girls can do anything that boys can do, and there are so many other great lesson and messages that one can takeaway from watching this movie. And they all still hold up today.  

So, although this movie has some really great messages and songs, I found it mostly boring to watch. In other words, any time they weren't singing or dancing, I was just bored. It didn't keep my attention as long as it maybe should have. Having said all that, I wouldn't choose to ever watch this movie again. I kind of enjoyed watching it for this post, but it's not my favorite. And I didn't know that Justin Bieber was featured in this movie.😂 Probably the best part was seeing him. No, but for real, it made no sense to me why they showed a picture of Justin Bieber on a phone at the end. That was definitely the randomest thing to happen in this movie and something that I did not expect at all. Again, didn't make me love the movie any more than I already didn't (coming from a JB fan). Yeah, this was just a really weird movie. I appreciate some of the song and dance performances in this movie but the movie as a whole was just boring to me and was lacking something throughout. 🌞🌴🎤🏄📺

    

     

     

    

     

    

    

    

    

     

     

      

     

    

       

   

       

     

    

 

     ❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤

    

   ❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤

2014

 

DCOMs: 

Cloud 9 

Zapped

How To Build A Better Boy

 

MY CHOICE:

 

#18 How To Build A Better Boy Premiered August 15, 2014 

 

Again, choosing this movie as the BEST DCOM from 2014 was a no brainer. This is actually not only one of the best DCOMs from 2014, but also just in general. It's definitely one that I regret not putting on my Top Ten DCOMs ranking. I love this movie so much. The other two DCOMs in this category were okay, well Cloud 9 was decent, and Zapped I didn't like at all. So, How To Build A Better Boy was the clear winner, obviously. 

This is another movie in which I knew from the very beginning of creating this post, that it would be one of the BEST, and I was right because I never changed my mind once about it. If you're not familiar with this movie, well it's basically about two super smart, tech-savvy tenth grade best friends (Mae and Gabby) who are outcasts at their school. So, after the popular girl Navaeh embarrasses Mae at school one day, Gabby offers to help Mae by using military software to program a robotic boyfriend. However, Mae and Gabby aren't aware that the computer they use is actually set up to generate a robotic super soldier, which they have unknowingly activated in the form of Albert (Marshall Williams). A sensitive, macho, yet super cute boy; the boy of Mae's dreams. Disney definitely saved the best DCOM for last that year (2014). The concept of this movie is just so unique and different from a lot of the other DCOMs on this list, and it's so relatable. I mean, what girl wouldn't love to be able to just create the perfect boyfriend, the man of her dreams. But, obviously this movie shows why that wouldn't be the best idea and obviously it's not realistic at all. I still remember exactly when and where I was when I watched this movie for the first time when it premiered on Disney Channel, and I've seen it so many times since then, and I still love it just as much as I did the first time I watched it. It just never gets old. I am always excited to watch this movie, and this time around was no different. 

Even though before doing this, I had just watched the movie last year with my sisters, I was still excited to get to watch it again. It's just that great. This is definitely one of the more memorable DCOMs to me. It's also great because the message of the movie still holds up today, probably even more than it did then. In a way this movie is kind of like Zapped, because in Zapped her character is annoyed with boys and she tries to change them and make them do things the way she wants them to; however, this movie does that concept way better because I felt that Zapped was way too sexist, but in this movie it's not about not liking all boys but just this one boy whom Mae likes that doesn't like her back. So, it's interesting that they kind of released two DCOMs that year that were kind of similar in that concept, but of course How To Build A Better Boy did it WAY better.

Again, this movie is just so cute, clever, and unique. Definitely a stand out from all the rest. This movie is not only really funny but also pretty deep and emotional at times. The message about the importance of not worrying about what other people think of you and it being okay to not know everything are some great ones in this movie. And another great message from this movie for girls out there when it comes to boys is that, if a boy doesn't like you for you, that's his problem. This is just such a nostalgic, feel-good movie to me. I just can't hype up this movie enough. It's one of the best of the best DCOMs and I highly suggest if you haven't seen this movie that you watch it at least once. 'Cause trust me, you won't regret it. Also, I just have to say, that the song at the end of this movie is one of my other favorite things about this movie. It's just so great and ICONIC in and of itself. Speaking of ICONIC songs..Selena Gomez's song "Love You Like A Love Song" is also featured in this movie, but a new rendition of it by Albert and Mae, which is also a great and pretty funny scene. 💙💜💻🎤🎶🤖📚✎

   

    

    

    

        

   

   

    

     

    

     

    

      

       

   

     ❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤

     

    ❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤

 2015

 

DCOMs:

Bad Hair Day

Teen Beach 2

Descendants 

Invisible Sister 

 

MY CHOICE:

#19 Descendants Premiered July 31, 2015

Of course, I was going to end up choosing a DCOM musical as the BEST for this category. Although, I still really enjoyed watching all the others from this year (2015). Even though I didn't watch Invisible Sister this time around, I did watch it last year so it was still fresh in my mind, and I wouldn't have chosen a Halloween-themed movie as my most favorite anyways. So, Descendants it is. I actually really like this movie. I kind of always have. I mean I was pretty obsessed with it when it first came out that year on Disney Channel, but I hadn't seen it in a while before doing this. This movie and the whole franchise is one of the best and most unique concepts I think Disney has ever done. I love Disney Princess movies and so I just love that with this movie, and the ones that came after it, we get to see the expansion of some of those iconic films come to life in a new way with sort of a different twist on the whole thing. This is truly a great DCOM and one that stands out in the best way possible.

Basically, if you've never seen this movie, it's about some of Disney's most well-known villains and their descendants as they are imprisoned on a forbidden island, called the Isle of the Lost. The trouble-making offspring are offered a shot at redemption after Ben, the compassionate son of King Beast and Belle, takes the throne in Auradon. With the kingdom's fate now in their hands, the descendants are faced with the decision to embrace their innate goodness and save the kingdom or help all the villains regain power. Again, this is a DCOM that I was actually really excited about seeing in 2015. Like many others I've talked about before, this is one of those iconic movies where I still remember the commercials leading up to the premiere of it on Disney Channel and I remember exactly when and where I was when I watched it for the first time. Like I also mentioned before, I like the concept of this movie a lot. It's very unique in and of itself, which makes for a very interesting movie as a whole. I grew up watching Disney Princess movies and the other movies that the characters in this movie are from (like 101 Dalmations) and so to get to see the story of the villains continue with a focus on their children (the descendants) is great and very interesting. Although, I was skeptical about watching this movie again at first because I forgot if it was like saying that evil is good and glorifying the evil characters, but this movie is not like that at all. Of course, it shows a lot of evil characters and villains, but you're not rooting for them at all. You're only rooting for the good "villain" kids. Again, I'm glad that the villain kids turn good in this movie, otherwise I wouldn't like this movie at all because I'm not about glorifying evil or evil people. I wouldn't like this movie if that was the case. 

Plus, you not only get to see the descendants of the villains but also the descendants of the other "good" fairy-tale characters; like Beast and Belle's son (Ben), Dopey's son (Doug), the fairy godmother's daughter (Jane), Sleeping Beauty's daughter (Audrey), Cinderella and Prince Charming's son (Chad aka Prince Jr.), Mulan's daughter (Lonnie), and so on and so forth. The main villain kids in this movie being Maleficent's daughter (Mal), the Evil Queen's daughter (Evie), Cruella de Vil's son (Carlos), and Jafar's son (Jay). What I really love about this movie is the song and dance scenes. Even though I hadn't seen this movie in forever and had only ever seen this movie a few times before doing this, I still remembered majority of the songs in this movie from the times in the past that I did watch it. I specifically remember being obsessed with "Rotten to the Core" and watching all the behind the scenes of how they filmed that part of the movie, but watching the movie back this time around I actually really enjoyed the song that Mal sings in this movie called "If Only". Maybe, I'll just have to rank the songs from this movie on here eventually. (Hint, hint😉) 

From the very beginning of creating this post idea, I was just excited to get to watch this movie again after so long, just because I was curious to see what my perspective of it now would be and it's pretty much the same. I still really like this movie. This movie is just pretty nostalgic to me and it's funny but also very emotional at times, too. The messages from this movie about the importance of being who you want to be and doing what you want to do despite what your parents want you to be or what they want you do, being yourself, knowing that good always triumphs over evil, and to always choose good over evil are great lessons anyone can takeaway from this movie. As they sing in the song "Set It Off" at the end of the movie, "Be yourself, forget the DNA". Of course, this movie also ends with a hint at a sequel, which of course they did end up having two more movies after this one. I would most definitely watch this movie again. It's just a fun, cute, feel-good movie and one that I highly recommend you watch at least once. If you like DCOM musicals and fairy-tales, than you will LOVE this movie. 💛💙💜💓👑🍎🎶

    

 

     

     

     

    

    

    

   

     

    

    

    

      

   

    

    

    

    

    

  

    

  

   

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      ❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤

2016

 

DCOMs:

Adventures in Babysitting 

The Swap

 

MY CHOICE:

 

#20 Adventures in Babysitting Premiered June 24, 2016 

This DCOM was another no brainer, clear winner to me. I didn't even have to watch the other movie in order to decide that Adventures in Babysitting is the BEST from 2016. Though, don't get me wrong, because I still did watch The Swap but it was really boring and not good in my opinion. Again, no offense to anyone who actually likes The Swap, it's just not what I like. As you probably already know by now, Adventures in Babysitting was the 100th DCOM ever. It was this movie that was the reason for the 100th DCOM Celebration in 2016 and that was the first time that I ever watched this movie. This is another movie that I remember being really excited about seeing. I still vividly remember the night I watched this movie for the first time and I remembered pretty much every scene of this movie before watching it again for this post. I also remember all the commercials leading up the premiere of this 100th DCOM and just have such fond memories of that time. It definitely lived up to the hype at the time, but watching it back now, I didn't really like it as much as I did the first time I ever watched it. Though again, don't get me wrong, because this is still a great movie and still the BEST from 2016. Just not one of the best DCOMs ever. 

If you're not familiar with this movie, basically it's about Jenny and Lola, two teen rival babysitters who must team up to hunt down one of their kids who accidentally runs away into the big city without any supervision. This is actually a remake of the 1987 movie of the same name. Fun fact, I've still never actually seen the original version of this movie, which I think is a good thing because then I don't have anything to compare it to. Before doing this, I had only seen this movie only a couple times, so I was excited to get to watch this movie again now that I'm a little older and see if my opinion of it changed at all. Obviously, my opinion did change a bit as I mentioned before, but I still love this movie and would watch it again. 

The first thing that I really love about this movie, and have always really loved about it, is the song that plays at the beginning called "Wildside". When I played the movie, I was like "Oh, yeah, I love this song" and I was just moving and singing along to it in my head. I remember when the song first came out, I was obsessed with it. It is so catchy and I remember singing it all the time, I'm even singing it in my head right now as I type this. I love a good action and adventure movie that takes place mostly during the night time, and this movie is exactly that. It's also pretty funny, which I also love. This DCOM also has some great, positive messages, such as the importance of living life to the fullest, taking risks, living outside the box, and being spontaneous. Knowing that it's okay to live a little on the wild side in life, as long as you're not hurting anybody, is a great message and this movie is certainly a great example of doing just that. 

This movie also has a similar message to some other previous DCOMs I've already talked about, for girls, when it comes to boys. After Emily has tried pretty much everything to get this boy that she likes, Trey's attention, but fails she tells Jenny, "I'm just an invisible dork"; and Jenny then says to her, "You're not invisible. You're beautiful, and you don't need green hair or tattoos to be noticed. Be your awesome self. I promise you it's enough...and if he doesn't see that then that's his loss". That was a stand out quote to me, and great advice to any girl out there from Jenny. When I was watching this movie it actually seemed to go by really fast, I guess because there's just so much going on in it that it seems to just fly by, which is great because I'm not a big fan of really slow movies. I would for sure watch this movie again. It's a really great DCOM that I would highly recommend anyone watch at least once. It's a feel-good movie with a great message to go along with it. And the rap, singing, dance scene is a plus, too. 💓🎤🎨🖌

    

     

      

     

     

     

    

      

    

             

     

       

     

      

     

     

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      ❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤🎬❤

2017

 

DCOMs:

Tangled: Before Ever After 

Descendants 2

 

 MY CHOICE:

#21 Descendants 2 Premiered July 21, 2017

  

Okay, this was actually a really hard decision for me because I really like both of these DCOMs from 2017. At the beginning, I really thought that Tangled: Before Ever After was the clear winner of this category, but then when I got to Descendants 2 and watched it; I completely changed my mind. Don't get me wrong though, because Tangled: Before Ever After is still a great DCOM and one that I would watch again, but Descendants 2 is a tad bit better just because it does have more singing and dancing in it. Again, I never thought that I would put Descendants over Tangled, but in this case it had to happen. Descendants 2 follows Mal as she returns to the Isle of the Lost, where Ursula's daughter Uma has proclaimed herself queen of the town.  Because Uma is still resentful over not being selected to go to Auradon, she directs her pirate gang to break the barrier between Auradon and the Isle of the Lost. Therefore, unleashing all the villains imprisoned on the Isle, once and for all. It's up to Evie, Carlos, Jay and a couple of their other Isle and Auradon friends, to save Mal and Ben and to stop Uma's evil plan from happening. 

This is a pretty great sequel. Usually, sequels to movies are not good, but this one is actually pretty good. In fact, it's actually almost close to even being better than the first one, in my opinion. I do remember watching this movie when it first premiered in 2017 or right around the same time that it premiered in 2017 on Disney Channel. I remember liking it then and my opinion of it hasn't changed now. I think I might have even enjoyed it more watching it this time around than the first time that I watched it. I just remember being super interested in the new characters that they were going to bring on to add to the story, and watching this movie back now, I still think it was a really great idea that they did that because it just makes the movie even more fun and interesting to watch. Some of the new characters introduced in this movie other than of course Ursula's daughter (Uma) are: the son of Captain Hook (Harry), the son of Gaston (Gil), and Drizella's (the wicked stepsister from Cinderella) daughter (Dizzy). Also, I just noticed that all the VK kids names are very similar to their parents' first names and all the Auradon kids names are not. That makes so much sense, because the villains make everything about them, so of course they would name their kids after them. I don't know, but I just thought of that and found that to be interesting and it works really well for the movie. I just love the creative little things like that, that are in the Descendants franchise. 

This was only my second time watching this movie and it had been a pretty long time, too since I had last seen it before doing this; so I was pretty excited, especially after watching the first one, to watch this movie again. I also just knew that I was going to enjoy watching this movie even just a little bit, just because I knew it would have song and dance performances. Some of the songs from this movie were the only things that I did actually remember from watching this movie the first time, all the other stuff I pretty much forgot. Speaking of the songs, there are a few great songs in this movie, but not as many great ones as the first movie had. I also really love that there's a lot more dancing and action in this movie. Just like the first one, this sequel has some great messages that viewers of any age can takeaway from it, such as the importance of being yourself (your true self), listening and respecting others, because fighting is never the answer, and just loving you for you, the importance of not wishing to be anybody but yourself, among so many other positive messages. I always thought the ending of this movie was funny and one of the best endings of a DCOM that hints at another movie to come in the franchise; which of course, as you will see later, there was another Descendants movie after this one. Overall, I think this movie is great and I would watch it again. Although, I do think the first one is still the better of the two. If you've seen the first Descendants movie, or even if you haven't, I highly suggest that you watch this movie at least once. It's a must-watch for sure. 💓💙💜💛👑🍎🎤🎶💦

     

   

    

    

   

    

    

     

    

    

   

    

   

    

       

    

    

     

    

     

     

    

     

     

        

      

    

    

    

      

2018

 

DCOMs:

Zombies

Freaky Friday 

 

MY CHOICE:

#22 Z-O-M-B-I-E-S Premiered February 16, 2018 

  

Both of the movies in this category were not my favorite ones to watch. Especially, when it came to Freaky Friday, because I wasn't even going to watch that one but I decided to just give it a chance this one time for this post. However, I did not enjoy Freaky Friday at all, and it is one DCOM that I will never watch again. So, that is why Zombies was the only movie left to pick as the BEST DCOM from 2018. Though, Zombies is still not one of my favorite DCOMs. It's just okay. It was just more boring to me. I mainly just like some of the songs in this movie. 

In this movie, Seabrook High - a school that's focused on traditions, uniformity, and pep rallies - faces student integration with the Zombietown kids, after the government creates a device that stops zombies from craving brains. When zombie Zed and cheerleader Addison form a budding friendship amidst the other human and zombie students struggling to coexist, it's all about whether this friendship of theirs can unite the school and their community for good. This is a movie that I remember seeing commercials for leading up to the premiere on Disney Channel in 2018, but I never actually watched this movie. So, this was my first time ever watching this movie. Although, I felt like I had already seen this movie many times before, because my sisters love this movie and I would hear them watch it sometimes and they would always play the songs from this movie. So, it was like I had already seen this movie, but I really never did. I mean, before I even watched this movie for this post, you could have asked me to sing "Someday" and I would have known every lyric; but if you would have asked me about the movie itself, I wouldn't have been able to tell you anything about it. Though, now I can, because I have seen it now. I wasn't that excited to watch this movie because I thought the whole zombie concept was lame and thought that it was going to therefore be a boring movie. I was very curious to see what my sisters like so much about this movie though, so of course I watched it. Speaking of my sisters, I did feel kind of bad watching this movie for the first time without them, just because they have asked me many times in the past to watch this movie and I refused. So, if you're reading this, sorry Ariel and Amber 😜. 

Again, I've never really been into the whole zombie thing, so I didn't know how much I would like this movie just for that reason alone. Also, knowing that it's another DCOM musical, I was a little skeptical. I mean, in my opinion, nothing will ever beat the classic DCOM musicals like High School Musical, The Cheetah Girls, and Camp Rock. This movie was way different than I thought it was going to be and from what it looked like it would be when I would see bits and pieces of it from when my sisters would watch this movie. It was not what I expected at all, and not in a good way. Let's just say, I don't get the hype of this movie. Again, it's an okay movie, but it was really boring. I only like it a little bit for some of the songs that they perform. Other than that, it's really not the best. Also, does anyone else get live action Cat in the Hat movie vibes when they watch this movie. 'Cause I definitely thought of that movie a lot of times while watching this movie. I think just because of all the bright colors, this movie definitely gave me Cat in the Hat vibes, which I don't like either.

This movie was pretty funny at times and it also has a great overall message about the importance of not trying to fit in and just being yourself. A message that we've heard many times before in DCOMs, but still a great and important one, nonetheless. Again, I also like some of the songs, as well. But, those are really the only things that I like about this movie. I really tried to get into this movie, I really wanted to like it, but it just didn't keep my attention that much and was more boring to watch. It's just a decent movie, but not one that I would choose to watch over and over again, like I would with a lot of the other best DCOMs I've picked already. Maybe, I had too high of an expectation for this movie before going into this, which made me like it less than maybe I would have had I not expected so much from it. Who knows, but what I said above is what I think of this movie as of now, after having only seen it once. And even though I didn't enjoy this movie, I would still suggest this movie for someone to watch because I do think it's still worth checking out at least once. 💓💚📣🧟🎶

           

    

      

            

     

      

   

     

      

        

     

     

     

      

      

     

      

     

       

     

    

     

      

    

    

       

    

     

    

    

2019

 

DCOMs: 

Kim Possible 

Descendants 3 

 

MY CHOICE:

#23 Kim Possible Premiered February 15, 2019

Choosing the best DCOM from this category wasn't the hardest decision for me, because I pretty much knew from the very beginning that Kim Possible was going to be the clear winner but I wasn't sure until after I watched Descendants 3. I thought that after watching the other two Descendants movies that I was going to really like the third one, but I ended up not liking it. So, that is why Kim Possible is the BEST DCOM from 2019. But, I have also always liked this movie ever since it premiered on Disney Channel, so I didn't just choose this one as the best just because I didn't like Descendants 3. It's very nostalgic to me. 

This is actually the last DCOM that I ever watched before I stopped watching newer Disney Channel and I remember being pretty excited for this movie to come out when I saw all the promos for it on Disney Channel leading up to its premiere. I, of course, loved watching the original Kim Possible series as a kid and so I was excited that they chose to do a live action movie version. I didn't even care that the original people who voiced the characters in the cartoon series weren't going to be playing the main characters in this live action movie, either. But, it is nice that we get a cameo from Christy Carlson Romano (who was the voice of Kim Possible in the series) in this movie. It would have also been cool to see Will Friedle (who voiced Ron Stoppable in the series) make a cameo in this movie as well, but this movie is still great anyways. This was actually only my second or third time watching this movie, so I was actually really excited to get to watch it again after so long for this post. I really enjoyed watching this movie the first time around, so I was curious to see if I felt the same way after watching it this time around, too. As you can already see, yes, I did enjoy this movie just as much as the first time I watched it. 

If you've never seen this DCOM before, which I highly suggest that you do (especially if you're a Kim Possible fan), it's basically all about everyday teen heroes Kim Possible and her best friend Ron Stoppable as they embark on their freshman year of high school, get a new addition to their team (Athena), of course, all while saving the world from evil villains (Drakken and Shego). Again, this movie is just pretty nostalgic to me. I still remember exactly when and where I was when I watched this movie for the first time when it premiered in 2019. In this movie we get to see all the original characters from the series live in action. Kim, Ron, Wade, Bonnie, Drakken, Shego, Kim's parents and little brothers (Jim and Tim), even Rufus (which I feel like they could have made Rufus look a little more like the original Rufus and even have shown him a little more in this movie, but at least he's in the movie and he's still pretty cute). Everything from the original animated series was recreated pretty perfectly in this movie, from the characters themselves to the naco tacos to even the funny and clever sayings on the "Welcome" bulletin board sign thing (sorry, I forgot the specific name for those things) outside the school. This movie is action-packed, funny, but also pretty emotional at times, which I love. There's only one comment made in this movie that I don't like, which is when Kim and Athena are talking to each other at Bueno Nacho and Ron then shows up when Athena says what her name is to Kim and Ron says, "Ahh, Athena, as in the goddess of, I wanna say dentistry". I don't believe in Greek mythology, so I didn't like that comment. But, I was/am still able to look past that one little comment and just appreciate this movie for what it is, which is a fun new take on a nostalgic, feel-good classic Disney Channel series. Again, it's not a comment or word that I like, but it's not something that defined the whole movie for me and made me not be able to still enjoy it. 

There's also some great, positive messages one can takeaway from this movie, such as the importance of knowing that just because you're not the best at something or better than someone else at something doesn't mean you're not amazing, as well as knowing that jealousy is unbecoming, and knowing that what you do is not who you are, etc. What's also interesting about this movie, and something I forgot about this movie, is that at the end it kind of hints to a second movie. Although, they didn't end up having a sequel to this movie, which is kind of a bummer that they didn't do a sequel because it could have been interesting and fun to watch just like this one was/is. I feel like this movie gets a lot of hate (or got a lot of hate when it first came out) and it's definitely underrated, but I really like this movie and would definitely watch it again. It's definitely a must-watch for fans of Kim Possible, and even for those who aren't fans or didn't grow up watching the original series. Either way, you'll enjoy this movie. 'Cause it's really not that bad.💚🖤

    

     

     

     

    

    

    

     

    

     

     

      

     

      

    

    

      

     

       

 Well, that concludes my choices and thoughts on The BEST Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) From Each and Every Year (1997-2019). I had so much fun getting to go back and watch all these DCOMs again, and for some, get to watch for the very first time. Now, I can happily say, that I've seen every DCOM ever. (Well, only the ones from 1997-2019, of course. But, that's good enough for me😊) I definitely came out of this with some new favorites that I will never forget and ones that have always and will always hold a special place in my heart. So, if you could choose your favorite DCOM from each year I mentioned here, which one(s) would you pick. Let me know in the comments below and come Back to Disney soon for more!!💓