Growing up is hard. Most of us are moving away from home for the first time and trying new things. Times get tough, sometimes we just need an escape. What better way than to get cozy on the couch and sing along to a Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM)?
Disney Channel is one of the top channels for kids’ TV and played a big role in most of our childhoods. The network is responsible for creating some of the most memorable kids’ movies that we all find ourselves watching in our adulthood. I’ve curated a list of my top 5 DCOMs for the times we need to travel back into our youth.
- high School Musical
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Released in 2006 and directed by the iconic Kenny Ortega, “High School Musical” is one of the most popular Disney Channel original movies. The movie follows character Gabriella Montez (played by Vanessa Hudgens) as she moves to East High and navigates the school year meeting very memorable peers. She falls for the star basketball player Troy Bolton (played by Zac Efron), and the two struggle to blend their social lives.
High school is such a pivotal point of our character building. You can see the character growth within each character as the movie goes on which lets so many viewers resonate. Maybe we weren’t all breaking out into song after every lunch break, but that’s what makes this movie so fun to watch.
“HSM” captures the essence of navigating high school and adds elements of comedy and a very memorable soundtrack. Some of the featured songs are “We’re All In This Together,” “Breaking Free” and “Stick to the Status Quo.”
- lemonade mouth
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On the topic of a memorable soundtrack, “Lemonade Mouth” follows five high school students who form a band after meeting in detention. The five overcome personal and shared struggles and perform songs such as “Determinate” and “She’s So Gone” in preparation for the local music competition, Rising Star.
The music captures memories and moments. The characters in this movie have immense character growth, making their music so special and nostalgic to audiences.
“Lemonade Mouth” stays relevant because of its lasting effect on audiences. Even though the characters are high school students, the movie has a more “grown-up” feel as they have heavier personal battles to face compared to similar movies.
- starstruck
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“Starstruck” follows high school teen Jessica Olsen (played by Danielle Campbell), who visits Los Angeles to visit her grandparents and gets caught up in meeting rising Hollywood pop star Christopher Wilde (played by Sterling Knight). The two share a memorable trip that leads the star to make life-changing decisions.
People love this movie because Olsen is such a relatable character. We can live vicariously through her journey because who wouldn’t want to fall in love with a pop star?
- high school musical 2
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Disney We can’t have the first “High School Musical” movie on this list without adding arguably one of the best Disney sequels, “High School Musical 2.” Returning to direct, Ortega topped the first movie and elevated the theatrics to capture a perfect summertime film.
Set at a country club, all of the Wildcats prepare for what seems like a perfect summer working together at a country club, only to realize Ryan and Sharpay Evans’ family are the founders. The group faces even more theater drama than in the last movie and creates even better bonds and music together.
- The Lizzie Mcguire movie
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“Lizzie McGuire” is what dreams are made of. What better way to jump back in time than to live through Lizzie McGuire (played by Hillary Duff) traveling Rome and living out a pop star fantasy?
“The Lizzie McGuire Movie” comes after the end of the “Lizzie McGuire” series, and follows the main character titled after the series through her summer before high school field trip in the Eternal City. We see characters from the series in this film, making it so watchable and a key comfort movie.
And, of course, who can forget the beloved song of the franchise, “What Dreams Are Made Of.”
I hope this list fits all your binge-watching needs! Grab some friends and get ready to dive back into the world of DCOMs (with a side of karaoke.)