Camp Rock 1 and 2 are Disney Channel classics, and for good reason. The first movie follows Mitchie, a middle-class girl who loves to sing and who’s dream it is to go to Camp Rock- THE camp to be if you want to become someone. However, she can’t afford it…that is, until her mom gets a catering job there. When Mitchie gets there and realizes that the popular girls will only like her if she’s rich, she gets caught up in a web of lies that hurts a lot of people. Meanwhile, bad boy star Shane Grey hears Mitchie singing, not knowing it’s her, and spends the whole summer looking for “the girl with the voice”. In the end, Shane finds Mitchie, and Mitchie finds her true friends. Camp Rock 2 follows the same characters, except a rival camp, Camp Star, has opened up across the lake and is trying to steal their employees and campers. Impulsively, Mitchie suggests a competition where Camp Rock will compete against Camp Star in a performance and whoever loses has to shut down their camp.

First off, lets acknowledge this cast and how these are arguably some of the best singers Disney has ever had. Demi Lovato has PIPES and she absolutely obliterated every song they gave her. These songs are all bangers, with classics like This is Me basically inventing the Disney knees, and one of my all-time favorite DCOM songs, Wouldn’t Change a Thing. Like, seriously, that song is life changing and only Demi could have sang that song. I also appreciate how iconic the forest stomping is and the way we all thought they looked so cool back then.

I also very much appreciate how the entire franchise is good. I absolutely hate when there’s a great movie and the filmmakers go and ruin it by making a sequel, which happens far too often, especially on Disney Channel (I still love you Teen Beach Movie…). The fact that the second movie so nicely enhances the first is amazing, reincorporating all of our favorite characters while adding new, complex storylines.

I will say, I am not sure how plausible it is that this giant musical equipment would make sense to have in the woods, next to a lake. I also do not really understand how Camp Star just showed up one day and nobody knew it was being built, despite the giant buildings that would have taken years to construct. But, alas, it’s a kids movie so I won’t be too critical.

Now I’ll kind of go into what the cultural messages of each movie was separately. At first glance, the message of the first movie is just “don’t lie” or “just be yourself!” but it’s so much more than that. The fact that Mitchie was ashamed to be middle class and felt the only way she could fit in is by pretending to be upper class is very symbolic of class disparities in the US. Many kids can resonate with this feeling of being out of place, especially money-wise, and struggle with their sense of identity. Feeling like they want to be someone else and changing themselves to fit the mold of what they feel like they should be like is very harmful but much too common. Seeing how Mitchie overcame this and found true friends who don’t care about her parents status is inspiring for kids who have ever felt this way, or even adults. I think it is very relatable to a lot of kids to have a dream or something they really want, but it not being attainable because they don’t have the money for it. This movie allows them to keep dreaming.

I also think the first movie does a subtle nod to child stardom and paparazzi through Shane Grey. They try to make him seem like the bad guy for being all moody and noncooperative when really he’s just a teenager in the spotlight. Speaking of spotlight, I think the redemption arc for Tess is very well done. Seeing the pride she has for her mother’s success at the beginning of the movie to her just crumbling backstage when her mom prioritizes work over her performance is heartbreaking. I think it teaches watchers a good lesson about how sometimes the meanest people are the most broken and how you really don’t know what others are going through.

The second movie also has these very impactful messages, as Camp Star was basically a symbol of large corporations in America. They stole all of Camp Rock’s employees simply because they could pay them more, even though they had only opened up that summer. During the final jam, Camp Rock finds out that Camp Star has been sending advertisements and texts all across America to vote for their performance. A classic line is “I don’t need to be impressed to know to vote Camp Star”. This is super impactful because it kind of shows kids the brutal truth that heart and friendship doesn’t always win, it’s money and power. Don’t even get me started on the scene where Camp Rock loses. The silence. Watching their faces drop as Camp Star erupts in victory. We were all GAGGED as kids. Like I was so heavily impacted by that, it was genuinely a cultural reset. We had NEVER seen the good guys lose before. We had never seen a bad ending like this, and here Camp Rock 2 was, crushing our dreams on Disney Channel. Though, in the end, they kind of all come together and sing around the campfire about how their connection and authenticity is more important than winning, it doesn’t undermine the shock. The lesson that you can’t always win and to make the best of your situation despite drawbacks is honestly the best lesson they could have given to kids, and I really do applaud them from straying from a cliche end where Camp Rock wins and it’s just happily ever after because that’s not realistic.

Basically, to sum it up, Camp Rock 1 and 2 are absolute masterpieces and are a must watch for all ages.