The High School Musical franchise is perhaps the most successful product of Disney Channel ever. These movies went from being solely a DCOM to being shown in theaters because of how popular they were. The first movie focuses on Troy, a basketball star, and Gabriella, a math genius who is new to the school. They both secretly love to sing and like each other, but feel trapped by the status quo to stay in their respective social circles. The second movie shows them in the summer working at a golf resort, while Troy struggles to find the balance between his friends and his future. The third movie, shown in theaters, is their senior year, as they prepare to put on one last show and struggle to figure out their next steps in life.

The cultural impact of this movie is pretty extreme. People everywhere were shocked at the quality of these films considering that they came from Disney Channel. They have been referenced in other shows like Suite Life of Zack and Cody, mentioned in films like Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, and even given the spin-off style show High School Musical the Musical the Series that single-handedly launched Olivia Rodrigo’s career. She’s now won THREE Grammy’s. These movies also launched Zac Efron’s career, who later went to star in films like The Greatest Showman, 17 Again, Baywatch, and more alongside some of Hollywood’s biggest actors (Hugh Jackman, Matthew Perry, Dwayne Johnson, etc). Kenny Ortega, the choreographer, also went on to choreograph other hit DCOMs like Descendents.

There does not seem to be a clear reason why this film was created, but is pretty consistent with the genre of early 2000s coming of age films. Though the lesson of the film, about defying social norms and choosing friendship and passion over the status quo, is not super novel, the film does it in a way that is creative- through music. There is literally a song called Stick to the Status Quo where they dance around tables about how smart people can’t dance and skaters can’t play the cello. It’s nothing short of iconic. Plus the development of Troy and Gabriella’s relationship throughout the three movies is so representative of a first love, and it’s so cute to watch them as they fall in love through their shared passion.

I do want to take a moment to discuss the personal impact these films have had on me. The first movie came out in 2006, when I was one. My parents have told me that I was singing High School Musical songs before I could read. I had a High School Musical 2 poster hanging on my wall for years, it was the first thing I would see when I woke up for years. I went to a High School Musical on Ice show, and during the song Stick to the Status Quo there is a part where Sharpay yells “everybody, QUIET!!” and I SCREAMED it at the top of my lungs making everyone look at me (I was two so it was cute). I still have High School Musical trivia games that are played through DVD. High School Musical was the movie I watched on my first ever date with my (now ex lol) boyfriend. I dressed up as Gabriella for Halloween with the red dress she wore in All in This Together at the end of the first movie. I know all of the songs, and can basically quote the whole movie. Not only are these just excellent films, but I have so many personal memories of them that make them so special. And considering how popular they were/are, I don’t think I’m alone in this.

Throughout these passion blogs, I have often ended with how many of these films are worth a watch. But High School Musical (all three!!!) are a must-watch, not only to understand the profound cultural impact they have had, but because they are REALLY good movies. I could gush about them all day and mention at least 50 different scenes that I love, but unfortunately this blog would be wayyy too long. Watch High School Musical, you’ll love it, I’d bet on it 😉

Starstruck is an AMAZING movie. It focuses on Jessica, who’s sister Sarah is absolutely obsessed with teen star, Christopher Wilde, while Jessica herself hates him. When Christopher accidentally hits Jessica in the head with a door, the two become intertwined in each other’s lives. They go on some unplanned adventures around California, where Jessica is visiting her grandma, and reflect on how their lives differ with Jessica being a “normal girl” and Christopher being a celebrity. This lifestyle difference serves to be a challenge for the two as Christopher seems to prioritize his image as a celebrity over his personal feelings and the feelings of those around him.

This movie highlights a lot of the negative aspects of child stardom, which is appropriate for the time period of the early 2010s when many child stars were struggling mentally, including Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears. Christopher is just a teenager and yet is constantly berated by paparazzi. The movie also emphasizes how the media twists stories to fit a certain headline and prioritizes sales over honesty or authenticity. This is an issue that is rarely addressed so transparently in movies, and it was very important to get an honest reflection of how Hollywood media is so fake. Jessica goes on a very meaningful tangent about how the media will take any good, genuine person and turn them into a monster for a headline. Her tear-filled statement is immediately followed by the reporter going “did you get that?!”, showing how they will never change, both in the movie and in real life. It also helps viewers to realize that the glamorous life of child stardom is not all it pans out to be. Personally, I had always wanted to be on Disney Channel as a little kid, but this movie made me realize that I actually do not want paparazzi all over my lawn.

Because of these circumstances, a large lesson of the movie is to prioritize personal relationships over one’s image or the opinions of others. Christopher consistently was unhappy because he placed himself in activities and relationships that he did not like, but that looked good for his celebrity image. He did not even like his girlfriend or the movie he was supposed to do but felt he did not have a choice. I really like that Christopher’s best friend holds him accountable and points out that Christopher’s life is his and that he needs to make his own decisions instead of lying to the media about knowing Jessica and doing things he hates. Jessica also hold him accountable throughout the movie, highlighting how the celebrity treatment- skipping lines, having your friends on your payroll, etc- are not normal. Jessica is a very grounded character in general, which helps viewers better grasp their own personal normals. Christopher, by the end of the movie, learns to be his authentic self, quitting his movie, firing his parents as his managers so they can just be his parents, and uniting with Jessica no matter who sees.

This movie was also the OG enemies-to-lovers storyline, a trope that has become extremely popular. Jessica starts out by hating Christopher, then tolerating him, then liking him, then hating him, then liking him. This movie is really an emotional rollercoaster and feels as though whenever they start to like each other, Christopher says something dumb that starts them back from square 1 again. I mean, telling her that he needs to go back to his real life and that he needs to take her camera so the images do not leak after their fun day together? Bad move, Christopher. However, the up and down keeps the movie very engaging. And though I do wish there was a kiss at some point, I do also understand that the actor for Christoper was 21 and Jessica was 16.

Something that often goes unnoticed by viewers is the sister relationship between Sarah and Jessica. They do not seem particularly close in this movie, as they often look down upon each others hobbies. Yet, upon closer inspection, they really are there for each other. Jessica sacrifices her night just so Sarah can go to a club and see Christopher, Jessica makes sure Sarah has a ride home when she leaves with Christopher at the beach, and Sarah disses her best friend after she makes a rude comment about Jessica. As someone who used to fight with her sister a lot growing up, it was really nice to see a sister dynamic that was like ours, and that even if we don’t always like each other, we always love each other. My sister is my best friend now, though.

Just on a surface level, this movie continues to be really good. It’s incredibly funny, and I say this with all the DCOMs, but it is insanely quotable- including the weird voices they use. The songs, of course, are so good and really encapsulate what’s going on in the movie. In My Shades perfectly shows what it’s like to live in that fantasy celebrity bubble, Hero is emotion-filled and raw, and Something About the Sunshine is exactly how I would feel on my tour around California. This movie is just a Disney classic, and many cite Starstruck as one of the most underrated DCOMs of all time. It deserves all the love, or at least a watch.

Cloud 9 is one of the best Disney movies and one of my childhood favorites. Kayla loves snowboarding and is on the elite Swift snowboarding team with her boyfriend, Nick, who’s dad is the coach. But what she does not realize is that she isn’t that good at snowboarding and only made the team because her rich dad, the owner of the ski resort, funds the team. When Kayla is framed for misconduct that destroys both resort property and the property of resort employee, Will, she gets kicked off the team, broken up with, and is forced to work for Will at his dog kennel. Will also gives her a reality check that she is untalented and benefits from nepotism and rigged competitions. Kayla discovers that Will is an exceptional former snowboarder who faced a fatal accident years prior and enlists Will to help her become the best snowboarder and win in the Fire and Ice competition against her former team.

This movie was released in January of 2014, right around the time of the Winter Olympics. A lot of people were very excited to watch these winter events so having a movie with a similar theme was popular. It also stars Dove Cameron who had just launched into stardom on her hit Disney show, Liv and Maddie, and this movie helped showcase her acting abilities. Will is played by Luke Benward, who was also in the DCOM Girl vs Monster which came out in 2012. These actors have exceptional chemistry and are both very talented, especially with the wide range of emotions featured in this film. Crying scenes, near death for both characters, love, anger. They ace it all. Though the love story is not the main part of this movie as much as overcoming adversity is, you can’t help but kick your feet and giggle when Kayla’s ex gets jealous at her holding Will’s hand or when Will storms back up the mountain to kiss Kayla.

The obvious message of this movie is that anything is possible with hard work- the phrase “nothing is impossible” is actually repeated multiple times. But there are actually several others. First is the very cliche lesson to follow your own dreams, not your parents’, which is shown by Nick revealing at the end that his dad forced him to frame Kayla and break up with her, and that he was sick of never being good enough for his dad. There also is the lesson to not underestimate people, as everyone assumed that Kayla could not be a good snowboarder because her dad is rich and she is a girly girl. But she proves them wrong, and one of my favorite scenes is when all-star snowboarder Skye Sailor, who served as Kayla’s replacement on the Swift team, stands up to Nick’s dad. Nick’s dad snaps at Skye saying, “You said you could beat her”, with Skye responding, “and you said she was a pampered princess with no talent. But you were wrong. That girl can ride”. Though it’s subtle, this scene of women supporting women is very impactful on viewers. Plus, it’s great to see two women being girlbosses and dominating their sport.

The perseverance shown by many characters is admirable. Obviously, Kayla has to work extremely hard to get to the snowboarding level she wants to be at. There are montages of her continuously falling and trudging back up the mountain over and over. This shows the reality of hard work- its a process not just an outcome. Kayla has to leave her comfort zone throughout the movie, especially working at the dog kennel. But she makes the best of it and turns it into a great experience. After Will’s snowboarding injury in which he collapsed his lung and broke his back, among other things, he also has to overcome adversity and that mental block from his injury. He, too, must go out of his comfort zone.

Though Kayla’s family is extremely rich, this movie does show some struggles with money through Will’s mom who is struggling to pay rent. Though it’s not a main plot point, it is interesting to see this sort of representation for working class families.

I know I say this for every DCOM, but this movie is seriously so quotable and so funny. And despite not being a musical, the one song within the movie that plays over one of the snowboarding montages is one of the best Disney Channel songs to exist. It is so catchy and both characters are exceptional singers. This overall is such a feel good movie and despite being a little predictable, it is definitely worth the watch.

Geek Charming is one of my favorite DCOMs while simultaneously being one of the most underrated. The story follows Dylan, a girl who’s dream it is to win Blossom Queen (essentially Prom queen), which would allow her to become the most popular girl. Dylan already has the most popular friends and boyfriend, and despite being secretly very smart, she cares much more about her popularity. Josh is a film geek, and needs to make a film to submit to represent the school in a contest and win a spot at a Hollywood film camp. Josh chooses to make his movie about popularity, starring Dylan, while Dylan sees this opportunity as the perfect campaign for Blossom Queen. In working together, the two form an unlikely pair that eventually end up together (spoiler, sorry).

This movie was actually created based on a book, which is something I did not know. Disney probably adopted it because the success of the High School Musical franchise had a similar plotline with people from opposing social groups falling for each other. However, I feel like it was done differently as it is not a musical and HSM focuses on a common passion while in Geek Charming, they only originally worked together for personal gain. Sarah Hyland starring as Dylan was perfect publicity because she was also in Modern Family at the time, as well as Sasha Pieterse with Pretty Little Liars (real ones know her from Sharkboy and Lavagirl, though). Vanessa Morgan, from Riverdale and My Babysitter’s a Vampire, as well as Matt Prokop, from HSM3, were also in this movie. While the acting on Disney Channel can be -questionable- sometimes, this movie had some actually great actors that brought this movie to life.

This movie had a lot of creative aspects to it. One of the coolest parts of it is the side interviews that take place throughout the movie, similar to confessionals on reality TV. I believe this was due to the success of reality TV shows in the early 2010s when this movie came out, but it really adds another layer to the characters. They feel more real to the camera and you get a sort of side commentary of the movie that other DCOMs don’t have.

There are some really great lessons in this movie. It is one of the only DCOMs to deal with parent loss, at least as a main subplot. I think they perfectly incorporated the trauma of Dylan’s mom passing and did a great job of slowly revealing that her desire to win Blossom Queen was not actually rooted in a selfish need for popularity, but to feel close to her mom. Dylan also has to deal with the idea of a stepmom, and we see her gradually opening up to the idea of her stepmom while continuing to grieve over the loss of her mother, which is very deep for a DCOM. It can provide comfort to kids who have faced similar things with parent loss or hesitation to accept a step parent. Josh’s father is less of a plot point, but it is mentioned that his father is absent, likely due to divorce. This is something that is also pretty adult for Disney, but allows kids who are in that situation to feel seen.

Though the message of this film is still pretty cliche, mainly about being true to yourself and how true friendship matters more than popularity, it’s almost refreshing. Most movies of this nature with the people from opposing social groups falling in love center the message around that connection. They are mainly love stories. This movie, while incorporating the love story, also really highlights the importance of good friendships. Dylan is ditched from her “friends” the second that she becomes less popular, but is able to confide in one of her old best friends. She discovers that happiness and being with the right group of people is better than being with “cool” kids. This is especially an important message for preteens who may start to feel the pressure to fit in or peer pressure. Plus, I really like how, by the end, Dylan is not afraid to show off her intelligence. It really proves that girls can be both popular, pretty, nice, and smart all in one. It’s also an ironic contrast to her character, Haley, in Modern Family.

Overall, I think this is such a comfort movie for me, despite the later rumors of Matt Prokop’s abuse toward Sarah Hyland. Aside from that, this movie has SO MANY one liners that I’m constantly quoting with my sister. Like, I could name at least ten off the top of my head. It is underrated, and definitely worth a watch for DCOM lovers!

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.