7 Throwback DCOM’s Worth Rewatching

Anyone who watched Disney channel remembers Disney Channel original movies. DCOM’s often premiered on Friday nights, becoming the topic of elementary school lunch-table conversations over the next several days. Although the true-blockbuster DCOM’s came during the mid-’00s with releases like The Cheetah Girls and High School Musical, some earlier entries have been forgotten.

Rarely re-aired, movies like The Thirteenth Year and Johnny Tsunami actually built the foundation for future DCOM’s to succeed. Always goofy and non-sensical, old-school DCOM’s had a simplicity about them that just hasn’t seemed to resurface in newer releases. In this list, we’ll take a look at seven OG DCOM’s that made the genre notoriously melodramatic and cheesy.

1. Brink!

Released in August of 1998, Brink! was just the third DCOM to ever be released, and debatably the first popular one. The plot revolves around Andy Brinker, also known as Brink. Brink and his friends regularly fill their time in-line skating around their California town, regularly having run-ins with their rivals, Team X-Bladz. In typical DCOM fashion, Brink experiences a friendship crisis after joining Team X-Bladz to subsidize his father’s low-income. Brink goes back and forth between his friends, the Soul Skaters, and Team X-Bladz. Eventually, Brink decides to rejoin his friends and beats Team X-Bladz’s leader in the skating championship.

The movie is thoroughly enjoyable for any kid who was old enough to experience the in-line skating phenomenon. Besides this, the movie also has a myriad of comedic plot holes. Somehow, Brink is able to balance middle school (or high school?), skating for Team X-Bladz, and working at a pet shop. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Coincidentally, Brink’s friends are initially clueless that he skates for Team X-Bladz.

In turn, Team X-Bladz has no idea Brink works at a pet shop. Even better, the manager for Team X-Bladz somehow doesn’t recognize Brink at the championship and offers him a position on the team… again. Undoubtedly a Disney teen-heartthrob, Erik von Detten (Brink) went on to star in a few short-lived television series before doing primarily voice-work. Von Detten retired from acting in 2010 and now works for a management firm. As of 2020, the Soul Skaters are still looking for his replacement.

2. Halloweentown

With Halloweentown, Disney channel stepped up their game. For those who remember, the movie was heavily advertised in the lead-up to its premiere. This DCOM’s main character was Marnie, a young girl with an overbearing, “normal” mother. Yearning for adventure and excitement as all pre-teens do, Marnie’s world completely changes when her cooky grandmother drops in unexpectedly.

Perhaps most impressively, the studio actually managed to get Debbie Reynolds to play Marnie’s quirky, sorcerer-grandmother, Aggie. Undoubtedly an improvement over Brink!, Halloweentown emphasized the best characteristics of DCOM’s — the main character has a secret past they know nothing about (surprise! Marnie’s a witch!), adults are cast as both heroes and villains, and Halloweentown itself is under assault by a not-so-mysterious mystery villain. The movie is slow to start, but the eventual journey to Halloweentown is well worth the wait. Filled with dollar store masks, garage-level puppetry, and possibly home-made wigs, Halloweentown itself is wonderfully low-budget and completely believable for anyone under age ten.

One of the biggest hits for Disney channel, this DCOM spawned three sequels. Kimberly J. Brown (Marnie) and Debbie Reynolds rounded out the original trilogy before leaving the final installment in less-capable hands. Purportedly, Brown was disappointed with her exclusion from the fourth film. Brown went on to star in the 2000 DCOM, Quints. As of 2020, she is still acting, albeit sparingly.

3. Zenon: Girl Of The 21st Century

Ah, the late 90’s attempts at CGI. What better setting for a DCOM than a 2001-esque space station orbiting Earth? The year is 2049 and Zenon is a thirteen-year-old girl unable to stay out of trouble. After getting on Commander Plank’s bad side, Zenon is banished from her zero-gravity chrome world and forced to live with her Aunt in what appears to be California. Even though Zenon is a girl of the future, those grounded on Earth seem inexplicably clueless to Zenon’s culture.

After being made fun of for her clothing, hairstyle, and odd sayings, Zenon finds a hinge in Greg. The DCOM formula dictates that when a girl meets a boy, a happy ending is sure to ensue. However, Zenon surprisingly chooses to go back with her parents above Earth’s gravity over staying with Greg. The choice is both an effective plot-device and a breath of fresh air. Zenon was the first DCOM that really sparked lunch-table conversation. For at least the next month, seventh-graders could be heard yelling “Zetus lapetus!” if they forgot a homework assignment.

Zenon truly has all the lovably-terrible elements that make a DCOM worth revisiting. Futuristic pop-star Proto Zoa’s space-concert at the film’s conclusion is particularly cringeworthy. Singing his smash hit “Supernova Girl,” Proto Zoa and his band Microbe round out the film’s dated atmosphere in the most nostalgic way possible. As to what biology has to do with space? No idea. Zenon spawned two sequels, 2001’s Zenon: The Zequel and 2004’s Z3. As for Zenon herself, Kirsten Storms has had a successful career as a soap star on Days of our Lives and General Hospital, the latter of which she still features in. Storm’s voice work as Bonnie Rockwaller on Kim Possible is also worth mentioning.

4. The Thirteenth Year

Disney’s The Little Mermaid made the concept of mermaids fairly “girly.” The Thirteenth Year tried to reverse that stereotype. Cody Griffin is your average middle-schooler. Cody has a girlfriend, participates on the swim team, and ironically fails biology. After turning thirteen, Cody notices several strange changes in his body. No, this is not puberty. Instead, Cody realizes he is turning into a mermaid, or a merman really. After befriending dorky biology expert Jess, Cody begins to discern that his adoptive parents have not been entirely truthful about his past.

Eventually, Cody learns that his birth-mother is none other than a mermaid. To make matters more complicated, Jess’s father is obsessed with proving mermaids exist. One of the best characters in the film is Jess’s dad, Big John Wheatley. A cross between Captain Ahab and Mr. Crocker, Big John Wheatley is either the worst movie-villain ever or the least-developed supporting character. For perspective, Mr. Wheatley somehow accidentally captures his own son instead of a mermaid, immediately gives up his obsession after thirteen years, and wishes Cody luck as he departs with his mermaid mom at the film’s end. The Thirteenth Year had one of the DCOM’s more far-fetched plots.

Seeing a pubescent boy turn into a mermaid was a refreshing take on gender stereotypes, but the film’s plot spends most of its time on nonsensical happenings. Somehow, Cody’s mermaid mother hasn’t aged, Cody can inexplicably stick to the ceiling, and it’s never explained how Cody can breathe underwater. One of the less popular DCOM’s, The Thirteenth Year paved the way for future crazy plots like those of Stepsister from Planet Weird, Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire, and Pixel Perfect.

5. Smart House

Running off the technological fascination of Zenon, Smart House probably has the most simplistic plot of any DCOM. The main character is Ben Cooper. Ben, roughly thirteen or fourteen years old, decides to enter a competition to win a “smart house” because apparently that’s a thing. The house is designed to cook, clean, and perform any household function at the whim of its residents. When Ben wins the competition, he, along with his single father and younger sister, quickly discovers the house has its ups and downs. Eventually, Ben learns how to reprogram the house to his benefit, but the plan backfires. The house turns on the Cooper’s, holding them hostage.

Of course, Ben saves the day when he reminds the house it is only a computer and will never be human. Defeated, the house relents and sets the Cooper’s free. Possibly the best part of the movie is the introduction of the single, slightly disheveled, and seemingly always out-of-work Disney dad. Admittedly, Andy’s father in Brink! was also unemployed, but his father was much more responsible and married. The “Disney Dad” troupe continued with Rip Girls, Cadet Kelly, Pixel Perfect, the Disney-produced Life-Size, and probably a thousand other Disney shows and movies.

Ben’s dad is forgetful and oblivious in the most stereotypically Disney way. And, of course, Mr. Cooper ends up falling for Sara Barnes, the inventor of the smart house. Thus, a malevolent, malfunctioning artificial intelligence brings together two attractive, single people. Only in DCOM’s. As of 2020, Ryan Merriman, the film’s star, is still acting. Merriman has acted in various movies and television shows including The Ring movies, Pretty Little Liars, and the 2001 DCOM The Luck of the Irish.

6. Johnny Tsunami

Long before Moana, there was Johnny Tsunami. Johnny Kapahala, a native of Hawaii, loves surfing and… essentially just surfing. Johnny’s grandfather is the famous Johnny Tsunami, an incomparable surfer and modern-day guru. However, Johnny’s father is the much-less easy going and enthusiastic Pete. Taking a page from Zenon’s script, Johnny’s entire life is upended when he is forced to move to freezing Vermont with his parents. The decision was chalked up to a job transfer, but what company has locations in Hawaii and Vermont?!

Johnny is enrolled in the local private school and has several run-ins with his new classmates, one of which is played by Zenon actress, Kirsten Storms. Johnny quickly befriends Sam who goes to the local public school and he teaches Johnny how to snowboard. Soon, a hierarchy develops: the private school skiers are known as “skies” and the public school snowboarders are termed “urchins.” With the help of Johnny’s grandfather, Johnny and Sam are able to take back the mountain they board on from the pretentious private schoolers.

The DCOM’s always did a good job with stories in which the main character is displaced from their normal environment. In Johnny Tsunami, this troupe was especially well-executed with the addition of Johnny’s grandfather, who serves as a mentor figure. The stunts are also quite impressive and add consistent fun throughout the movie. Johnny Tsunami’s success led to a sequel, Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board, in 2007. Johnny himself, Brandon Baker, is still acting, albeit sparingly. Baker’s most famous credits include a few guest-star episodes on Even Stevens and the NBC sitcom One World.

7. Cadet Kelly

Prior to Disney’s Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez dynasties, there was Hilary Duff. Duff and Disney had a fruitful partnership throughout the early 2000s. Running off the success of Lizzie McGuire, Duff was commissioned to star in her first, and only to date, DCOM. 2002’s Cadet Kelly broke some elements of the DCOM formula used over the past several years. The film noticeably feels like someone actually spent more than twenty minutes coming up with a plot, and genuinely tried to craft a coherent beginning, middle, and end.

The plot is simplistic, but original and somewhat believable. In another fish-out-of-water story, Kelly Collins finds her divorced mother pining for the affection of a Brigadier General, Joe Maxwell. As the relationship heats up, Kelly and her mom move closer to Joe. Coincidentally, the only school accepting enrollment is the military academy Joe works at. This sets the stage for a myriad of Disney-style high jinx and awkward situations. Ultimately, Kelly is able to make Joe less rigid and more fatherly, and Kelly gains respect for Joe and the discipline of the military.

When Cadet Kelly was released, Hilary Duff was the face of Disney channel. Making a DCOM throwback list excluding her would be sinful. Cadet Kelly marked a turning point for the DCOM. Going forward, films would increase in run time and their plots would be less outlandish and magical. DCOM’s could still get pretty far-fetched, but audiences started getting more developed and grounded stories. Newer DCOM’s like Descendants, Teen Beach Movie, and Camp Rock have consistently brought in higher ratings. The change has proven to be successful for Disney, but for those who are fans of the original DCOM’s, the structural clarity is somewhat of a let-down.