My mom always complains Netflix doesn’t have a great selection and sometimes I agree. But I’ve noticed it has a lot of Disney movies; some I grew up watching, some a few years old, and ones so new I’ve never heard of them. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like half of the selection.
Obviously High School Musical and Camp Rock are my faves, but I have to admit I like some that I might have been too old for or ones that are way too cheesy.
Lemonade Mouth
This one I put off watching because it was a musical and HSM and Camp Rock already did it’s job. But Lemonade Mouth is different. Each kid has a lifestyle issue, whether it be a divorce or parents’ expectations. It’s like if the Breakfast Club formed a band and stood up for what they believed in. The movie also hints at gender equality, the whole debacle of arts vs. sports, and loads of other stuff. It’s on Netflix and I’m currently watching it, which is what inspired me to write this post. Every Disney Channel movie nowadays has a character who can sing and the songs are typically all the same. The rival band’s songs are pretty much terrible and egotistical but Lemonade Mouth has some original beats and I’ll find myself singing some of theirs every now and then.
Doppelganger Disney: the picture on the left is an actor from Lemonade Mouth and the person on the right is from a movie the previous year called Starstruck. They look like brothers right? They are from two different families and get this, were both 21 when their movies came out.
Brink!
This is the typical late 90s teen movie based in California about a group of friends who rollerblade for fun unlike their rivals who do it for money and fame. 90s lingo is tossed around. The outfits are definitely from the 90s. One thing that bothered me was the main character’s kind of stupid nickname – Brink. His last name is Brinker, but I think I would have just stuck with Andy. And the last thing that gets me with this movie is the main rival, Val. Not only is he a huge tool, I have also found him some celebrity look alikes that I always think of when I see this movie.
Disney Doppelganger: The actor, Sam Horrigan, looks like a few celebrities and if you look at all of them together, you may be able to see the similarities.
Phantom of the Megaplex
This one was tied with Mom’s Got a Date With a Vampire, but I love this one just a bit more. It’s kind of like Phantom of the Opera, but for a movie theater. And some of the tricks the Phantom pulled made me 50% laughing and 50% paranoid because those shenanigans could happen in real life. I’m an awkward person. So if this ever happened to me, my face would be beet red. The little brother was kind of annoying, and the parents weren’t helpful at all, so it’s another genuine DCOM. Plus this movie was my first introduction to Mickey Rooney, so this is my favorite role of his.
The Poof Point
I remember this movie being the funniest, most magical Disney original movie that no one ever knew of when I talked about it. Sometimes Disney shows old movies after midnight on weekdays, and The Poof Point would rarely be listed. But one day it was. I DVR’d it and watched it the next day, ready for the magic and the laughs to fill my body once more.
Yeah that didn’t happen. Turns out Poof was kind of Disney’s answer to the movie Seventeen Again, but instead of Tahj Mowery being the scientist again, it’s the parents in Poof. And while the grandparents in Seventeen Again transform into their teenage selves, the Poof parents’ intellect decreases and they are still in their 45 year old bodies.
Even though the movies are pretty much the same thing, Poof Point still holds a place in my heart, no matter how lame it is.
Teen Beach Movie
I started with a musical so I’ve gotta end with one. When this came out I rolled my eyes because it was another musical from Disney – nothing could top High School Musical. Plus, the main guy character is obsessed with a movie called Wet Side Story, a love story between a surfer and greaser biker babe, so basically a spinoff of West Side Story, but the main guy and the main girl fall into this Wet Side Story universe and are in a musical. Kind of meta, I dig it. I watched this one night at VCU when I had stayed up kinda late and nothing was on TV. And I pretty much loved it. And I put a few songs on my Spotify playlist. And I learned this dance. It’s on Netflix btw.
And final Disney Doppelganger: The main biker guy who is supposed to be Nardo from West Side Story looks like a young Tom Cruise.
There’s my list! It was really hard to pick because I love little things about most Disney Original movies, but these are ones I don’t tell people often. Consider yourself special. 🙂
If you’re embarrassed about loving a movie, don’t be afraid to comment below. We are all friends here. Someone is bound to like it!
Good God I've Graduated 
What? No Motocrossed?
My friends know I love it. I don’t keep it a secret!