RANKING ALL 109 DCOMS (disney channel original movies): A THREAD. BUCKLE UP.

**disclaimer/background info on this thread**
- i am a huge disney channel lover and i have always wanted to do a dcom ranking. i feel that newer dcoms get a bad rap and it makes me sad to see ppl judge newer disney without even giving it a chance +

+ so i ranked each movie based on how good i thought it was, regardless of when it came out and whether or not i have seen it before, whether in my childhood or recently
- i analysed each movie based on six main categories: comedy, acting, plot/characters, themes, romance, +

+ and music/score.
- i then gave the movie a score out of ten and sorted it into a tier: bleh, f, d, c-, c, b-, b, b+, a, and s (yes i know this grading system makes no sense. just go with me here)
- this ranking is solely my own opinions. i am sorry if i happen to +

+ dislike your fave movie or if i love one of ur least fave movies. i often found that my personal opinions on these movies were vastly different from general consensus/imdb/letterboxd.
- the abridged version of this list is here: https://letterboxd.com/juliavinz/list/dcoms-ranked/

- lastly, please mute this thread if you don't want to see it on ur timeline. like i said, there are literally 109 movies on this list so we are going to be here a while.
- with all of this being said, let's get started!

*BLEH TIER*
- movies that i think are legit abominations and need to be deleted from the internet and from society
- i am genuinely sorry i ever sat through these movies & i am so so sorry if you like them but i just have passionately negative feelings abt them

109. You Lucky Dog (1998) dir. Paul Schneider
this has got to be one of the worst premises for a dcom ever. it doesnt make any logical sense and leaves the viewer with a million questions, the plot unfolds so weirdly, and the main character is unfunny and unlikeable
0.5/10

108. Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas (2011) dir. Arlene Sanford
so boring. the stakes could not have been any lower. i normally like glc but watching this made me want to scoop out my eyeballs. at least the paintball scene was mildly entertaining.
0.5/10

107. Radio Rebel (2012) dir. Peter Howitt
i watched this movie back in december before all the memes happened and i genuinely couldn't sit through the whole thing. i had to skip parts of it bec it was too painful to watch the whole way through. i did enjoy the soundtrack tho
1/10

How to Build a Better Boy (2014) dir. Paul Hoen
IT MADE NO SENSE ON ANY LEVEL WHATSOEVER. EVERY MINUTE WAS MORE CONFUSING THAN THE LAST. SHE WAS IN LOVE WITH A ROBOT. HE WAS NOT A REAL BOY AND SHE WAS IN LOVE WITH HIM????? SHE DEFENDED HIM AND FOUGHT FOR HIM AND HE WAS MADE OF +

+ METAL! also how is that dad allowed to keep his job considering he is clearly incompetent as fuck? if he works for the mf pentagon WHY IS HIS LAB IN HIS LIVING ROOM????? PPL WHO WORK AT THE PENTAGON DO NOT WORK FROM HOME!! china was alright at least.
1/10

*F TIER*
- although i didn't like these movies, i was able to find something at least slightly redeemable about all of them.

Zapped (2014) dir. Peter DeLuise
there was potential for this to be more interesting if she had actually used the app more but theres a problematic message about boys being dogs and girls being controlling bullies and theres a nonconsensual kiss in it so it's a no from me
1.5/10

Now You See It... (2005) dir. Duwayne Dunham
i dont mean this lightly. i wanted to physically murder the main character. she is without a doubt the most annoying person that has ever existed. i wanted her dead. the knock off harry potter elements were enjoyable tho.
1.5/10

A Ring of Endless Light (2002) dir. Greg Beeman
besides this movie being unbearably boring and poorly acted, the overly religious themes + throwaway line abt the grandfather being a colonizer didnt sit right with me. it was still an okay premise+good environmental message
1.5/10

Princess Protection Program (2009) dir. Allison Liddi-Brown
a random dude walks in and says he is going to take over with no army. and the royal family just LETS HIM. they just LET HIM. THEY DONT HAVE AN ARMY TO FIGHT BACK. THE SUBJECTS OF COSTA LUNA DONT CARE. WHY CANT HE JUST +

+ TAKE OVER??? CLEARLY THIS COUNTRY HAS NO MILITARY OR DEFENSE SYSTEM. this was not just a plot hole, this was a full on plot chasm. ALSO, was the lesson 'beauty isn't skin deep' or 'beauty is reflected in what you wear so make sure u wear pretty dresses to homecoming'?
1.5/10

101. Cow Belles (2006) dir. Francine McDougall
boring and slow, repetitive (we literally see certain scenes back to back only with different characters/different circumstances more than once), unbelievable, and the way they glorify performative allyship with +

+ working class ppl was weird. most people watching this are working class, and movies like this make them think that rich people care about them, which they dont. also nothing about the way the dad behaves would lead me to believe that those were the kinds of daughters +

+ he would end up raising. the fact that they included a line that was like 'my sister and i are actually good singers let us sing' and THEN THEY DIDNT is so infuriating.
1.5/10

*D TIER*
- although i didnt rly like these movies so much, i can see why someone could like them
- perhaps they had an okay premise but just didnt execute that well, or they have a good scene or two that saves it from being trash

100. Frenemies (2012) dir. Daisy von Scherler Mayer
the first two storylines in this werent bad, but the third one went completely off the rails. flimsy parent trap ripoff that made no sense. they werent even friends, let alone frenemies. nickrob was there tho, so. cool
2/10

99. Tiger Cruise (2004) dir. Duwayne Dunham
pro military propaganda bullshitty nonsense that i hated. tbh if this had just been a regular cruise without the 9/11 it would have been slightly better. i guess. the acting was surprisingly mature which is why it's not dead last
2/10

98. Girl vs Monster (2012) dir. Stuart Gilard
easy fixes to this movie: raise the stakes, pace the plot better, have olivia holt do more stunts, more dramatic climax, add more interesting songs, overall give it a personality. it felt overly sanitized and lifeless
2/10

97. Twas the Night (2001) dir. Nick Castle
im including a ss from my spreadsheet that elaborates on my feelings about this movie but tldr the uncle is a POS and it's weird that they try to paint him as morally grey when hes really just morally awful.
2/10

96. Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board (2007) dir. Eric Bross
this movie would have been a lot better if it was from jake t austin's perspective. i found myself caring more abt his story. if they actually wanted to revive this franchise in an interesting way then they should have +

+ made it from his perspective. they took a dcom that i really care about, and shit all over it. if you liked johnny tsunami, then i urge you to never lay your eyes on this thing. also NO ONE SAYS BRAH THAT MUCH. IT WAS SO ANNOYING AND TOOK ME OUT OF THE MOVIE SO MUCH.
2/10.

95. Hatching Pete (2009) dir. Stuart Gilard
including another ss from my spreadsheet bec idk if i can fully explain my thoughts on this movie accurately but tldr it made absolutely no sense to me at all and i am sorry but i do not like jason dolley at all.
2/10.

94. Cloud 9 (2014) dir. Paul Hoen
it was incredibly predictable but there is something oddly comforting abt that. i guess i appreciate the mixing of the sports movie and the girly movie genres. and the romance in this is fine i suppose. dove cameron is hot.
2/10.

93. The Poof Point (2001) dir. Neal Isreal
this movie def has some zany fun moments, but i found it strange how none of the characters took their impending doom seriously, the sci fi made no sense and took me out of the story, and these parents were AWFUL!
2.5/10

92. Rip Girls (2000) dir. Joyce Chopra
this movie took itself way too seriously. a drama without a single joke in it is just not a pleasant or enjoyable experience. and even though i liked how mature it is, i also thought it was super boring
2.5/10

91. The Jennie Project (2001) dir. Gary Nadeau
theres a scene where a chimp is on trial and the judge is under the impression that the case involves a human person until she gets to the courtroom and realizes whats going on. and the chimp's lawyer is a 9 year old.
2.5/10

90. Life is Ruff (2005) dir. Charles Haid
this grew on me the more i watched it, but also the more i watched it the more i was just painfully aware that i am not in the target demographic for these movies. im sure there's an 8 year old out there that likes this a lot
2.5/10

*C- TIER*
-we slowly begin to move into the movies i kind of maybe somewhat enjoyed territory
-maybe fun movies to watch/make fun of in a group setting
-or maybe they were really close to being decent movies but, they are not imo

89. Read it and Weep (2006) dir. Paul Hoen
ik im gna get canceled for this but this movie didnt do it for me. again, not a jason dolley fan, this plot was super confusing & all over the place, dpb's character was thick as a brick. they never explain why she can see iz which +

+ bothered me a lot and made it hard to suspend my disbelief. however i did like the outfits & i suspect that if i had seen this as a kid it wld have kickstarted my gay awakening
2.5/10

88. Phantom of the Megaplex (2000) dir. Blair Treu
i suspect i will also be canceled for this but i hated the acting and i dont think this is plotted very well. it feels very disjointed & thoughtless. i thought the kid detective stuff was kind of fun tho

87. Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010) dir. Paul Hoen.
buckle in for my camp rock 2 rant. Q: what do we learn at the end of camp rock? A: stay true to yourself and your individuality & originality. share the stage/spotlight with your friends. Q: what happens in this movie?

A: the format from the first movie is completely changed to be like a musical rather than the songs coming diegetically from the movie (which was likely a format popularized by hsm) and made no sense for this series at all, and demi is given the solo in every song, while +

+ the secondary characters act as her backup singers. (and obv she is talented but thats beside the point) it feels very disingenuous to the og movie. besides this, the romantic plots were poorly paced (every conflict that comes up is resolved w/in like 5 mins)+

and the soundtrack is disappointing. this is such a transparent cash grab and clear nostalgia bait. wouldn't change a thing is kinda fire but other than that i would like this movie way more if it was somehow a standalone. okay, rant over.
2.5/10

86. Starstruck (2010) dir. Michael Grossman
this used to be my fave dcom when i was growing up. the ss from my spreadsheet explains my main beef w/ this movie. that being said, this movie def has a unique personality and plot which is more than i can say for other dcoms
3/10

85. Can of Worms (1999) dir. Paul Schneider
this was such a great and creative premise but it is incredibly unfocused, as though they forgot where their own plot was going. it felt like some of the scenes were out of order. but julia from parenthood is in this so. a win
3/10

Double Teamed (2002) dir. Duwayne Dunham
this movie was okay i guess. it didnt really have a plot, it was just a bunch of random scenes strung together and then it just ended. also, this movie is about twins, but they hired actresses that are not related. bold choice
3/10

83. Stuck in the Suburbs (2004) dir. Savage Steve Holland
another classic that i felt was a letdown. if i hadnt been watching this movie w/ my friend i prob would have fallen asleep. the soundtrack was all over the place. it's pretty gay tho so. there's that.

82. Den Brother (2010) dir. Mark L. Taylor
nothing special but it wasn't bad. the girl scout troop was super cute. idk how to explain this but it just feels so much like a 2010 dcom.
3/10

81. The Ultimate Christmas Present (2000) dir. Greg Beeman
whimsical and fun but i found the main character to be really annoying and kind of bratty, and the plot dragged a lot. also the acting was not great. points for a ska version of deck the halls
3/10

80. Twitches Too (2007) dir. Stuart Gilard
this felt like a rehash of the first movie but this time with boys which was disappointing. there was an opportunity to expand the universe in an interesting way but the conflict in this movie is literally the exact same as the first.+

+ the twin dynamic and the guardian couple bickering dynamic got old super fast. i had high hopes bec i like the first film a lot but i ended up not loving this
3/10.

79. Pixel Perfect (2004) dir. Mark A.Z. Dippé
i did not care for the way the main character treated his friend. he was like 'ur image is more important than u' and he never truly apologized for it. it felt very sexist. but i liked the creative sci fi elements
3/10

78. Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge (2001) dir. Mary Lambert
at least theres a goal that they're trying to achieve and a villain thats interesting tht theyre actively working to stop. we dont really even get to see a lot of halloweentown when you think about it. sad.
3/10

77. Genius (1999) Rod Daniel
tldr, it needed to pick a plot and stick to it
3/10

76. Jumping Ship (2001) dir. Michael Lange
the bad guys in this movie were unrealistically evil and ruthless for no reason. overall this was a drag to get thru but the acting is surprisingly decent and i liked the score a lot
3/10

*C TIER*
- basically just average movies. i probably enjoyed them but they just either werent special or had some glaringly obvious flaws
- this is as good a time as any to remind you all that these are just my personal opinions. evidently there are some hot takes on this thread

75. The Cheetah Girls: One World (2008) dir. Paul Hoen
nothing bad happens to them for a really large portion of the movie. in fact, nothing happens to them at all. every major conflict they have, like not knowing how to do bollywood choreo, not wanting to be in a bollywood +

+ movie, or not having a location to film in all get solved within five minutes. as much as i shit on these movies for portraying what is actually a super toxic friendship, i kind of wish there was more drama between them just so we could have had Something happen. +

+ there are also way too many songs that serve the same purpose. overall this strikes me as a wasted opportunity bec this movie cld have taught its audiences abt bollywood film and music sequences but it was just a run of the mill dcom musical
3/10.

74. Kim Possible (2019) dir. Adam Stein and Zack Lipovsky
i wld have liked this so much more if it was a movie about a high school spy. the fact that it poorly remakes a beloved animated franchise is disappointing bec this character is very endearing, she's just not kim
3/10

73. Dadnapped (2009) dir. Paul Hoen
tldr, i basically liked this movie but it was not very cohesive. another one that made me question what i was even doing this marathon for.
also there were a lot of dutch angles. perhaps too many, one might say.
3/10

72. Ready to Run (2000) dir. Duwayne Dunham
it started out as a promising, if somewhat cheesy, coming of age/feminist film about a girl who becomes a jockey despite it being a male dominated sport, but what i got 15 minutes in was a movie about TALKING HORSES. +

+ i think this movie was otherwise mature, with a lot of deep and developed themes, a story about capitalism and passions and finding your voice and trying to deal with trauma. also it pissed me off that he committed literal arson and faced no repercussions
3.5/10

71. Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off (2003) dir. Paul Hoen
congrats to the dad in this movie for winning the worst dcom dad ever award. not much else to say abt this movie. i was expecting to like this more than i did but i found it uninteresting
3.5/10

72. Halloweentown (1998) dir. Duwayne Dunham
i liked the characters and worldbuilding, but the plot was very poorly paced. we dont even meet the villain until halfway thru the movie and his motivations are very unclear. there was no sense of impending danger.
3.5/10

71. The Proud Family Movie (2005) dir. Bruce W. Smith
this movie had a lot of pacing probs for me. easy fixes: make penny's birthday on the final day of the movie, not in the middle. make the clone family first thing when they arrive at the island to raise the stakes +

+ make penny and her father vow to never talk again. make her figure out the family is clones on her own. i loved the characters and the soundtrack but the story just needed some rewrites
4/10

70. Quints (2000) dir. Bill Corocan
this movie had all the ingredients of being a good careful what you wish for story but it turned into a weird follow your dreams and dont listen to your evil + greedy parents story. anyways her outfits were straight fire why lie
4/10

69. Zenon: the Sequel (2001) dir. Manny Coto
while the stakes in the first movie are basically life and death, i never got the sense that anything bad would happen if they didnt listen to zenon. theres no compelling antagonist. overall this fell flat for me
4/10

68. Halloweentown High (2004) dir. Mark A.Z. Dippe
i liked the new additions to the cast and this was the first halloweentown romance i havent been bored and/or grossed out by lmao. the climax is a rippoff of the scream team tho so boooo
4/10

67. Descendants 3 (2019) dir. Kenny Ortega
this franchise is very near and dear to my heart so having this movie so far back on my list was a shame but this plot makes absolutely no sense and left me with so many questions. the antagonist is nothing but an entitled +

+ and spoiled brat and her motivation was ridiculous. the real lesson of this movie should have been that they turn auradon into a democracy rather than a monarchy and that we shouldnt be letting 18 yr olds run society. the soundtrack is very hit or miss to me and overall +

+ this was a confusing and anticlimactic way to end this series. basically the only thing this movie got right was having uma not be the villain.
4/10.

66. The Suite Life Movie (2011) dir. Sean McNamara
entertaining but implausible. a lot of the jokes did actually make me laugh which was impressive (no spoilers but 'at least i have a car' really got me) im including my friend's comments on this film below
4/10

65. The Even Stevens Movie
haha. i didnt mean to do two tv show based movies back to back. this was fun and charming and i liked the exploration of family bonds. its portrayal of native islanders was problematic to me, which prevents this from getting a higher score
4/10

*B- TIER*
-from here on in, it's safe to say that i liked all of these movies.
- this tier just happens to contain movies that let me down in one way or another.
- still have some flaws/problems unfortunuately.

64. Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure (2011) dir. Michael Lembek
i never say this abt spinoff movies, but it could have done with more references to hsm. if ur gonna make a nostalgia cash grab, you might as well cast some of the old actors. also sharpay is a lesbian
4/10

63. Teen Beach 2 (2015) dir. Jeffery Hornaday
i can hear myself getting canceled for this from a mile away but i dont love this soundtrack and i think this plot is very formulaic and childish. i truly stan lela my feminist icon tho. shes a queen
4.5/10

60. Freaky Friday (2018) dir. Steve Carr
this movie was fine but i feel like it didnt pay enough attention to the mom's side of the story, and it was trying to pack in way too many life lessons. the soundtrack was decent. idk why ppl hate on this movie so much
4.5/10

59. Stepsister from Planet Weird (2000) dir. Steve Boyum
i loved the friendship bond they formed and the fun sci fi elements but this overall felt super slow and could have done with a bit more action and excitement. also the acting was.... hard to watch.
4.5/10

58. Zenon: Z3 (2004) dir. Steve Rash (as a side note, sorry the numbering was messed up)
i like that zenon has mellowed/matured in this movie, and i was definitely on board for the anticapitalist themes, but overall this felt like a disappointing way to end the franchise.
4.5/10

57. Smart House (1999) dir. LeVar Burton (!!)
this movie's uncanny prediction of smart devices is fairly well known at this point. not much else to say on that. it shld have become a horror movie from almost the get-go rather than waiting so long to scare us.
4.5/10

56. Adventures in Babysitting (2016) dir. John Schultz
this movie isnt amazing, but i like the idea of it taking place over the course of a day, and the kids were super cute. it wld have been a zillion times better if jenny and lola had gotten together at the end
4.5/10

55. Gotta Kick It Up! (2002) dir. Ramón Menéndez
although i found the plot to be very slow and boring, the message is SO important and impactful (see notes). if you're a superstore stan and you haven't seen this film, you are truly missing out, is all im gonna say.
5/10

54. Horse Sense (1999) dir. Greg Beeman
although it was a little bland at times and overall very slow, the lawrence brothers are genuinely great actors and their performances in this movie are impressive for what they are. and i absolutely adored the score
5/10.

53. Bad Hair Day (2015) dir. Eric Canuel
this movie is so funny, it felt like a sitcom but in a good way. these actors have excellent onscreen chemistry and their dynamic was perfect. although it's not accomplishing much for the canon i rly couldnt have asked for more
5/10

52. Hounded (2001) dir. Neal Isreal
i thought the dog was mega annoying and i did not care for her one bit, and i also thought the brother dynamic could have been smoothed over a bit better/done with some rewrites to make it more natural, but overall i cant say im mad at +

+ this movie. it had a very great lead actor, a distinct voice/personality, and although it wasnt the most exciting or innovative dcom ive ever seen it certainly has its merits as being a cohesive/comprehensive piece.
5/10

*B TIER*
- there are more things that i liked than disliked about these movies
- although they're not my faves/maybe nothing overly special, i do still like them and wouldn't mind watching them again
- i wld feel safe recommending them to people

51. Return to Halloweentown (2006) dir. David Jackson
it does suck that they recast the main actress but this is def my fave out of of the four halloweentown movies. a dramatic and fun way to end the series, a fab hp inspired score, and a fun and engaging story
5/10

50. Go Figure (2003) dir. Francine McDougall
for some reason i had a ton of thoughts about this movie so i'll be including an ss from my spreadsheet but tldr it's adorable and gay and it had the potential to be top 20 material if it werent for some minor problems
5/10

49. Get a Clue (2002) dir. Maggie Greenwald
this was such a fun movie, the subject matter was surprisingly mature, and the acting is great. i think towards the end they fall into a trap of showing rather than telling which was frustrating but overall a decent watch
5/10

48. Jett Jackson: The Movie (2001) dir. Shawn Levy
the acting was decent for what it was, and though it started slow by the end it picked up and i was really engaged. sadly i've never seen this show before (and it's not on disney+) so i found myself getting a bit confused
5/10

47. Descendants 2 (2017) dir. Kenny Ortega
i guess i'll start with the things i like about this movie. this soundtrack is almost perfect, the dance sequences are amazing, thematically it really works for me, and for a dcom to have a villain who's actually in the right is +

+ a refreshingly nice device. structurally, this movie is a total mess. the climax happens like 2/3rds of the way into the movie. the ending scene makes no sense and is genuinely hard to sit through/take seriously. i also personally dislike mal and ben as a couple and i found +

+ myself getting bored with their problems. ik i said this already but if auradon was a democracy none of this would have ever happened. i hated the talking dog so much by the way. he would have been so much better if he hadn't talked.
5/10

46. Tru Confessions (2002) dir. Paul Hoen
ppl often praise this movie highly bec of its subject material. im sure when this came out it was a big deal and broke barriers but literally NOTHING HAPPENS IN THIS MOVIE. IT WAS SO BORING. but that's neither here nor there. +

+ i have seen some ppl call shia's performance inspiring and surprisingly mature/realistic/thought provoking/etc, and i have seen other ppl call it cartoonish and offensive. personally i have no idea where i stand on this question, and i dont think its my place to +

+ have a definite answer about it. the reason it's somewhat high on this list is bec it definitely made me think and it's an ambitious choice to make a dcom about.
if you choose to watch this film for yourself plz be aware that they say the r word multiple times +

+ and i personally have a lot of feelings about a dcom directly saying slurs. even though in context it's not meant to be offensive/malicious im just not sure how appropriate that is for a children's movie so. yeah i guess that's all i have to say
5/10

45. Full-Court Miracle (2003) dir. Stuart Gilard
this is the only dcom abt jewish ppl and culture and im sure that was very exciting for ppl when it first came out and so i dont want to take that away from anyone. like i have said before, representation matters. +

+ however theres a lot abt jewish culture/religion that's not even factually accurate and it was kind of weird to me that they didnt bother to do their research abt it. in addition this movie tokenizes its only black character in a way that felt problematic to me at times +

+ and so that prevented it from getting a higher score. i actually enjoyed this movie, i thought it was super funny and i kinda got a kick out of the jewish jokes throughout it. but yeah, this is another film that i wld recommend tht u see and form ur own opinions.
5/10

44. Tangled: Before Ever After (2017) dir. Tom Caufield and Stephen Sandoval
this is acc a pilot for the tv show and not rly a movie but wikipedia says it's officially a dcom, so. not much to say abt it. it's pretty and the songs are fun.
5.5/10

43. Alley Cats Strike (2000) dir. Rod Daniel
this movie has such good vibes. it was pretty predictable but this group of friends was so cute and quirky, they had great chemistry together. from the very first scene i was like oh these kids are Cool cool, not just +

+ 'dcom popular kid' cool. but they had style both in their personality and their outfits. it is also one of THE goofiest movies i have seen for this marathon. and the dynamic between the two main characters was great. i loved seeing them play off of each other.
5.5/10

42. Buffalo Dreams (2003) dir. David Jackson
although this movie is pretty slow and predictable, it has a very important message and cultural context. more info in the notes but yeah i wld def rec this if u wanna watch
5.5/10

41. Minutemen (2011) dir. Lev L. Spiro
i feel like i need to a lot of work to justify my placement of this film on this list so here i go. i really do like this movie i think it's a creative premise and a very wholesome message. but like ive said, not a jason dolley fan +

+ the romance in this movie made me uncomfy, and the whole friendship breakup storyline overall was really boring to me and i could have done without it. obv nicholas braun being in this movie is wildly entertaining to me & this movie is VERY very gay.
5.5/10

40. Cadet Kelly (2001) dir. Larry Shaw
the beginning and the end were pretty solid to me but the middle dragged. i guess i wld have liked it more if it was at a normal boarding school instead of a military academy. v cute wlw enemies to lovers story tho <3
5.5/10

39. Let it Shine (2012) dir. Paul Hoen
i have a personal vendetta against cyrano remakes so i was not a fan of this plot. theres just way too many contrivances and it feels very unbelievable. however the soundtrack is super fun and it's overall quite entertaining
5.5/10

38. Twitches (2005) dir. Stuart Gilard
good world building despite the $50 budget, the magical powers were fun, and their journey to discovering what their powers could be and do was really fun. it was pretty well plotted. my notes include some funny side commentary
5.5/10

37. Under Wraps (1997) dir. Greg Beeman
fun fact: this is the first official dcom! it's super cute and funny, i love movies abt kids running around solving mysteries and keeping secrets from their parents. a little slow but perfect for halloween.
5.5/10

*B+ TIER*
- movies that i like and are also good.
- getting into classics territory. overall enjoyable experiences that wld only benefit from watching in a group
- i realize that my grading system doesnt make a lot of sense. but i make the rules here

36. Descendants (2015) dir. Kenny Ortega
so im pretty disappointed that this isnt further up on my list bec i do truly like it a lot. it's the movie that got me back into liking disney unironically. i really love this concept. i think it's interesting and super cute. +

+ but there didnt seem to be enough development or actual arcs for the core four, some of these scenes were so long they genuinely felt endless, the climax was really boring esp cuz everyone was frozen, and theres only like 5 songs in this and none of them are That good. +

+ this franchise as a whole suffers from terrible concluding songs syndrome. the costumes are very um shall we say bold. some might say they are ugly. in general it's quite overacted and again, not a huge fan of the ben/mal romance. still an iconic piece of cinema tho.
5.5/10

35. Going to the Mat (2004) dir. Stuart Gilard
this movie is criminally underrated. this movie has a great message, and even tho at times i thought it dragged i loved the journey of the main character. and andrew lawrence is simply a terrific actor.
6/10

34. Camp Rock (2008) dir. Matthew Diamond
if we're talking cultural resets in dcom history, i cant think of many examples better than this. although this movie has a lot of plotholes (do people audition to be at this camp? did anyone learn anything while they were there? +

+ they only go to like 3 classes so what are they doing with the rest of their time? why did most of the camp not perform in the final jam we rock dance party performance? why was final jam in a literal barn?) this soundtrack is amazing, diverse, varied, and iconic.
6/10

33. The Thirteenth Year (1999) dir. Duwayne Dunham
this movie was quite enjoyable and i think it's def worth a watch. the score is great, the parents are awesome, cody and jess have a GREAT dynamic, and in general i think a boy mermaid movie is a unique and necessary premise
6/10

34. The Cheetah Girls (2003) dir. Oz Scott
the plot is very all over the place, and i was not really a fan of the climax. why couldnt they raise the stakes a little more beyond a dog getting stuck in a hole? also galleria turned uncharacteristically into a bitch at min. 25 +

+ which bothered me. in fact they all turned into bitches. it was frustrating. i think that even though their friendship is supposed to be at the heart of this movie, thiers is actually pretty toxic... and i wish that i could actually root for them to stay friends? +

+ all of that being said, this movie is incredibly entertaining, super funny, and such an interesting time capsule. i love the soundtrack and the dance sequences, and like, it's impossible to not feel happy after watching this.
6/10

31. Don't Look Under the Bed (1999) dir. Kenneth Johnson
this movie was lowk scary which made for an exciting viewing, although i found it to be a bit repetitive. i also wish that the imaginary friends hadnt turned out to be real bec i think it wld have been more interesting
6/10

30. Up, Up, and Away (2000) dir. Robert Townsend
im not saying the incredibles copied the plot of this movie, im just saying that this came out in 2000 and the incredibles came out in 2004. and the plots have many similar beats/elements. you do the math.
6/10.

29. Upside-down Magic (2020) dir. Joe Nussbaum
there was nothing super innovative or different about this plot but it was wildly entertaining, incredibly adorable, funny, charming, and it has a really good message. i am curious to see if it will get a sequel
6/10

28. Avalon High (2010) dir. Stuart Gilard
loved the action sequences and the premise in general. and the soundtrack. but it unbelievably slow and the romance was strange. the twists are predictable but it's still a fun time and also this movie invented feminism.
6/10

27. Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire (2000) dir. Steve Boyum
this was simply a very solid film. great cast, outfits, jokes, plot beats, and spooks. the kids/family dynamic was super fun. i wish we cld have seen the vampire hunter character more tho
6/10

26. The Cheetah Girls 2 (2006) dir. Kenny Ortega
the thing is, there is basically no conflict in this movie. everything goes right for them the entire time and basically nothing happens. it is a fun lil vacation movie and it is surprisingly refreshing to see all the cheetahs +

+ be so nice to each other for a change (for the most part. i still find their friendship to be super toxic). besides all of this, i mean, come on. this movie is SO much fun. the soundtrack and dance sequences are the best out of the three movies imo, it's pretty funny, +

+ and overall just a really feel good experience. even tho just in terms of the plot it's probably the least interesting, to me it was the most enjoyable to watch.
6/10

25. The Scream Team (2002) dir. Stuart Gilard
i actually have a ton of thoughts about this movie. tldr, it's very creative, super fun, endearing, funny, mature and nuanced, and decently spooky. apparently a spinoff series was in development but got scrapped. what a loss.
6/10

24. Geek Charming (2011) dir. Jeffery Hornaday
this was my absolute favorite dcom growing up. i think this is probably still my fave dcom romance. the plot is very very simple and lacks even some basic nuance, but i think it's super cute and funny and a fun feel good story
6/10

as a side note, im aware of these actors' history with each other. im judging this movie solely on the characters and the fictional universe.
as another side note, we have officially broken the top 25 of this list. wow. how exciting. i hope u have been enjoying my rambles so far

23. Zombies 2 (2020) dir. Paul Hoen
this movie was not what i expected but i still think it's a fun time. i love the characters, the complicated political backdrop of the universe, and the acting. the soundtrack was somewhat disappointing and at times it got confusing.
6.5/10

22. Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior (2006) dir. John Laing
i guess nows as good a time as any to talk about what a freaking legend and powerhouse brenda song is. shes in SO many dcoms and she absolutely shines in all of them. i am absolutely obsessed with her. okay, onto the movie

besides this movie being important representation, it's overall just such a fun watch. i loved the action sequences, the training montages, and the familial dynamic. at times i felt the plot was a little unfocused but this is the kind of movie i cld watch again and again
6.5/10

21. High School Musical 2 (2007) dir. Kenny Ortega
as much as i adore this movie, i feel that it has some problems. for one, it felt a little slow at first, and occasionally a bit repetitive. my main beef with this movie is that troy's friends are really horrible to him +

+ when he tells them that he needs to do anything he can to get a basketball scholarship for college. although troy says some throwaway rude thing to them one time, i dont think thats a reason for everyone to start turning on him. i cld go on abt this but twitter has character +

+ limits and besides i dont want to waste ur time talking ur ear off abt a movie u have presumably alr seen, so! it goes without saying that this movie is the ultimate cultural reset (fun fact: it's the highest rated dcom ever released in terms of views on premiere date!) +

+ and the soundtrack and dance sequences are inspired, innovative, and next level. these characters are beloved and remembered for good reason, and this movie is a feel good crowd pleaser that will always have a special place in my heart.
6.5/10