Top 10 Disney Channel Original Movies

The Disney Channel is known for its comedic and iconic shows. It has launched the careers of some of the biggest stars in acting and music today. Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus all owe their success to the Disney Channel. Apart from successful shows, Disney Channel Original Movies also became successful projects for the gigantic network. DCOMs began in 1998 and continue to release subsequently throughout the year. They have gone on to become some of the most successful TV movies of all time. Films like The Cheetah Girls, High School Musical, & Camp Rock have all established DCOMs in the world of television. Though they mostly focus on musicals as their focal movies, Disney made a name for itself in DCOMS with their heartfelt messages, comedic acting and heavy promotion. Not only are the original movies successful, but many have gone on to create sequels and even end up on the big screen. Take a look at ten of the best Disney Channel Original Movies. Comment below with your favorite!

10. You Wish! premiered in 2003. It starred A.J. Trauth who was a regular cast member on the Disney Channel show, Even Stevens and LaLaine from Lizzie McGuire. It told the story of a young man whose life flips upside down as he wishes for a new life with less worries. It was one of the early DCOMs that was very successful as it starred actors from Disney Channel shows.

[new page = Princess Protection Program]

9. Then BFFs Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato starred in the highly successful Princess Protection Program. They also sang the theme song for the movie’s soundtrack and co-starred in the music video. They set themselves up for the perfect sequel opportunity, but unfortunately it never happened.

[new page = Cadet Kelly]

8. Cadet Kelly starred a young Hilary Duff who was sent to a military-style boarding school where she had to shed her big-city lifestyle and learn discipline and determination. The movie was released while Duff’s Disney Channel Show Lizzie McGuire was a regular series on the network. She became known as one of the original Disney Channel stars.

[new page = Starstruck]

7. Starstruck became an underrated DCOM that became mildly successful as it told the common story of a famous singer who falls in love with an everyday girl. The film starred Sterling Knight and Danielle Campell.

[new page = Get a Clue!]

6. Lindsay Lohan was well on her way to becoming a Disney Channel starlet, but her Disney Channel reign ended with her first and last DCOM, Get a Clue!. The movie centered on a young journalist who writes a controversial story in the school paper which leads to the disappearance of a teacher. The film also starred Bug Hall who played Alfalfa in the 1994 classic The Little Rascals.

[new page = Halloweentown]

5. Halloweentown has become a sort of cult classic during the fall season on Disney Channel. It was released in 1998 and is still played every Halloween on Disney Channel. It also lead to three sequels, but they were not as successful as the original film.

[new page = Brink!]

4. This 1998 DCOM starred Erik Von Detten as Brink. Brink! followed the story of a group of “soul skaters” who were against the deals and contracts that followed “sponsored skaters.” The movie also starred Christina Vidal, who appeared on Nickelodeon’s Taina and Disney’s Freaky Friday opposite Lindsay Lohan. Brink! is still loved by children from that generation and is praised as one of the best DCOMs ever.

[new page = Camp Rock]

3. Camp Rock was the follow-up franchise to the successful High School Musical. It helped launch the acting and singing career of Demi Lovato, one of the network’s biggest stars. The movie also starred the Jonas Brothers. Lovato and the JoBros returned for the sequel and also went on the summer Camp Rock tour. A third movie was not made, but it still competes with HSM as one of the best DCOMs.

[new page = The Cheetah Girls]

2. One of the Disney Channel’s most successful franchises spanned a total of three movies. The Cheetah Girls was based on a four-girl-group who’s dream was to one day become a well-known group in music. It lead to a sequel that was filmed in Spain and a third film which was filmed in India. Though Raven Symoné was a part of the film, she opted out of The Cheetah Girls music group which went on to record their own album apart from the soundtracks. She also chose not to appear in the third film of the trilogy.

[new page = High School Musical]

1. High School Musical takes the cake as the best DCOM ever. There is no argument that this film became the network’s most successful to date. It not only spanned a sequel and a third film, but it also led to the spinoff Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure, a highly successful tour, one of the best soundtracks from a film, but it also helped launch the careers of Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens. This movie was the “Start of Something New” as musicals soon became a movie norm and are now seen almost everywhere.