Disney Channel had more than just television shows. Their network also features over a hundred Disney Channel Original Movies. Some of the most known or victorious were musicals. Most notably, theHigh School Musical franchise as the first was a phenomenon, the second was the most-viewed Disney Channel film, and the third released in theaters. BeforeHigh School Musical, there wasThe Cheetah Girls, a movie about a group of girls wishing to become professional musicians.
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Between the responses to these two trilogies, it is uncertain if Disney Channel would have continued making musical movies, or if they set the path for all that came after. While several Disney Channel Original Movies included music, not all of them were musicals. These are the top ten best Disney Channel musical movies, according to IMDb.
The film that started it all. WhileThe Cheetah Girls was Disney Channel's first movie to feature a music group as its central plot,High School Musical became a phenomenon far beyond anything Disney Channel had ever seen. Troy Bolton's struggle to choose between singing and basketball carried the plot as he tried to figure out what made him happy. However, the film was not just about Troy.High School Musical's success was also due to the rest of the main characters.High School Musical spawned two sequels.
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High School Musical 2received 17.2 million viewers, higher than any other Disney Channel Original Movie. Meanwhile,High School Musical 3was gifted with a theatrical release. The influence of the film continued years later with the Disney+ original series,High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.
Rather than randomly burst into song throughout normal life,Teen Beach Movie took another approach. Surfer couple Brady and Mack get the shock of their lives when a storm, dangerous wave, and magic surfboard send them into "Wet Side Story," a 1960's musical about bikers and surfers.
The movie took a different approach to musical moments, allowing nearly all of them to only occur within the realm of "Wet Side Story." Even more so, Mack and Brady react to the musical moments happening around them, or in Mack's case, have trouble keeping up with some dance numbers.
One ofTeen Beach Movie's most significant storylines followed Mack's decisive mindset to get back home to go to boarding school, only to eventually decide that she would rather stay at home with her grandfather and Brady.Teen Beach 2 flips the storyline from the original, bringing Lela and Tanner into the real world.
The film's main focus follows Lela's desire to be more than who she was in her world, to be a part of something and join the action, rather than allowing Tanner to do everything. Lela wants a life and skills of her own.Teen Beach 2does follow through on that storyline as well as several others, but one plot twist takes away all the character development from both films. Lela's choice to change "Wet Side Story" to "Lela, Queen of the Beach," creates too many paradoxes. The decision removes Brady and Mack's memories of each other,making it, so their first meeting had never happened.
When werewolves catch sight of Addison, they believe she could be the key to finding the Moonstone. Without the Moonstone, their powers are draining, making their elders sick as their stones lose power. Believing Addison is the face of the prophecy, destined to lead them, Wyatt tells Willa that he believes Addison is a werewolf. In the midst, the pack causes problems for Zed and Addison. The werewolves have scared the humans into putting the Monster Ban back in place, once again segregating the humans from zombies.
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The film is about unity andgetting humans, zombies, and werewolves to work together. In the end,Zombies 2 doesn't reveal what Addison is, although there is a tease in the last minutes of the movie.
When zombies finally get the chance to join Seabrook, it is chaos from the start. Integrating into high school is difficult at first, mainly because the teachers insist on the zombies learning in the school basement instead of joining regular classrooms.
Zed, a zombie, just wants to join the school football team while Addison intends to join her cousin on the cheerleading team. Together, Zed and Addison try to go beyond the student body's assessment that zombies are the enemy. Nothing is smooth sailing, though, and the zombies and humans eventually have to find a way to come together.
A song competition goes wrong whenCyrus' alias,"Truth," is mistaken for his best friend, Kris. When Kris catches the attention of Roxie, Kris asks Cyrus to help him convince Roxie, and the world, that Kris is the mind and voice behind Cyrus' lyrics.
The film not only challenges each other boys' relationships with Roxie but also creates conflicts between Cyrus and Kris.Let It Shine uses rap music prominently throughout its soundtrack much more than any other Disney Channel Original Movie.The film uses its songs and lyrics to make relevant, critical statements, and musical creativity.
Taking some of Disney's most infamous characters, the movie grew out the world, telling a family-friendly version of what happened next. After all theheroes defeated the villains, The United States of Auradon was created, and to keep the villains away, The Isle of the Lost was designed to have a magical barrier surrounding it to prevent the villains from escaping.
RELATED:High School Musical: Every Song From The Original Movie, Ranked
Things in Auradon were going smoothly, but Prince Ben's choice to give the children of the most infamous villains a chance creates mayhem. Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos arrive in Auradon with the mission to steal Fairy God Mother's wand.In a story about choosing to be good or evil, Mal and her friends must decide which side they want to be on.
They had chosen good, but at what cost? Forced to be someone she isn't, Mal struggles to break away from her uses of magic to become King Ben's girlfriend. Unable to do anything without using her magic to help, Mal decides the best thing for her to do is return to the Isle after a fight with Ben. WhileDescendants mainly focused on Auradon with snippets of the Isle,Descendants 2 lets The Isle of the Lost take center stage.
However, it takes Uma kidnapping Ben for Mal to return to her friends, and they create a plan to rescue Ben. Filled with music, choreography, and conflict,Descendants 2broadened the world that its predecessor created.
It only fitted thatDescendants 3 would complete the arc that was first introduced inDescendants. After years, Mal and her friends unite to defeat Audrey and open The Isle of the Lost. Lifting the barrier, Auradon, and the Isle joinas the younger generations come together.
Using the movie to bring enemies, Mal and Uma, together on the same side, allowed the characters to work through their issues.Descendants 3 also featured a tribute to Cameron Boyce, who played Carlos. Boyce had passed away previous to the film's premiere, and the beginning and end of the film each honor him.
What happens when a ragtag group of teenagers ends up in detention together? They form a band. At least, these kids did. Each an outcast in some way, they find a home in their music and each other.Lemonade Mouth never got the same response asHigh School Musical, butit has gotten plenty of praise claiming the film is underrated.
Lemonade Mouth is all about making a statement and breaking out of your shell, becoming who you were meant to be. Growing from garage band to a phenomenon in their home town, and later successful musicians, the band's focus was always on performing songs that were authentic and genuine.
NEXT:High School Musical: 5 Reasons The Original Is The Best (& 5 Reasons Why The Sequel Is Better)
Next5 Best American Horror Story Characters (& 5 Worst)
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