It was on October 9, 1983, that Disney Channel released its first-ever original movie, that being Tiger Town — a sports drama starring Roy Scheider of Jaws fame, and Justin Henry (Kramer vs. Kramer), with Alan Shapiro in the director’s chair. Around the same time, Disney’s Good Morning, Mickey!, which ran from 1983 to 1992, marked the conglomerate’s first original series. Ever since the early ’80s, there have been hundreds of Disney Channel originals, whether it be hour-long features or several seasons’ worth of storytelling. We’re still mourning the loss of Disney Channel’s greatest triumphs, such as Phineas & Ferb (2009-2015), The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (2005-2008) and Wizards of Waverly Place (2007-2012), but as much as it pains us, we’ve found some inexplicable joy in recalling some of the best (and our favorite) undertakings from Disney Channel.
Halloweentown
With the roaring amount of authenticity and originality that the Disney Channel holds beneath its belt, it would feel extremely criminal to leave out one of the network’s supreme Original movies — and that would be 1998’s Halloweentown. As the first chapter in the ever-popular Halloweentown franchise — which went on to boast four films in total — the OG movie is undoubtedly the very best that the film series has to offer.
Centering around a magical family full of timeless witches and warlocks, the premise of the first film focuses on 13-year-old Marnie Piper who, after realizing that her grandmother Aggie is a powerful witch, decides to follow her to the land of Halloweentown in order to learn the ropes of magic and become an experienced witch in her own right. From humorous, talking skeletons to a blood-curdling villain like Kalabar, there’s simply no disputing that Halloweentown is one of the greatest Disney Channel Original Movies of all time. ⏤ Taylor Mansfield
High School Musical / Kim Possible
It’s an unwritten rule that whomever oversees WGTC’s staff “listicles” gets to choose more than one entry for themselves. OK, not really, but I did it anyway — because I can. But can you blame me? It was impossible to choose between the groundbreaking High School Musical and the show that kept me up until 2am with re-runs, Kim Possible. Who said I couldn’t choose one Disney Channel original movie and one Disney Channel original series? High School Musical promoted the message of self-discovery, encouraging the youths of the mid-2000s to embrace their differences and be comfortable in their own skin. Plus, the musical numbers are undoubtedly the greatest hits of Disney’s almost-100-year anniversary. There will never be hits like “Breaking Free” and “What I’ve Been Looking For” for as long as I live — and I still have some years ahead of me.
As for Kim Possible, this was entirely personal. I’ve loved it since the tender age of 10, and even at 23, it never gets old (can’t say the same about me). Kim Possible was a love letter to young girls who never thought they’d amount to anything, represented on-screen by a resilient, capable teenager living an exciting double life. There’s also the matter of a talking mole rat, so that was a huge selling point. And don’t even get me started on Shego. Childhood crush, anyone? Besides that, Dr. Drakken and Shego’s interactions are still comedy gold to this day, and nothing Disney has produced since will ever top the exquisite pairing of Shego’s dry, covert sense of humor/sarcasm and Drakken’s laughable enthusiasm for his flawed schemes. Ah, the good old days. ⏤ Chynna Wilkinson
Ollie Hopnoodle’s Haven of Bliss
Today, A Christmas Story is rightly considered a holiday classic. However, it wasn’t always this way. In fact, the movie was mostly overlooked until TBS started its now legendary 24-hour Christmas marathon of the film in 1997.
Because of this, many people don’t realize that 2022’s A Christmas Story Christmas wasn’t the first Christmas Story sequel. In fact, several sequels were released during the ’80s, one of which was Ollie Hopnoodle’s Haven of Bliss. A Disney and PBS co-production, this 1988 Disney Channel Premiere Film (they were not calling them Disney Channel Original Movies yet. Yes, I am old, thanks for reminding me) is — like a Christmas Story — based on one of Jean Shepherd’s semi-autobiographical short stories. Set the summer after A Christmas Story concludes, this movie follows the Parker clan as they travel to Michigan to stay at a lakeside camp.
Of course, as in any story involving the Parker family, things do not go smoothly, and chaos ensues. The car breaks down several times, the family members’ different desires for the trip clash, and they get into trouble with the eccentric locals. However, the movie has a lot of heart, and like A Christmas Story, it perfectly captures the feeling of a family trying their best, no matter what life throws at them. ⏤ Jonathon Greenall
Tangled: Before Ever After
While the movie really serves as more of a pilot to Tangled: The Series, it was advertised as a Disney Channel Original Movie, so it totally counts! That’s part of why I wanted to highlight this as my choice too. Not only is it one of the extremely few animated originals for the channel, but the series it is set to introduce is also criminally underrated. Even watching this as an adult, the story covers some darker themes incredibly well.
If you’re a Disney fan and haven’t taken the time to track this down on Disney Plus, you’re making a huge mistake. The 2D animation is so gorgeous and stylized that I promise you won’t miss the 3D models at all. Trust me, this is way better than something like the direct-to-VHS sequels Disney used to put out back in the day — this has some serious quality. Plus, the movie is only an hour long, so if it doesn’t hook you immediately, you won’t have invested too much time in it. So why not give it a try? ⏤ Allie Capps
Hannah Montana
Many-hit wonder and mystery girl, Hannah Montana, was responsible for the generational shift on Disney Channel. The musical series hailing from the now Golden Age of Disney revolutionized the lives of thousands across the globe — and yes, even lil ol’ Portuguese me. As an adult, looking at your childhood favorites is tricky. Looking back now, at the end of the day, Miley (Stewart) was just a nepo baby, riding the coattails of her country heartthrob of a dad, putting on a wig, and making millions from deceiving others.
At the same time, it was revolutionizing, and honestly, seeing just your (alleged) average Jane having “the best of both worlds” was exactly what every little girl wanted. Hannah Montana introduced the world to the greatest bops to come out of Disney (yes, I said it), and popularized the one and only Miley Cyrus. So maybe we don’t have the limo out front, but we got Miley out of it, and I’d say that’s pretty darn good. ⏤ Francisca Santos
High School Musical 3: Senior Year
The only entry in the trilogy to get a theatrical release, High School Musical 3: Senior Year was also given a bigger budget, which truly translated across to the final product. Kenny Ortega, who had managed to create the perfect balance between dramatics and relatability with the first two films, reaches a new level of maturity in this third installment, while never losing the glitter that is mandatory in a Disney Channel production.
HSM 3 is nostalgic and inspiring as it wraps up the high school chapter in the lives of the characters who had genuinely become like the audience’s best friends across three years. The cast is at its best, and so is the music. A perfect send-off to what is arguably the most successful, and best, Disney Channel Original film series of all time. ⏤ Francisca Tinoco
Gravity Falls
Most Disney Channel content can be enjoyed on a kitschy, corny level, but that’s not the case with Gravity Falls: it’s legitimately one of the best western animated series of the past decade. A perfect blend of the all-ages humor of The Simpsons and the supernatural mysteries of The X-Files, Gravity Falls also feels part and parcel with the ’90s/early ’00s nostalgia so many of us associate with Disney Channel, despite debuting in 2012.
Unlike both of those aforementioned shows, though, the Alex Hirsch-created series knew when to quit while it was ahead. In 2016, the adventures of Dipper and Mabel Pines and the Mystery Shack gang concluded after just two perfectly formed seasons of 40 episodes, thereby ensuring Gravity Fall‘s legacy as the highest-quality Disney cartoon there will ever be. Alright, alongside Kim Possible. That slapped too. ⏤ Christian Bone
Lizzie McGuire
Hey now, hey now — this is what dreams are made of! If those lyrics don’t catapult you into a universe of friendship, high school antics, drama, and an adorable sketch of one of Disney’s most beloved characters, Lizzie McGuire, can you even call yourself a true Disney Channel fan?
Lizzie McGuire first aired in January of 2001 and took us on a journey of self-discovery, first kisses, and the bonds of best friendship with McGuire, Gordo, and Miranda. The trio did everything together, and through a series of ups and downs, they managed to become the kind of friends to one another that we all could have used in our pre-teen and teenage years. In fact, their bonds are still admirable into adulthood. Lizzie McGuire made audiences tear up and crack up — and the series helped many of us grow up. A comedy sitcom, it was also a feel-good family watch, and don’t even get us started on The Lizzie McGuire Movie; yes, we still have it in our weekend watch rotation.
Call it nostalgia, but there’s something about revisiting the series almost two decades later that makes us think about that formative time in our lives and look back at it with more patience and understanding than we had at the time. So many of us fancied ourselves a Lizzie or a Gordo, maybe even an Ethan and, at times, a Kate, and that’s OK. As Lizzie McGuire taught us, it takes all kinds of people to make this world go ‘round. ⏤ Ashley Marie
Motocrossed
If you want to know the best DCOM of all time, look no further than Motocrossed. This action-packed tale about a teenager who poses as her twin brother so she can compete in an all-male competition is so much more than Mulan on motorbikes. It’s a family movie, a love story, and a female empowerment piece all in one. Alana Austin’s performance as Andrea Carson is one of the best to come out of the network’s Golden Age of DCOMs, and she’s far from the only stellar cast member.
In fact, try not to fall in love with Andi’s entire family (not to mention her love interest) by the film’s end — I literally promise you won’t be able to. Though I’m still not over Disney Plus cutting the tremendous opening number that gives Motocrossed its spirited beginning (Fastball’s “You’re an Ocean”), the movie still stands as a lovable comedy with terrific writing, a perfect cast, and a heartwarming message to boot. If you want to know what Disney Channel looked like when it was at the height of its powers, Motocrossed will show you in spades, steamy lake scene and all. ⏤ Josh Conrad
Camp Rock
Every theater kid knows where they were when they first watched Camp Rock, and part of it boils down to having some of Disney’s best vocalists at the forefront. Demi Lovato, unlike many other Disney stars before her (save the Cheetah Girls), could really hit a note, and the Jonas Brothers were… well, the Jonas Brothers! While the plot was a bit wishy-washy at times, it’s hard to deny the soundtrack is packed with bops, and the Jo-Bros served to amp up the teen heat at the time!
From “This is Me,” which had us crooning as teenagers for a crush we’ve probably forgotten even exists, to “Hasta La Vista,” Camp Rock actually feels like much more effort was put into the music than the story, and I’m definitely not complaining. But what makes this movie a truly feel-good classic, is all the cringe-worthy scenes that have resurfaced in recent years, which makes it all the more fun to watch now that I’m an adult! ⏤ Demi Phillips