Call Ed: Disney Channel Movies

Mia Intagliata, opinions editor

March 14, 2024

Zoey from “Zapped” (right) and Sharpay from “High School Musical” (left).

Disney Channel Originals: the most iconic movies of our childhood, filled with a quirky protagonist, sassy mean girl, Justin Bieber inspired love interest and a random kid wearing a fedora. Despite our obvious obsession with these cheesy movies, it has come to TKC’s attention that quite a few of these films are falsely interpreted. From brainwashing to rowdy school-wide protests, here are just a few examples of Disney Channel Original Movies that have been wrongly viewed.

High School Musical

“High School Musical,” arguably the best Disney Channel original franchise, follows the fierce competition between a musical crazed “drama queen” and a “freaky science nerd.” Watching this movie growing up, we were told that Gabriella, our so-called hero, was nothing more than the innocent new girl. However, after discussing this (very passionately), 76% (35/46) of TKC staff came to the conclusion that Sharpay Evans is not the true villain of the franchise. Yes, we acknowledge that Sharpay did do some arguably corrupt things; however, we believe she should not be considered the villain. If anything, it makes her relatable. Don’t try to lie and act like you wouldn’t call dibs on the Troy Bolton if you could. Plus, if you had the talent it took to hold the lead role of your high school’s theater program for three years in a row, you’d be just as upset if some new girl waltzed in and took your spot. And someone has to say it, Gabriella wasn’t half as talented as Sharpay. With “Bop to the Top,” “I want it all,” and “Fabulous,” our girl was spitting bars. Not to mention, Sharpay did more for Troy in a summer than Gabriella ever did during their relationship, when in “High School Musical 2,” Sharpay provides Troy with the connections to his dream college! Meanwhile, all Gabriella continues to do is wail on about how sad she is that Troy is finally accomplishing his dreams. It’s clear now why Gabriella has won Girlfriend of the Year 0 years in a row, right? It’s obvious that with her determination and glittery personality, Sharpay Evans was never the villain.

Zapped

TKC is done with the movie “Zapped,” which might just be Disney’s most controversial movie. TKC staff decided with a close vote of 52% (24/46) that the protagonist Zoey, played by Zendaya (our opinion on this movie has no relation to this icon), is the true villain of the movie. If you disagree, for the love of disney, please rewatch the movie. The entire plotline of “Zapped” is a high school girl controlling boys using a sketchy dog whistle app. That ain’t just a red flag, it’s sirens and tornado warnings. And on top of that, Zoey doesn’t just discipline the boys around her. She full-on brainwashes them. Before her, these guys were just living their lives. Sure they may have had gross tendencies but what did they ever do? From forcing a guy to pee on himself in front of their school and even making her love interest kiss her, Zoey goes absolutely off the rails using this app. And to make matters worse, when Zoey is caught using this mind control app all she has to do is bark, roll over, shake her butt and boom, she’s forgiven like it’s nothing. They might have forgotten her actions, but we never will. Zoey will forever be the true villain.

Camp Rock

If you grew up watching Disney Channel Original Movies, “Camp Rock” was the obvious summer staple. Come on, a movie with summer love, music and all three Jonas brothers? Sign us up. And to complete it all, a camp versus camp competition? That’s right, in “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam,” our favorite camp battles their rival Camp Star in a singing competition. And just in case you thought this wasn’t serious enough, they take up the stakes with the rule that whoever loses has to close their camp forever. That’s a lot of pressure for a bunch of high schoolers. Both camps come up with individual routines, Camp Rock’s being acoustic and heartfelt. You know, the type of song that just makes you want to kick your feet and giggle. Camp Star on the other hand choreographed a hip-hop performance that looked like it belonged on Kidz Bop’s next album. Sure, it was entertaining, but fire effects and silly dance moves can really only get you so far. So despite their performance being obviously more heartfelt, Camp Rock loses. You could blame it on their lack of resources and leather-clad backup dancers, but we blame it on the cheating camp owner. You heard us right, as it turns out the owner of Camp Star rigs the whole competition. This is why 56% (26/46) TKC staff voted that Camp Rock should have been the true winners of this competition, making Camp Star the obvious villain.

Radio Rebel

We’re sure you’re all too familiar with this TikTok viral movie, “Radio Rebel.” Ever since the world rediscovered Debby Ryan’s awkward smirking habits and the poor writ

ing within, “Radio Rebel” has been scrutinized all over the internet. But in TKC’s opinion, this movie has been belittled for all the wrong reasons. Sure, Debby Ryan’s quirky character and her broody love interest are fun to tease, but what about the fact that there was a dictator-like principal stealing the student’s personal property? Yep, you heard us right. In “Radio Rebel,” the true villain wasn’t the expected mean girl, but the power-obsessed principal. This is the conclusion TKC staff came to with an extremely close vote of 54% (25/46). While some people may think it isn’t entirely wrong for the principal to confiscate distracting items from the classroom, may we remind you that it’s literally just music. So what if students are jamming out in the hallways? And to make matters worse, this principal refuses to return student’s own personal property to them. Headphones, iPods, phones – all these are being taken from students all because the principal watched “Footloose” a few times too many. Next time you watch this movie you’ll probably agree, this principal is definitely the villain.

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About the Contributor

Mia Intagliata, editor-in-chief

Pronouns: She/Her Hobbies: Reading, writing, cooking, woodworking, music and traveling Favorite song: Courtesy Of The Red, White and Blue by Toby Keith Favorite Quote: "I'm just a big hairy American winning machine." - Ricky Bobby