The Disney Channel has a vast array of movies that appeal to the teen audience. With the cable network’s programs designed to cater to diverse viewership including children and family, it has recently been successful in attracting the young adult group as well. The channel produces around five to seven movies on the average annually, most of these eventually released into DVDs shortly after.
Perhaps one key behind this achievement is the recurring theme which the young crowd easily relates to: having a goal and going after it despite seemingly insurmountable odds. This is exactly what the Cheetah Girls went through during their freshmen year as they fight their way to form an all-female group. In this 2003 movie, the characters are successful in eventually coming up with a band. Meanwhile in its next two sequels, namely Cheetah Girls 2 released in 2006 and Cheetah Girls 3 two years later, the girls progress to overcoming similar challenges while in Spain and India, respectively.
High School Musical has perhaps the most successful franchise from among the films of this genre. Featured as a Disney Original Movie in 2006, the story gives a modern twist to the Shakespeare’s classic Romeo and Juliet. Young love and making choices amidst peer pressure, the musical’s successful appeal to the teen crowd resulted to its TV sequel in 2007 and a movie spin off in 2008. The movies’ soundtracks were also well received.
Meanwhile Jump In currently holds the record as Disney’s highest viewed film, a title previously held by Cheetah Girls 2. Initially shown in 2007, the flick is about a teenager whose interest on boxing eventually shifts to Double Dutch. It is another story about taking a stand, sticking to values and never giving up.
With the snowy mountains of Vermont as its backdrop, Johnny Tsunami is another teen-oriented Disney movie released more than a decade ago. Nevertheless the values it promotes are as important and timeless as it teaches how to deal with rivalries as well as on the importance of family and of young love. This precursor to the 2007 Johnny Kapahala sequel inspires beating competition through non-violence.
Appealing to the young audience, these Disney Channel Original Movies reflect their stories, mirroring the same trials and difficulties that they face. They are the protagonists. Watching characters that they can relate to as they surmount these challenges is inspirational material. It conveys the message that they, the average teen, can also prevail over similar growing pains.