Disney Channel original movies (DCOM) hold a place in the hearts of everyone. Many grew up watching them as children, and many others remember being parents, watching them with their kids. Despite the fact that these movies aired on TV, some became more famous than even films with a wide, theatrical release.
While some are epic hits, others are just simply absurd. But when we were younger watching these movies, it never occurred to us how completely nuts some of these plots truly are. So, sit back, grab your remote, and try to do your best mouse ears like in the commercials, and enjoy the 10 most absurd Disney Channel original movies.
Phantom of the Megaplex (2000)
In this wholesome family film, a manager at a local movie theater decides to destroy his own cinema, and even tie up two kids and their older brother, all because his boss doesn’t give him enough recognition. Yep. In the film, strange things happen during the movies showing at the megaplex.
At the end of the film, we learn the phantom is none other than the theater’s general manager, Sean MacGibbon. And this entire ordeal is all because the owner of the megaplex never gets Sean’s name right. But don’t worry, Sean MacGibbon sees justice. The theater owner tells him he will “never work in any movie theater in this state ever again.” Total bummer…
High School Musical 2 (2007)
While the original High School Musical was weird enough, High School Musical 2 totally runs right off the rails. In the movie, Troy, Gabriella, Chad, and Taylor all manage to get summer jobs at the country club owned by their archnemeses Sharpay and Ryan. The melodrama here is already too much.
But the icing on the cake comes from Zac Efron’s truly horrific musical number on the golf course. It’s definitely a sight to behold!
Cadet Kelly (2002)
Cadet Kelly is easily one of the best DCOMs ever and was a launching point for Hilary Duff to have non-Lizzie McGuire roles. Having said that, let’s all acknowledge the truth here. That movie was absurd as all hell.
Kelly (Duff) is a high schooler in New York City who attends an art school. One day she comes home to find her out divorced mother is now marrying a retired military general. Even better, he just got a job running a military academy in the middle of nowhere in Upstate New York. So, Kelly is forced to move upstate, and go from an art school to a military school where she’s locked inside the school grounds and forced to live in the military dormitories, all while her mom gets to quit her job and become a housewife living off of her new General husband. Wow.
Tru Confessions (2002)
Trigger warning; this movie could be seen as highly offensive. In an extremely strange turn of events, Shia LeBeouf found himself playing Eddie, a teenager with severe autism. The movie, which surely was made with good intentions, is based on the book of the same name. But in a modern world, the entire film has aged poorly. Another part of the movie that hasn’t fared well with time is the plotline itself. In the film, Tru (Eddie’s twin sister) decides to make a documentary about her disabled brother to win a contest.
After the movie premiered on TV back in 2002, it was only replayed a few times and then disappeared forever until it was brought back on Disney+.
Girl Vs. Monster (2012)
In the movie, Olivia Holt plays the daughter of monster hunters, so naturally, monsters are out to get her. Her parents try to keep her safe by locking her inside the house all Halloween night without any explanation whatsoever. They even set a security alarm to make sure she can’t leave. If that isn’t absurd enough, the real problem is that her parents keep all the captured monsters in the basement.
A teenager locked in a house on Halloween… monsters trapped in the basement of the same house… Surely nothing could possibly go wrong.
The Luck of the Irish (2001)
In yet another movie that hasn’t aged well, The Luck of the Irish sees high school basketball player Kyle questioning his ethnicity. Everyone has a heritage, hey says… except him. When he asks his parents, they simply tell him, “We’re American Kyle, that’s all the heritage we need.”
To make matters worse, Kyle soon learns he’s part-leprechaun and even starts turning into a leprechaun. Also, his mom and grandpa are leprechauns, and there’s an evil leprechaun who wants to steal Kyle’s gold coin. Definitely absurd.
Smart House (1999)
Another film starring Ryan Merriman, Smart House is a true classic. It’s one of the movies that has gone down in the memory of every 90’s kid and can easily be considered one of Katey Sagal’s finest roles.
However, the movie is also about a 1950’s-housewife-robot-thing who fights with another woman over a man. But even more cringe-worthy than the potentially sexist plotline is the teeth-grinding dance scene. Laugh, then be embarrassed that at one age, this was considered “cool.”
The Color of Friendship (2000)
This movie centers around Piper, the daughter of a well-educated, affluent congressman in Washington DC in 1977. Piper wants to host an exchange student from South Africa. She even asks her Nigerian friend to tell her about South Africa, and he tells her about the apartheid and the problems between the cultures there. Despite having a well-educated father and a friend who literally just told her that South Africa is controlled by white people, Piper is shocked to find out her South African exchange student is white.
To make matters worse, the movie emphasizes race relations through hypothetical flashbacks in a way that is undoubtedly jarring.
Return to Halloweentown (2006)
Remember that amazing DCOM Halloweentown? Well, now imagine the fourth installment of that movie, and it being completely void of almost the entire original cast. Not so magical anymore.
But it seems where there’s money, a sequel will follow. One of the biggest issues with this movie is Marnie. In the film, she’s apparently only 18, even though the original came out in 1998. Which makes you ask the question, how old was Marnie supposed to be in the original? Plot continuity is just one of the issues in this seemingly unnecessary sequel.
The Scream Team (2002)
Another DCOM that drifted into oblivion after its initial premiere, The Scream Team was one of Disney’s coveted October releases. The cast was amazing, including Kathy Najimy, Eric Idle, Kat Dennings, and Tommy Davidson.
Despite the great cast and a rather entertaining film as a whole, the plot is totally strange. Long story short, an evil ghost harnesses souls to gain more power. This possibly introduces questions about the afterlife on the audience’s part. Luckily, three spirits who call themselves the Soul Patrol are around to help. Yet, why is the movie called The Scream Team?
