Kids from the late 90s and early 2000s were blessed with the golden age of Disney Channel Original Movies, which gave rise to the most iconic Disney Channel stars. Big names like Zac Efron, Hilary Duff, Selena Gomez, and more all starred in movies that highlighted the importance of embracing people from different ways of life and the talents they brought with them.
Fans got together on Ranker to put together a definitive list of the best DCOMs, with over 155 thousand votes cast. The original audiences of these movies are now young adults, and they are free to indulge in their childhood nostalgia through DCOM marathons on Disney+.
Camp Rock
Camp Rock follows Mitchie Torres as she attends an exclusive music camp. Despite having the talent to be there, she feels out of place around her rich peers, as she was only able to attend the camp due to her mom working there. Mitchie makes up a series of lies about herself and her family which propel her to popularity, but it involves betraying herself and those around her.
While plenty of DCOMs involved music, few addressed it as a possible career as Camp Rock did. By combining a down-to-Earth main character and the rising star Jonas Brothers, this movie made audiences feel like they too could have the opportunity to make it in the music industry.
The Cheetah Girls
The Cheetah Girls follows four teenagers as their girl group has the potential to make it big. Galleria chases fame at the expense of her friends, while Dorinda struggles to make ends meet, hiding her life in a crowded foster home from her friends. The four find themselves pulled apart by the possibility of fame before a crisis brings them back together again.
There has been a lot of debate over the years about whether The Cheetah Girls or High School Musical is the better series. The Cheetah Girls predates High School Musical by three years, and while it might not have had the same cultural influence, the popularity of its strong ensemble and catchy songs were critical to Disney Channel producing more original musicals moving forward.
Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie
The Wizards of Waverly Place movie is set in the middle of the series, following the Russo family as they vacation in the Caribbean. After Alex accidentally makes a wish that her parents had never met, the Russo children have to rush to undo the spell before they disappear altogether.
Wizards of Waverly Place was one of the most popular shows on Disney Channel, so it's no surprise that its movie was popular as well. Though the eventual Family Wizard contest was incredibly different from the competition Alex and Justin participated in during the movie, it was a hint at where the show was heading. To this day, it is still one of the best plots out there for the Russo family.
The Luck of the Irish
The Luck of the Irish follows Kyle Johnson as he tries to get a better understanding of his family's heritage. As it turns out, Kyle and his mom are leprechauns, and can only keep their human forms as long as the family protects Kyle's lucky coin. When Kyle's coin gets stolen, the family has to race against time to get it back before they lose all ability to pass as humans.
This movie perfectly blended Disney Channel's sports and supernatural genres, with a classic underdog narrative thrown in. While the movie didn't take off in its own time, it has gained a cult following due to its absurd plot and quintessential "Disney Channel"-ness. It didn't take itself too seriously, which makes it a lot of fun to watch, even years later.
High School Musical 2
High School Musical 2 follows the Wildcats on their summer vacation, where Sharpay's attempts to seduce Troy interfere with the group's summer plans. While Chad and Gabriella are trying to make this a summer they can all enjoy, Troy begins to break away from his friends. Everything comes to a head at the country club's talent show, where Troy's allegiances are tested.
Fans debate whether High School Musical or its sequel is better, and while the sequel's story is a bit convoluted, it does have most of the franchise's most memorable songs. Since it doesn't have to waste any time establishing characters and their relationships, it has the ability to really dive into how the group's dynamics work when they're put to the test.
Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century
Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century followed Zenon, a girl raised on a space station in 2049. She gets sent to Earth after getting into trouble but winds up finding out about a plot to crash the station. With the help of her new friends, she's able to come up with a plan to save the station, but only if she can manage to make her way back on board before everything falls apart.
Between its three installments, Zenon was a franchise that was surprisingly good at predicting the future, even if its futuristic fashion style is still pretty bizarre. Now that audiences are two decades closer to the time it's set in, they can laugh at the weirder details while being surprised by how many things this quirky comedy actually got right about the 21st century.
Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge
Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge picks up two years after the original film, with Marnie and her grandmother discovering a curse on Halloweentown that turns the citizens into colorless humans. As they try to save Halloweentown, the mortal realm comes under threat, prompting them to call in Marnie's younger siblings to try to save the day before the Halloween portal closes, trapping them all in different realms.
While the sequel was not quite as successful as its predecessor, it contained the same Halloween-themed wonder and world-threatening stakes which fans loved so much in the first one. One other fun fact about this fan-favorite movie: it introduced star Kimberly J. Brown to her current real-life partner Daniel Kountz.
Cadet Kelly
Cadet Kelly may be Hilary Duff's most beloved teen movie, following free-spirited Kelly Collins as she tries to adjust to life at military school. After earning a punishment for pulling off several pranks, Kelly becomes part of the school's drill team. When a crisis pulls her away from the team's competition, Kelly has to put what she's learned at school into action to save her father.
Cadet Kelly came out one year into Duff's series Lizzie McGuire, and between the two, she became one of the queens of Disney Channel. The film played with Disney's standard pattern of contradictory lifestyles and wound up being one of the most beloved DCOM films ever aired.
High School Musical
High School Musical follows Troy Bolton as he is torn between his desire to sing with his crush Gabriella Montez and his designated spot in the East High School social standings as the captain of the basketball team. After he and Gabriella earn callbacks for the school musical, their respective cliques try to pull the two apart to keep them focused on their upcoming competitions.
The movie made major waves, prompting two direct sequels, a spinoff, a television show, and multiple stage productions. This launched the careers of lead actors Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens and defined a generation of Disney Channel viewers. No matter what school you went to, the question "What team?" absolutely demands the response "Wildcats!" Get your heads in the game.
Halloweentown
Halloweentown follows Marnie Piper as her desire to celebrate Halloween reveals the secret that she and her family are witches. Marnie discovers that she needs to begin training in magic soon or risk losing her powers, which leads her and her siblings to sneak onto the bus to Halloweentown, where they get tangled up in a threat against the town.
The film is incredibly cheesy but in the best possible way, playing up the family drama with over-the-top monsters and ghouls thrown in. Even 24 years later, it's the perfect movie to watch with friends on Halloween.