In 2003, Disney released The Lizzie McGuire Movie since the channel wasn't continuing the original series. In the movie, Lizzie and Gordo graduate from middle school and jet off to Rome for a summer trip with their classmates. While in Rome, Lizzie meets an Italian superstar who gives her a makeover to portray his Italian bandmate, Isabella Parigi.
The issues with living a double life caught up to Lizzie and she found herself between a rock and a hard place. With the movie being on Disney+, Disney fans are rewatching the series and noticing unrealistic moments that don't always make sense compared to their original viewing in 2003.
One Supervisor For All Those Kids Would Never Work
When Lizzie got to the airport to leave for Rome, she had a hard time leaving her parents behind. Although she was only going to be gone for two weeks, she was going to miss the family. The moment between Lizzie and her parents was another example of what made Lizzie McGuire one of Disney's more relatable shows.
Before Lizzie's parents leave, viewers are introduced to Ms. Ungermeyer. Ms. Ungermeyer was going to be Lizzie and Gordo's new principal in high school and was now their chaperone in Rome. The unrealistic part is having one chaperone for 10+ students in a foreign country. A trip like this would need at least three adults in charge.
Leaving Lizzie Alone All Day Without Checking On Her Seemed Wreckless
To get out of the class trip Ms. Ungermeyer had planned, Lizzie faked being sick. While she and Matt both pretended to be sick in former episodes of Lizzie McGuire, Lizzie pulled all the stops for this performance.
Ms. Ungermeyer left Lizzie alone day after day in the hotel and didn't check on her until she got back for the night. It's moments like this that Ms. Ungermeyer should have had others helping her. If Lizzie really was sick and took a turn for the worse, she had no one to help her for hours in a foreign country.
Lizzie Literally Signed Her Real Name On A Fan's Arm (And They Didn't Think Twice About It)
After a day of Paolo training Lizzie to look and act more like Isabella for their big performance, Lizzie felt more confident.
As a hoard of fans crowded Lizzie, she autographed a man's arm. But instead of signing "Isabella," Lizzie wrote "Lizzie" in big black letters. Even after writing the wrong name, the fan didn't think twice about it. Lizzie crossed it out and rewrote Isabella's name, but it was a dead giveaway that something was off. Signing the wrong name wasn't the worst thing Lizzie ever did, but it was unrealistic that no one was fazed by it.
Did Lizzie Never Hear About Stranger Danger?
Lizzie and her friends were great role models for young audiences for how they handled life's problems. However, there's one deep issue that Lizzie failed to realize in The Lizzie McGuire Movie: trusting a complete stranger.
While Paolo was attractive and kind, he was a stranger promising her a lavish lifestyle after knowing her for mere hours. Lizzie shouldn't have trusted a stranger enough to get on his moped, but if she followed those realistic gut instincts, there would be no movie.
The Entire Premise Behind Singing Live At An Awards Show
Lizzie is one of Lizzie McGuire's more likable characters. She's authentic, raw, and relatable for viewers. However, the entire premise of Lizzie pretending to be an Italian superstar was unrealistic.
It's one thing for the two to cause a stir by jetting around the city, but it's completely another for Lizzie to perform as Isabella. Between sound checks, the red carpet, and pre-performance interviews, there would have been someone who realized that they weren't the same person.
There's No Way Isabella Wouldn't Have Known About Lizzie's Catfishing.
Lizzie was hesitant to pose as Isabella because she figured Isabella would eventually find out. Due to Paolo and Isabella's star power, they were on the cover of most Italian tabloids. Lizzie asked Paolo what Isabella was going to do when she saw pictures of the two of them singing at an award show that she wasn't at, and Paolo laughed off Lizzie's fear.
He said that Isabella would never know because she was on an island somewhere. However, a star like Isabella has a team of people working for her who were bound to hear the news, knowing well enough that Isabella was not on good terms with Paolo. It's unrealistic that he thought a star like her would never know about this performance.
Lizzie Wouldn't Have Had To Give A Commencement Speech 20 Minutes Before Graduating
Lizzie has had her fair share of heartbreaks in Lizzie McGuire but her heartbreak at graduation was different than a love interest. In this scene, her heart broke the second she embarrassed herself.
Twenty minutes before the graduation was supposed to start, Lizzie was told her classmate wasn't able to make it and that she was next in line. Lizzie had no choice in the matter and had to wing a very important speech in front of her entire school and their parents. This moment was unrealistic because a teacher would never force a student to give an important speech without time to prepare. Lizzie stumbled over her words and had nothing inspiring to say. Things only got worse when she tripped on stage...
Her Graduation Fall Wouldn't Have Been National News
Before Lizzie made her commencement speech, Kate made fun of her for being an "outfit repeater" and wearing the same dress she wore to a spring dance. To her credit, Lizzie's outfit was still trendy and covered by her graduation robe.
Kate's words did not help Lizzie's nerves before making her speech. She was so nervous on stage that she walked off to grab some water, tripped, and took down the stage's curtain. Lizzie's fall was noteworthy enough to make it on CNN and Good Morning America, which was a little far-fetched. These days, a middle-schooler tripping at graduation wouldn't be national news. It might go viral on social media, but not a news channel.
Would A Principal Really Treat A New Student This Way?
Gordo was excited to meet Ms. Ungermeyer because he wanted to make a good impression. As the principal of their high school, Gordo figured spending two weeks in Rome with her, learning about the Roman Empire and cultural differences would be enough to put him on her good list. However, the opposite happened.
Ms. Ungermeyer found it suspicious that Gordo was such a good student and excited to learn. She called him a "brownnoser" and kept her eye on him, thinking he was a bad kid. While Ms. Ungermeyer's personality added to the movie's comedy, it was unrealistic for a principal to belittle and embarrass a student for simply being excited.
There's No Way Lizzie's Parents Would Have Dropped Everything To Fly To Rome
Before Disney+ canceled the Lizzie McGuire reboot, it was said that Lizzie's entire family — Sam, Jo, and Matt — were all coming back. In the 2003 movie, Lizzie was close to her parents but experienced her first taste of independence in Rome.
Matt found out about Lizzie impersonating Isabella and figured the only way to get to Rome was to tell his parents that he missed his sister. After hearing how much Matt missed Lizzie, Jo and Sam bought them all tickets to fly to Rome to be with her. This was entirely unrealistic because Lizzie was only gone for two weeks. The spur-of-the-moment trip would have cost the McGuires a fortune.