Entertainment
All Your Favorite DCOMs Are Leaving Netflix Next Month, So You Should Plan A Marathon ASAP
When you consider the hallmarks of a quintessentially '90s childhood, a collage of first-generation Gameboys, Lunchables, and of course, classic pre-teen films probably comes immediately to mind (bedazzled scrunchies included, obviously). But with the long list of Disney Channel original movies leaving Netflix in May, it's time to get ready to kick your millennial nostalgia for everything fromThe Cheetah Girls to Wizards of Waverly Place into unapologetic hyperdrive.
After all, these are the iconic stories that first introduced us to some of pop culture's most irresistible teen talents like Selena Gomez, Hilary Duff, Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, and Demi Lovato, among many others. So while it's absolutely time to grab a (spiked?) Hi-C, call your crew, and add every single one of these movies to your watch list as soon as possible, there's no doubt these unforgettable hits will live eternally in the beating heart of the DCOM generation.
Ahead, find every Disney Channel original movie leaving Netflix on May 2. And if this feels like losing a little, sentimental sliver of your youth, don't worry. As the universe's favorite love-crossed High School Musical crooners would sing, here's hoping that even the saddest partings are always just the "start of something new."
1'Cow Belles'
Super-spoiled Taylor and Courtney Callum grew up getting everything they wanted from their widowed father. But when the family business is imperiled, it's the girls' mission to save family fortune — and to learn a classic Disney lesson about hard work along the way.
2'Camp Rock'
Demi Lovato joins the Jonas Brothers at Disney's unforgettable Camp Rock — a summer refuge for musically-talented teens to battle it out on stage. Just watch out for those Connect 3 boys.
3'Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam'
Join Lovato and the JoBros for another summer at Camp Rock. When their retreat is threatened by flashy Camp Star, Camp Rock's musical teens will have to save the place they love through a televised talent competition.
4'The Cheetah Girls'
Relive every childhood girl band fantasy with all three Cheetah Girls movies, which follow high-schoolers Galleria, Chanel, Dorinda, and Aqua as their group navigates sudden fame and its many rhinestone-studded pitfalls.
5'Geek Charming'
Starring Sarah Hyland, Geek Charming captures what happens when Josh Rosen (Matt Prokop) starts filming a documentary about his school's most untouchable Queen Bee — just as her world comes crashing apart.
6'High School Musical'
East High School's Troy and Gabriella seem like perfect opposites. Troy, played by Zac Efron, is a popular basketball all-star, while Vanessa Hudgens' Gabriella is a quiet, nerdy outsider. But when the two meet at a New Year's Eve karaoke party, cliques will collide — especially when the two find themselves cast together in the drama club's big musical.
7'High School Musical 2'
And once you've finished the original, make a double-feature with High School Musical 2. When Troy takes a summer job at Sharpay's parent's ritzy country club, he'll have to weigh a tempting basketball scholarship against his love for his friends and his relationship with Gabriella. Playing alongside Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale, Efron never made the trials of young love look more heartbreaking.
8'Jump In!'
Starring High School Musical alum Corbin Bleu, Jump In! tells the story of Izzy — a double-dutch prodigy whose father dreams of his son carrying on the family's champion boxing legacy. Though Izzy's parents discover his secret love for jumping rope, he'll have to learn to balance passion and talent against the burden of generational expectations.
9'Princess Protection Program'
Gomez and Lovato star opposite one another in this classic Disney tale of rivals-turned-besties. After Princess Rosalinda María Montoya Fiore, played by Lovato, is whisked away from the turmoil of her own nation, she must hide out on a bait farm in Louisiana — the home of low-key high-schooler Carter Mason, who dreams of going to the homecoming dance with her crush. Buckle up for swapped identities, extravagant prom dresses, and an attempted political coupe or two.
10'Read It & Weep'
Based on Julia DeVillers' novel How My Private, Personal Journal Became A Bestseller, 2006's Read It & Weep tells the story of the accidental publication of Jamie Bartlett's salacious high school diary. When fame and fortune cause her life to fall apart, Jamie must put it all right again, starting, of course, at the big school dance.
11'Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior'
Wendy Wu is her high school's favorite popular girl. But when a mysterious Chinese monk arrives to train Wu as an unbeatable kung fu warrior, she'll have to learn to save the world from evil and win that homecoming queen crown.
12'Cadet Kelly'
In 2002's Cadet Kelly, a fresh-faced Hilary Duff plays a city-dwelling fashion queen devastatingly sent off to military school in the country after her mom re-marries. A perfect re-watch for anyone who can remember feeling a little (or a lot) out of place during your teen years.
13'Wizards Of Waverly Place: The Movie'
While on vacation in the Caribbean with her family, Alex Russo (played by Gomez) accidentally casts a spell forcing her parents to forget they've ever met. Faced with the crisis of undoing her reckless magic, Alex relies on a little help from her siblings, Justin and Max, to ensure her family can go home from their unexpectedly stressful trip in one piece.
As sad as it is to see these movies go, at least you can relive your childhood and get one more marathon in.
