Disney is well known for their beloved animated movies, like Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story, and The Incredibles, but did you forget about the Disney Channel Original movies? These are TV movies that only aired on Disney Channel and were my favorites as a kid. Check out 24 of the best Disney Channel Original movies that will take you back to your childhood.

1. High School Musical (2006)

We’re all in this together! High School Musical is easily one of the most iconic Disney Channel Original movies ever made, maybe even one of the best Disney movies. It skyrocketed some of the most famous actors today, including Zac Efron, America’s Heartthrob. And let’s be honest, the music rocked.

2. Halloweentown (1998)

Halloweentown is one of my personal favorites, and I still watch it every spooky season. It has the perfect mix of magic, monsters, and mayhem, capturing the whimsical and peculiar spirit of Halloween. Also, who doesn’t love the charm and playfulness of Debbie Reynolds?

3. Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1999)

I completely forgot about this stellar movie until I was making this list. Zenon is a franchise with three movies, all of which follow Zenon, your typical teen from the future. The movies feature Raven Simone and have a fun futuristic vibe that was irresistible as a kid.

4. The Cheetah Girls (2003)

The Cheetah Girls is another classic with music that still bangs. There are a few movies, and they all follow four best friends who are in a music group together. My favorite one is when they go to Barcelona together and experience romance, heartbreak, and more as they grow together.

5. Smart House (1999)

I think Smart House is one of the more underrated Disney Channel Original movies. It’s about a family who move into a Smart House after the son wins the fully automated home in a competition. However, things go awry when the Smart House becomes a little too controlling. It’s like Ray Bradbury for kids!

6. Cadet Kelly (2002)

Cadet Kelly is one of the cutest Disney Channel Original movies, starring Disney Channel’s sweetheart, Hilary Duff. She’s a rambunctious and fashionable teen who gets sent to military school. While it’s tortuous at first, she eventually makes friends and appreciates everything the school teaches her.

7. Camp Rock (2008)

Camp Rock is a movie about a summer camp for musically gifted kids, so there is plenty of singing and dancing to enjoy. It stars Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas as two talented kids who fall in love. While all the Disney Channel Original movies are a little cheesy, this one is extra ooey-gooey but still fun.

8. Get a Clue (2002)

Get a Clue stars Lindsay Lohan as a rich kid who is obsessed with a gossip column she writes. However, things get serious when she takes an incriminating picture of a teacher. When a teacher goes missing, she and her friend device to investigate and go on a wild adventure.

9. Twitches (2005)

Another fabulously fun Halloween movie, Twitches, is about two twins who were separated at birth. They’re both witches, but they don’t realize it until their 16th birthday, which is the same day they finally meet each other. The movie is surprisingly emotional, and Tia and Tamara are always a delight.

10. The Thirteenth Year (1999)

The Thirteenth Year is about a teenager who turns into some sort of mermaid-like creature. He wakes up on his birthday and starts growing scales, fins, and gills, giving him the ability to talk to fish and breathe underwater. It’s kind of freaky but also funny and sweet.

11. The Even Stevens Movie (2003)

One of the most iconic Disney Channel Original movies is The Even Stevens Movie, which is, of course, about the Stevens family from the TV series The Even Stevens. It stars Shia Labeouf and follows the family as they go on a strange and somewhat dangerous vacation.

12. Cow Belles (2006)

Cow Belles stars sisters Aly and AJ Michalka, two of my favorite Disney Channel stars. They portray two spoiled rich girls who have no understanding of hard work or the value of a dollar until they have to go work at a dairy factory. They’re adorable in the film, and there are plenty of hilarious moments.

13. My Date with the President’s Daughter (1998)

As the name of this movie implies, it’s about a boy who goes on a date with the US president’s daughter. Willie Friedle is adorable in it, and it’s one of the sweetest Disney Channel Original movies. The movie mostly follows their one date night, which involves hiding from the Secret Service and other shenanigans.

14. Jump In! (2007)

As much as I enjoyed Jump In! as a kid, I always thought it was a really specific premise for a movie. It’s about a young kid who just wants to compete in jump rope competitions. Isn’t that what we all dream of? The leads are Corbin Bleu and Keke Palmer, and they’re fantastic to watch.

15. Lemonade Mouth (2011)

Lemonade Mouth did not get enough love when it came out. The songs in the film are way better than they should be for a Disney Channel Original movie. The movie follows a group of unlikely friends who come together to form a band that rocks the socks off the school.

16. The Kim Possible Movie: A Sitch in Time (2003)

The Kim Possible Movie isn’t as good as the show, in my opinion, but it was still super fun to watch as a kid. Of course, it stars Kim and Ron, but they add a third person to the Possible team, a new girl called Athena. This disrupts Ron and Kim’s relationship until Drakken and Shego try to destroy the world, and they have to snap into action.

17. Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire (2000)

Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire is another adorable Halloween movie that I try to watch every year. It stars Caroline Rhea as the mom, who is one of the aunts in the original Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Charles Shaughnessy from The Nanny. It’s fun and a little freaky as her kids try to save her from certain death.

18. Read It and Weep (2006)

This Disney Channel Original movie is about a girl who accidentally turns in her private journal for a homework assignment. The journal ends up becoming a best-selling novel, turning her world upside down as all her inner thoughts are revealed to her peers. Interestingly, it’s based on a true story!

19. The Luck of the Irish (2001)

I’m not sure why, but I was obsessed with this movie when I was a kid. The plot is pretty weird, as it’s about an Irish kid who has one of his lifelong good-luck charms stolen. When he loses his charm, he discovers he is part-leprechaun and has to fight for his charm to save his whole family from an evil leprechaun. It’s strange, to say the least.

20. 16 Wishes (2010)

This movie stars Debby Ryan as an idealistic teenager who has been saving up all her birthday wishes her whole life. When she finally makes all her wishes on her 16th birthday, she’s amazed that they come true. However, as the saying goes, be careful what you wish for.

21. Princess Protection Program (2009)

I’ll be honest; this flick was never my favorite. However, it was pretty popular compared to other Disney Channel Original movies. It’s about a young princess who is in danger and must be relocated to a rural town in Wisconsin. With the help of one of her new friends, she learns to become a normal teen. It stars the lovely Selena Gomes and Demi Lovato, two Disney queens.

22. Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie (2009)

Another Disney Channel Original movie starring Selena Gomez, Wizards of Waverly Place movie is surprisingly intense. The three Russo siblings have to battle one another to determine which one can keep their powers, and the ending is quite emotional as they make sacrifices for one another.

23. Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior (2006)

Brenda Song, another iconic Disney star, is Wendy Wu in this Disney Channel Original movie. Wendy has everything she wants in life: popularity, beauty, love, and money, but her world changes when she finds out she is the reincarnation of a Yin Warrior. The movie features many cool fight scenes and choreography that was mesmerizing as a kid.

24. The Proud Family Movie (2005)

This animated movie about the Proud family is quirky and fun. The family and Penny’s friends venture to a tropical island and find a mad scientist who has made clones of everyone. There are weird peanut people, traps, and wild adventures that take place on the island as the Proud family tries to foil the strange scientists.

Source: Reddit.