Disney Channel Original Movies with the most ridiculous plots

If you remember Hilary Duff from Disney’s Lizzie McGuire, you should certainly picture her playing Kelly Collins in the Disney Channel Original Cadet Kelly. Duff’s character was happy-go-lucky and carefree — the exact opposite of the other teenagers at the fictional George Washington Military School. 

Phineas and Ferb’s entire storyline is ridiculous — 104 days of summer vacation, and they find a new way to do or create something outrageous daily. Phineas and Ferb upped the ante during their film when they explored an alternate universe where their pet platypus, Perry, was a secret agent.  

Although we enjoyed seeing Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato star alongside each other in Disney’s Princess Protection Program, it felt like we’d repeatedly seen this movie before. A princess, witch, or someone far away in a magical kingdom must flee or save it. Cue Halloweentown and Twitches.    

We love Kirsten Storms and Raven-Symoné in the Zenon film franchise. However, trying to wrap our minds around the space-lingo and galactic space-orbiting station sends us into a spiral. Literally. 

It seems like Disney has a thing for turning people into underwater sea creatures, doesn't it? Of course, their film The Little Mermaid was iconic, but The Thirteenth Year was… kind of nothing. A mermaid gets caught with her newborn son by a fisherman in the ocean, and instead of swimming away, she swims toward him. She places her son on the back of the boat, hoping to distract him, only to be separated from him for the unforeseeable future. Eventually, the son turns into a fish on his 13th birthday, and he reunites with his mom, and, yeah, you can make out the rest. 

Cow Belles came along right when we thought we’d seen it all with the London Tipton-esque characters on Disney Channel. The film stars Aly and AJ — two spoiled sisters striving to save their father’s dying dairy business. 

Why couldn’t we keep Disney movie plots fun, enjoyable, and lighthearted? Like a high-school girl group dreaming of making it big. Or, perhaps, two teenagers falling in love after one random karaoke night? But nope. They develop another mean-girl character who lives inside this makeshift burn book — operated by the only element Disney believes they can produce well: magic. 

First, just look at the title. And second, producers should’ve cast someone other than Caroline Rhea, aka Hilda Spelman from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, as the lead.  

Even after a rewatch of this one, we’re still unsure why Disney thought fans needed to see an evil leprechaun trying to take over a typical family. 

A Disney Channel movie about two teenagers’ fiery feelings toward each other is nothing new. However, Pixel Perfect is about an envious hologram named Loretta Modern dealing with feelings of rage and jealousy over something that didn’t belong to her in the first place. Like most DCOMs, this flick ended with the antagonist being defeated in some very cheesy way.

Was Smart House ahead of its time, or just plain creepy? If you remember this one, you’ll recall Ben Cooper, the computer tech genius who wins a smart house after entering a contest with his family. But this wasn’t your typical Amazon Alexa. The computer system, PAT, took on a life of its own and inherited the traits of a controlling mother. 

Now You See It… is like most other films on this list. It just didn’t need to happen. It premiered in the early 2000s and was just another movie in the Disney lineup about magic. Except, there are no memorable characters, lines, or storylines. 

The first three Halloweentown movies are iconic. However, the fourth should've been axed once Kimberly J. Brown wasn't signed on to reprise her role as Marnie Pipers. Who wants to deal with a recast of such a legendary Disney character? 

The name of this next one already gives away the corniest part of this plot. Even Disney’s use of weapons in this one is embarrassing. Do we need to discuss the cheese-blasting guns and water-balloon launchers? 

Let’s be honest: the original Kim Possible is true art. It features Christy Carlson Romano and Raven-Symoné and is one of the best Disney Channel Original Series ever. But some things are better left alone (as this 2019 remake reminds us).