Disney Channel Movie Flashback: Twitches, Life Sized, Color of Friendship, Up, Up and Away

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WHILE THE REPRESENTATION IS OFT DUBIOUS and their thematics questionable (cliche), looking back, particularly in the year 2000, the Disney Channel certainly wasn't shy about using POC actors in roles beyond the "supportive best friend" type before they became threadier and threadier. The following below are just a few "Disney Channel Original Movies" that were quite popular and reran frequently when the channel focused on a demographic beyond the music camp.

Twitches (2005)
In the magic realm of Coventry, the twin sisters Artemis and Apolla are saved by their protectors Illeana and Karsh from the Darkness and brought to another dimension. They are adopted by different families but in their twenty-first birthday, their protectors force them to meet each other. Alex Fielding lost her mother three months ago and is alone seeking a job while Camryn Barnes lives with her beloved wealthy parents. Once together they find that they have magic powers and they should return to Coventry to save their biological mother and their kingdom from the Darkness [SOURCE].

The Color of Friendship (2000)
Mahree Bok lives on a farm in South Africa. Her father is a policeman who cannot hide his joy when activist Steve Biko is caught by the South African authorities. Piper Dellums is the daughter of a US congressman from California and who lives in a nice home in Washington DC. When Mahree is chosen to spend a semester at the Dellums’ house, she doesn’t expect that her host family would be black. Nor do her hosts suspect that she is not a black South African. [SOURCE]

The Real Piper Dellums

This article talks about the speculation behind the Dellums family and their relationship with Mahree. According to this article, the girl’s real name was Carrie. After moving back to Dundee, South Africa, the Dellums family lost touch with Carrie but believed she may have been killed for being an activist. Though Carrie is real, “Mahree” is partially fictional and many of the occurrence that happened in the movie probably didn't happen in real life. Leave it to Disney to protect sensitive child ears from this interesting back story. [SOURCE]

Life-Size (2000)
Life-Size is a 2000 made-for-TV film directed by Mark Rosman and originally premiered on ABC. It was released to DVD and VHS in the same year. The film is a family comic fantasy starring Lindsay Lohan and Tyra Banks in a tale of a young girl's Eve Doll (somewhat like Barbie) that is transformed into a living Perfect Woman. The tagline for the film was "She was a perfect doll. Now she's the real thing." It premiered as part of The Wonderful World of Disney on ABC and made its debut on Disney Channel in 2001. [SOURCE]

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Up, Up and Away (2000)
The movie tells the story of Scott Marshall (Michael J. Pagan), the son of two great superheroes, Bronze Eagle and Warrior Woman. All of his family members are gifted with superpowers. His father, Bronze Eagle (Robert Townsend), has the gift of flight. His mother, Warrior Woman (Alex Datcher), has the power of superhuman strength and superior hand-to-hand combat skills. His brother, Silver Charge, is gifted with superhuman speed, electrical and magnetism manipulation. His little sister, Molly (Arreale Davis), who constantly shows off her powers, much to her family's annoyance, has x-ray vision, as well a heat vision. His grandfather, Edward (Sherman Hemsley), is known as the "Steel Condor", and has the ability of superhuman strength, invulnerability and flight (though at his old age, he flies slower than cars), and has an ongoing feud with Superman.

It is said that his grandmother, Doris (Joan Pringle), has the ability to shapeshift. Scott desperately wants powers of his own. To his surprise, however, he doesn't develop any by his 14th birthday - the latest age at which this is possible. [SOURCE]

Johnny Tsunami (1999)
A Hawaiian teenage surfer shows off his skills when he takes to the snow slopes in Vermont. The movie starts out when Johnny Kapahala (Brandon Baker) is living in Hawaii. Johnny has good friends, a great family, and a grandpa who is a surf legend. But then, his dad gets a job transfer and makes his wife and Johnny move to Vermont.

In Johnny's new town, there are two schools: one is a private school where the students are all skiers, and the other is the public school where all the students are snowboarders. Although Johnny goes to the skiers' school, he would prefer to snowboard because he thinks it is more like surfing. [SOURCE]

Buffalo Dreams (2005)
Set against the backdrop of New Mexico, the film follows a boy who moves because of his father’s job and becomes involved with a group of teens attempting to preserve the buffalo and Navajo traditions. Along the way he makes friends and learns important lessons about life. The show teaches about a few Navajo traditions.

Seventeen Again (2000)
Cat and Gene have been divorced for several years. They are both visiting their son and their grandchildren, Sydney and Willie. Willie’s a genius who develops a formula that makes who uses it young again, it inadvertently spills into some soap that Willie places in his grandparents room. When each of them uses it they finds themselves 17 again. Willie had to find a way to reverse the process but will his grandparents want to be old again?

Alley Cats Strike (2000)
A group of hip retro teenage outsiders become involved in an inter-school bowling rivalry.

Stuck in the Suburbs (2004)
Teenager Brittany is bored with her quiet suburban life. She finds excitement when her phone is switched with the phone of Jordan Cahill. Jordan, only the top teen pop singer, has come to her town to make a music video.

Don’t Look Under The Bed (1999)
A girl calls on her brother’s imaginary friend to banish a mischievous boogeyman who has framed her for his pranks.

Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior (2006)
It is the story of an average, popular American teenager named Wendy Wu who discovers that in order to win the coveted crown she must first learn the way of the warrior. Wendy Wu has a one track mind, and that track leads directly to the title of homecoming queen — no unscheduled stops, and no unnecessary detours. When a mysterious Chinese monk named Shen arrives to mold Wendy into a fearless kung fu warrior, however, her royal aspirations suddenly jump the track as she desperately attempts to juggle her boyfriend, her homework, and of course, the fierce competition to become homecoming queen. Now, as Wendy begins to train her mind, body, and spirit in the ancient tradition of the martial arts and her inner warrior gradually begins to emerge, the girl who once obsessed over popularity finally begins to put that popularity into perspective as she gradually realizes what truly matters in life.

Zenon: Girl of 21st Century (1999)
Zenon Car is a trouble-prone 13-year-old girl who, in the year 2049 AD, lives on a space station with the rest of her family. When she runs afoul of Parker Windom, the owner of the station, Zenon is determined to be “incorrigible”, and as punishment is exiled to the worst place imaginable: The planet earth. After several painful weeks of adjustment to her new surroundings, Zenon enlists the aid of her earthbound pals to return to her “real” home with evidence that the “respectable” Mr. Windom is up to no good.

Jump In! (2007)
Story revolves around a young boxer, Izzy Daniels, who trains to follow in his father’s footsteps by winning the Golden Glove. When his friend, Mary, however, asks him to substitute for a team member in a Double Dutch tournament, the young man discovers a hidden passion for rope jumping.

Gotta Kick It Up (2002)
This was going to be the first year that Marshal Middle School was not going to have a dance team. All that changes when the new Biology teacher, Ms. Bartlett, agrees to be the coach. Now the girls need to prove that they are ready to compete and are able to win; not only to themselves, but to their parents and coach. Using the chant “si, se puede” or “yes, I can” the Dance team builds their confidence to perform.

Let it Shine (2012)
The story unfolds in Atlanta, Georgia, as Cyrus DeBarge, who is a pastor’s son, and his best friend Kris McDuffy reunite with their childhood friend, teenage singing sensation Roxanne “Roxie” Andrews, whose music label is sponsoring a songwriting contest at a teen club. Cyrus, a shy busboy and Youth Choir director who writes rap music under the name “Truth,” crafts a heartfelt and contest-winning rhyme song called “Don’t Run Away” about Roxie but to his dismay, his work is mistakenly attributed to Kris. Lacking the confidence to step forward, Cyrus stands by while Kris not only takes credit for the lyrics but ultimately begins to win Roxanne’s heart too. Now, it’s up to the true poet to overcome self-doubt, seize the opportunity to reveal his authentic self and pursue his dreams. All the while, Cyrus must convince his preacher father that hip-hop music can have a positive message.

The Cheetah Girls (2003)
A four-member teen girl group named the Cheetah Girls, (Raven-Symoné, Adrienne Bailon, Sabrina Bryan and Kiely Williams) go to a Manhattan High School for the Performing Arts and try to become the first freshmen to win the talent show in the school’s history. During the talent show auditions, they meet a big-time producer named Jackal Johnson (Vince Corazza), who tries to make the group into superstars, but the girls run into many problems. Galleria becomes a full-time snob and forgets her friends, Dorinda has to choose between her friends or the dance club and other things that could break the Cheetah Girls apart permanently. The group faces many tough decisions, but they all know the right way to go in the end.

Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie (2009)
Powerful magic cast by Alex spells trouble for the Russo’s. The kids must go on an adventure to save their family and their existence.

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Jet Jackson: The Movie (2001)
Sixteen year-old Jett Jackson’s role as the action hero “Silverstone” in his hit TV series has catapulted him to mega-stardom. But Jett’s finding it increasingly difficult to juggle the demands of show biz with school, family and friends. Then, a freak accident on the set causes Jett and his on-screen character Silverstone to trade places. Now, Jett must save the world from the clutches of the evil Dr. Kragg, while Silverstone faces his own challenge in Jett’s world: teenage life! With no script to follow, can Jett and Silverstone safely find their way back to the realities they knew?