The Disney Channel is approaching a huge milestone. It's one hundredth Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM for short), Adventures in Babysitting, will premiere on June 24th, inspiring a lot of nostalgic viewings of DCOMs from the past twenty years. Disney Channel Original Movies come in many different shapes and sizes: there are comedies, dramas, mysteries, fantasies, cases of mistaken identities and so much more. Some are heartbreakingly real, others are a bit more far-fetched. DCOMs have tackled aliens, holidays come to life, and more than a few ghosts — needless to say, there have been a fair amount of strange things broadcast on the Disney Channel. Here are the 13 weirdest Disney Channel Original Movies of all time, from Stepsister from Planet Weird, to Girl vs. Monster.
Weird is a relative term when talking about DCOMs. After all, there's only so many weird magic tricks that are kid-appropriate. These weird DCOMs are all just plain strange, whether it be due to odd plots that make no sense, or absurd characters. And, just remember, being weird isn't necessarily bad, so don't be surprised if you see a DCOM classic on the list of weirdest Disney Channel Original Movies of all time.
1. Stepsister From Planet Weird
Stepsister From Planet Weird is by far one of the strangest Disney Channel Original Movies of all time. One of the main characters is an alien teenager who used to be a bubble. If that's not weird, I don't know what is.
2. The Luck of the Irish
The Luck of the Irish is about a teenage boy who turns into a leprechaun. I know it's supposed to be all fun and games, but this movie is terrifyingly weird.
3. The Ultimate Christmas Present
The Ultimate Christmas Present, about two girls who steal Santa's snow machine and set off a giant storm in California, was a classic Disney Christmas movie. But, the weirdness of the snow machine and having Santa as a somewhat menacing character (he is desperate to recover his snow machine after all) have pretty much guaranteed that this DCOM stay in Disney history.
4. Under Wraps
Any movie that involves a friendly, neighborhood mummy should immediately raise a red flag for weirdness.
5. Ready to Run
Read to Run is about a girl who can talk to horses, or, well, one horse. When she decides she wants to be a jockey, she learns that she can talk to her horse and discovers that the horse is afraid of the starting gates. The only thing that makes him feel better is music. (Bonus weirdness, the movie co-stars Jason Dohring, aka Logan from Veronica Mars.)
6. Get a Clue
OK, Get A Clue, the Disney movie about a girl who writes in a school gossip columnisn't the weirdest Disney Channel Original Movie, it's certainly far from normal. There's something strange about watching Lindsay Lohan try to solve the mystery of her missing teacher, and the tween fashions of 2002 don't really help things.
7. The Poof Point
The Poof Point is about kids who have to figure out how to save their scientist parents from vanishing from existence after their science experiment caused them to age backwards. Aside from the fact that the plot doesn't make sense — the parents are aging backwards mentally, not physically, meaning their bodies should remain in tact — parents acting like children is never not weird.
8. How to Build a Better Boy
I think it's time for Disney to retire the whole 'build a perfect boy/girlfriend' plot. In How to Build a Better Boy, Disney takes it up a notch, with a story about teen girls who accidentally create a robot boyfriend that is also a government super soldier project. (Yeah, it's weird.)
9. Pixel Perfect
Another artificial intelligence plot, Pixel Perfect is about a girl who is replaced by a hologram singer in her band just because she'd rather play guitar than dance. Talk about strange and unnecessary.
10. Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire
I think the title speaks for itself.
11. The Scream Team
Two kids try to help ghosts move on after death. Not so weird on the surface, but conside r this: they actually work with a team of ghosts named "The Soul Patrol."
12. Girl vs. Monster
Girl vs. Monster is basically a reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but less badass and more musical. The movie is about a teenage girl who learns she was born a monster hunter and must defeat them if she wants to survive. The not-so-scary monsters and original songs make this DCOM especially strange to watch.
13. Halloweentown
Yes, Halloweentown is a Disney Channel classic, and, yes, it is, hands down, one of the most brilliant films in the DCOM library. However, it is also incredibly strange. I mean, a town based on modern traditions of Halloween? That's just freaky.
Oh Disney Channel, you strange and wonderful place. Let's hope there are many more weird DCOMs to come.
Images: Disney; dcomgifs/tumblr (9); emmagoodalls/tumblr (2); lindsaygifs/tumblr; flashback-to-the-90s/tumblr
