The phrase “Disney Channel Original Movie,” now more commonly known as DCOM, was first coined in 1997. This means that most of Disney Channel’s target audience (ages 10-16) never lived in a world where this wasn’t a thing. TV’s number one daytime network has boiled their formula for success down to a science, which leads to June 27th’s premier of Zapped, the latest in a long line of DCOMs.
A big part of their formula is creating a stable of stars, which seems very similar to how movie studios used to operate in the golden age of Hollywood. Disney Channel stars typically have their own series, star in a handful of DCOMs, and usually have a sweet recording contract on the side with Disney’s own Hollywood Records. Enter Zandaya, star of Shake It Up (2010-2013), the DCOM Frenemies (2012), runner up on Dancing with the Stars (2013) and whose self-titled debut album launched last Fall.
Another recent formula for Disney is to cross-promote between Disney Channel and it’s younger brother, Disney XD. Enter Spencer Boldman, star of Disney XD’s series Lab Rats. Put the two stars together, shake them up (wink), and you have a recipe for success that will guarantee every tween in Disney Channel’s demographic will be watching Zapped at some point over the next week, whether it’s during one of numerous airings on Disney Channel itself, or on Watch Disney Channel, the app that lets you watch Disney Channel’s original programming virtually anywhere.
Zendaya plays Zoey, a high school student who has lived alone with her mom most of her life. When her mom remarries, Zoey inherits three stepbrothers and a misbehaved dog. Fed up with her lack of control, she downloads a dog training app and when her phone accidentally increases the megahertz output, her dog training app begins to work on boys (it doesn’t work on girls because girls are “too catty”). However, the app can’t solve all of Zoey’s problems at school, which include a dance-off vs. the popular dance team and getting the attention of the cute smart boy at school. In fact, the app might actually make those things harder than they should be.
Zapped is a cute story with a fun cast. It very much reminded me of the DCOMs I used to watch when I was younger like Smart House and You Wish. Disney Channel no longer makes a new DCOM every month, so each one feels more like an event now. I predict Zapped will have more staying power than many of the more recent DCOMs and will enjoy a future on Disney Channel Rewind in years to come.