BACKGROUND
Surprisingly, in 2011, Disney Channel aired three Disney Channel Original Movies all based on Disney Channel television series.
This isn’t anything new for Disney Channel as they’ve made DCOMs based on their series since the 2000s, with The Even Stevens Movie (2003) being one of the first, and Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie (2009) being the most recent one before 2011.
Disney Channel’s first DCOM of 2011 was The Suite Life Movie, in a year that saw six other brand new DCOMs being released on the channel, including the High School Musical spin-off Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure; Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension; and Good Luck Charlie, It’s Christmas!
The Suite Life franchise was a popular and successful commodity for Disney Channel, having first premiered as The Suite Life of Zack & Cody in 2005. The never-ending, always extreme, antics of two twin boys running around a posh hotel, where they lived thanks to the fact their mother happened to be the hotel’s singer, kept viewers interested, to the point that Zack and Cody earned themselves a spin-off series, The Suite Life on Deck, which premiered in 2008, pretty much straight after the original show ended. This time, their craziness was moved to a cruise ship where the twins would be attending “school at sea”.
I really liked The Suite Life of Zack & Cody when it first came to Disney Channel. It was not my absolute favourite series but I think I watched every episode of the original show. It was always on and the mid-2000s was prime Disney Channel viewing time for me. However, when The Suite Life on Deck came about, I just didn’t like it. Maybe it was the fact all the original characters weren’t there, or because I’m not a fan of cruise ships. Something just wasn’t right, so I only watched a few episodes of that series, normally if I was bored and there was nothing else on. I can’t remember much of it at all.
Because of this lack of interest in The Suite Life on Deck, plus by 2011, I was starting to move away from Disney Channel as my favourite series ended and stars departed, I never even knew The Suite Life Movie existed. After watching it for the first time this week, I am pleased to say… I didn’t miss out on anything.
The whole premise of The Suite Life Movie is just odd, with a science-fiction theme and a weird evil scientist plot that the twins get mixed up in. I did not enjoy watching it and its only redeeming factors were: 1) Mr. Moseby was still there, even if only for a few scenes but on top form as usual; 2) the fact one of the actors had been in Sabrina the Teenage Witch; and 3) it was less than 90 minutes long.
PLOT
The Suite Life Movie opens on board the SS Tipton, where Zack and Cody have been living and going to school for the past couple of years. Cody is busy preparing a special dinner for his girlfriend Bailey on one of the cruise ship’s decks. He clearly has something important to say to her, because he has written her a letter.
But as usual, Cody’s twin brother Zack shows up, with their friend, Woody, to mess with Cody’s plan. It turns out Cody needs to tell Bailey that he’s going to be doing an internship at a biology centre over spring break, something he hopes will lead to a scholarship to Yale University. Zack says he’ll break the news to Bailey in exchange for Cody giving him the car that Cody was given by their parents for college. Cody refuses and the two fight over the letter for Bailey. It is dropped, seemingly into the ocean. Unbeknownst to the boys though, the letter is caught by the wind and lands underneath a chair on deck.
That evening, Cody waits for the right time to tell Bailey about his internship, however, she continues to talk about all the plans and places they’ll go together over spring break, this being their last spring break before college. Just as Cody finds a moment to tell Bailey, Zack shows up, dangling alongside them in a life ring. Zack then proceeds to bluntly tell Bailey that Cody won’t be around for spring break because of his internship. Bailey is furious with Cody for ditching her wonderful spring break plans for work. She storms off before Cody can explain that he has to do this to get into Yale.
The next day, Mr. Moseby takes Cody to the Biology Reserve so he can begin his internship and meet his supervisor. However, Zack also tags along, as does London Tipton, the ditzy hotel heiress whose father owns the cruise ship. London mostly just wants to look at the dolphins, which she believes are fish, not mammals, because “they don’t have any humps”. This is a recurring joke throughout the movie… The important thing to notice here is that London eats some of the food meant for the dolphins and freaks out, leaving the area.
Moseby, Cody, and Zack go inside the centre where they meet Dr. Donald Spaulding. Dr. Spaulding shows them to his lab where he talks to Cody. He says that he was very impressed with Cody’s essay on twins, saying he has a twin brother too. Dr. Spaulding then tells Cody about his current research. Spaulding believes that, using a rare fruit, telepathy will be possible between dolphins and humans, something that Cody finds fascinating. Mr. Moseby realises that Zack is missing and goes to look for him. It turns out Zack has followed a pretty lab technician, Nellie, through an unauthorised area, where he proceeds to tell her that he is incredibly smart and can mostly definitely pilot that submersible nearby. Zack gets inside the submersible and descends into the dolphin tank.
Since Cody and Dr. Spaulding are looking right into that tank from the lab, they soon spot Zack messing about in there, but instead of waiting for security or one of the scientists to get Zack out of the submersible, Cody decides to get into the other submersible and follow him through the tank, shouting at him for ruining his first day on the internship. The two fight in their boats as Cody tries to get Zack to return to the surface but in doing so, one of their boats breaks the glass of the seawall. Both eject from the boats before they are sucked out into the ocean. Needless to say, this incident causes Cody to be fired from his internship. It also looks like this wasn’t an accident; a janitor and Nellie seem to have planned this…
Back on the cruise ship, Cody wallows in self-pity, since he’s lost his internship and Bailey still won’t talk to him. Luckily, Zack brings Dr. Spaulding to him, who tells Cody that he won’t be working for him anymore but that Dr. Olsen would love to have Cody’s assistance on a new project, something called the Gemini Project, which is all about twins. But that does mean that both Zack and Cody will have to attend. They both agree to go.
The twins later arrive at the Gemini Project, a facility located by a lake, where an old sawmill sits abandoned opposite. The facility is full of twins wandering about the area, looking happy. Zack and Cody are met by Dr. Olsen who takes them to his basement lab. Here, he tells them that he plans to use the same rare fruit that Dr. Spaulding is using on his dolphin research on twins instead, believing that it can grow empathy within humans, meaning that there will be less conflict in the world. They are then shown the Mind Transference Facilitator, which is where Zack and Cody will have their first tests. Zack is strapped to the machine and told to look at the screen. Different names of colours come up on the screen, but the words may be in a different colour. Zack must correctly identify the word, not the colour of it – we all know this game, right? Zack, not being as smart as Cody, plus the fact Cody keeps giving him an electric shock every time he gets the answer wrong, fails this test, and the two fight, proving that Dr. Olsen has two perfect research subjects.
Meanwhile, Bailey is walking around the city with London and Woody, debating how she should deal with the “Cody situation”. Should she call him? Should she ignore his calls? In the end, Cody stops calling her – because his phone was taken from him at the Gemini Project because radiation affects the delicate machinery – so Bailey deletes his number. London is also exhibiting some strange behaviour, seemingly being able to hear what different marine creatures are “saying”. She talks to a dolphin about her outfit, and then hears the escape plan of a crate of crabs in the market, for example. Weird.
Back at the Gemini Project, Zack and Cody eat lunch with some other twins on the project, including Nellie, that “assistant” from Dr. Spaulding’s lab, and her twin sister Kellie. The girls explain how all twins must get along and be nice and kind to each other because that’s just the way it should be, which is completely at odds with Zack and Cody’s dynamic, where they fight about everything and anything! At lunch, they are fed this rare fruit for the first time and then led out to take part in some sports tasks. This involves a high ropes course, complete with nets, bridges, and zip wires. Cody is already nervous since he isn’t the most athletic of people, but the two soon notice that all the twins are moving perfectly in sync. That’s not exactly the case for Zack and Cody, although they do soon notice that each of them is feeling the same physical pain that the other is feeling, a sign that the fruit is working on them. Dr. Olsen gets them to do the colour-word test again and sure enough, when Zack is shocked, Cody feels it too. Dr. Olsen is delighted with their progress.
Zack starts to think this place is too weird and wants to leave. Cody gets angry at him for ruining things for him yet again. Zack then talks to Nellie who convinces Zack to stay, saying that “The Merge” will fix everything. Zack doesn’t know what that means but agrees to stay at the Gemini Project anyway. Just as Cody is about to be removed from the project by Dr. Olsen, as one twin is no use to him, Zack returns and the two are moved onto Stage 2. They are given the fruit to eat again and soon start to experience the other one’s feelings. This leads to a heart-to-heart between the boys as they learn something new about each other, like how Cody feels like Zack has messed up his chances of going to Yale, and how Zack wants Cody’s car so he can go and find himself whilst everyone else is at college. But then, they overhear Dr. Olsen talking about “The Merge” and how they must enact it soon, even though it will mean that Cody “loses his brain”. Cody and Zack are horrified by this, with Zack wanting to leave, but Cody wanting to save all the other twins.
The two sneak into Dr. Olsen’s lab where they manage to access his computer. On it, they discover the full programme of the Gemini Project. Stage 1 involves matching physical sensations; Stage 2 is about emotional feelings; and Stage 3 is The Merge, which sees the twins literally merge to become one person. The twins then discover a Stage 4, which will allow the merged twins to be controlled. Dr. Olsen discovers Zack and Cody in his lab and know his grand scheme has been uncovered. But he also sees that, because Zack continued to eat the fruit, the two have begun a “half-merge”, where Zack finishes Cody’s sentences and the two have a level of telepathy between them. Dr. Olsen unveils a beacon which begins to control the other twins and he orders them to capture Zack and Cody. Zack and Cody try everything to get away from them, even going on a zip wire across the lake to the abandoned sawmill, but they are chased every step of the way. Just when they think they’ve gotten away, by jumping into the lake, they find themselves surrounded….
Back on the cruise ship, Mr. Moseby has discovered Cody’s letter to Bailey on deck and gives it to her. Bailey reads it and learns that Cody’s internship was important to him because it would give him the chance to go to Yale. He was torn between getting into the “school of his dreams” and spending time with the “girl of his dreams”. Bailey is touched by this and realises she’s been selfish about spring break – uh, no duh. Bailey has to fix things with Cody. However, when Bailey, London, and Woody speak to Dr. Spaulding, he says that Cody was fired from the project and banned from the site. He hasn’t seen them since. London then speaks to a dolphin who says to her that the twins are about fifty miles from here. Dr. Spaulding thinks the boys are in trouble. Bailey calls Mr. Moseby to tell him Zack and Cody are in danger, and the group set off to the Gemini Project site.
When they arrive, they find they are too late. Zack and Cody are strapped to a machine with a forcefield protecting them from outside interference. Dr. Spaulding confronts Dr. Olsen, who is revealed to be Dr. Spaulding’s twin, Ronald – gasp! He’s been wearing a mask this whole time! And he was the one to invite the boys to the Gemini Project, not Dr. Donald Spaulding! Ronald had been spying on the boys as he knew they were vital to his research. Ronald then turns on the machine and The Merge begins. The twins’ souls are released; however, the souls fight each other. Bailey realises this is causing The Merge to fail so encourages them to fight more. This fighting creates a power surge and when Cody taunts Zack about their parents’ car, Zack’s reaction causes the machine to explode. The Gemini Project is over once and for all, freeing the other twins from Ronald’s control. Cody then has an idea to stop Ronald from restarting the project. He hands both Donald and Ronald some of the fruit. After eating it, they both begin to realise how the other has felt their whole life and discover that they were both jealous of each other. But there’s no time for reconciliation because Moseby is here with the police who promptly arrest Ronald / Dr. Olsen. Zack and Cody realise that they actually make a great team – if they work together.
Back on the ship, Bailey and Cody are back together and have had a great spring break. It’s also revealed that Cody did give Zack the car to use, however, as he parks it in the shipping area as he returns to the ship, the car is crushed by a huge crate. Zack looks round in horror to see that the car he so desperately wanted is destroyed. London is happy though; that crate is full of her summer clothes!
CHARACTERS & CAST
Cody Martin has always been the studious, responsible twin, and that is still the case in The Suite Life Movie. Cody is making decisions about college, his dream college being Yale. Cody believes that doing the internship at Dr. Spaulding’s lab will help him get a scholarship to go there, but that doesn’t work out. When Cody gets another opportunity to complete an internship, this time with Dr. Olsen, he is eager to get going, wanting to be part of a major scientific breakthrough, and since he is a twin and not a dolphin, he’ll actually be an integral part of the research there. Cody is completely dedicated to the Gemini Project, but when it is revealed that this project is a ruse for an evil scheme, instead of just leaving, he wants to help save the other twins. To do that, he needs that twin brother who he doesn’t see eye-to-eye with, but who has always been beside him, to help.
Cody Martin was played by Cole Sprouse throughout The Suite Life franchise. Alongside his twin brother, the two both played Julian McGrath in the Adam Sandler movie Big Daddy (1999). During their time on Disney Channel, the two also appeared in the movie A Modern Twain Story: The Prince and the Pauper (2007) where Cole played Eddie Tudor. Since the end of The Suite Life, Cole Sprouse was part of the cast of Riverdale (2017-23), where he played Forsythe “Jughead” Jones III throughout the show’s run, and starred as Walt in the HBO Max movie Moonshot (2022) alongside Lana Condor.
Zack Martin is the chaotic, disorganised twin, usually the one who is the cause of all the problems that the twins get themselves in. Zack isn’t looking at going to college, so he is still feeling quite carefree about life, not stressing himself about internships and good grades. However, we do learn that Zack is feeling quite uncertain about his future, not knowing what he wants to do, or who he wants to be. Even at the Gemini Project, Zack is more bothered about girls than scientific research, soon wanting to quit but he knows he can’t because if he does leave, then he has ruined two internships for Cody in just a few days! When things go wrong for them at the facility, Zack and Cody end up working together to stop Dr. Olsen’s evil plan, finding that they can be a good team, despite their different personalities.
Zack Martin was played by Dylan Sprouse throughout The Suite Life franchise. Alongside his twin brother, Cole, Dylan played the part of Tom Canty in A Modern Twain Story: The Prince and the Pauper. Since Disney, Dylan has been cast in movies such as After We Collided (2020), the second instalment in the After film series, where he played Trevor; and Beautiful Disaster (2023), where he was cast as Travis Maddox. He reprised this role in the film’s sequel Beautiful Wedding (2024).
The Gemini Project is run by Dr. Olsen, who is actually Dr. Spaulding’s twin, Ronald. Dr. Olsen covers his identity with a mask through much of the movie, only revealing his true self at the very end. Dr. Olsen initially seems dedicated to his research and he gets on with Cody as they bond over their love of science. Nothing seems to be strange about Dr. Olsen until the boys overhear him talking about wanting to “merge” the twins. Then they know something is up, but nothing could have prepared them for getting mixed up in an evil plan to control the whole world! It turns out Dr. Olsen only wanted to do this because of childhood jealous that he felt towards his brother. Once they work that out, thanks to the weird fruit, Dr. Olsen happily goes off to jail…
Dr. Olsen – perhaps named after two of the most famous twins in the world, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen – was played by Matthew Glave. Glave appeared in the recurring role of Dr. Dale Edson on ER (1994-2009) in its earlier seasons. More recently, Glave portrayed Chuck Yeager in the movie First Man (2018). He was also cast as Coach Tommy Bowden in the Disney+ film Safety (2020) and has appeared as Oscar Hutchinson in the ABC series The Rookie (2018-present).
Dr. Spaulding is a scientist like his brother, and he came up with the initial research of using this rare fruit to create a telepathic connection, except in Dr. Spaulding’s case, he wants to use this to allow dolphins to communicate with humans. Dr. Olsen stole this research to use on twins with seemingly decent results, however, Dr. Spaulding had not reached a breakthrough with his, until London Tipton shows up, being able to speak to dolphins, thanks to that tiny piece of fruit she mistakenly ate! After this revelation from the dolphin of where the twins are, Dr. Spaulding seems to instantly know that his twin is working on some evil scheme and using Zack and Cody to implement it. Dr. Spaulding locates him and manages to briefly reconcile with his estranged brother before he is arrested.
John Ducey was cast as Dr. Donald Spaulding – and Dr. Ronald Spaulding, when Dr. Olsen lifts his mask. Ducey already had some history with Disney Channel prior to The Suite Life Movie as he was cast as Tom Lucas, the father in Jonas (2009-10), which, obviously, starred the Jonas Brothers. For any fans of Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996-2003), you should also recognise Ducey from Season 7 of the programme, as he played Leonard, one of Sabrina’s work colleagues at Scorch magazine. I always loved Leonard; he was my favourite of the characters introduced in that season. Recently, Ducey also wrote and starred in the 2022 festive film I Believe in Santa, playing Tom.
In my opinion, these four characters make up the main plot of The Suite Life Movie, which is a shame, as there are four other characters who were hugely important to The Suite Life on Deck series, but were not used well in the movie.
One of these is London Tipton, the ditzy hotel heiress who came with Zack, Cody, and Mr. Moseby on board the SS Tipton for school. During The Suite Life Movie, London’s main roles are to be a sounding board to Bailey’s complaints about Cody, as well as to be the “missing link” of Dr. Spaulding’s research, showing that this fruit can produce telepathic communication between humans and animals. It’s an important part of the fictional science project, but isn’t particularly useful in the movie, apart from the fact London learns from a dolphin about where Zack and Cody are being held captive. It’s a real pity that London couldn’t have had a better side plot as she was always a brilliant character in the series.
London Tipton was played by Brenda Song, who was no stranger to Disney Channel even before her casting in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. Song has actually been in five separate Disney Channel Original Movies: The Ultimate Christmas Present (2000) as Samantha; Get a Clue (2002) as Jennifer; Stuck in the Suburbs (2004) as Natasha; Wendy Wu in Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior (2006), and of course, London in The Suite Life Movie. Song managed to break out of Disney with her casting as Christy in The Social Network (2010). In recent years, Song has also been the voice of Princess Akemi in Blue Eye Samurai (2023-present) and was cast as Mary-Anne in The Last Showgirl (2024). In 2025, Song was also cast as Ali Lee in the Netflix series Running Point (2025-present).
Mr. Moseby is another fan-favourite character from the original series. Mr. Moseby was the hotel manager of the Tipton Hotel and is now the manager of the SS Tipton. He also seems to be the guardian of London, and Zack and Cody, whilst onboard the ship, which would explain why he takes Cody to his internship at the research centre. Outside of the chaos that ensues there, we don’t really see Mr. Moseby until the end, when he is relieved to find Zack and Cody safe, having brought the police to the facility to arrest Dr. Olsen.
Phill Lewis was cast as Mr. Moseby. Prior to The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Lewis appeared as Principal Tweedy in some episodes of Lizzie McGuire (2001-04). Still on the channel, Lewis was cast as Maurice in the DCOM Dadnapped (2009) and directed many episodes of Disney Channel series, including The Suite Life on Deck; Jessie (2011-15); and Bunk’d (2015-24). Lewis has also directed episodes of the revival series of iCarly (2021-23). Lewis appeared as ‘Crazy’ Hooch in the popular medical sitcom Scrubs (2001-10).
Then there is Bailey Pickett, a character introduced in The Suite Life on Deck. Bailey is Cody’s girlfriend, but all we get to see of her in The Suite Life Movie is her moaning about Cody’s disrespect of her spring break plans, and her debates about whether she should or shouldn’t call him or answer his calls. It’s not a particularly good plotline for the character and it mostly just makes her look selfish and childish. When Bailey is given Cody’s original letter by Mr. Moseby, explaining his reasons for taking the internship, she realises she’s made a mistake and has to find him to make it right. It’s a good thing she does really, otherwise who knows whether Zack and Cody would’ve been saved from The Merge…
Bailey Pickett was played by Debby Ryan. Ryan began her Disney Channel career on The Suite Life on Deck, which led to many more roles for her. One of these was a starring role in the sort-of DCOM 16 Wishes (2010), playing Abby Jensen. After The Suite Life on Deck ended, Ryan continued to feature on Disney Channel by starring in the series Jessie (2011-15). During this time, she was also cast in the leading role of Tara Adams in the DCOM Radio Rebel (2012). Outside of Disney, Ryan’s most famous role is perhaps as Patty Bladell in the controversial Netflix series Insatiable (2018-19). More recently, she voiced the character of Krista in the animated series Velma (2023-24), a spin-off of the Scooby-Doo franchise, and is set to appear in the thriller film Famous, which will star Zac Efron.
Finally, we have Woody Fink, a classmate on the SS Tipton and also Cody’s cabinmate, introduced in The Suite Life on Deck. He’s the complete opposite of Cody, being messy and not very studious, so he gets on better with Zack. Woody is part of the gang of friends that feature Zack, Cody, London, and Bailey. Woody doesn’t have much to do in The Suite Life Movie, much like the other characters I mentioned, just standing next to Zack as he reveals Cody’s internship to Bailey and then standing next to Bailey as she complains about Cody, and then going to find Zack and Cody at the Gemini Project.
Woody Fink was played by Matthew Timmons, who stopped acting in 2013, once The Suite Life on Deck had ended and after making a guest appearance on Debby Ryan’s series Jessie. Timmons has since stated that he was typecast into playing “big characters” with “big personalities” because of his weight and that he had difficulties with his mental health at times because of this. Many of the gags that revolved around Woody on the show focused on his weight and physical appearance so I can see how that would affect your mental state, especially at a young age. Timmons has since come to a place where he feels more comfortable in himself and encourages others via his social media accounts[1].
MUSIC
There aren’t many songs in The Suite Life Movie at all, not even as background noise. There are only two recognisable songs, one for the opening sequence and another for the ending.
During the opening sequence, as Cody is preparing his dinner date for him and Bailey where he plans to tell her about his internship, the song “Uptown, Get Around” is played, performed by Stereo Skyline. I actually quite liked this song; it was just an upbeat pop song. Stereo Skyline was an American pop band, formed in 2006, who stopped making music around 2012, coming back in 2019 to release the single “Runaway’s”.
At the end of the movie, as the End Credits roll, the song “Such a Colorful World”, performed by Max & Simon, written by Mark Rosas, Blake Healy, and Kevin Bard, is used. It would appear that Kevin Bard, the lead vocalist of the band Stereo Skyline, co-created the music project Max & Simon. Again, it was an inoffensive, upbeat song that I didn’t mind.
There is another song that is played briefly as Cody and Zack start their time on the high ropes course. This song was not something I was able to find. The lyrics that I could hear were talking about “turning up the music”, which doesn’t narrow it down much when you’re looking for these background songs in movies… It was not credited either.
The score of The Suite Life Movie was composed by John Van Tongeren, who had previously worked on the music for other DCOMs, including Twitches (2005) and Twitches Too (2007); Princess Protection Program (2009); and Den Brother (2010).
PRODUCTION
The Suite Life Movie could never have existed had it not been for two twins terrorising their mother with their antics in a fancy, upmarket hotel.
The first episode of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody aired on Disney Channel on 18th March 2005. This pilot introduced audiences to Zack and Cody, and their reasons for living in the Tipton Hotel in Boston. This is because their mother, Carey, was the hotel’s lounge singer. We were also introduced to other main characters, like London Tipton, the hotel heiress; Maddie, the hotel’s candy counter girl; Esteban, the hotel bellhop; Arwin, the hotel’s janitor; and of course, Mr. Moseby, the hotel manager.
Season 1 of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody ran from 18th March 2005 to 27th January 2006. A second season began almost immediately afterwards, on 3rd February 2006, running until 2nd June 2007. The third season of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody was their last, commencing on 23rd June 2007 and ending on 1st September 2008.
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody is still remembered today for specific moments from its episodes. Who can forget that episode from Season 3, “Lip Synchin’ in the Rain”, which saw Disney Channel mess with their own canon, by having Maddie, played by Ashley Tisdale, not get the part of Sharpay Evans in a school production of High School Musical, despite Ashley Tisdale playing the role in real life! Instead, London got the part and Maddie had to lip sync for her. There was also the episode, “Commercial Breaks”, from Season 1 which ended with an all-singing, all-dancing fictional commercial for the Tipton Hotel. And last but not least, London’s driving lesson where she taught us all about “the PRNDL”, something that even Camila Cabello referenced on The Kelly Clarkson Show. Brenda Song said she even had her driving examiner say to her to make sure she put the PRNDL in park at the end of her test[2]! There was also the crossover episode “That’s So Suite Life of Hannah Montana”.
The reviews for the show were great across all three seasons. The programme received accolades such as winning a Young Artist Award in 2007 for Best Family TV Series (Comedy). Back in 2006, Brenda Song won the Superstar of Tomorrow and Role Model awards at the Young Hollywood Awards for her role as London Tipton. Dylan Sprouse won a Kids’ Choice award for Favorite TV Actor in 2009 too. The Suite Life of Zack & Cody was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Program in 2007 and nominated for Favorite TV Show at the Kids’ Choice Awards in 2007, 2008, and 2009.
Technically, in terms of air date, the final episode of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody was “Mr. Tipton Comes to Visit”. The storyline was that Mr. Tipton was coming to the hotel, seemingly to give a huge bonus to one lucky employee. This led to many flashback moments from the series as the team reminisced about the good moments they’d had working in the hotel. However, when Mr. Tipton arrives he is in a bad mood and plans to fire someone. It looks like Carey is going to be fired because of the twins, but instead, the boys bribe Muriel, the now-retired hotel maid, into coming back for Mr. Tipton’s visit. She refuses to clean up a broken vase and is promptly fired – but since she’s retired, it doesn’t matter!
But the actual final episode of the series is really “Let Us Entertain You”. In this episode, the boys and Carey go on the SS Tipton cruise ship for a “vacation”, although Zack and Cody have managed to get them on the ship only if Carey sings as part of the cruise entertainment. Carey refuses to sing, wanting a proper vacation, but when she discovers that her experience on the cruise will be seriously downgraded if she does not, she relents and says she will sing. However, Carey becomes seriously sun burnt after falling asleep in the sun and is now unable to sing. Zack and Cody go on for her instead.
The events from “Let Us Entertain You” set the scene for the spin-off series, The Suite Life on Deck, which premiered on Disney Channel on 26th September 2008, just a few weeks after The Suite Life of Zack & Cody officially ended. The pilot episode of this new series is “The Suite Life Sets Sail”. Here, Mr. Moseby is revealed to be the cruise ship manager, and London Tipton is coming on board to attend Seven Seas High School, to stop her from skipping classes like she did at regular high school. Zack and Cody are joining her, much to Moseby’s dismay, with Carey not staying on board to look after them. Other characters were introduced during the show, as Zack, Cody, London, and Mr. Moseby were the only main characters to return, such as fellow students of Seven Seas High: Bailey Pickett, Woody Fink, and Marcus Little.
Throughout the lifetime of the show, the characters got to travel all over the world, with one episode focusing on the Bermuda Triangle, and another seeing the group travel over the International Dateline. They also visited Greece, Sweden, Morocco, and Paris. There was also another Disney Channel crossover episode, called “Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana”. Season 1 of The Suite Life of Deck ran from 26th September 2008 to 17th July 2009. Season 2 began on 7th August 2009, running until 18th June 2010. The third and final season ran from 2nd July 2010 to 6th May 2011. The Suite Life on Deck received generally favourable reviews, however, many viewers felt it was not quite as good as the original show. It received a nomination for Favorite TV Show at both the 2010 and 2011 Kids’ Choice Awards, with Dylan Sprouse picking up the award for Favorite TV Actor in 2010.
Danny Kallis and Jim Geoghan created both shows, with the concept for The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, of two boys living in a posh hotel, originating back in the mid-1980s, when Kallis and Geoghan were working as writers on the sitcom Silver Spoons (1982-87), about a wealthy man whose son, who he has never met before, moves in to his mansion[3].
The Suite Life Movie began production in September 2010, being referred to as the seventh Disney Channel series to get its own Disney Channel Original Movie – this number seems to include Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension, and Good Luck Charlie, It’s Christmas! despite both of these airing months after The Suite Life Movie in 2011. The most recent one prior to The Suite Life Movie to air on Disney Channel was Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie (2009), which had done exceptionally well in terms of viewing figures, securing 11.4 million on its premiere, and ranking as 2009’s No. 1 scripted cable TV telecast.
The Suite Life Movie was directed by Sean McNamara. For Disney Channel, McNamara had previously directed some episodes of The Even Stevens (2000-03) and went on to direct The Even Stevens Movie (2003). McNamara also directed episodes of other Disney series such as That’s So Raven (2003-07) and Zeke and Luther (2009-12). The writers of The Suite Life Movie were Michael Saltzman, who worked on the story of the 2006 The Pink Panther Movie, and Robert Horn, who co-wrote the Broadway musical 13, and wrote the High School Musical spin-off movie Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure (2011)[4].
The Suite Life Movie was filmed in British Columbia, Canada, with many of the locations being in Vancouver. The Vancouver Aquarium was used as the setting of the biology research facility where Cody, Zack, and Mr. Moseby visit Dr. Spaulding early on in the film. The setting of the Gemini Project was reportedly Camp Howdy in Vancouver[5]. Around this area, Dylan and Cole Sprouse were required to film some “stunts” which involved them on a high ropes course, tackling obstacles like nets and zip wires. Because at this point in the movie, Zack and Cody have not been a part of the research group for long, they are not moving in perfect unison on this course like the other sets of twins are, so this meant lots of slamming into nets and struggling on different parts of the course[6]. It all looked very fun to me. What appeared to be less fun was Dylan and Cole’s jump into a freezing cold lake at 9 o’clock at night, for the scene where they are trying to avoid capture by all the twins. The twins said they had wetsuits on and multiple layers of clothing which kept them warm, but it seemed some of the other actors – as the twins are surrounded by others in the lake – didn’t keep quite as warm and struggled with the cold[7].
The Suite Life Movie kept mentioning the fact that the boys and their friends would be graduating from Seven Seas High soon. This meant that one further episode was needed to wrap up The Suite Life on Deck, which is why the finale episode, “Graduation on Deck”, was the very last episode of the franchise to air on Disney Channel on 6th May 2011, just over a month after the movie had premiered.
In “Graduation on Deck”, the students of Seven Seas High learn that Mr. Tipton is going to dismantle the SS Tipton as they prepare for final exams and graduation. Cody discovers he was rejected from Yale, throwing his college plans into disarray, especially as girlfriend Bailey did get accepted. Zack and Cody’s mother and father both arrive for graduation, where Bailey says that Cody didn’t get into Yale and won’t leave his cabin. Zack is also upset that his girlfriend, Maya, is going off to Chad in Africa for a Peace Core assignment, so neither Zack nor Cody want to attend graduation. The boys then convince the other to go to the ceremony. During the speeches, construction workers begin dismantling parts of the deck. Mr. Moseby calls Mr. Tipton, ordering him to stop the destruction of the ship as he is destroying his daughter’s graduation. Soon, the SS Tipton docks and the students prepare to depart the ship. Mr. Moseby also proposes to the Seven Seas High teacher, Ms. Tutweiller, and she accepts. There are some tearful goodbyes as everyone goes their separate ways. Many felt this was a fitting ending for the show and the franchise as a whole, which is not exactly how they felt about the movie…
RECEPTION
The Suite Life Movie premiered on Disney Channel in the US on 25th March 2011.
The movie pulled in 5.2 million total viewers on its premiere, making it the top scripted programme of the day across all TV[8]. By the end of 2011, The Suite Life Movie’s viewership was beaten by three other DCOMs: Lemonade Mouth, with 5.7 million; Good Luck Charlie, It’s Christmas!; with 6.9 million; and Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension with 7.6 million, which was the top viewed DCOM of the year.
Reviews of The Suite Life Movie have been very mixed, with slightly more negative comments than positive. DCOMs generally receive quite mixed reviews, so this was not unusual, however, even fans of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and The Suite Life on Deck were quite disappointed with The Suite Life Movie, especially as it followed on from a pretty good series. Many said The Suite Life Movie felt out of place, very unlike the series, and was mostly forgettable. Many also said The Suite Life Movie was not as good as the other science-fiction-based DCOM of 2011 Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension, which I would agree with. There were others as well who were annoyed that seemingly some of The Suite Life on Deck plot points had been forgotten or ignored in the film, like the fact Zack was in a relationship with a girl called Maya in the series but in the movie, Zack is chasing after Nellie. I just thought that was very much how Zack always was! There was also annoyance that London, Bailey, Woody, and Mr. Moseby didn’t have anything to do in The Suite Life Movie and should’ve had a better side plot written for them. This is something I have already said I agree with.
On the more positive side, some felt the movie was fun and entertaining, with a nice message about empathy and getting on with your siblings. Others enjoyed the “twist” ending too, with the reveal that Dr. Olsen was in fact Dr. Spaulding’s twin brother. I didn’t guess that until a few minutes before it happened, although I’m sure some might’ve guessed it much earlier on in the film, making the “twist” less exciting. It was also thought that The Suite Life Movie might as well be watched because it was quite a short movie, only around 80 minutes long, and if you’d watched both the previous series, you may as well have seen it to be a “completist”. The general consensus seemed to be that viewers either saw The Suite Life Movie as just average, or just bad. I’m afraid I’m in the latter group.
LEGACY
After The Suite Life on Deck had ended in May 2011, there would be no further projects for Zack and Cody on the Disney Channel. The actors were all moving on to new things.
Apparently, Dylan and Cole Sprouse had in fact pitched a fourth season of The Suite Life on Deck. This concept would’ve seen Zack and Cody return to Boston, where they would mentor a young boy living in the hotel, setting up this other character to have their own show. Disney passed on this idea, but later came back to the twins to pitch a similar idea. This time, the new show was going to be set in Miami with Selena Gomez reportedly attached to the project. The Sprouse twins were the ones to pass this time round.
There was also a spin-off that was meant to happen, surrounding hotel engineer Arwin, with Selena Gomez set to play his niece, but this never happened either. I’m going to assume this spin-off would’ve taken place after The Suite Life of Zack & Cody had finished airing or around that time, and not after the whole The Suite Life franchise had ended[9].
But there was one further screen production that did come to be after The Suite Life on Deck: The Suite Life of Karan & Kabir, an Indian adaptation of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, which ran for two seasons on Disney Channel India. The first season ran from 8th April 2012 to 1st July 2012, with the second running from 27th January 2013 to 18th August 2013.
Now that Disney Channel has made successes of rebooting and reviving some of their old programmes, such as Raven’s Home (2017-23) and Wizards Beyond Waverly Place (2024-present), many have begun speculating about whether there will be a reboot of The Suite Life. Not to be the bearer of bad news, but recently, Dylan Sprouse confirmed his disinterest in being part of a The Suite Life revival, stating that this trend risks removing the nostalgia and magic of the original series, so it is best to just move on with your life and keep those memories untainted. I completely agree with Dylan Sprouse’s take on revivals, however, Dylan did also say you can “never say never”[10]. On the contrary, Brenda Song said that she would reprise her role as London Tipton if ever the opportunity did arise, since she loved playing the character[11]. Regardless of whether a reboot does or does not happen, the actors seem to keep in touch with each other, which is always good to see.
Outside of any screen adaptations, there was one other thing from The Suite Life on Deck which was remembered over ten years later. This was a moment in the Season 1 episode “When In Rome” where Zack and Cody are trying to get a reservation at a fancy Italian restaurant. They are told they can have a reservation – for 16th November 2023. So, on that date, there were many references to this moment online. Disney Parks even released a short video to their social media where a waitress tells Zack and Cody their table is ready – but obviously they do not show up. This video seems to have been recorded at Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World.
Also at the Disney Parks, but this time at Disneyland, there was a small photo op at Disneyland After Dark: Disney Channel Nite in March 2024 featuring a backdrop of one of the corridors of the Tipton Hotel with a luggage trolley that guests could hang on to for a picture. There was also a The Suite Life of Zack & Cody Disney pin being sold a while ago.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Suite Life Movie may not have been my cup of tea, but I can’t really say I’ve ever been a die-hard fan of the series, and I certainly was not a big fan of The Suite Life on Deck, so my criticism of the movie might seem a bit harsh, especially if you were a longtime childhood fan of the series and remember the DCOM fondly. But there were also many fans of the show who were disappointed in The Suite Life Movie for multiple reasons. For me, it was the strange sci-fi plot. It was just too random and not very “Suite Life”.
Despite the message about getting on with your siblings and having empathy for others, even if you are very different people, I didn’t come away from The Suite Life Movie thinking about it much. The concept of someone trying to merge people together and then control them forever, under the guise of creating world peace, was too disturbing that it took away from the overall message.
Some reviews said this movie was forgettable. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget it, no matter how hard I try…
REFERENCES
[1] Credit: Kayleigh Banks, ‘Woody Fink From The Suite Life On Deck Explained’, ScreenRant.com, 11th June 2023.
[2] Credit: The Kelly Clarkson Show, ‘Brenda Song Reacts To Camila Cabello ‘PRNDL’ Story’, The Kelly Clarkson Show YouTube Channel, 3rd March 2025.
[3] Credit: Tierney Bricker, ’15 Secrets About The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Including the “Worst” Kiss With Zac Efron’, EOnline.com, 18th March 2020.
[4] Credit: Author Unknown, ‘Production to Begin on “The Suite Life Movie” for Disney Channel’, TheFutonCritic.com, 20th September 2010.
[5] Credit: TigerBeat TV, ‘EXCLUSIVE: We’re on The Suite Life Movie Set!’, TigerBeat TV YouTube Channel, 18th February 2011.
[6] Credit: Disney Channel, ‘DCOM Extra: The Zip Line – The Suite Life Movie – Disney Channel Official’, Disney Channel YouTube Channel, 11th March 2011.
[7] Credit: Popstar!, ‘DYLAN SPROUSE On Filming the Water Scene in “The Suite Life on Deck” Movie!’, Popstar! YouTube Channel, 22nd December 2010.
[8] Credit: Scott Collins, ‘‘The Suite Life Movie’ on Disney was Friday’s most-watched scripted TV show’, LATimes.com, 28th March 2011.
[9] Credit: Tierney Bricker, ’15 Secrets About The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Including the “Worst” Kiss With Zac Efron’, EOnline.com, 18th March 2020.
[10] Credit: Kristen Maldonado, ‘This Is Why Dylan Sprouse Is Not Interested In A Suite Life Reboot’, Kristen Maldonado YouTube Channel, 12th February 2024.
[11] Credit: Liz Foster, ‘The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody Revival Addressed By London Tipton Actor: “She’s My Literal Dream Character”’, ScreenRant.com, 28th February 2025.
The Disney Purist 