BACKGROUND
Despite Camp Rock not ending on a cliffhanger that instantly set up a sequel, we all knew a Camp Rock 2 was coming pretty much as soon as the credits rolled on Camp Rock. It’s just what Disney Channel do.
After the success of both Camp Rock and its soundtrack within the Disney Channel audience, the sequel had to be bigger and better in every way, especially considering the fact that High School Musical 2 had been even more successful than the original High School Musical. The Camp Rock fanbase was built up at this stage, so surely Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam would do better than Camp Rock – wouldn’t it?
Well, the jury is out on that one. For some, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam was better than the original. For others, it didn’t match up at all, either in terms of music or story. In the midst of that, there were viewers who felt Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2 were both terrible!
If you want to look at viewership, Camp Rock 2 did not equal or beat that of Camp Rock, surprisingly, despite heavy promotion over the summer on Disney Channel as well as the soundtrack being released early and even a Jonas Brothers tour being used to market the movie. For some reason, Camp Rock 2 didn’t match High School Musical 2’s journey.
But that didn’t matter to me because I was one of those that did like Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam more than Camp Rock. I liked the fact it had more of a plot, with Camp Rock competing against a rival camp, and the feeling that the characters had grown up in the two years between the film, being more bothered about the fate of Camp Rock and the need to stand up for themselves instead of just being focused on romance and being popular. The music was better for me too, and the ending even makes me cry, every single time.
The possible slight decline in the popularity of the Camp Rock franchise, and the mixed reception to the movie might’ve seemed like the biggest problems with Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, for Disney executives at least, however, there were other troubles going on behind-the-scenes, both around the time the movie was being filmed and its premiere date.
It is no secret now that the show business industry is not an easy industry to grow up in, with numerous child and teen stars having voiced their difficulties adapting to it. In recent years, some stars of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam have since come forward to say that their experience on this film and at Disney was not a wholesome as it was made out to be. Demi Lovato’s personal experience is perhaps the most documented.
At the time of the premiere, I simply thought that Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam felt different because of the new cast members, the bigger performances, and the changed-up hairstyles. But now, I think it went deeper than that.
PLOT
Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam begins as camp employees prepare the camp for summer, and a very excited Mitchie is travelling there with her mother, Connie, who is returning as the camp’s catering manager. Connie is concerned that Mitchie is putting too much emphasis on seeing Shane again, the member of Connect 3 who attended Camp Rock last year, after they briefly showed some sign of romance. Connie reminds Mitchie that she actually hasn’t seen Shane in a year and that she ought to concentrate on music and friends this summer. Mitchie tells her mother not to worry as that already is her focus – until she gets distracted by the sight of a seemingly rival camp just across the lake from Camp Rock.
When Mitchie arrives at Camp Rock, she is immediately welcomed by her friend Caitlyn, and they both question why camp doesn’t seem so busy this year. But there’s no time to talk about that because Caitlyn and Mitchie are soon met by Ella, Peggy, and Tess in the girls’ cabin. They waste no time in catching each other up on their lives, with Tess seeming much nicer than she was last summer. For example, instead of being jealous, Tess is genuinely interested to know what is happening between Mitchie and Shane.
Speaking of Shane, Shane is trying to get to Camp Rock before Mitchie so he can surprise her, since she believes he may be too busy touring to come to camp this summer. The trouble is Shane is driving to Camp Rock in his tour bus with his bandmates, Jason and Nate, and the bus has a flat tyre. Despite Shane’s attempt to change it, one bolt was missing from the tyre – which Jason kept in his pocket and didn’t mention – causing the tyre to pop off and the entire tour bus to fall into the lake below…Hmm. Now how will they get to camp?
Back at Camp Rock, Mitchie is asked if she has a song prepared for Opening Jam. She says she has worked out parts of it, but not all of it, so she gets her fellow campers to help her finish the song and it’s a big hit. After the performance, Brown Cesario, director of Camp Rock, begins to welcome all the campers back to Camp Rock, when Connect 3 arrive at camp on a farmer’s truck with hay and chickens. Brown introduces Connect 3, saying that they will be joining them for the whole summer, under the illusion that they want to spend more time with Brown, their uncle, though many suspect it is so Shane can spend more time with Mitchie. Mitchie is very happy to see Shane here and is looking forward to the summer.
But there is just one other thing. Brown mentions that there is a new camp across the lake called Camp Star, which just so happens to be owned by one of Brown’s former bandmates who still bears a grudge for being kicked out of that band. As this is explained, speedboats come out onto the lake and start shooting things at Camp Rock. These packages contain ingredients for s’mores and an invite to come to Camp Star for a bonfire. Brown isn’t sure they should go, but everyone else wants to, so they head over there that evening on canoes. On arriving at Camp Star, the campers see that Camp Star is more like a resort than a camp, with huge buildings and an enormous outdoor amphitheatre.
Once everyone has settled into their seats at this amphitheatre, Axel Turner, director of Camp Star, comes onto the stage to welcome all the Camp Rock campers and asks for volunteers to perform first. In the extended edition of the film, after a short pause, Mitchie raises her hand and says she will perform, alongside Caitlyn, Ella, and Peggy as her backup singers – despite the fact I thought none of them wanted to be backup singers. At least, they didn’t a year ago… Axel then introduces his own group of Camp Star campers to perform a high-energy routine which makes Mitchie’s slow ballad pale in comparison. In the regular version of the film, the Camp Star group launch straight into their performance after nobody from Camp Rock volunteers to sing. During this performance, a girl that Nate saw earlier in the evening is shown to be a piano/keyboard player in the group and towards the end of the song, her bracelet flies off her hand and right into Nate’s eye. Talk about fate.
After this, Axel invites any Camp Rock staff members to come over to Camp Star, promising to increase their salaries. He also asks if any Camp Rock campers would like to join Camp Star instead. Brown is furious at this and orders everyone from Camp Rock to leave Camp Star now. Mitchie starts to round up the Camp Rock campers, who have become distracted by Camp Star’s recording studios and state-of-the-art equipment. Here, she learns that Tess is switching to Camp Star, wanting to be front and centre just like Camp Star’s current frontman, Luke Williams. Shane, Jason, and Nate round up campers too, and Nate returns the bracelet to the girl, who it turns out is called Dana and is Axel Turner’s daughter. Ah, that’s not great… All remaining Camp Rock campers and staff leave.
Back at Camp Rock, Brown calls everyone to a meeting the next morning. He states that although he is happy to see that not many campers left to go to Camp Star, many of his staff did defect to Camp Star, leaving the camp short of counsellors and unable to continue to run this summer. Brown says Camp Rock is closed. Not wanting this to happen, Mitchie rallies the older Camp Rock members to help with classes etc. Brown is pleased with their dedication and agrees to let them help out and keep Camp Rock open. There are initially some teething problems, with the counsellors not getting to the right classes, Mitchie’s scheduling not quite working, and Connie receiving tons of beach balls instead of black beans in her food delivery, but eventually, it is all organised. Peggy helps with the junior singers; Ella does fashion classes; Caitlyn works with dancers; and Nate teaches the drummers. Jason gets the worst job of all though and is stuck with the junior rockers, who walk all over him! Jason resorts to building a birdhouse whilst hiding from the kids – something that he wanted Shane to build for him at Camp Rock last summer – until he reaches the end of his tether and demands some respect from the kids, saying if they listen to him, he can help them be rock stars. That gets their attention.
Meanwhile, Nate is casually stalking Dana, looking at her across the lake with binoculars as she practises piano. He keeps getting caught doing this, first by Shane, and then by Barron and Sander on the lake as they lead the wakeboarding activity! He eventually canoes over to Camp Star to try and talk to Dana, but their conversation is cut short by the arrival of Axel, who doesn’t want Dana talking to anyone from Camp Rock. Shane is also not doing so well on the romantic front, because Mitchie is so busy running camp. They were meant to be getting to know each other this summer but haven’t been able to spend any time together so far. That night, at a bonfire, Axel, Tess, and Luke come to spy on Camp Rock, with Axel and Luke laughing at how “basic” they are, having fun chasing fireflies. Tess says she remembers doing that when she was little and that it was fun, but she’s quickly reminded that she is part of Camp Star now. Mitchie and her friends start discussing how much they want to show Camp Star up with a performance that hasn’t been secretly practised for weeks beforehand. This gives Mitchie an idea…
The next day, the campers from Camp Rock interrupt Camp Star’s rehearsal and challenge them to a showdown, camp vs. camp. Axel Turner overhears this and wants to up the stakes, by making this is a televised competition, with the public voting for the winner. Mitchie starts to think that maybe that is taking things a step too far, but not wanting to back down, she agrees to this “Final Jam”. She plans to rewrite a duet she previously wrote to include everyone at Camp Rock in the performance, and there are lots of ideas of how to make this the best performance ever. However, Mitchie accidentally overhears Brown and Connie having a conversation about this competition, with Brown furious at Mitchie for agreeing to this. Connie thinks it would be good exposure for Camp Rock, but Brown is spooked by some of the promotional material for the competition, which has been dubbed “Camp Wars” and threatens that only one camp can survive, with Brown believing it won’t be Camp Rock that survives. Mitchie is hurt by this and reschedules all camp activities to make everything about winning the competition, so there are to be no distractions whatsoever.
As the days go on, Mitchie becomes increasingly irritated by her fellow campers, who she doesn’t believe are working hard enough and are having too much fun. She tries to get across how serious the situation is, but nobody will listen to her, not even Shane, who is annoyed that they now have even less time to spend together. Mitchie just wants to save Camp Rock and can’t think about anything else right now. Brown soon sees that people at Camp Rock aren’t happy and instructs Shane to inject some joy back into Camp Rock.
At yet another one of Mitchie’s group meetings about the competition, Shane interrupts with the junior rockers and they start a water fight. Everyone seems to be having a laugh – except for Mitchie, who walks away upset. She then spends the rest of the day alone, working out musical arrangements for the performance. Shane tries to convince her to take the evening off to have a moonlight picnic with him, but she refuses, telling him that the water fight was completely unnecessary. Shane walks away angry, although both he and Mitchie know that although they might argue, they don’t want to argue with anyone else.
The next morning, Mitchie wakes up to find camp incredibly quiet and nobody around. She eventually finds everyone by the beach working on the song. Caitlyn says that Shane got everyone up early to start working, reminding them of how important this performance is, and wanting Mitchie to have a break from doing everything. Mitchie also learns she needs to calm down! That same day, Dana shows up at Camp Rock to talk to Nate, except he can’t think of anything to say to her, which upsets Dana. She likes him, but doesn’t know anything about him, and will never know anything if he doesn’t talk to her. She walks away, not believing Nate to be the person she hoped he’d be. But Shane and Mitchie are finding time together and everything is going well for them.
Nate complains to Shane and Jason about how much of a struggle it is to talk to Dana, not understanding what he’s meant to do. They tell him that if he can’t say anything about himself, maybe he should sing it. So, naturally, Nate goes over to Camp Star and sings to Dana, telling her lots of random things about himself, like how he likes to use the word “dude” a lot and thinks cheese smells like feet. Wow, Nate is so deep. But the song works, although Axel leads Dana away for rehearsal, clearly unhappy with the two talking.
That same night, Jason, unable to sleep after hearing scary stories the kids told him, takes the junior rockers over to Camp Star to spy on their rehearsal. In the extended edition of the film, this Camp Star rehearsal is shown in full, with Axel debating whether to use this song or a different one in the competition, however, in the regular cut of the film, only brief clips are shown before Jason and the children run back to Camp Rock. Back at camp, they fill everyone in on Camp Star’s performance, revealing that it is just Luke and Tess doing a duet with only backup dancers and musicians on stage. This leads the campers to believe that Shane and Mitchie should go back to just doing a duet together as their chemistry and singing ability are far above those of Luke and Tess. This upsets some of the junior rockers, who were promised a part in the show, although they really just want Camp Rock to stay open so they can come back next year, as they had a great summer. They show Mitchie video clips that one of the rockers, Trevor, recorded over the summer of their antics at Camp Rock. This gives Mitchie another idea…
Then it is time for the competition. Camp Wars is indeed being televised and has a host, Georgina, who is a friend of Axel’s, which instantly makes Brown concerned about the partiality of the contest. Georgina reminds viewers that their votes will be deciding the winner, before introducing Camp Star’s performance. Sure enough, their song is full of dance breaks, special effects, and is just generally flawless. Mitchie and the others congratulate Tess and Luke on their performance. Tess wishes them luck, just after Luke states he wished he’d been able to do a solo, showing that Tess and Luke don’t get along at all. As Camp Rock prepare to take the stage, Brown talks to Georgina, telling her not to count them out just yet. She tells him that it would be a miracle if Camp Star don’t win, as Axel has paid to text and tweet every cell phone user in the Western Hemisphere to vote for Camp Star. The Camp Rock campers get this text too.
Shane and Mitchie then go up on stage to sing for Camp Rock. Others later appear on the stage as dancers, and Trevor’s video plays on screens in the background, showing all the fun of Camp Rock. The junior rockers even get their own spot in the performance to do a little guitar solo. It might not be as perfect as Camp Star’s performance, but Camp Rock show that they put fun and friendship over fame. After their show, Caitlyn reminds the others to vote for Camp Rock, which shouldn’t really be allowed but ok! After voting is over, Camp Rock and Camp Star gather on stage for the results. In a slow-motion, silent reveal, we see that Camp Rock did not win the competition, as the Camp Rock campers’ faces drop and Camp Star celebrate wildly. Close to tears, Mitchie is comforted by Shane, as the others walk off the stage. Tess briefly consoles Mitchie.
That evening, by the campfire, everyone at Camp Rock is upset, believing that this was their last summer here as they lost the competition. Mitchie and Shane have a moment too, where she says they all still need to keep singing. She also apologises for not spending enough time with him that summer and the two kiss. As Mitchie leads everyone in what could be one final campfire sing-along, they see canoes from Camp Star arriving at Camp Rock. This group is being led by Dana and Tess who wanted to join the campfire, as they don’t get to do anything like that over at Camp Star. Brown welcomes everyone to his camp. Tess asks Brown is she can come back to Camp Rock next year, as do many other Camp Star campers. Connie then comes out to say that the phones are going crazy with enquiries and she needs some help dealing with them all. Well, it looks like Camp Rock is staying open.
CHARACTERS & CAST
Mitchie Torres returns to Camp Rock this summer, excited and hoping to spend some proper time with Shane who has been busy on tour with Connect 3, leaving them to only communicate via text and email. However, Mitchie’s usual positivity and optimism doesn’t last long as she gets drawn into a fight between Camp Rock and a new camp across the lake, Camp Star. Mitchie is desperate for Camp Rock to prove to Camp Star that they are just as good as them, but this leads to a competition between the two. Mitchie starts to take this too seriously and sucks all the fun out of Camp Rock, ignoring Shane and being rude to her friends in the process as she sees them not taking the competition as seriously as she is. Mitchie has to be reminded of what Camp Rock really means; that it is not about winning, but about being with friends, having fun and making music. Thankfully, those friends she almost pushed away come to her rescue here and camp ends on a high note.
Between Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, Demi Lovato had been very successful with Disney, acting, singing, and touring, although the pressure and intense schedule was clearly overwhelming her and it led to Lovato stepping away from Disney not long after Camp Rock 2. From here, Lovato became a judge and mentor on Seasons 2 and 3 of the US The X Factor (2011-13), alongside recording new albums and releasing top singles like “Skyscraper” and “Sorry Not Sorry”. She also recorded a version of “Let It Go” for the end credits of Disney Animation’s Frozen (2013). Other acting roles for her included the recurring role of Jenny in the Will & Grace reboot (2017-20), as well as the part of Katiana Lindsdóttir in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020) for Netflix. Over the years, Lovato has opened up about her personal life and her struggles in documentaries such as Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil (2021) and Child Star (2024). Ever since her Disney days, Lovato has remained popular, winning numerous Teen, People, and Kids’ Choice Awards for both her singing and acting, and has become an advocate for mental health. Her loyal fan base continues to support her in all her endeavours.
Returning to Camp Rock along with Mitchie is Shane Gray, but this time he has also brought Jason and Nate along with him, the other two members of Connect 3 who only came to Camp Rock last time for one performance and to judge Final Jam. Shane is only at Camp Rock this summer because he wants to spend time with Mitchie. Even when the competition with Camp Star starts to ramp up, he still just wants to spend time with her and isn’t bothered by the contest. He can’t understand why Mitchie is getting so stressed out by everything and when he tries to remind her what fun is, by starting that water fight, all he does is make things worse between them. So, to get back into her good books, he decides to get everyone involved in working on the performance, which reminds Mitchie that she needs to be a bit calmer about things and the two are able to get their relationship back on track. Nate also has his own girl trouble, as he likes Dana from Camp Star, which is a forbidden romance. He struggles to find time to talk to her away from her father, but even when he does, he can’t figure out how to talk to her for some reason. Eventually, after thinking Dana is not interested in him anymore because he won’t talk to her, Nate finally finds the courage to open up about himself, and they choose their romance over the camp rivalry. Jason doesn’t have romance on his brain because he is too focused being the camp counsellor for the junior rockers who require a lot of time and energy. Things start off badly between Jason and the rockers, probably because he dropped Trevor’s camera in the lake at the Camp Star bonfire, but in the end, the kids respect him and Jason comes to like them, even fighting for their own piece of the performance in the Final Jam.
The Jonas Brothers were cast as Connect 3, having been involved with projects for Disney since around 2007. Shane was played by Joe; Nate by Nick; and Jason by Kevin. The Jonas Brothers later went on hiatus in 2011, before splitting in 2013. The band eventually reunited in 2019, releasing their single “Sucker” and releasing their comeback album Happiness Begins that same year. They are still releasing new music and touring together. However, the brothers have also worked on their own solo projects. For example, Joe Jonas released his solo album Fast Times in 2011, and formed the band DNCE, becoming its lead singer, who were best known for their hit song “Cake by the Ocean”. In terms of acting work, Joe made a cameo appearance in Zoolander 2 (2016) and voiced the Kraken in Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018). Nick starred as Marius Pontmercy in the musical Les Misérables on the West End in 2010, later becoming part of the musical’s 25th anniversary concert that same year. He also played Link Larkin in the 2011 Hollywood Bowl performance of Hairspray. After that, Nick was cast as Jefferson “Seaplane” McDonough in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019), and appeared alongside his wife Priyanka Chopra Jonas, as Joel, in Love Again (2023). Nick made a cameo appearance as Pastor Luther in You’re Cordially Invited (2025) for Amazon.
Kevin starred in the reality series Married to Jonas (2012-13), which was about his life with wife Danielle, for two seasons, and was later a contestant on Season 14 of The Apprentice (2004-17). He currently co-hosts Claim to Fame (2022-present), a reality competition series for ABC, with his brother Frankie Jonas. Frankie appeared in Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam as Trevor, a junior rocker. This was another reunion for the brothers who had all appeared together in the Disney Channel series Jonas (2009-10), with Frankie even winning the Teen Choice Award for Choice TV: Breakout Star Male for his role on the show. Frankie has recently launched his own music career as a singer-songwriter.
For the new characters of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, all of them come from Camp Star. The first is Luke Williams, who is the big star of Camp Star, being their lead singer, before having to share the stage with Tess when she comes over to Camp Star. He is quite arrogant and believes himself to be a big star already. He doesn’t get on with Tess, probably because there isn’t a big enough stage for both of their egos. Luke is very talented though and has some great stage presence. Luke was played by Matthew “Mdot” Finley, who has continued with his music career, releasing a string of singles in 2024.
Then there is Dana Turner, who doesn’t have an ego at all, nor does she care about the rivalry between Camp Rock and Camp Star, despite the fact her father Axel Turner is the owner of Camp Star. Dana is loyal to her father to a point, in that she performs on stage as the pianist or keyboard player, and she attends all his rehearsals, but she doesn’t agree with the competitive element of this summer camp, and doesn’t avoid talking to people from Camp Rock, like Nate. She doesn’t let her father control who she talks to. Dana was played by Chloe Bridges, who had been cast as Ashley in the direct-to-video sequel Legally Blondes (2009) before working on Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, but she had also appeared as Zoey Moreno in the sitcom Freddie (2005-06) with Freddie Prinze Jr. earlier in her career. Bridges went on to be cast in the recurring role of Sydney Driscoll in Pretty Little Liars (2010-17) and as Donna in The Carrie Diaries (2013-14) on The CW. More recently, she was cast as Jessie in the Hulu sitcom Maggie (2022).
Axel Turner was a former member of the same band as Brown. Brown thinks he still holds a grudge after being kicked out of the band, and he clearly still does, by running a rival summer camp, but Axel remembers things differently, saying he left the band. Axel tries to lure Brown into a false sense of security by inviting Camp Rock to an opening night campfire, but it soon becomes clear that his intentions were simply to poach staff and campers from Camp Rock to force them to close. He is desperate for Camp Rock to fail, so tries as many things as possible to make that happen, even setting up this major competition and manipulating the voting to ensure Camp Star win, regardless of whether anybody watched the performances or not. However, he ends up losing campers to Camp Rock as his summer camp is missing out on any element of fun, which even disappoints his own daughter, who would rather not spend all of camp working to become famous. Axel Turner was played by Daniel Kash. He played Lorenzo Cosoleto in Season 2 of the Canadian crime drama Bad Blood (2017-18) and Sergeant Dan Lavery in Netflix’s Tiny Pretty Things (2020).
I will also briefly mention Georgina Farlow, the host of the Camp Wars competition show, who is clearly a friend of Axel’s which makes this competition seem even more dodgy and fixed! Arisa Cox was cast in this role, having previously co-hosted the programme E! Canada from 2007 to 2009. She went on to host Big Brother Canada (2013-24).
Outside of that, there are many returning characters and cast members for Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. Many of the Camp Rock campers returned, except for Lola who did not. Mostly, the other campers, like Caitlyn, Ella, Sander, Barron, and Peggy spend much of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam helping out with classes around Camp Rock and trying to avoid Mitchie’s wrath. They also help put together a stand-out performance at the competition thanks to their classes. These returning cast members include Alyson Stoner as Caitlyn; Anna Maria Perez de Tagle as Ella; Jasmine Richards as Peggy; Roshon Fegan as Sander; and Jordan Francis as Barron.
Meaghan Jette Martin also returned to play Tess, however, although Tess ended Camp Rock apologising to everyone and seemingly turning a corner from being her over-confident, egotistical self to someone who actually notices others around her, all that is quickly tossed aside during the events of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. This is because Tess joins Camp Star so she can be centre stage again, albeit sharing that stage with Luke, but it’s better than being in the background behind Mitchie, I suppose, like she was in the Opening Jam. Tess has some brief moments where it looks like she regrets her decision to leave Camp Rock, and then comes to Brown at the very end of the film to ask to come back to Camp Rock next summer, but it all seems a little unfair. We didn’t need Tess to be the mean girl again, because Luke is meant to be the bad boy now, leaving Tess with very little to do in Camp Rock 2. I think it was a strange direction to take her character in, but I’ve always liked Tess’s performances and I still liked them at Camp Star.
Finally, we have Connie Torres and Brown Cesario, played by Maria Canals-Barrera and Daniel Fathers, who also return to Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. Here, Brown is much less chilled out than he was in Camp Rock, as he feels like his livelihood is under threat thanks to a former bandmate. He is very thankful to the other campers for stepping in and helping with the staffing, and when he sees that the campers aren’t having fun like they should be, he encourages Shane to start that water fight. Brown has worries, and he tells Connie about those, but when he sees those worries are affecting the campers, he reins them in to avoid it ruining the summer camp experience; he wants Camp Rock to be a place of fun, not stress. Connie isn’t seen as much in Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam as she was in Camp Rock, probably because Mitchie is not spending time helping her in the kitchens this time round. It is also possible that Connie had to work in some new roles due to the staffing shortage, as we see at the end of the movie when she seems to be manning the phones in the office. It’s a bit of shame we don’t see more of Connie and Mitchie together because I liked the mother-daughter dynamic, and I feel like Connie needed to tell Mitchie to not take things so seriously earlier on in the film than Shane did.
MUSIC
Unlike the music in Camp Rock which is very much based around performances, the music of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam is more story-driven, although there are still plenty of on-stage performances to enjoy.
The soundtrack for Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam was released on 10th August 2010, to coincide with the Jonas Brothers tour, where some of the Camp Rock 2 cast joined them to perform songs from the movie. The soundtrack consists of fifteen songs.
In movie order, the film begins with “Brand New Day”, which is a song that Mitchie has begun writing and the Camp Rockers want to use for the Opening Jam. Mitchie hasn’t quite worked out all the music so she enlists the help of the other campers to finish the song, which she then performs on stage with Tess, Ella, Peggy, and Caitlyn. It’s an upbeat song, detailing the excitement of a new summer at Camp Rock. It was written by Kara DioGuardi and Mitch Allan, and was performed by Demi Lovato on lead vocals. It’s quite a catchy song that can get stuck in your head, and it’s nice for the film to open with a group number.
Following that are the performances at Camp Star’s “bonfire”, actually just an opportunity to show off their high spec camp. In the extended edition, you’ll hear Mitchie perform “Different Summers” on the guitar with Caitlyn, Ella, and Peggy as back-up. It’s quite a calm, relaxed tune, with some country music elements to it. “Different Summers” was predominately performed by Lovato as the lead singer again, and was written by Jamie Houston. This song is also available on the soundtrack, but for those who have not seen the extended edition, “Different Summers” was cut from the film, and instead, it skips right to Camp Star’s Luke performing “Fire”. This is a contrast to Mitchie’s song as Camp Star throw everything at this performance, like matching costumes, backing dancers, a live band, and pyrotechnics. It’s a stylish, professional performance, and I love it. “Fire” was written by Dapo Torimiro and Lyrica Anderson. It was performed by Matthew “Mdot” Finley as Luke.
After that, back at Camp Rock, Mitchie tries to encourage the other more senior campers to help keep Camp Rock open by working as camp counsellors this summer, to cover the staff shortage that they are facing. This is Mitchie’s rallying cry, calling everyone to come together. “Can’t Back Down” was written Antonina Armato, Tim James, and Thomas Sturges. Demi Lovato, Alyson Stoner, and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle are credited as performers on this song.
Next up is the fan-favourite song “It’s On”, which I liked when I first watched Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, but now I find this whole “battle song” a bit awkward to watch. I think it’s some of the choreography and just how serious the group are taking it, when really, it’s just challenging Camp Star to a sing-off at a summer camp; it’s not a life-or-death situation! “It’s On” was written by Toby Gad, Lyrica Anderson, and Kovasciar Myvette. It was performed by Lovato, Finley, Meaghan Jette Martin as Tess, Jordan Francis as Barron, Roshon Fegan and Sander, and Alyson Stoner as Caitlyn.
Then, we get the Mitchie and Shane song that everyone was expecting after their amazing Final Jam performance in the first Camp Rock, “Wouldn’t Change a Thing”. However, this time, this romantic song actually comes after the two have a fight, with Shane not understanding why Mitchie is working herself so hard for this competition, and Mitchie not understanding why Shane doesn’t get it. Although this song doesn’t culminate in them both making up, it shows that even though they are different people, they still love each other. It’s a sweet song, and Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato show once again how well their voices work together. “Wouldn’t Change a Thing” was written by Adam Anders, Nikki Hassman, and Peer Åström.
We also get another Jonas Brothers song, as the band Connect 3, like we did in Camp Rock. This time, the song is “Heart and Soul”, written by Antonina Armato, Tim James, Aaron Dudley and Steve Rushton. Much like “Play My Music” from Camp Rock, I don’t like “Heart and Soul” here. It’s starting to sound like I have a problem with the Jonas Brothers, and I actually don’t. Maybe it’s just I prefer typical pop tunes to more rock-like ones.
After that, we get another Mitchie and Shane duet. This time, the song is played as a montage of scenes of the two going on dates around the camp are shown, so they don’t perform it within the film. “You’re My Favorite Song” is another cute, romantic song. This song was written by Jeannie Lurie, Aris Archontis and Chen Neeman.
To match Mitchie and Shane’s romance, Nate gets his own love story with Dana from Camp Star. But there isn’t a romantic duet for the two of them, or even a sweet ballad from Nate. No, Nate sings “Introducing Me” which is really just a list of all the things Nate does and doesn’t like. Some of those things are kind of silly, but the song is actually well-written, by Jamie Houston, and performed well, by Nick Jonas. If you just read the lyrics and didn’t listen to the song, you’d probably think “Introducing Me” was the most ridiculous song you’d ever heard, so really, to get the best from it, you have to hear it in the context of the film.
There is also another song that only appears in the extended edition of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, and the official soundtrack. This is another Camp Star performance, although it is a late-night rehearsal. This is “Walkin’ in My Shoes”, which is actually my favourite song from both films. Despite only being a rehearsal, Camp Star never look rusty and “Walkin’ in My Shoes” is no different. It has smoke machines, high-energy dance moves, full lighting, and of course, the backing dancers, with Luke and Tess singing lead together. In the movie, this song is either shown as brief clips with no music, in the original cut of the film, or the full performance in the extended edition. It was performed by Finley and Martin as Luke and Tess, and written by Lyrica Anderson, Niclas Molinder, Joacim Persson, Johan Alkenäs and Pam Sheyne.
It is then time for the Final Jam competition, and Camp Star start off with “Tear It Down”, which also sees Luke and Tess up front, in another highly stylised performance, and I also love this song. I think had this been a real competition, I would’ve voted for Camp Star. I don’t know what it is but I really like all the Camp Star songs, and I likely would’ve followed Tess in being a traitor and moving from Camp Rock to Camp Star. Please, don’t hate me. “Tear It Down” was written by Toby Gad, Lyrica Anderson and Kovasciar Myvette.
Camp Rock’s Final Jam song is a very close second to “Tear It Down” though, especially as it is touching to see it as a group number, highlighting the fun element of Camp Rock that Camp Star is obviously missing, with the clips from the summer playing on screens behind Mitchie and Shane as they sing their duet. I think it also shows Jason being given a guitar-shaped birdhouse by the junior rockers; good, because he’d been going on about getting a birdhouse since the first film! The junior rockers get their solo bit as well in this performance, like Jason was promised. It’s also nice to see those beach balls that accidentally got delivered to Connie in the camp’s food budget being put to some use, by being thrown into the crowd! Their song is “What We Came Here For”, and it was written by Jamie Houston. Lovato and Joe Jonas sing the duet.
However, Camp Rock do not win and they are left to contemplate the potential end of Camp Rock forever with a final bonfire. But Mitchie, back to her usually positive self, and Shane encourage everyone in a sing-along. This song is “This Is Our Song”, and was written by Adam Watts and Andy Dodd. Demi Lovato, Joe Jonas, Nick Jonas, and Alyson Stoner perform this song. It shows that they are taking their defeat well, but during the song, we also see that many kids want to come to Camp Rock, with even Tess wanting to come back, making it seem like Camp Rock will survive – at least until next year! It’s a lovely song to end the movie on; it’s really great, and tear-jerking, if you’re that kind of person, like me.
Outside of that, there are two other songs that appear on the official Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam soundtrack. One of these is performed by Demi Lovato as Mitchie in a deleted scene that doesn’t even make it into the extended edition of the film. This song is “It’s Not Too Late” and should’ve taken place just after Mitchie overhears her mother and Brown talking about how the Camp Wars competition may be the end of Camp Rock. This song was written by Adam Watts and Andy Dodd.
The other song is “Rock Hard or Go Home”, which is not performed by any of the Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam cast members, and only appears as background music for the epic water fight scene. This song was written by Stacy Wilde and David Bellochio, and performed by Iron Weasel, the fictional rock band in the Disney XD series I’m in the Band (2009-11). “Rock Hard or Go Home” featured in the Season 1 episode “What Happened?” and in the Season 2 episode “Iron Weasel: The Video Game”.
There are also two songs that appear in Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam that are uncredited. One is the Camp Rock song “Play My Music” which plays briefly as Connect 3 arrive to Camp Rock on that hay truck, instead of in their fancy tour bus. The other is a song that is played during the scenes of the campers trying to work out their new schedule, after they take over the running of some classes. Sadly, the Internet doesn’t seem to have heard of this song, which is a shame, because the lyrics are clearly audible within the scene and it’s actually a pretty good song.
Much like with the Camp Rock soundtrack, international artists performed their own versions of the Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam songs for other countries’ soundtracks. Some examples are Portuguese singer Mia Rose and Italian band Finley singing “Wouldn’t Change a Thing”; and Spanish singer Lucia Gil performing “You’re My Favorite Song”.
The Camp Rock original soundtrack went platinum in the US and eight other countries, and gold in a dozen others[1]. It peaked at No. 3 on the US Billboard 200 chart in July 2008, staying in the Top 10 for ten consecutive weeks and topped the US Billboard Top Soundtracks chart, with four of the movie’s songs charting in the US Billboard Hot 100. Internationally, the soundtrack charted at No. 1 in Argentina, and No. 2 in countries like Canada, Mexico, Spain, and UK. So, how does the Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam soundtrack compare? Well, it debuted at No. 3 on US Billboard 200 chart as well, in August 2010, but dropped out of the Top 10 after one week. But the soundtrack did top the US Billboard Top Soundtracks chart, along with the UK Soundtrack Albums chart. It stayed in the Top 10 in the UK for 22 weeks. The soundtrack also charted within the Top 5 in other countries, including Italy, Canada, Spain, and Poland. The songs released as promotional singles were “Wouldn’t Change a Thing”, “Can’t Back Down”, “It’s On”, and “Fire”.
The composer on Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam was Christopher Lennertz. After Camp Rock 2, Lennertz worked with Disney Channel again, on the music for Lemonade Mouth (2011). He has also composed the music for many other movies, including the family-friendly films Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) and Hop (2011), and the comedy movies Horrible Bosses (2011) and its 2014 sequel, and Pitch Perfect 3 (2017).
PRODUCTION
It was pretty much a given that Camp Rock 2 would happen after the success of Camp Rock, in order to launch a new Disney musical franchise. Production on Camp Rock 2 was announced in July 2009, around a year after Camp Rock premiered in the US.
At this time, it was known that the movie’s full title would be Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam; that there would be a rival camp called Camp Star; and that there would be a Romeo and Juliet-style romance in amongst the story. Dana Bridges and Matthew “Mdot” Finley were confirmed as new cast members, and a new director, Paul Hoen, was confirmed too, alongside the return of Demi Lovato, the Jonas Brothers, and others[2].
Filming for the sequel returned to Canada in Autumn 2009, although some new locations were used. One of these was the Rockwood Conservation Area in Ontario, Canada, as well as Fall Street in Rockwood. Cabins were built in the area to represent Camp Rock’s buildings, and there was much excitement in the area at the sight of seeing the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato filming around there, so much so that officials had to close down half of the park to the public due to the numbers of fans around[3].
It would seem that the buildings for Camp Star were from the Kingbridge Conference Centre and Institute near Toronto, as well as the French River Visitor Centre. French River Provincial Park was said to be a filming location as well. The Earl Bales Amphitheatre in Toronto seems to have been used as the outdoor theatre at Camp Star[4]. It would appear that Kilcoo Camp in Minden, Ontario was once again used for some shots in Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, although it is unclear if the cast and crew returned to YMCA Camp Wanakita in Haliburton, Ontario too. But some areas, like the Mess Hall, were actually built as new sets in studios, so it is not certain how much of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam was filmed at these summer camps, compared to the first film.
Other information on filming includes the fact that the weather was incredibly mixed during the cast’s time filming Camp Rock 2 in Canada over the autumn, with them seeing sun, snow, and rain. Demi Lovato, for example, stated that when they filmed “Brand New Day” which was a long shoot anyway, filmed over multiple locations, she was wearing a sundress, yet could see snow falling. The Connect 3 tour bus falling into the lake was also looked at in behind-the-scenes footage. The crew stated that the bus weighed around 22,000 lbs, even though the bus was just a shell with its engine etc. pulled out. The bus was attached to a crane and tipped over to allow it to fall in a controlled way down the hill into the lake below. The new cast members, Chloe Bridges, and Matthew Finley felt very welcomed by the original cast, and Bridges stated that Dana was initially meant to be a violin player, but as she auditioned with her classical piano skills and got the part, Dana was changed to be a classical pianist. It was also shown that the set of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam tried to be as environmentally friendly as possible, encouraging cast and crew to use refillable water containers, and only putting food into containers made of corn starch, not plastic. It was stated that their set buildings were going to be donated to charity after use.
Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam also saw a change in some production staff. This included a new choreographer, Rosero McCoy, who has worked with the likes of Beyoncé. The cast enjoyed working with him, as they felt McCoy was supportive and encouraging. Their dance rehearsals were strenuous and it is obvious from watching the movie that the dancing in Camp Rock 2 is a step up from the dancing in Camp Rock. The cast had two weeks of dance rehearsals before filming[5].
A major staff change was that Camp Rock director Matthew Diamond did not return to work on the sequel. Instead, Paul Hoen, who already had a history of working on Disney Channel Original Movies, came on to direct Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. Hoen’s credits include the non-musicals Read It and Weep (2006), Eddie’s Million Dollar Cook-Off (2003), and The Luck of the Irish (2001). Prior to Camp Rock 2, Hoen had also directed the Disney musical The Cheetah Girls: One World (2008) before going on to direct all four of the ZOMBIES movies.
The screenplay did see the return of Karin Gist and Regina Hicks from the first movie, who had also both co-written the screenplay for Disney Channel’s Jump In! (2007) alongside Doreen Spicer-Danelly prior to working on Camp Rock. Dan Berendsen was a co-writer of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. Berendsen had previously had a long history of writing for Disney Channel, having credits that included writing for Twitches (2005) and its 2007 sequel; The Cheetah Girls: One World (2008); Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009); and the channel’s smash hit Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie (2009).
As well as promoting Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam with songs, sneak peeks, and behind-the-scenes moments on Disney Channel itself, it was decided that for the sequel, Disney would have some of the cast of Camp Rock 2 go on tour to promote the movie and the soundtrack, which came out prior to the film’s premiere date. This tour was known as The Jonas Brothers: Live in Concert tour, which began on 7th August 2010 in Illinois, and went all across North and South America before ending on 18th November 2010 in Abu Dhabi. Demi Lovato, Alyson Stoner, Jordan Francis, Matthew “Mdot” Finley, and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle joined the Jonas Brothers on this tour, singing some of the hits from Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. Stoner said in an interview whilst on tour that they were having a great time, but that it was a hectic schedule and that there had been a lot of doctor visits to check on the wellbeing on the cast, although they did also get tips on how to deal with the pressures of touring from the Jonas Brothers and Lovato who were used to it by this point[6].
But it soon became clear that not enough was being done to help these young Disney stars get through this tour, because it was later known to the press around November 2010, that Demi Lovato had had a physical altercation with a dancer whilst on tour and had been removed for the remainder of the dates. Lovato was said to have enter a rehab facility in order to deal with her personal issues[7]. Rumours started to gain traction that the split between Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato, and the fact that Joe was beginning a new relationship, had led to the altercation. Anyone who has heard Lovato’s story will know that those rumours were false and that she had been struggling for months, even years, prior.
Demi Lovato’s newfound fame from Camp Rock came like a whirlwind. Because of her star quality, Disney continued to find opportunities for her, however, in just the space of three years or so, Lovato was already overworked and finding herself pushing through, turning to other methods to try and escape the pain and pressure she was feeling. Her work schedule went something like this, according to her own account in the Child Star documentary: filming Camp Rock, to first album, to tour, to filming Sonny with a Chance Season 1, to filming Princess Protection Program, to new album, to another tour, to filming Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, to filming Sonny with a Chance Season 2, to the Camp Rock 2 tour with the Jonas Brothers. It had been non-stop since she’d come to Disney and neither she, nor her family, knew how to ask executives for a break. Lovato has also said that she doesn’t remember some of her career, like filming on Camp Rock 2 or some of Sonny with a Chance Season 2, saying that she has “disassociated” from it. In a reunion with Raven-Symoné who guest starred on Sonny with a Chance, Lovato said she didn’t really remember Raven being on the show, with Raven stating that she could see that Lovato was struggling, knowing all too well herself what it was like to be young and in the show business industry.
The dynamics on the set of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam changed as well between Lovato and some of her co-stars, as they had to acknowledge just how much Lovato’s life had changed in those two short years, and had to come to terms with her new star status. Alyson Stoner has said that they found it difficult to interact with Lovato on set, finding that they and the rest of the cast were walking on eggshells around her, for fear of causing an argument should they say the wrong thing. This behaviour continued throughout their time on the tour as well. Demi Lovato said that she feels terrible, knowing that she treated people poorly at this time, and has apologised to those she upset. Alyson Stoner has talked about some of their struggles as a child star, including their time on the set of Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, in their memoir Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything, published in 2025.
After the altercation on the tour, Lovato probably knew she had to make some changes to her life, and did not return to acting on Disney Channel, leaving Sonny with a Chance (2009-11) after two seasons, leading to Disney Channel attempting to rebrand the show as a comedy sketch show called So Random! (2011-12), based on the in-show sketch show that Sonny and the cast act on. It only lasted one season before being cancelled. Lovato instead focused on her music, and after leaving Disney, has been an advocate for mental health and addiction struggles, as well as wanting to change the conversation around just what being a child star means and entails to help future generations[8].
Lovato and Stoner were not the only two who did not have a great experience filming Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. Meaghan Jette Martin, who played Tess, felt that her character had been poorly written for the sequel, especially after having such a positive ending at the end of Camp Rock. Martin also stated that she was very ill with glandular fever, also known as “mono”, throughout her time filming Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam and that this was only made worse by having to do many night shoots during the cold weather in Canada that autumn, and all whilst wearing summery clothes. In behind-the-scenes footage, Martin did not sound well. Martin went on to say she felt she was being berated, bullied, and manipulated whilst filming[9]. Martin was invited to attend the tour with the other cast members of Camp Rock 2 and the Jonas Brothers, but she decided not to go, choosing instead to film the movie Mean Girls 2 (2011), where she played Jo and said she had an amazing time filming the movie, despite the film being panned by critics. Martin has since moved on from her life as a child star and found fulfilment in her career and life[10].
RECEPTION
The red-carpet premiere for Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam was held at Lincoln Center in New York City on 18th August 2010, presumably a date found in amongst a very busy tour schedule. The movie did not premiere on Disney Channel US until 3rd September 2010, making its way to international channels within that same month for the most part.
Just under 8 million viewers watched the Camp Rock 2 premiere on 3rd September, with further showings over the Labor Day Weekend in 2010, including sing-along and dance-along editions[11]. This figure was around 1 million less than the audience that watched Camp Rock on its premiere date in 2008, however, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam was still the most-watched Disney Channel Original Movie of 2010, by quite some margin. Only StarStruck (2010), which just so happened to star Demi Lovato’s handsome co-star from Sonny with a Chance, Sterling Knight, came close, reaching 6 million viewers. The other two DCOMs of 2010, Den Brother and Avalon High, each reached a little under 4 million viewers. Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam’s viewership would not be beaten until 2013 with the release of Teen Beach Movie. It sits at No. 7 on the Top 10 most-watched DCOM premieres list.
The reviews for Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam were not as good as those of Camp Rock either, although some did enjoy the bigger and better musical performances, as well as the greater character development for some of the characters. I can only assume that this comment was referencing the fact that both Nick and Kevin Jonas got significantly more screen time than they did in Camp Rock, because quite a lot of other characters, like Caitlyn and Peggy, had much less time on screen in this sequel, which I personally found to be a bit disappointing, given that Caitlyn was Mitchie’s best friend in Camp Rock, and Peggy had that big performance at Final Jam in the first movie where she showed herself to be a truly talented singer and soloist. They both faded into the background along with many of the other campers from the first film here, but I guess screenwriters are constantly struggling with finding compromises. Others liked the plot twist, which must be referring to the fact that Camp Rock did not win the competition against Camp Star, although some viewers were annoyed and even angry at that. I personally liked this realistic ending, and felt it was similar to Eddie’s Million Dollar Cook-Off, where Eddie did not win his cooking competition. In the case of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, Camp Rock were battling against an aggressive marketing campaign that was in favour of Camp Star, so it would’ve been strange to have them win when Axel Turner was manipulating the voting system.
On the other hand, some viewers felt that the story for Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam was just a rehash of the first film and that the story was not good enough for a sequel. Many disappointed viewers felt that a sequel wasn’t even needed. These comments go alongside the usual reviews for DCOMs were people stated the film was “cheesy” and “cringey”.
Despite those comments, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam went on to win the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Family TV Movie, up against competition like Disney’s StarStruck and Nickelodeon’s iCarly: iPsycho (2010). Paul Hoen was also nominated at the Directors Guild of America for Children’s Programs, but lost to Eric Bross, who directed the Nickelodeon movie The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (2010).
LEGACY
After Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam premiered, fans were eagerly awaiting news of a third movie. After all, both High School Musical and The Cheetah Girls had reached three movies, so it was believable that Camp Rock would do the same.
As the months went by, it was becoming clearer, as both Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers drifted away from Disney to jump-start their careers outside of the Disney Channel, that a Camp Rock 3 was looking unlikely to ever happen. But don’t worry, randomly, Disney decided to release a Nintendo DS game based on Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam shortly after the movie’s release date, so that was about as good as a sequel, right?
There was a small reference to Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam and the first film at the Disney Parks though. At Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, from October 2010 to 2013, there was a short stage show performed called Disney Channel Rocks, which was similar to the High School Musical pep rallies that had been seen at this park as promotion for the trilogy of films. Disney Channel Rocks showcased music from many Disney Channel musicals including The Cheetah Girls, StarStruck, Jump In!, and of course, High School Musical. From Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, the songs “It’s On”, “Heart and Soul”, and “This is Our Song” were performed.
A slightly altered version of this show later appeared at the special event Disney Channel Nite at Disneyland After Hours in March 2024. It contained music from The Cheetah Girls, Camp Rock and its sequel, with the additions of “Brand New Day” and “Can’t Back Down”, and High School Musical still, but not some of the lesser-known Disney Channel musicals. Also at Disney Channel Nite, guests could have their photograph taken in front of a Camp Rock backdrop, and sing-along to hits from the movies at Camp Rock Karaoke.
Many of Camp Rock’s cast have mentioned the movie on social media, especially around a milestone anniversary, despite there being little hope of Camp Rock being revived as the years went on. For example, in 2018, Joe Jonas tweeted that he was still bitter that Camp Rock lost to Camp Star in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Camp Rock. Kevin Jonas commented on the dodgy haircut he had in Camp Rock, but this was sorted out for the sequel, along with Joe’s hair which I think was equally dodgy! It was also around this time that the Jonas Brothers were asked in interviews about a Camp Rock 3. They talked about potentially wanting to be involved in an R-rated sequel, something that they could relate to as adults and that original viewers who were also adults themselves would enjoy[12].
But 2025, the year of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam’s 15th anniversary, seems to have had the most Camp Rock news in a decade. Firstly, there was a Bop to the Top Summer Tour at House of Blues locations across the US over the summer of 2025, where songs from many Disney Channel movies and series, like Hannah Montana, High School Musical, Lemonade Mouth, and of course, Camp Rock were played to attendees. It would also seem that Matthew “Mdot” Finley and Roshon Fegan, who played Luke and Sander in the movies, attended some of these events as special guests.
In August 2025, rumours really started swirling about a Camp Rock 3 and that is all from a Hot Ones Versus video filmed with the Jonas Brothers that was released on 12th August. In this video, Joe was tasked with reading the most recent entry on his phone’s Notes app and it said “Read Camp Rock 3”[13]. This might not have seemed like much on its own, but this video followed a surprise appearance by Demi Lovato at MetLife Stadium with the Jonas Brothers as part of their Greetings From Your Hometown tour. Here, Lovato performed “This Is Me”, following on from Joe’s performance of “Gotta Find You”. They then finished up with their duet “Wouldn’t Change a Thing” from Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. Fans were ecstatic to see Demi Lovato reunited with the Jonas Brothers, and this has fuelled the rumours of a Camp Rock 3[14].
An official confirmation of Camp Rock 3 was later announced on 17th September 2025, with filming beginning in Canada that same week. The story is going to revolve around Connect 3 looking for campers to be their new opening act for a major reunion tour. It was confirmed that the Jonas Brothers would be returning as the members of Connect 3, Shane, Nate, and Jason, and that Maria Canals-Barrera will be the only other original cast member returning for this third movie, as Connie Torres, Mitchie’s mother. Demi Lovato was only listed as an executive producer, alongside the Jonas Brothers, although she could end up having a small cameo in the film, I suppose. A list of new cast members was also announced for Camp Rock 3, including Malachi Barton, who starred as Victor in ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires (2025) and Liamani Segura, who appeared as Emmy in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2019-23) and is set to play Pink, Red’s sister, in the fifth Descendants film Descendants: Wicked Wonderland (2026)[15]. To be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about Camp Rock 3. I’m bored of reboots, even of things I like.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Once again, it is disappointing to hear that some of the stars of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam did not have an enjoyable experience on this film. It baffles me just how Disney Channel could’ve ignored these young people’s struggles for so long without doing something about it, only increasing the pressure on them due to the potential status of Camp Rock as a musical franchise for the company.
Thanks to a more encouraging environment where we allow people to discuss mental health and other personal struggles, these former child stars have been able to open up about their experiences, and although it may make the nostalgia for these films and TV shows bittersweet afterwards, it’s an important step to allow them to move on from a troubling, even traumatic, time in their lives. I can only hope that entertainment companies are listening and making changes. I’m not sure if Disney Channel themselves have learnt from their past, as fairly recent stars from the franchises of Descendants and ZOMBIES, for example, have not publicly shared difficult stories around filming their respective movies, or whether their time will come to do this. I hope it is the former and not the latter.
With the potential for Camp Rock 3, and the recent reunion of Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers, perhaps the time has come for the former cast to revisit this franchise, either directly or indirectly, to finally gain some closure from it, to put it behind them.
REFERENCES
[1] Credit: Paul Bond, ‘New Crew For ‘Camp Rock 2’’, Billboard.com, 8th July 2009.
[2] Credit: Helen O’Hara, ‘Camp Rock 2 Starts Production’, EmpireOnline.com, 8th July 2009.
[3] Credit: Advertiser Staff, ‘Jonas brothers a big hit in Rockwood’, WellingtonAdvertiser.com, date unknown.
[4] Credit: Richard Ouzounian, ‘Behind the scenes of Jonas Brothers’ Camp Rock 2’, TheStar.com, 1st September 2010.
[5] Credit: Disney, ‘Road to Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam’, Disney Channel Official YouTube Channel, July 2010.
[6] Credit: Jessica Norton, ‘All About Camp Rock 2!’, Seventeen.com, 31st August 2010.
[7] Credit: ABC News, ‘Demi Lovato Leaves Jonas Bros. Tour to Get Treatment for ‘Emotional and Physical Issues’, ABCNews.com, 3rd November 2010.
[8] Credit: Demi Lovato and Nicola B. Marsh, Child Star (2024), Disney+.
[9] Credit: Isobel Lewis, ‘Disney Channel star Meaghan Martin says she was ‘berated, bullied, and manipulated’ while filming Camp Rock 2’, Independent.co.uk, 28th August 2022.
[10] Credit: Roisin O’Connor, ‘The mice that roared: How Disney’s former child stars are fighting to change the entertainment industry’, Independent.co.uk, 19th July 2021.
[11] Credit: Just Jared Jr., ‘Camp Rock 2 The Final Jam: 8 Million Viewers Strong’, JustJaredJr.com, 4th September 2010.
[12] Credit: Zoë Weiner, ‘“Camp Rock” Stars Are Getting Nostalgic on Twitter About the Film’s 10th Anniversary’, TeenVogue.com, 20th June 2018.
[13] Credit: Samantha Olson, ‘Is ‘Camp Rock 3’ Happening? Joe Jonas May Have Just Confirmed It’, Cosmopolitan.com, 13th August 2025.
[14] Credit: Larisha Paul, ‘Jonas Brothers Reunite With Demi Lovato For ‘Camp Rock’ Classics At Stadium Tour Opener’, RollingStone.com, 11th August 2025.
[15] Credit: Disney, ‘‘Camp Rock 3’ Officially Greenlit for Disney+ and Disney Channel’, TheWaltDisneyCompany.com, 17th September 2025.
The Disney Purist 
I love camp rock
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Easily one of the best Disney Channel movies. Let’s hope the third one will be just as good!
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