BACKGROUND
After the successful musical franchises of the 2000s, Disney Channel had to find ways to engage viewers with further movies unrelated to these franchises that had since ended.
This led to Disney Channel releasing a couple of standalone musicals in the 2010s, like Lemonade Mouth (2011) and Let It Shine (2012), which got decent reviews and viewing figures, but were nothing amazing when compared to the bigger franchises. Disney Channel wanted to recreate that feeling that High School Musical had created just a few years before, but they hadn’t quite managed to do that.
So, naturally, they kept trying – and they thought they’d hit the jackpot with their 2013 film Teen Beach Movie. It has some of the best reviews of any Disney Channel film, musical or not, that came out after High School Musical. It is colourful, high-energy, full of dancing and singing, and even had a leading star of a Disney Channel series, Ross Lynch, to star in it. The ingredients were all there to create a new smash-hit Disney Channel musical franchise, and it worked, showing how easily Disney can manufacture success.
I use the word “manufacture” not to be unnecessarily mean, and with my choice of word, it is probably quite clear to tell that I was not a fan of Teen Beach Movie. I felt that Teen Beach Movie lacked any uniqueness and was just a mish-mash of other popular musicals and films. It was so much like Grease, but so cheesy like Disney – and usually, I’m ok with that, especially in their musicals. This time, I couldn’t get past it, despite being a fan of ZOMBIES, Descendants, High School Musical, Camp Rock, and The Cheetah Girls.
Honestly, I just really didn’t like Teen Beach Movie and couldn’t wait for it to end. The music wasn’t good, the whole main storyline was cringey to sit through, and I kept getting annoyed that it was basically copying an episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996-2003) called “Beach Blanket Bizarro”, where Sabrina and her friends end up under a spell that has turned their Spring Break resort into a 1960s beach movie, and they struggle to adapt to their new surroundings and all that “good, clean fun”.
This episode and Teen Beach Movie were both clearly influenced by the same beach films, but having the Sabrina the Teenage Witch episode actually be a parody, and very funny, worked so much better than Teen Beach Movie, which didn’t seem to know if it should be a mocking parody or a straight-out imitation of that type of film.
PLOT
Teen Beach Movie begins with teenage couple Brady and McKenzie, also known as Mack, hanging out on the beach together, surfing and just generally enjoying their summer vacation. At the end of their perfect day, they discuss their excitement at the fact the beach is expecting 40-foot waves tomorrow, hoping it’ll be like a surfer’s paradise. Mack has something to tell Brady about tomorrow, though she doesn’t want to spoil the day.
The two then go to Big Poppa’s Surf Shop, this being the home of Mack’s grandfather as well as his store. They see Big Poppa working on a surfboard whilst watching a 1960s beach movie called Wet Side Story. Wow, I see what they did there, what a clever name… It is about two people, one from the local biker gang and the other from the surfing group, falling in love, despite there being an intense rivalry between them. Mack thinks the film is silly, but Brady actually likes it. She looks on as Brady and her grandfather watch the movie’s fight scene, occasionally picking holes in the story just for her amusement!
Then, Mack’s Aunt Antoinette arrives, and tells Mack to get ready because they are leaving tomorrow. Brady is shocked, but Mack isn’t. It is explained that Mack’s summer is now over as she will be flying back east to attend Dunwich Preparatory Academy, something that Mack and her aunt agreed on years ago. Mack asks if she can still go surfing tomorrow, but her aunt doesn’t think she’ll have time to do that before their flight. Brady is angry with Mack for not saying anything about it. She explains that she tried to, but didn’t know how to tell him. This was a deal she made with her aunt after her mother’s death; to attend a really good school for the second part of high school, so she can succeed like her mother wanted her to. The two essentially break up.
The next morning, Mack is getting ready to leave, before deciding to go out and surf like she’d planned, grabbing a yellow board with a red flower on it, seemingly a family heirloom. On the beach, the waves are bigger and stronger than any of the surfers had anticipated, with many struggling to adapt. Brady comes to watch Mack surf. She heads into the water, and manages to surf a smaller wave. As the clouds start to turn darker, and the weather clearly gets worse, Mack’s grandfather is concerned about her. The lifeguards call all the surfers in, although Mack decides to stay out, wanting to ride a really big wave. Thinking Mack is in trouble, Brady gets on a jet ski to help her. She refuses to come back in, instead choosing to catch a huge wave, but she wipes out. Brady tries to rescue her.
The two resurface to find the ocean calm and the sky bright again. Mack is annoyed at Brady for trying to help her, saying she didn’t need any help. As they continue to argue on the beach, they see that something is wrong. The beach is full of pretty, fresh-faced young people, singing and dancing. After watching the surfers perform, Mack thinks they’ve died and ended up in a musical! Brady deduces that they aren’t dead but that they are in a musical, specifically Wet Side Story, the same film they watched part of the day before. Brady is very excited and encourages Mack to join in, but she’s not at all interested.
Mack and Brady follow the group into Big Momma’s, a hangout place on the beach. Inside, the surfers seem confused by the arrival of Brady and Mack, saying they don’t like outsiders in this place. They are interrupted by the biker gang, The Rodents, showing up, taking the heat off Mack and Brady. The bikers then perform a song, to show that they deserve to hang out in Big Momma’s alone, not with the surfers, which Brady joins in with. Mack starts to panic about being stuck in 1962, saying they need to figure out how to leave. Brady says since they arrived via a storm, then they’ll have to wait for a storm to happen so they can leave. Lucky for them, Brady remembers there is a storm at the end of the movie – so they’ll have to blend in until then.
That evening, Mack and Brady show up at Big Momma’s for a party that the surfers invited them to. Mack sees her surfboard has reappeared next to her, randomly, and places her rash guard next to it, because no-one here wears them. The bikers come into Big Momma’s again, continuing to plan for how they can get the surfers away from “their” hangout once and for all. Biker gang leader Butchy sees his sister being looked at by the surfers, and checks they weren’t bothering her. His sister, Lela, doesn’t have the same animosity towards the surfers as he does.
Now, it’s time for Lela to sing. Brady convinces Mack to dance with him during the song, but she doesn’t want to. She tries to leave, but she keeps getting dragged into the dance number! This is meant to be the point in the movie where Lela meets Tanner, the head of the surfer gang, and instantly fall in love, however, Mack pushes past the dancers to leave the shack and ends up bumping into Tanner. She falls into his arms. Brady then remembers that Lela is going to fall off the stage, and catches her since Tanner is too busy with Mack. Lela then falls for Brady. Brady realises that they’ve messed up the events of the film, because they stopped the bikers and the surfers from fighting because Tanner didn’t catch Lela. They have three days until the storm, so they’ll have to get the movie back on track soon. Brady worries that other events might not be going as planned either. He knows that the movie’s villain, Les Camembert, is meant to be building a diabolical weather machine, to try to get Big Momma to sell her shack to him so he can redevelop the land. They go to Les Camembert’s hideout by the beach to check what’s going on.
Outside the hideout, they find a key under the doormat allowing them to get inside. Here, they see Dr. Fusion, a mad scientist, building the machine for Les Camembert. The machine is going to make the weather so humid and the ocean so calm that neither the bikers nor the surfers will want to be on the beach anymore, leaving Big Momma’s empty and with Big Momma being forced to sell it to Les Camembert. Brady says that Lela and Tanner are the ones to destroy the machine in the film, bringing the surfers and the bikers together to do so. Without those two, the machine won’t blow up and there won’t be a storm.
Later, Brady and Mack spend time with Lela and Tanner. Tanner says that he likes Mack because she’s different from the other girls here, whilst Brady asks Lela about the turf war between the bikers and the surfers. He says Tanner seems cool, but Lela ignores that comment, instead saying Brady was very courageous to save her life like he did. Lela goes to kiss Brady, but he pulls back, saying he isn’t what she thinks he is. Tanner says he wants to write a song about Mack, launching in to it straight after. Mack and Brady try to convince Tanner and Lela that they are perfect for each other, but the two barely look at each other. They’ll need a new plan. Brady gets an invite from Tanner to hang out with the surfers at Big Momma’s whilst Lela invites Mack to a pyjama party with the biker girls. They then see that Mack’s rash guard has completely vanished. It didn’t belong here, so it disappeared. They start to wonder what will happen to them if they stay in this musical for too long…
At the pyjama party, Mack is bored by the constant boy talk that the biker girls have, only wanting to look good to impress the boys. Mack tries to get them to dress and look how they want, but the girls don’t understand what Mack is talking about. She tries to empower the girls to think about anything other than boys, but it doesn’t work. They give her a biker girl makeover instead. Meanwhile, Brady learns that Tanner doesn’t care about the surfer-biker divide, just wanting to find that special girl, giving him hope for Tanner and Lela.
The next day, Brady and Mack don’t think they’ve made much progress with Tanner and Lela at all. Mack fears that they’ll be stuck here, but Brady is quite calm about the situation, liking being a surfer guy here and liking spending time with Mack. Brady says they’ll have to find another way to get Tanner and Lela together then, if Mack is so determined to get home to get to her fancy new school. Mack goes surfing with Tanner, impressing all the surfer group, since girls don’t surf in this era. Tanner once again says that bikers aren’t that bad, and that people aren’t always as you’d expect them to be.
Mack spends another evening with Lela, where they talk boys again. Mack compliments Lela on her necklace, of a Hawaiian flower. They’ve become good friends quite quickly, saying they feel like they can share anything with each other. This leads Lela to tell Mack that she wants to surf, although she’s scared about what her brother will think. Mack encourages Lela to learn how to surf, saying Brady should teach her.
The following day, Lela waits for Brady to meet her for a surf lesson, but Mack hasn’t set this up. Mack goes for a walk with Tanner on the beach, after he gives her a flower crown that he made for her. She then sees that the ocean has suddenly become calm, because Les Camembert and Dr. Fusion have turned on their weather machine. She tells Tanner to keep walking and she’ll catch up with him after she’s spoken to Brady. Les Camembert then orders Dr. Fusion to power up the machine to make their weather changes permanent. They go to the beach to see what’s going on with the weather.
Mack finds Brady and tries to come up with a plan for getting back into Les Camembert’s hideout. She falls into the water, and comes out completely dry. She then starts singing for no reason, making her realise they are changing into characters from the musical. They don’t have time for this, and decide to find Lela and Tanner. Coincidentally, Tanner and Lela have ended up at the same point of the beach. Mack and Brady then come across Les Camembert and Dr. Fusion, who hit Brady with a stun gun.
Meanwhile, Lela tells Tanner that she likes to surf and the two bond over their common interest. Lela says she doesn’t care about being like the bikers, and Tanner says he’s always wanted to ride a motorcycle. The two instantly fall for each other. Then, they see Mack’s flower crown has washed up on the beach. Fearing something bad has happened to her and Brady, they go to Big Momma’s to get help, but the bikers and the surfers refuse to come together. Lela and Tanner rally support, saying that they’ve realised they have more in common than they thought, and they shouldn’t waste their time fighting anymore. They declare their love for each other. Butchy then comes up to Tanner. It looks like he’s about to start a fight. Actually, Butchy is moved by this and says they’ll help find Brady and Mack.
Mack and Brady are caught and tied up to Les Camembert’s weather machine, where he tells them his plan to buy Big Momma’s and drive the surfers and bikers away from this beach. Les Camembert then sees the surfers and bikers running towards his hideout.
Mack and Brady talk whilst they wait for their rescue. She tells Brady that if she hadn’t been stuck in this film, telling Lela to follow her heart, she’d never have realised that she doesn’t want to go to that prep school. She’s actually glad all this happened. Above them, Dr. Fusion continues to make adjustments to the machine. Mack and Brady ask Dr. Fusion if he really wants to do this, but with Mack knowing the specifics of the machine, Dr. Fusion becomes suspicious of them. Mack and Brady say they are from the future and that Dr. Fusion is just a character in a movie, making him question his whole existence. He is ordered by Les Camembert to turn the machine on right away, so he does.
The surfers and the bikers see a ray coming from the lighthouse and now know the way to Les Camembert’s hideout. Together, they storm the lair and start destroying the machine and all the plans for it, whilst Tanner and Lela untie Brady and Mack. Lela learns that the machine’s motor isn’t much different to a motorcycle, but they think it’ll be hard to disable it. Lela finds a way, using a hairpin, almost falling from the machine but being caught by Tanner, like she should’ve been when she almost fell off the stage at Big Momma’s. The machine starts to malfunction and the teenagers leave the area. The machine blows up, with Les Camembert and Dr. Fusion tied to it. They end up floating on part of the machine in the ocean, and Dr. Fusion reveals to Les Camembert that this was all just part of a movie.
Back on the beach, Mack and Brady see that it is the end of the movie and now it is time for them to leave. The surfers and bikers thank the two for all they’ve done for the group, bringing everyone together. Lela gives Mack her necklace so she’ll remember her. They then retrieve their surfboard and paddle into the ocean as the storm starts to approach. They hit a huge wave, wiping out once again.
This time, Mack and Brady resurface in the ocean back home in present day, where the storm is still circulating, so no time has passed. Brady gives Mack her space to ride the wave she wanted to that morning. She successfully surfs the giant wave, surfing all the way back on to the beach. Everyone is impressed, including her grandfather. But Mack’s aunt then arrives and she isn’t happy, because they are now late for their flight and for Mack’s school registration. Mack says she wants to stay right here and not go to that school, wanting to have her own life, thinking her mother would just want her to be happy. Her aunt says Mack is headstrong, just like her grandfather, but accepts Mack’s decision. Brady then drags Mack into a group dance number on the beach, to properly end their story.
In a post-credits scene, the musical characters find themselves washed up on a beach in present day. They see someone on the beach, who thinks they are lost, and offers them the use of his phone. They find it the most fascinating thing they’ve ever seen, leaving the passerby looking incredibly confused!
CHARACTERS & CAST
McKenzie, or Mack as she is mostly known, is a realist. She knows that she can’t spend her whole summer surfing all day with Brady, and knows that eventually, she’ll have to make tough decisions that will benefit her future, like leaving Brady and her grandfather and moving away to attend a great school. She scoffs at Wet Side Story, at how ridiculous the plot is, and how characters randomly burst into song, again showing that Mack likes to keep her head out of the clouds. However, when she finds herself stuck in Wet Side Story, Mack learns to go with the flow a bit more and let go of expectations for herself, instead choosing to do what makes her happy. Although she is less than impressed at being trapped in a musical initially with all that singing and dancing, she learns that she should follow her heart and discovers she was only going to go to that school to make her aunt happy and try to make her mother proud. When her and Brady return to present day, she is able to explain that she wants to stay right where she is and go to the same school, knowing that she can make her own decisions, and change her mind if she wants.
Maia Mitchell was cast as Mack in Teen Beach Movie. Surprisingly, Mitchell was not already a Disney Channel star when she starred in this film, although around the same time, she was appearing as Callie Adams Foster in the drama series The Fosters (2013-18), which aired on Freeform, a channel owned by The Walt Disney Company. Mitchell went on to reprise this role in the spin-off Good Trouble (2019-24) and has since been cast in other Disney projects, such as voicing the recurring character Jasiri in the animated series The Lion Guard (2016-19). Currently, Mitchell plays Lady Belle Fox in The Artful Dodger (2023-present) on Disney+, with Thomas Brodie-Sangster in the title role.
Brady is more of the typical laidback surfer type. He seems quite comfortable to just live life day-by-day, spending every summer day in pretty much the same way; he just wants to spend it with Mack. He is hurt to discover that Mack is planning on moving away the very next day, having not thought to mention it to him at any point during their summer vacation. He is later hurt again by Mack when she complains about him trying to rescue her when she’s being stupid and staying out in the ocean surfing when it’s not safe. On finding himself in Wet Side Story, Brady actually couldn’t be calmer and happier. He loves being a character in this movie, getting to sing and act along with his favourite characters. His expertise on the film’s plot helps him and Mack get through their time in the musical, and gets them home. Even though Mack moans at Brady for getting too caught up in the musical, and not thinking about getting back home, it is actually Mack who ended up in Tanner’s arms and messed up the plot of the film, not Brady, and he is just as involved in getting the story back on track when he realises how important it is to Mack. On arriving back home, Brady is ecstatic to learn that Mack isn’t moving away to go to a new school and to celebrate he makes Mack be part of a real beach musical number in the present day.
Ross Lynch was cast as Brady. Unlike Mitchell, Lynch was already a Disney Channel star before his casting in Teen Beach Movie, as Lynch was playing Austin Moon in the Disney Channel series Austin & Ally (2011-16) before Teen Beach Movie. Lynch was also a member of the band R5 at the time, having formed it in 2009 with his brothers; the band ended in 2018. Lynch went on to form a duo with his brother Rocky called The Driver Era right after. He is also known for his role as Harvey Kinkle in the Netflix series The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018-20).
Tanner is the leading man of Wet Side Story. He falls into the “nice-but-dim” category here, as he is well aware of his good looks and his ability to make girls fall for him, but he hasn’t got very much to say in terms of deep conversation! Tanner is the leader of the surfers, so we know he likes surfing at least. He also doesn’t care about the divide between the bikers and the surfers, not getting dragged into the fights and turf wars. Tanner doesn’t have a problem with the bikers, knowing that they are probably quite similar people, and he has a secret longing to ride a motorcycle. Tanner falls for Mack at the start of this film, as she falls into his arms and not Lela, but it’s clear from the awkward conversations between the two of them that they are not right for each other. In the end, Tanner and Lela manage to start a conversation all on their own, without Mack and Brady’s help, finding that they have a lot in common and they fall instantly in love. Knowing Mack and Brady are in trouble, they also manage to bring the bikers and the surfers together to stop Les Camembert’s plan once and for all, allowing them to keep their beach hangout and all be friends.
Tanner was played by Garrett Clayton. Clayton went on to appear in the recurring role as Chase Dillon in The Fosters. He was also cast as Link Larkin in the television adaptation Hairspray Live! which aired on NBC in 2016 with an all-star cast, also featuring Kristin Chenoweth and Dove Cameron as Velma and Amber Von Tussle; Ariana Grande as Penny; and Martin Short and Harvey Fierstein as Wilbur and Edna Turnblad.
Lela is part of the biker group and the leading lady of Wet Side Story. She likes to sing, as can be seen by her performance at Big Momma’s, and she also doesn’t have anything against the surfers, however, with Butchy, her brother, being the leader of the bikers, she has to be careful what she says. In Wet Side Story, Lela is supposed to fall off the stage and be caught by Tanner, however, as Tanner does not make it to the stage in time, thanks to Mack getting in the way, she is caught by Brady and starts to become seriously interested in him. Lela thinks Brady is her hero just because he was in the right place at the right time. Although Lela seems boy-crazed, like the other girls in Wet Side Story, she actually wants to surf, even though girls aren’t supposed to surf, especially not biker girls. With this in mind, Lela is the catalyst for change in the movie, as her love of surfing allows her to build a relationship with Tanner, and his love of motorcycles is another thing they have in common. Lela and Tanner’s relationship changes the whole course of the film. Lela is a sweet girl with a good heart.
Lela was played by Grace Phipps, now known by the name Gracie Gillam, but credited here as Grace Phipps. Before her role in Teen Beach Movie, she had been cast as Amy Tiffany Martins in the ABC Family series The Nine Lives of Chloe King (2011), going on to appear as April Young in Season 4 of The Vampire Diaries (2009-17). She later appeared as Megan in Season 2 of the Freeform series Baby Daddy (2012-17).
Then, there is Butchy, Lela’s brother and the leader of The Rodents, such a tough name for a teen biker gang! Butchy has very strong ideas about the surfers, not wanting them anywhere near him and his group, or even looking at them. Sadly, the bikers and the surfers have both chosen the same hangout spot: Big Momma’s, so they are constantly seeing each other. Butchy wants to find a way to claim Big Momma’s for the bikers, but apart from casually threatening them every now and again – through the use of song and dance – nothing really happens with that! When Butchy learns that his sister Lela is going out with a surfer, you’d think he’d be really angry about it, however, he sees his sister’s love for Tanner and accepts their relationship, ending the biker-surfer feud once and for all.
John DeLuca was cast as Butchy. Around this time, DeLuca had a few guest roles in other Disney Channel series, including Wizards of Waverly Place (2007-12) and Jessie (2011-15). Around 2016, DeLuca was cast in the recurring role of Aaron Roland in the long-running daytime soap General Hospital (1963-present).
Les Camembert is the evil villain in Wet Side Story. Les Camembert is apparently from Pittsburgh, but acts like a posh English gentleman, with his fancy suit, fake moustache, slicked-back hair, and teacup in hand, probably because every good movie has a British villain! His plan is to change the weather so that he can stop the ocean having waves good for surfing and making the air so humid that none of the bikers or surfers want to hang out at the beach or at Big Momma’s. This is because he wants to take over Big Momma’s and take over the land. He comes close with this scheme, as the weather machine that is built to change the weather does work, however, he doesn’t count on the bikers and the surfers figuring out his devious plan and then working together to stop it, so he ends up being blown up by his own machine. That sounds about right for the fate of a Disney villain!
Les Camembert was played by Steve Valentine, who had already appeared in a few Disney Channel roles prior to Teen Beach Movie. One of these was playing Archie in the DCOM Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie (2009), followed by being cast as Mr. Moore in Avalon High (2010). Valentine had also been cast as Derek Jupiter in the series I’m in the Band (2009-11). Valentine has a history of voice work too, having voiced the character of Alistair in the Dragon Age series of games; Minister of Spring in Tinker Bell (2008) and its sequel Secret of the Wings (2012); as well as some characters in Jake and the Never Land Pirates (2011-16) and Mickey and the Roadster Racers (2017-21). More recently, Valentine played Dracula in Monster High: The Movie (2022) and its 2023 sequel.
Dr. Fusion is the mad scientist that Les Camembert hires to build his weather machine and surprisingly it does work. Dr. Fusion even had some plutonium on hand to power it up to make the weather changes permanent. Dr. Fusion later has an identity crisis after Brady and Mack let slip that he is just a character in a movie, causing him to take the machine’s explosion in his stride as he knows this isn’t real, even telling Les Camembert the truth about their existence.
Dr. Fusion was played by Kevin Chamberlin, who was most known at the time for his role as Bertram in the Disney channel series Jessie. Chamberlin has had a history of appearing in stage musicals too, originating the role of Horton the Elephant in the 2000 Broadway production of Seussical, and being an original cast member in The Addams Family musicalin 2010, playing Uncle Fester, alongside Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth, who were cast as Gomez and Morticia Addams. Chamberlin was also a replacement for The Wizard in Wicked on Broadway around 2018/19, and was cast as Nicely Nicely in the 2022 Kennedy Center production of Guys & Dolls. On screen, he appeared as Sheldon in The Prom (2020), the Netflix film adaptation of the stage musical, and played Gusteau in the TikTok musical of Ratatouille, which was shown online in 2021 as a charity production.
For the other adults in Teen Beach Movie, they are Mack’s family: her grandfather Big Poppa, and her aunt Antoinette. Mack has been staying with Big Poppa for the last few years, at his surf shop and home. Big Poppa is supportive of Mack’s love of surfing, probably because he introduced her to it, although she does not share his love of beach musicals! On the other hand, Aunt Antoinette is not relaxed, or laid back, as she is a working professional, who wants Mack to succeed in life. She believes that Mack wants to go to this prep school, and have a career like hers, however, Mack comes to the realisation that she doesn’t. Aunt Antoinette doesn’t agree with Mack’s decision but she accepts it, allowing Mack to stay with Big Poppa for the rest of high school.
Barry Bostwick was cast as Big Poppa, having previously appeared in another DCOM: as Mr. Bradley, the property developer in Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009). Bostwick is also known for his roles as Brad Majors in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and as Mayor Randall Winston in the sitcom Spin City (1996-2002). Later roles of his include the recurring role of Roger Frank in the sitcom Cougar Town (2009-15). Antoinette was played by Suzanne Cryer. An early acting role for her was as Ashley Walker in the sitcom Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place (1998-2001) on ABC, which starred Ryan Reynolds. She later was cast as Laurie Bream from Season 2 of Silicon Valley (2014-19) on HBO. More recently, Cryer appeared as Gracie DuBois in the comedy-drama series Lucky Hank (2023).
MUSIC
Since Teen Beach Movie revolves around a musical set in the 1960s, its soundtrack is not the typical pop music that has been associated with most of their musicals. A few different musical styles emerge in the soundtrack, such as rockabilly, surf tunes, and classic pop.
“Oxygen” is the song playing during the opening sequence of Teen Beach Movie, as Mack and Brady hang out and surf together on the beach. This is a typical pop song that you’d expect to hear in a Disney Channel Original Movie, about teen romance. It was also performed by Maia Mitchell, the female lead of the movie, as you’d also probably expect from Disney Channel. For me, this was just an ok song for, nothing special, but inoffensive. “Oxygen” was written by Antonina Armato and Tim James.
This is followed by “Surf Crazy”, possibly the opening number of Wet Side Story, but definitely the first song that Mack and Brady stumble across when they arrive on the beach and into the musical. It is a song for the surfers, so naturally, “Surf Crazy” is in the musical style of “surf rock”, a high-energy subgenre of rock from the 1960s – and this song is certainly high-energy, as it is a whole group number with props of beach balls and towels and dancing across the sand. There is even a “roll call”, similar to that in “The Nicest Kids in Town” in the musical Hairspray, allowing the viewers to be introduced to these characters. “Surf Crazy” was written by David Lawrence and Faye Greenberg, and was performed by the movie’s cast, including singer Spencer Lee being the singing voice for character Tanner. Although part of his audition required him to sing and was no doubt a prime reason for his casting, Garrett Clayton was not the primary singing voice for Tanner due to the fact that the soundtrack was already being recorded at the time of his casting[1]. This is similar to the reason why Sterling Knight only performed one song for StarStruck (2010), with Drew Ryan Scott singing most of Christopher Wilde’s songs; it was not because he can’t sing.
Following on from that, the biker gang, The Rodents, get their own song to introduce themselves to the audience. This is through the number “Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’”, a rockabilly song, a style that Elvis Presley had made popular in the 1950s and 1960s. “Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’” is meant to be the bikers threatening the surfers to get off their turf, i.e. to get out of Big Momma’s – or else. Although I don’t much care for this song, probably because it was heavily used on Disney Channel to promote Teen Beach Movie at the time of the film’s release, I can see why it is one of the more popular songs in the film, because it has Ross Lynch front-and-centre for much of it, a Disney Channel star, plus, it involves another group dance number. It was written by Mitch Allan, Jason Charles Miller, Nikki Leonti, and Jason Evigan, with the song being performed mostly by Ross Lynch as Brady, Grace Phipps as Lela, and Jason Evigan singing for Butchy. John DeLuca, like Garrett Clayton, did not sing for his character in Teen Beach Movie. It has been said it is because they wanted a singer that could imitate Elvis for the songs, so this could be similar to why Zac Efron did not sing on High School Musical, with Drew Seeley singing for the character, allegedly because Efron’s voice was not quite right for the songs that had been written. But it may just be because Butchy’s songs had already been recorded by the time DeLuca was cast.
The next song is “Falling for Ya”, which was written by Aris Archontis, Chen Neeman, and Jeannie Lurie, and performed by Phipps as Lela. This is Lela’s song that she is performing at Big Momma’s the evening when she is supposed to fall off the stage and into Tanner’s arms, but ends up being caught by Brady instead. This song turned out to be “my favourite” in the film, although I still don’t love it. It is in the style of 1960s pop.
As Mack and Brady realise that the two leads of Wet Side Story have accidentally fallen for them, “Meant to Be” is both Tanner and Lela expressing their love for Mack and Brady, but also Mack and Brady trying to convince Tanner and Lela that they might be the perfect match instead. “Meant to Be” was written by David Lawrence and Faye Greenberg, and performed by Lynch, Mitchell, Phipps, and Spencer Lee as Tanner. This pop song is a bit too cutesy for me, and I actually prefer its two reprises. The first one takes place as Lela and Tanner realise they are “meant to be”, just as Mack and Brady are captured by Les Camembert and Dr. Fusion. The second reprise is for Mack and Brady as they process their experience of being stuck in this musical and actually realise they’ve had a good time together, and that Mack doesn’t want to move away and leave Brady.
The song “Like Me” is performed by the biker girls and the surfer boys as they talk about how they interact with each other in this decade, which goes completely against what Brady and Mack know from their own decade. Brady and Mack also find themselves being given a makeover to look like members of the surfers group and the biker gang respectively during this song. It was written by Antonina Armato, Tim James, Thomas Sturges, Jon Vella, and IN-Q, and was performed by the majority of the cast.
Later, as Mack and Brady’s plan to get the musical’s story back in track doesn’t go to plan, Mack realises they are becoming characters in the musical, leading to her and Brady performing an unexpected song-and-dance number on the beach that they don’t want to be involved in! This song is vaguely amusing, so it was one of the better songs in the film for me. This song is “I Can’t Stop Singing”, and was written by Aris Archontis, Chen Neeman, and Jeannie Lurie. It was performed by Lynch and Mitchell. It is also used as the first song in the End Credits, when the outtakes roll.
This is soon followed by “Surf Crazy Finale”, which is a mash-up of “Surf Crazy” and “Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’”. The two songs work well together, and it reflects how all the teens have come to an agreement to get along from now on. This track is playing as the bikers and surfers come together to destroy the weather machine at Les Camembert’s hideout. It was performed by the cast.
Teen Beach Movie ends with the song “Surf’s Up”, just after Mack tells her aunt she wants to stay where she is, and not go to the new school. Mack initially thinks her and Brady are going to get back to surfing, but he actually drags her over to another part of the beach to lead a group musical number with him. This sounds and looks quite similar to “Surf Crazy”, but isn’t as peppy, so it’s almost like the two songs should’ve been switched if they wanted a big finale number. “Surf’s Up” was written by Ali Dee Theodore, Alana Da Fonseca, Jordan Yaeger, and Garrett Kotecki, and was performed by Ross Lynch, Maia Mitchell, and the rest of the cast.
The only other song in Teen Beach Movie appears in the post-credits scene. This is “Coolest Cats in Town”, and was written by Mitch Allan, Jason Evigan, and Nikki Leonti. The song was apparently performed by Grace Phipps, Spencer Lee, and Jason Evigan. It is only heard briefly, so I don’t have much of an opinion on the song.
The soundtrack for Teen Beach Movie was released on 15th July 2013, four days before the film, so anyone who was super excited for the film could learn all the music in time for the premiere. I’m not judging; I did that with High School Musical 2. The Teen Beach Movie soundtrack topped the US Billboard Kids Albums and US Billboard Top Soundtracks charts, and was top of the UK Soundtrack Albums too. It peaked at No. 3 in the US Billboard 200 chart. Apparently, the song “Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’” even cracked the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 82. This shows the popularity of the music with its fans.
David Lawrence was the composer for Teen Beach Movie, having worked on the music for many Disney Channel movies prior to this. These include the scores for StarStruck; Good Luck Charlie, It’s Christmas (2011); and the Descendants trilogy, as well as the scores for The Cheetah Girls 2 (2006) and The Cheetah Girls 3: One World (2008) and the High School Musical trilogy. With Faye Greenberg, Lawrence also wrote songs for some of these musicals, like “Stick to the Status Quo” from High School Musical (2006), “Fabulous” from High School Musical 2 (2007), and “It’s Over” from The Cheetah Girls 2.
PRODUCTION
Disney Channel musicals hadn’t gone anywhere in the early 2010s, although it may have felt like it. High School Musical 3: Senior Year signalled the end of the original franchise in 2008. The Cheetah Girls 3: One World turned out to be the group’s last hurrah, also premiering in 2008. Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010), despite being successful, seemed to be bowing out earlier than expected. These three musical franchises in particular had been the channel’s dependable properties for almost a decade, so what now?
Disney Channel made some attempts to bring some excitement back to its movie slate, like with the High School Musical spin-off Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure (2011), but it felt like a completely different sort of film. A couple of other standalone musicals followed, and they continued to be the most-viewed DCOM premieres of their respective years, but they didn’t gain much global attention and worldwide acclaim. There had to be a turnaround.
And so, Disney Channel announced a new musical in 2012, that would star Ross Lynch from the series Austin & Ally, with Australian actress Maia Mitchell being paired up with him as the leads. This musical wasn’t going to be just any musical either, as it was confirmed that the film would be inspired by the beach movies of the 1960s. An interesting premise is not enough though and Disney Channel would have to wait and see how it performed. This new musical was titled Teen Beach Movie. Not a very exciting name, but then again, nor was High School Musical. They tell you want you need to know, I suppose.
Director and choreographer Jeffrey Hornaday was chosen to direct Teen Beach Movie, having previously directed the non-musical DCOM Geek Charming (2011), receiving a nomination at the Directors Guild of America Awards for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children’s Programs. Hornaday’s other credits include being the choreographer on the musicals Flashdance (1983) and A Chorus Line (1985), as well as being involved with the choreography for Captain EO (1986), a 3D short film featuring Michael Jackson which was specially created for the Disney Parks.
Three screenwriters ended up working on Teen Beach Movie: Robert Horn, Vince Marcello and Mark Landry. Horn had previously written the DCOM Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure. Horn was also known for his work on the musical 13, which debuted on Broadway in 2008, and for co-writing the Disney Channel movie The Suite Life Movie (2011). Horn has since co-written further stage musical adaptations, such as Tootsie, where he won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical with David Yazbek in 2019, and Hercules, adapted from Disney Animation’s 1997 film, with Kwame Kwei-Armah, which opened on London’s West End in the summer of 2025. Vince Marcello went on to co-write and direct The Kissing Booth trilogy for Netflix, starring Jacob Elordi and Joey King.
Teen Beach Movie was inspired by 1960s beach movies like Beach Party (1963) and Beach Blanket Bingo (1965). Both of these films starred Annette Funicello, who was a Mouseketeer on the original The Mickey Mouse Club (1955-1959), before going on to have a career as a singer and actress. Funicello and co-star and singer Frankie Avalon popularised the genre of beach party films. Funicello died in April 2013, just three months before the premiere of Teen Beach Movie.
Teen Beach Movie is also inspired by other musicals set in the 1950s and 1960s, like Hairspray and Grease. Both Grease and West Side Story, the musical whose title clearly inspired the movie-within-the-movie Wet Side Story, follow the same story of two teenagers from two different gangs falling in love despite the opinions of their respective friends and family. Gang rivalry exists in both movies, although it is much more seriously addressed in West Side Story. In West Side Story, Maria falls in love with Tony, part of the rival gang The Jets. Her brother is Bernardo, the leader of The Sharks. This idea was copied for Teen Beach Movie for the dynamic between Lela, Tanner, and Butchy, Lela’s brother. The whole idea of “star-crossed lovers” in any film is a common occurrence, having been inspired by the Shakespeare tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Luckily – or unluckily, depending on who you ask, because some people just like tragedy – most filmmakers tend to turn this story into a happy ending for the couple now, like in Teen Beach Movie.
Teen Beach Movie was filmed in Puerto Rico, this being the third DCOM to have been filmed there. The other two before it were Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie and Princess Protection Program (2009). Teen Beach Movie was filmed predominately in Fajardo, on the east coast of the island[2].
Since most of the scenes within Teen Beach Movie take place outside, that meant a lot of time spent on the beach by the ocean, however, a few sets were built for the film. Some of these included Big Momma’s, the beach hangout for the surfers and the bikers, which looks like a cross between a beach shack and a typical 50s/60s diner, and Les Camembert’s hideout, which is a futuristic, dark lair, meant to look like it is hidden in a lighthouse. There is also Big Poppa’s shop, where Mack and her grandfather live. This is a rustic but comfortable home and workshop area. There is also Lela’s bedroom, decorated in bright pastel colours, and full of fluffy, frilly fabrics. Production designer Mark Hofeling worked on Teen Beach Movie, having previously worked on the High School Musical franchise, and later the Descendants and ZOMBIES trilogies.
To match the bright patterns and colours of most areas within Teen Beach Movie, the costuming here had to stand out as well, and having the 1960s and beach musical format to work from, this was easy to achieve. Pastel shades of colours like pink, orange, yellow, red, and blue feature heavily in this film, with the characters’ costuming matching the bright patterns of the beach balls and surfboards, particularly within the surfer group, whereas the bikers have their expected black leather jackets and trousers. This was also an opportunity for costume designer Ruth Carter to bring back some of those designs that were all the rage in the 1960s, like Capri pants, and high-waisted swimsuits. There were actually some restrictions for the channel, like no bikinis, despite those being popular in the 60s, so high-waisted swimsuits were a good compromise[3].
Ruth E. Carter had previously had experience of costuming for historical dramas, as she had worked on Malcolm X (1992), The Butler (2013), and Selma (2014). After Teen Beach Movie, Carter went on to create the costumes for the Marvel movies Black Panther (2018) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). Carter won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for both Black Panther films, amongst others. She was also recently nominated at major ceremonies, like the Oscars, the BAFTAs, and the Critics’ Choice Awards for her costumes in the critically-acclaimed Sinners (2025).
The cast had a great time filming in Puerto Rico and said that the fact they were all somewhere new gave them a chance to bond. The fact they just happened to be doing a movie shoot on the beach all day, every day was an added bonus. Like any Disney Channel musical though, the cast had to go through rigorous dance rehearsals before the shoot, and this was said to have taken three weeks, where they were put through their paces by choreographer Christoper Scott. Christopher Scott was also a choreographer on ZOMBIES (2018) for Disney Channel, as well as on the musical movies In the Heights (2021) and even Wicked (2024) and Wicked: For Good (2025). Scott said he and his team played around with older forms of dance here, like the jitterbug, and moves like The Swim for the dance routines. The use of props, like towels, beach balls, and surfboards were also quite prevalent in big group numbers, like “Surf Crazy”[4].
Maia Mitchell also required some training in how to surf before starting work on Teen Beach Movie since her character’s surfing ability is a key part of the film. She started learning how to surf the day after she got the part[5].
RECEPTION
Teen Beach Movie premiered on Disney Channel in the US on 19th July 2013. Teen Beach Movie was also released in other countries, like Canada and the UK on this date, before filtering its way through other international Disney Channels by the end of September 2013.
Strangely enough, Teen Beach Movie was the only Disney Channel Original Movie to be released in 2013. Although the number of DCOMs coming to screens had decreased steadily from the 2000s into the 2010s, there would still have usually been at least four released in one year. This may have been a blessing, in that it meant that Disney Channel fans were eagerly anticipating the biggest movie premiere on the channel that year.
This excitement was reflected in Teen Beach Movie’s viewing figures, because on its premiere screening, it was watched by 8.4 million viewers in the US. This made Teen Beach Movie the most-watched DCOM premiere since Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie in 2009, which was watched by 11.4 million viewers, and Teen Beach Movie’s figures were way ahead of any DCOM released in 2012 or 2014, even with films like Frenemies (2012), Radio Rebel (2012), and Cloud 9 (2014) being fronted by major Disney Channel stars. Teen Beach Movie’s viewership was never repeated, as viewership in general for any DCOM began to decline into the late 2010s. Therefore, Teen Beach Movie remains the fifth highest-rated DCOM premiere, behind High School Musical 2, Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie, Camp Rock (2008), and Princess Protection Program[6].
In terms of reviews, Teen Beach Movie was also a success for the channel, as many felt that the premise of the film was clever and entertaining. The parody element, of basing the majority of the story in a cheesy beach musical, meant that any clunky acting or odd plot moments could be hidden within that. Fans of the film liked the music and felt it was a perfect, fun film for summer. In recent years, it has also been claimed that Teen Beach Movie is underrated, as the musical franchises of The Cheetah Girls, High School Musical, and Descendants, for example, continue to dominate, even decades later. The casting of Ross Lynch and Maia Mitchell in the leading roles was praised as well. Although I can’t say I thought much of many of the characters, I did like Mitchell in the role of Mack. Mack had some great overdramatic lines that admittedly did make me smile.
On the other hand, some felt that Teen Beach Movie was just another way that Disney Channel were trying to copy the High School Musical template, with the same sorts of songs, the same sorts of actors, and a sugary sweetness that isn’t palatable to everyone. It does seem like every new musical DCOM that came from Disney Channel after High School Musical has an element of High School Musical to it – but you can’t really blame them for using a tried-and-tested format that has been known to work. Teen Beach Movie was seen to be just another movie from Disney Channel for kids to some, and there were comments that the film was a bit too long, dragging in places.
Personally, I did not like Teen Beach Movie, despite being a fan of pretty much every other Disney Channel musical that has existed. I felt the music was nowhere near as catchy or memorable as others, and I was just waiting for the film to end, because it was quite obvious from the start how the film was going to play out. I actually liked Les Camembert and Dr. Fusion’s scenes the most; I thought Steve Valentine in particular played the theatrical villain very well. Despite some enjoying the premise, I was instantly annoyed with it, feeling that it copied that one episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch where Sabrina and her friends go to Florida expecting to have a party atmosphere at their resort for Spring Break, only to find that her aunts have put a spell on their beach resort to turn it into a 1960s beach musical. Frankie Avalon was even a guest star in this episode. I understand that Teen Beach Movie was inspired by the same material, and that’s fine, but on the whole, I just didn’t think it was funny enough when it was meant to be casually mocking these movies.
Teen Beach Movie’s director Jeffrey Hornaday was nominated at the Directors Guild of America Awards for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children’s Programs. The award actually went to Amy Schatz for her HBO documentary An Apology to Elephants (2013). Teen Beach Movie was also nominated for Best Sound Editing – Long Form Musical at the Golden Reel Awards.
LEGACY
Teen Beach Movie was promoted with a flurry of merchandise after its premiere on television, alongside the release of the soundtrack and, later, the DVD of the film. This merchandise included dolls of the characters, like Brady and Mack, in their costumes from the film, clothing, books, stationery, and even a sing-along microphone.
There was even an event on Disney’s multiplayer online game Club Penguin, which existed from 2005 to 2017. To celebrate Teen Beach Movie, the Teen Beach Movie Summer Jam event ran on the game from 22nd August to 3rd September 2013, which had areas themed to locations in the film, music from the movie playing in some areas, and in-game items for purchase that included costumes from Teen Beach Movie for the avatars.
Even at the Disney Parks, there was a small presence for Teen Beach Movie. In this case, as part of Walt Disney World’s Limited Time Magic event for Summer 2013, the water park Typhoon Lagoon hosted the Teen Beach Movie Dance Party daily from late June into early September 2013. Some of the cast attended the opening event, to remind guests of Teen Beach Movie’s premiere date on 19th July 2013. This beach party consisted of music from the film being played as guests took part in beach-themed games and dancing.
The cast later made an appearance at Disneyland for the 2013 Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade, where Ross Lynch, Maia Mitchell and the rest of the main cast performed the songs “Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’” and “Surf Crazy” down Main Street U.S.A.
Earlier in the year, in August 2013, the cast had attended the D23 Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center in California, where they were able to meet fans and participate in interviews to celebrate the success of Teen Beach Movie. Naturally, the cast were asked whether they would be interested in returning for a sequel, and of course, there is only one answer to that, especially if you work for Disney, and that answer is “yes”. However, a sequel was not confirmed at that point, nor was it confirmed by the end of 2013. Fans had to wait until April 2014 to have confirmation that a sequel for Teen Beach Movie was in development, with an expected release date in 2015.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Teen Beach Movie went some way towards becoming the next High School Musical for a younger generation, still with the same style as any Disney Channel musical before it. It was the perfect summer musical that took inspiration from a variety of other films, giving a new generation the chance to experience some popular movie genres and song styles from the 1960s within the cozy, bright atmosphere of Disney Channel.
In all fairness, Teen Beach Movie’s story was quite different to most other Disney Channel musicals, which either take place in the present day, focusing on school-age teens and their dreams of making music, or in fantastical lands, like Descendants’ Auradon.
Perhaps this is why Teen Beach Movie captured the imaginations of Disney Channel fans. I think I was just too old to find Teen Beach Movie particularly unique or clever!
REFERENCES
[1] Credit: AJ Pitts, ‘Garrett Clayton Recalls ‘Teen Beach Movie’ Auditions & All the Partying They Did While Filming’, JustJaredJr.com, 14th September 2023.
[2] Credit: Discover Puerto Rico, Seeing is Believing: Experience Film Locations in Puerto Rico’, DiscoverPuertoRico.com, date unknown.
[3] Credit: Lindzi Scharf, ‘Ruth Carter on creating family-friendly costumes for Teen Beach Movie’, EW.com, 8th August 2013.
[4] Credit: Disney Channel, ‘Teen Beach Movie 2013 DVD Overview’, DiamondBoy’s Disney DVD&VHS Walkthroughs & Reviews YouTube Channel, 29th February 2024.
[5] Credit: Stephanie Chen, ‘‘Teen Beach Movie’s Maia Mitchell on Surfing, Filming in Puerto Rico’, HollywoodReporter.com, 19th July 2013.
[6] Credit: Ryan Faughnder, ‘Disney’s ‘Teen Beach Movie’ attracts 8 million viewers’, LATimes.com, 22nd July 2013.
The Disney Purist 