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Teen Beach Movie
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Wikipedia article
'Teen Beach Movie' is a Disney Channel Original Movie that premiered on July 19, 2013, on Disney Channel, starring Ross Lynch and Maia Mitchell. Directed by Jeffrey Hornaday, 'Teen Beach Movie' was filmed in Puerto Rico. It was the only Disney Channel Original Movie to premiere in 2013. A sequel, 'Teen Beach 2', premiered on June 26, 2015.
Plot
Brady and McKenzie (Mack) are surfing near her grandfather's beach hut. Mack then walks in on her grandfather and Brady watching their favorite film, a 1960s musical titled 'Wet Side Story', where surfers and motorcycle bikers battle for the privilege to hang out at Big Momma's beachside restaurant. When McKenzie's aunt comes by, Mack explains to Brady that before her mother died, Mack's aunt promised Mack's mom that Mack would attend a private school, and she is leaving the next day. Mack asserts that although going is not her choice, she feels it is what she has to do since it is what her mother would want. She tells Brady they will have to break up.
Before Mack leaves, she decides to surf a 40-foot wave that is about to hit the beach on her family's special surfboard. Alarmed, Brady gets on a jet ski and goes after Mack, but they both get swept away, eventually landing on another beach. They soon realize that they have been swept inside the 'Wet Side Story' film. Seizing the moment, Brady joins the film's cast in singing, to Mack's dismay ("Surf Crazy"). Brady relents and informs Mack that there will be a storm and giant wave that should bring them back home at the end of the film. They go into Big Momma's and introduce themselves to the surfers just before the bikers appear and start the surf and turf war ("Cruisin' for a Bruisin'"). Mack and Brady are then invited to come to a party at Big Momma's later that night.
That evening, Mack and Brady are arguing while the film's female lead, Lela (one of the biker girls), is singing on stage ("Falling for Ya"). Tanner, the male lead (one of the surfer boys), falls in love with Mack after she bumps into him, and Brady catches Lela when she falls off the stage. This interferes with the film's plot, in which Lela falls into Tanner's arms, not Brady's. They decide to make Tanner and Lela fall in love to fix things. Brady also tells Mack about the villains of the film, Les Camembert and Dr. Fusion, who are going to use a machine to affect the weather to make the surfers and bikers leave so they can control Big Momma's and turn it into a beach resort.
Lela and Tanner express their love for Brady and Mack, who subtly suggest to them that there may be someone else they are really meant to be with ("Meant to Be"). That night Mack joins Lela and the other biker girls for a sleepover, while Brady hangs out with Tanner and the surfer boys at Big Momma's. While talking about love, Brady and Mack's modern relationship views comes into conflict with those of the 1960s ("Like Me"); they fail to make any progress on getting Lela and Tanner together. The next night, Lela tells Mack that she would like to surf.
Mack and Brady realize that they are morphing into the film when Mack falls into the water and her hair does not get wet. They then begin to spontaneously sing and are unable to stop ("Can't Stop Singing"). They are then captured by Les Camembert and Dr. Fusion and taken to the villains' lighthouse lair.
Lela and Tanner fall in love with each other and soon realize that their friends have been kidnapped. They convince the bikers and surfers to team up and save Mack and Brady. Meanwhile, Mack admits that she is glad that she ended up in the film and does not have to attend private school. When Mack says she thinks Lela is braver than her, Brady denies that, saying that Mack is the bravest girl he knows.
The surfers and bikers free Mack and Brady and destroy the villains' machine. The film's plot returns to normal, and Mack and Brady realize they are able to return home. After saying goodbye to everyone, Mack and Brady get on the surfboard and returns to the real world, where no time has passed since they left. Mack successfully surfs the 40-foot wave. Mack's aunt is upset about her delaying their flight but accepts her decision to spend the rest of the year with Brady. Mack and Brady celebrate by singing on the beach ("Surf's Up").
In a post-credits scene, Lela, Tanner, Butchy, Seacat, Cheechee and Giggles wash up into the real world. A modern-day surfer thinks they are lost and allows them to use his cell phone, which they marvel at as they attempt to use it.
Cast
* Ross Lynch as Brady
* Maia Mitchell as McKenzie (Mack)
* Grace Phipps as Lela
* Garrett Clayton as Tanner
* John DeLuca as Butchy
* Chrissie Fit as Cheechee
* Suzanne Cryer as Aunt Antoinette
* Barry Bostwick as Big Poppa
* Kevin Chamberlin as Dr. Fusion
* Steve Valentine as Les Camembert
* Jordan Fisher as Seacat
* Kent Boyd as Rascal
* Mollee Gray as Giggles
* William Loftis as Lugnut
* Jessica Lee Keller as Struts
* LaVon Fisher-Wilson as Big Momma
Production
The script was written by Vince Marcello, Mark Landry and Robert Horn, from a story by Marcello and Landry. Pre-production of the film began in January 2012. 'Teen Beach Movie' was the third Disney Channel Original Movie filmed in Puerto Rico, the first two being 'Princess Protection Program' and 'Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie'. On March 28, 2012, local Puerto Rican press covered part of the filming, which took place on the island. Most beach scenes took place in Fajardo on the east coast of the island, while indoor scenes, such as McKenzie's bedroom, a restaurant, and a kitchen, were filmed inside an undisclosed warehouse in Bayamn. At the time, the film was titled 'Teen Beach Musical'.
Mariella Prez Serrano, the then-executive director of the Puerto Rico Film Corporation and Carlos Anbal Vzquez, Unit Production Manager, were the main responsible for the local production of this film. "The film industry relies heavily on trust and recommendations for the work they do. It is also important to know the professionals working in the field to personally promote Puerto Rico as a destination for filming", said Prez Serrano. She also said that Disney spent about eight million dollars in Puerto Rico to film this production.
"We filmed the outdoor scenes in Fajardo", revealed Vzquez. One of Puerto Rico's lead newspapers, Primera Hora, knew, moreover, that the cast of the musical filmed in the beach house of the then-Governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Fortuo. The film's soundtrack features ten original songs composed in rhythms of surf rock, Motown R&B, rockabilly and pop.
'Teen Beach Movie' was the only Disney Channel Original Movie that was released in 2013.
The film was dedicated to beach party film star Annette Funicello, who died on April 8, 2013. A memorial message preceding the start of the film read, "In memory of Disney legend Annette Funicello, the world's most beloved beach movie star."
Reception
Critical reception
'Teen Beach Movie' received generally favorable reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 86% approval rating based on 7 reviews, while Metacritic reported a score of 54 based on 6 reviews. 'Entertainment Weekly' gave the film a C grade, saying "The good news? Two tunes in this attempt to reverse-engineer a new 'High School Musical' are decent...But the rest is dull as sand."'Entertainment Weekly', July 19, 2013, Issue #1268 Brian Lowry from 'Variety' wrote, "Its too bad the makers didnt do a slightly better job casting the key roles, but taken on its own terms the (overlong) 95-minute Disney Channel original plays like a brightly colored beach blanket, albeit one thats a little rough around its sandy edges."Ratings
The premiere in the United Kingdom had 597,000 viewers. The United States premiere just hours later received 8.4 million viewers during its first airing and 13.5 million viewers in L+7, becoming the second-highest rated Disney Channel Original Movie. The Dance Along version on July 27, 2013, garnered 3.7 million viewers. In Canada, the movie delivered 818,000 viewers. The Australian premiere had 113,000 viewers.Broadcast
The film originally premiered on July 19, 2013, in the United States, Canada, the UK, and Ireland on Disney Channel. It premiered on August 4, 2013, in Southeast Asia and on August 9, 2013, in Australia and New Zealand, both on Disney Channel.
DVD release
The film was released on DVD on July 30, 2013, in North America, on August 19, 2013, in the UK and Ireland, and on August 21, 2013, in Australia and New Zealand.Streaming
It's available for streaming currently on Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar.Soundtrack
{{Infobox album
| name = Teen Beach Movie
| type = Soundtrack
| artist = Various artists
| released = July 15, 2013
| recorded = 2012
| genre =
| length = 41:49
| label = Walt Disney
| producer =
| chronology = 'Teen Beach' soundtrack
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = Teen Beach 2
| next_year = 2015
}}
The soundtrack album for the film was released on July 15, 2013 by Walt Disney Records. The album was the fourth best-selling soundtrack of 2013 in the United States with 407,000 copies sold for the year. The album peaked at number three on the 'Billboard' 200 chart. As of July 2015, it has sold 462,000 copies in the United States.
Track listing
* The song "Oxygen" was originally recorded by Hoku from her 2000 self-titled album.
Certifications
Sequel
On April 27, 2014, the sequel, 'Teen Beach 2' was announced as slated to premiere in 2015 on Disney Channel, with production set for July 2014 in Puerto Rico. Ross Lynch, Maia Mitchell, Grace Phipps, Garrett Clayton and John DeLuca reprised their roles in the sequel. The remaining actors who portray the bikers and surfers, Jordan Fisher, Chrissie Fit, William Loftis, Kent Boyd, Jessica Lee Keller and Mollee Gray, are also confirmed to return for the sequel. The sequel revolves around the characters from 'Wet Side Story' after the first film's post-credits scene, when they were transported into the real world. 'Teen Beach 2' premiered June 26, 2015, with 5.8 million viewers.
References
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