There are a lot of iconic Disney Channel Original Movies. Lemonade Mouth, Camp Rock, Halloweentown II, High School Musical, High School Musical 2. One of the greatest childhood moments for kids who grew up in the late 90s and early 2000s was when one of these movies would premier for the first time. We’d curl up in front of the television with some freshly microwaved dinosaur nuggets and mac & cheese with some hot dog pieces in it. But the best Disney Channel Original Movie, which easily stands above the rest, has to be Johnny Tsunami.
This incredible movie premiered 25 years ago yesterday, showing a whole world of children what’s possible on the Vermont ski slopes. The movie follows Johnny Kapahala, a 13-year-old who lives in Hawaii with his mom, dad, and paternal grandfather and surfing legend Johnny Tsunami (played by the great Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa). When his father accepts a job at a private school in Vermont, Kapahala is forced to trade the beaches he knows and loves for the snowy mountains of New England.
This movie has everything you could ask for from a Disney Channel created ski/snowboard movie. The private school kids are the skiers, known as Skiers, while the public school kids are the snowboarders, known as Urchins. There are races, near-death cliff-out moments, fights, heart-to-heart moments between father and son, an unnecessary rivalry between skiers and snowboarders, and mountains that are supposed to be in Vermont but are clearly in Utah. Most of the skiing/snowboarding scenes were filmed at Brighton in Utah. It’s truly phenomenal.
Back in 2012, Complex ranked Johnny Tsunami as the 2nd greatest Disney Channel Original Movie. Personally, I think it belongs at #1. Because it only premiered on Disney Channel, finding any stats on how much money it made seems unlikely. But it was at least popular enough to receive a sequel in 2007, Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board. The sequel is focused on dirt long boarding. It’s not worth watching. If you want to watch the original, though, you can find it on Disney+.
