Those Disney Channel Original Movies introduced technological tools that most people only dreamed about years ago. Some of those technologies have become run-of-the-mill parts of life for many. We have artificial intelligence reminding us to do things, we can watch television on our phones; we can even buy robotic vacuum cleaners.
While some people don't think twice about current daily technology, it was all quite novel and out of reach 20+ years ago. We may not have cracked time travel like the Minutemen or built a space colony like on Zenon, but there are plenty of other things in these movies that we know all too well. Here are ten movies in which Disney Channel eerily predicted modern technological advancements.
Computer Future
Many modern conveniences rely on miniature computer systems. It may seem normal now to have a computer in the palm of one's hand, but it took some time to get there. DCOMs often predict the overall necessity of computers for daily living. A great example is in the movie Genius, where a boy named Charlie Boyle decides to live an alternate version of his life and calls himself Chaz Anthony (to woo a love interest, of course--who happens to be played by Emmy Rossum). If you pay close attention, you'll see that Charlie has completed Chaz's enrollment form for his new school on the Internet. Today, it's no big deal for most people to do banking, shopping, and other business all online. However, not everyone was there yet back in '99.
Video Chat
Video chat certainly existed twenty years ago, but it wasn't something that everybody had access to. While the obvious use of video calling is in the Zenon movies (1999, 2001, 2004), it is also a part of Get a Clue in 2002. Lindsay Lohan, as Lexy Gold, gets up before school and fires up the webcam to talk about the outfit of the day with her bestie, Jen (Brenda Song).
Smart Watches
Lexy Gold and her super-spy team also foreshadow the smartwatch in Get a Clue. They use tons of spy gear in this film, including rearview sunglasses and wrist walkie-talkies. Watching the characters talk to one another through the wrist walkie-talkie system is strikingly similar to watching people who speak into their smartwatches today.
Holograms
Spoiler alert: there are many nods to Zenon's world here. In the first movie, her teacher is actually a hologram. Another film that quite obviously uses holographic technology is Raviv Ullman's movie, Pixel Perfect.
This one explores the concept further by showing Raviv's character, Roscoe, mix up all the virtual ingredients for his singing hologram, Loretta Modern.
Virtual Assistants
Virtual assistants are hard to escape--they can be beckoned on smart phones, in cars, and even in homes. Before Siri or Alexa ran, PAT walked in Smart House. PAT is an acronym for Personal Applied Technology in the Ryan Merriman movie. The name of this movie alone is a harbinger for an age of smart phones, smart cars, smart TVs, and yes, smart houses. Young Ben makes a big mistake when he programs his artificially intelligent PAT to be more motherly (he hasn't wanted his dad to date ever since his mom ed away). PAT goes out of control and throws the home into a tumult where her voice takes on a holographic body.
Smart Recliners
Louis Stevens was ahead of his time in The Even Stevens Movie. This DCOM is the saga of the Stevens family on their sham vacation to the island of Mandolino. Before they depart, Louis is seen in the backyard, chilling in his new creation. It's an outdoor chair that he has rigged to give him massages and feed him snacks while he watches the chair's attached television screen. While recliners may not be on that level yet, there are some pretty fancy massage and Lift Chair models out there. Who knows what could be on the horizon?
iPads
This is the tech that Zenon can take the most credit for. She is routinely seen in the movies talking to friends or setting reminders for herself using what looks like a thick version of an iPad. Sure, Apple products were less of a big deal by the late 2000s, but iPads didn't even exist in the real world when these popular space movies premiered from 1999-2004.
Tablet Laptops
Internet culture thinks Jamie Bartlett may have owned the first (or one of the first) convertible tablet PCs. She could type papers on her laptop and then turn it inside out for a workable tablet that was fit for her creative diary entries. She is seen throughout the movie Read it and Weep using the convertible device both ways.
This technology is still popular, and even into the 2010s, people who watched the 2006 movie were getting online to chat about Jamie's computer/tablet so that they could get one, too.
Cell Phone Control Room
Who'd have ever thought that a cell phone could do so much? Back in 2014, Zendaya sports an old-school iPhone in the movie Zapped and uses an app to control the actions of boys. Six years later, we aren't using smartphones to control others' minds or actions, but we are using them to control other aspects of our lives. With the tap of a button, a phone can now show us who's at the door, lock said door, and further protect homes and belongings.
Find My Friends
A couple years before the first iPhone came out, Kim Possible's tech guy, Wade, used his own version of Find My Friends to help Kim escape the villain Shego. The scene takes place at the beginning of the 2005 DCOM, Kim Possible: So the Drama. With his tracking device on her gadget, Wade could tell Kim where to turn to avoid danger. Wade is always rocking the latest and greatest technology for KP. However, the bad guys take advantage of technology in this movie, too. Check it out on Disney+ and see how it compares to the 2019 live-action movie!
