If you’ve been using your Disney+ subscription to re-watch old episodes of High School Musical and Kim Possible, that’s great, but don’t sleep on some of the platform’s original content. A trailer for the Disney+ original movie Stargirl has dropped, and it may be the next big thing of 2020. Stargirl is a movie adaptation of Jerry Spinelli’s New York Times best-selling novel with the same title, directed by Julia Hart and starring 16-year-old musician Grace VanderWaal in her film debut.
The coming-of-age tale follows an introverted boy named Leo Borlock, who likes flying under the radar, but when he meets an outgoing, quirky and confident new girl named Stargirl Caraway, everything changes. Stargirl is a colorful new student who plays the ukulele, finds magic in the mundane, and touches the lives of others with the simplest of gestures. Her extraordinary personality charms Leo and the student body; she quickly goes from being ignored and ridiculed to accepted and praised, sending Leo on a roller coaster ride of emotions. It’s definitely an awesome example of smart teen content that provides great messages about growing up and discovering who you truly are.
Based on the trailer, this feels like a combination of family movies about teenagers who appear to be wise beyond their years, and indie movies that have manic pixie dream girls. Slashfilms.com says that the movie feels a little cheesy in its execution, but there is potential for something decent since this film could help teens who feel like social outcasts come out of their shell and have confidence in themselves.
However, the fans of the book worry that this movie will not have a big audience since it is being streamed on a new platform that hasn’t gained many users yet.
“I don’t think older kids will be interested in the originals that are coming out on Disney+; they’re probably watching their old favorites instead. But there might be a young audience who is excited for movies like this, so there’s always hope for Disney’s new projects!” says LHS senior Paige Miller.
Stargirl premieres on Disney+ on March 13, 2020.
