So let’s talk about Sky High.
I know, I bet there are some of you that don’t even know that movie existed. What on earth could be a “sky high?” How could something like that even exist? What does that even entail? Well buckle your seatbelts, junior, because I’m about to take you on a wild ride.
In the years pre-Marvel Cinematic Universe, there stood a movie that brought teenagers together from all over and created an epic superhero tale that would stand the test of time, and that, my friends, was Sky High.
Starring Kelly Preston, Michael Angarano, and so many more stars that you would never expect, this 2005 teen superhero movie from Buena Vista Pictures Distribution sort of just vanished behind every other superhero movie in existence, forever relegated to practically DCOM status (a Disney Channel Original Movie), even though it never was one of those. But today, I’m going to talk about why this movie is so underrated – and why you need to check it out if you’ve never seen it before and love superhero movies.
First Off, The Cast Is Super... Literally
I said this in my intro and I’ll say it again – the cast of this movie is actually one of the best ones out there. I know, we all have experienced cast lists that have truly included the best in the business, such as the Oppenheimer cast or even the upcoming Barbie movie or maybe, if you want to stick to superheroes, the Endgame cast.
But the reason I have to talk about the cast from Sky High is that it seriously has stars that you would never believe star in it. I’m talking about Michael Angarano, Kelly Preston, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Nicholas Braun, Patrick Warburton – heck, even Kurt Russell. So many amazing stars that seriously have already been in some amazing things, or went on to do awesome things.
Some of these stars would go on to be in hit TV shows, like the Succession cast or even Fargo. Some would be in movies that would become blockbusters. Others would go on to do their own amazing things, but either way, this cast was stacked. Heck, even the original Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter, had a role in Sky High.
The Story Is Written By The Creators Of Kim Possible, One Of The Best Disney Cartoons Back Then
This is personally one of my favorite things about the movie, but I think it should be one of yours too, and that’s because Sky High was actually written by the people who created Kim Possible, one of the best Disney cartoons of my time – and personally, of all time.
You need to understand that I lived in a Golden Age of Disney television, so I got to experience some really awesome shows when Sky High was around, such as The Proud Family (which has a sequel series now), Lilo & Stitch: The Series and more, but Kim Possible was the one I loved the most. A teenage spy who was a badass and knew how to save the world.
You can feel those beats consistently throughout this movie, creating an accurate teenage look into what life would be like at a superpowered high school, but still finding ways to incorporate that same kick-butt attitude that the cartoon had. It’s awesome.
The Friendship Between Will And Layla Is So Realistic From A Teenager's Perspective
With any teen movie or teen drama show, there’s always going to be some sort of friendships that are there, ones that evolve into relationships, and oftentimes, it almost feels a little forced and pushed into the narrative just so we can have some sort of love story going (looking at you, Riverdale).
But with Sky High, you never feel that with Layla and Will, arguably the main couple in the whole movie – because they don’t get together at first. There isn’t this instant connection. They are awkward around each other in their pubescent years and just trying to really survive high school, let alone find a significant other.
Even so, once romantic feelings do begin to develop more, they make mistakes, a lot of mistakes, and that’s totally normal. Nothing is ever perfect all the time and I really liked how this movie portrayed that, from the beginning all the way until the end.
The Ending Is One That You Could Never See Coming
I really don’t want to get into major spoilers in this just in case you haven’t seen the movie, but I have to say – this film has one of the craziest twists out there.
It’s one that no one sees coming. It’s an ending that I’m pretty sure even an adult would laugh at years later when thinking about it, but in the moment, your mind will be blown. The climax of the film is one of the best parts, and really ties everything together. All I’ll say is that it has something to do with babies – that’s it.
The Powers That People Have Are Actually Really Unique – Even If Some Are Weird
I think something else that I really like about Sky High is that the powers themselves that the teenagers have are actually pretty unique. Of course, you still have the typical powers that any superhero franchise would have, such as someone having super strength, super speed, invincibility, cloning – all of that.
But then there are powers that are really out there that I genuinely love, such as the ability to turn into a guinea pig, or to glow in the dark – or to be able to stretch out your body like Luffy from One Piece, a popular anime, because I needed to see a human version of that. I suppose I’m going to be seeing that in the upcoming adaptation on Netflix.
The powers in this are quite refreshing in comparison to many of the other Marvel powers that we see on a constant basis – and ones that I seriously enjoy the heck out of.
The Effects For 2005 Aren’t That Bad
Okay, so don’t get me wrong here – the effects are nothing in comparison to what we have today.
I’m not saying that Sky High is the 2005 equivalent to that of 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water or something like that, but what I will say is that the CGI isn’t that bad. Do I look back on it and chuckle a little now knowing how far we have come? Of course, but it’s not “oh my God, I can’t even watch this” bad.
It almost reminds me of the Robert Rodriguez-directed film Spy Kids and the CGI that film had in the early 2000s – it’s not the best out there, but it certainly brings a feeling of nostalgia when you watch it, and it’s also not the worst thing to view either.
Sky High was genuinely one of my favorite movies as a kid, and it’s a shame that it just vanished from the public eye for so long and didn’t get a franchise. But if I ever get the chance to see this movie get rebooted, I’ll be the first in line to view it. And if you haven’t seen Sky High yet, be sure to check it out on Disney+.
