As someone who grew up in the early aughts, Disney Channel Original Movies were my version of a Hollywood blockbuster movie. Even now I find myself still tuning in to check out the latest Disney Channel movies or rewatch some favorites to remind me of my childhood, so one can imagine how hyped I was to learn that Will Friedle and Sabrina Byran had joined forces to host a DCOM- and The Wonderful World of Disney movies-themed podcast called Magical Rewind.
The podcast, which started in January 2024, centers on Bryan and Friedle sharing their opinions on the movies they’d just watched with the subsequent episode featuring an interview with an actor from that movie. To kick the podcast off, the Disney alumni started by reviewing their own movies. Friedle might be best known for appearing in the ABC sitcom Boy Meets World, but he also starred in The Wonderful World of Disney movie My Date with the President's Daughter which he rewatched for the first episode of the podcast.
Afterwards, he reunited with co-star Elisabeth Harnois for an interview. The next two episodes focused on Bryan’s The Cheetah Girls and featured an interview with her co-star Kiely Williams. Since, then the podcast has gone on to cover DCOMS like Brink!, Descendants, Johnny Tsunami, and, most recently, The Wonderful World of Disney’s Tower of Terror.
With several episodes under the hosts' belts now, fans have been wondering what the Boy Meets World and Cheetah Girl stars’ favorite DCOMS are. Thankfully, TV Insider got the chance to ask them just that. Bryan was quick to shout out the hit 2010s movie Descendants but clarified it wasn’t her top choice. That title goes to:
Johnny Tsunami is my ultimate top one.
Friedle struggled with the question a bit more since he admittedly hasn’t seen as many of the movies as one would suspect. This allows him to bring a unique outlook to the podcast as an adult watching them for the first time instead of as a teenager. He did share love for Johnny Tsunami, though and voiced his excitement for some of the movies they’ve yet to tackle, saying:
Motocrossed. I want to see that one.
As a diehard DCOM enthusiast, I am both shocked and elated by Bryan’s favorite and Friedle’s excitement to watch more underrated gems. I was fully expecting them both to fully jump up the Descendants or High School Musical train because those are still very popular. But it’s true what Friedle says in the interview: there are a lot of underrated DCOMs that no one ever talks about.
I’ll definitely be tuning in the minute the Motocrossed episode drops as it’s one of my favorite movies. I mean, what’s not to love about a loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night featuring a girl proving to everyone that motocross racing isn’t just a boy sport? I’d also love to see them watch and talk about Cow Belles or even Stuck in the Suburbs!
Of course, that’s not to say I don’t also want to hear their thoughts about High School Musical or Camp Rock. There’s a reason those are classics, after all. Plus, it’d be interesting to see who they manage to get from the cast to join them for an interview.
You can listen to the Magical Rewind podcast on the iHeartRadio app or any other popular podcast app. And don’t forget to follow along with each DCOM featured by streaming them on Disney+ with an active subscription.
