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Would Den Brother Get Canceled Today? | Episode 33: Den Brother
28 Plays8 days ago
Feeling nostalgic for your Girl Scout days? 🍪 This week, we're revisiting Den Brother—the one where a teenage hockey bro goes undercover as a Girl Scout troop leader. Yep, it's as chaotic as it sounds, so pack some s’mores and get ready to earn some badges!
Let's discuss:
– The Mrs. Doubtfire energy is strong 👵🏼
– Why are the adults in DCOMs always the weirdest? 😵💫
– Would this plot even make it past a 2025 script meeting? 😬
All that and more in this episode!
Den Brother came out in 2010 and stars Hutch Dano, G Hannelius, Maurice Godin, and Kelsey Asbille—now streaming on Disney+.
✨ Once Upon A DCOM is your favorite nostalgic rewatch podcast where we rave (and sometimes roast) every Disney Channel Original Movie ever made.
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Transcript
Personal Girl Scout Experiences
00:00:00
Speaker
Were you ever a Girl Scout? I wanted to be so badly, but no. I don't know if it was that my mom didn't sign me up on time or that there was some kind of like situation. i think she tried and the mom who was in charge of it was disorganized and I never got to do it.
00:00:14
Speaker
I feel like you would have thrived in Girl Scouts. I know. I would have been amazing, but no, never. i was a camp counselor later in life to make up for it.
00:00:25
Speaker
were you? There you Oh, I was absolutely a Girl Scout. I was ah Daisy and then a Brownie. And I don't think I ever made it to Junior. think I quit at that point, but I kind of didn't love it.
00:00:38
Speaker
I love the idea of it, but I'm so introverted that I really hated socializing every week. That's fair. I was going to say, I feel like you would not like it at all. Maybe like the outdoorsy element.
00:00:51
Speaker
yeah I liked the arts and crafts. I enjoyed the service, like, what do you call it? Volunteering stuff. But yeah, I did not enjoy having a weekly mandated social hour.
00:01:04
Speaker
That was not for me.
Introducing 'Once Upon a Decom' Podcast
00:01:09
Speaker
Welcome fellow Disney Channel babes, whether you're from the nostalgic 90s or the awkward odds or you're giving Gen Z, we're glad that you're here. I'm Gabriella. And I'm Natalie. And this is the podcast where we rave and sometimes roast classic Disney Channel original movies. You're listening to Once Upon a Decom.
00:01:29
Speaker
Hello and welcome back to Once Upon a Decom. My name is Natalie and this is my amazing co-host, Gabby. Say hi, Gabby. Oh, This week we watched the 2010 film Den Brother and we are going to spend the rest of this podcast raving and also lovingly roasting this Disney Channel original movie.
00:01:49
Speaker
So we are going to give you a recap of the film, discuss our thoughts and ratings, and then even walk through where these actors are now, which I am very excited to get to. By the way.
00:02:00
Speaker
So we had a flop two weeks ago with Upside Down Magic, so this better be good.
00:02:06
Speaker
Just you wait. I have so many little tidbits for you.
Background of 'Den Brother'
00:02:10
Speaker
Just like little things. There's nothing like, wow, I can't believe, you know, but there's a lot of things where like, what? Really? Incredible.
00:02:18
Speaker
Okay. Yay. Okay. Okay. So let's dive into this movie with a little background info first. Den Brother was released on Disney Channel August 13th of 2010. It was directed by Mark L. Taylor, who only directed two other movies in one short film, but who is currently and was a very busy actor. He has been on NCIS, Young Sheldon, Sabrina and the Teenage Witch,
00:02:43
Speaker
and lots and lots of voiceover things. However, our listeners and you, Gabby, probably only know him from one very career-defining role that he had in 2007, where he played Mr. Fulton in High School Musical 2. Oh!
00:03:02
Speaker
That's who directed this film? That is who directed this film. are Well, no wonder it's a masterpiece. I was like, I was really struggling to come up with like background info because like if you go to IMDB, there's like nothing, no like background information.
00:03:20
Speaker
wikipedia has nothing i even asked chat gpt had no information and so i'm like googling like who directed this who produced it all this stuff and it didn't even like mention this as a fact i was like mark l taylor okay well what has this guy done and i was like excuse me they're gonna why is this not a a well-known fact that mr fulton directed this movie chat gpt should have just known like oh this girl's asking i have a fun fact for you That's what I'm saying. Anyway, that's the most exciting piece of information I have.
00:03:55
Speaker
Are we ready to jump into this movie recap? I'm so ready. I had the best time writing this. So here we
Plot Summary and Character Introduction
00:04:02
Speaker
go. Alex like Pearson is a popular, talented high school hockey player whose confidence often crosses into arrogance, which I feel like is how we've started several movies like You Wish, Luck of the Irish,
00:04:14
Speaker
High school musical even. There's like a ton that start with random gentleman is a popular high school sports player. So starting off strong. They know the formula, right? You know. It's a DCOM.
00:04:26
Speaker
So Alex loves the spotlight and he tends to put himself first, especially when it comes to showing off in front of his teammates or impressing girls. So during one hockey game, Alex takes things way too far by making an over the top entrance and wearing a jersey with sponsorship logos all over it.
00:04:44
Speaker
Mind you, this is just him, not the rest of his team. Like no one knows this is coming. ah So fed up with his inflated ego, the ref suspends him from playing hockey. Yikes. At home, Alex's single father relies on him to help look after his younger sister, Emily, who is part of a Bumblebee troop, which is this movie's version of Girl Scouts.
00:05:04
Speaker
And honestly, they have a really sweet sibling relationship. They're super cute. They like fight over what to watch on TV and he lets her win every time. And it's adorable. So when the Bumblebee's troop leader quits unexpectedly, Emily and her friends are left without any adult supervision.
00:05:21
Speaker
So after a series of random events, including Alex stepping in during a chaotic troop meeting, the girls ask him to temporarily become their den mother. He only agrees when he realizes that being involved with the troop might help repair his image and possibly get him back on the hockey team.
Comedic Disguises and Plot Development
00:05:38
Speaker
So he agrees to being their den brother. Unfortunately, Dina... The leader of the local troops has a vendetta against troop 57, which is this guy's group.
00:05:49
Speaker
And she is determined to shut them down due to their lack of a proper den mother, because also Alex is like in high school. So he doesn't like really count. He's more like a helper, but whatever. In an attempt to appease Dina, Alex lies and says that they do have a den mother named Mrs. Zamboni who is out sick, which forces Alex to hilariously multiple times try and pass off as an elderly woman through phone calls and disguises like throughout the film.
00:06:16
Speaker
It's very Mrs. Doubtfire and I love it. Very Mrs. Doubtfire. His charade mostly works thanks to the help of Emily, his little sister, and the bumblebees who go along with the ruse.
00:06:27
Speaker
As Alex spends more time with the troop, he slowly begins to bond with the girls, even though he's still utilizing them for salvage gain and making them independent study badges for doing his chores, cleaning his room, fixing his car.
00:06:40
Speaker
But despite all of this, the girls are enjoying learning new skills and Alex is helping them prepare for what is called Campery, a major scout event that they have to qualify for by earning badges.
Character Growth and Romantic Interest
00:06:51
Speaker
Okay, so along the way, Alex also develops a romantic interest in Matisse.
00:06:55
Speaker
She is the older sister of one of the other troop members, and Alex has had a crush on her from school. She previously found him irritating and refused to go out with him, but once she sees that he's with the troop and how he's doing with them, her opinions start to change.
00:07:10
Speaker
The girls even help him prepare for like a little date with her. It's really cute. Yeah, they're like, remember, talk about her and like, here, we'll fix your hair for you. And this is the shirt you should wear. Open the door for her. It's like, i that's so cute. I love it. It's really precious. I love it, too.
00:07:30
Speaker
But as we all knew it was coming, because it's a decom, Alex's deception as Mrs. Zamboni is eventually uncovered, as is his selfish motivation for helping the troop. He and the girls even learn that their independent study badges don't count towards qualifying for Camperie.
00:07:45
Speaker
I guess, like, there was some caveat where, like, some of them did, but he gave them, like, only special badges. They never earned any of the real ones. They're obviously devastated, and they're not going And this all leads to disappointment from the girls, from his dad, and from Matisse, who was really mad that he was kind of using the girls and her.
00:08:01
Speaker
In an unexpected twist, Alex finds an unlikely ally in his neighbor, Mrs. Jacklets, or Mrs. J, who used to be a highly decorated Bumblebee troop leader and was actually the leader of his mom's troop before she died.
00:08:16
Speaker
So she helps Alex get back on track and she's able to convince the girls to forgive him in an incredible speech about forgiveness. Oh my gosh, I love her. h And then he's able to make amends by genuinely stepping up for the troop, putting their success ahead of his own desires. He helps them get their badges and qualify for Camperie and he lets go of the lie about Mrs. Zamboni.
00:08:38
Speaker
In the end, Alex earns back the trust of those that he hurt, he's reinstated on the hockey team, and he helps the Bumblebees qualify for Camper E. At his first game back on the hockey team, Alex demonstrates how much he's changed by allowing his teammate and best friend to score the winning goal instead of taking the glory.
00:08:55
Speaker
And at Campery, Dina attempts to have Troop 57 thrown out because Alex is not in the proper den mother attire. So he bravely changes into a female den mother uniform, which this is so Disney, which catches the eye of the all-star hockey coach, who funny enough, was both the ref from the beginning and is Dina's husband.
00:09:21
Speaker
yeah Shocking twist of fate there. So he really respects Alex for doing
Redemption and Gender Norms
00:09:26
Speaker
all of this. And he offers him a spot on the all-star team. To top it all off, Matisse gives Alex a kiss on the cheek, showing her appreciation for his change.
00:09:35
Speaker
And Alex and Troop 57 get to enjoy campery. And he takes his place as their permanent den mother or brother. I'm not really sure how that works at the end because he's still only a teenager. Right. He's like 17. Yep. Yep.
00:09:47
Speaker
Ugh. yep ah What a cute movie. Yay! I actually really did like it. i did. i don't know that it is, you know, super high in my rankings.
00:10:00
Speaker
However, ah had a great time. I thought it was super fun. um Yeah. No complaints other than it wasn't the pacifier and I really wanted it to be the pacifier.
00:10:11
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's slightly different, but it has the same vibes. It does. It has the same vibes, but no Vin Diesel. Yeah, it was a little closer to Mrs. Doubtfire, actually, which I appreciated. Which, I hate that movie.
00:10:26
Speaker
Do you? Tell me more. Can we just sidetrack for a minute here? Because I love that movie. I don't really have a reason. um i really do like Robin Williams.
00:10:37
Speaker
It'd be criminal not to. But it's just one of those movies that always made me uncomfortable. And it's not the cross-dressing. I don't know. i think it's the... yeah i don't know. It's just a movie I never liked.
00:10:50
Speaker
But I don't hold that against this movie. But I do see the influence sure. Yeah, and mainly the only influence is the cross-dressing and the Mrs. Zamboni, like the comedic effect of it. I feel like he took a lot of inspiration from Robin Williams' performance, but right the the actual, the Mrs. Doubtfire movie is tragic. Like the whole plot about the divorce and the way that the mom treats him is horrible. So I can see not liking it because it's really not a comedy, but that's how it's portrayed. No, it is not a comedy. Yeah.
00:11:20
Speaker
No, I think any other actor in that role ah would have failed. Like it would have been a terrible movie. They needed Robin Williams to bring levity, but it's not it's not a funny movie at all. Yeah.
00:11:32
Speaker
Flipping the switch back to this movie, what did you think of Den Brother? ah I loved it more the second time. When my husband Nick first showed it to me a few years ago, I was like, how did I miss this? This is very cute.
00:11:44
Speaker
And this time it just gives me like a warm, happy feeling. I like that Alex has a true redemption arc. There's not just this like, oh, I'm sorry, I messed up once. He genuinely changes and becomes a better person and like sees the air of his ways. So- I just, I think it's got a lot of valuable lessons.
00:12:03
Speaker
I think the relationship between him and his sister is cute. They don't overemphasize the grief about the mom, but like it's there and it influences the characters and the plot.
00:12:14
Speaker
The other Bumblebee girls each has a distinct personality, which I like. Matisse is a strong female character. Like I feel like there's nothing really to dislike about it.
00:12:26
Speaker
It's just a very sweet, warm movie. Yeah. I will say like the thing that bothered me was Alex, but he was supposed to bother you. So I can't be mad at the movie for that, you know?
00:12:40
Speaker
Yeah. They actually delivered on like he's a genuinely antagonistic character up until the end. He's a complete jerk and the biggest ego of all time.
00:12:51
Speaker
Even it cracks me up when his friend Goose is like – you're so good at hockey in the one town that actually cares about hockey. He's even like teasing him. Which PS, sidetrack.
00:13:03
Speaker
Why does Alex have friends? Like why is Goose his friend? I did not understand why Goose is his friend. Goose clearly hates him. Why are they friends? I don't know.
00:13:14
Speaker
But that's the thing is like, it would have been nice to get more backstory on their friendship, but it wasn't necessary to this plot line. And I'm grateful that they didn't try to add too much in. But yeah, I do wonder, like, did you guys get along better in elementary and middle school before Alex was a jerk or something? And you just have like history to go on?
00:13:32
Speaker
i don't know. Yeah. Like every time they talked, I was like, this guy hates him. Like Goose just does not like him and is always like, you're being an idiot. You're being a jerk. What makes you think you're so cool?
00:13:44
Speaker
What makes you think you have a chance with this girl? And he's right. And he's right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, and the fact that Alex has all these girls swooning over him and he's like, nope, I want that one. The one that hates me. Like, that's so cringe. giving Gaston.
00:13:59
Speaker
it is. Yes. Oh, my gosh. That's so true. Yeah. I don't know why he thinks he can act like that either. Like, okay, so this was a random point that I was going to bring up. Now feels like the right time.
00:14:12
Speaker
The coach. was so confusing to me. I'm like, what is your motivation here, coach? Because he loves Alex, but he's also pissed at him for the way that he's acting.
00:14:26
Speaker
And the only conclusion I can draw is he's mad that Alex is acting this way because it means he has to suspend him and he doesn't want to do that. But it seemed like the coach was like, you are perfect and you can do no wrong.
00:14:38
Speaker
And I'm like, okay, you're weird. But outside of that, like everyone else hates on Alex for his behavior. So I'm like, what makes you think you can act this way? Like who is affirming this behavior? It was weird. He was like, oh, everyone, everyone take a breath. We're going to be okay. Alex is on the court now. Just give, just give the puck to Alex. And you're like, what are you, you were not a good coach.
00:14:59
Speaker
Yeah. What? He's kind of mean to everybody else. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Also, the other adult figures in this movie, not my most favoritest.
00:15:12
Speaker
Very decom. Yeah. one Dina, the rival troop leader. Hilarious. Frickin' loved her. but She was great. Clearly, like, an exaggeration of something, right?
00:15:25
Speaker
But I want to talk about the dad who is clearly a very busy man, um single parent household. He says he's working a lot. He's a professor. He's teaching five classes that semester. That's a lot.
00:15:38
Speaker
But he is incredibly absent from these kids' lives. Like he's never there. Never. He never goes to Alex's games, which like, yeah, your son's a jerk, but that's really rude.
00:15:51
Speaker
Like there might be some of the reason why Alex is a jerk. Right. Yeah. And Alex clearly wants him there. He keeps asking about it. Yeah. Never asked him about his day. He's always like, here, you're making dinner and you're watching the kids and i don't care what plans you had because this is what you're doing. And and then he's just gone. And you're like, okay.
00:16:11
Speaker
Right. He's not even there. it doesn't seem like he's there for breakfast or dinner. So he's gone like all day, all morning, all night. it's It's weird how absent he is. I'm like, are you doing things other than teaching? Because it seems like you could try to make some time to be around. Or like on weekends, right? Like when kids aren't doing classes, you could be around. And that's usually when games and Bumblebee events happen anyways.
00:16:35
Speaker
Yeah. I don't know. It was weird. I felt like that wasn't super fleshed out. I understanded why he needed to be absent for Alex to really step up, but and was like, this doesn't track for me.
00:16:47
Speaker
Redeeming factor for the dad though, when Alex like really messes up and he is trying to apologize to his dad and he's saying, punish me. And his dad is like, no, you can't fix this was an apology.
00:16:58
Speaker
If I give you some type of punishment, if I ground you, you're going to think that you did penance for what you did and you didn't. You did something wrong. You have to sit with that. And I actually like really enjoyed that take. I'm so glad you brought that up. Yeah, he's incredibly wise. like He's a really good father from a discipline and learning perspective. He helps Alex grow. Yeah. Yeah.
00:17:17
Speaker
And I will say, Alex's, ah his arrogance was actually like pretty
Realism in Alex's Character
00:17:24
Speaker
realistic. It's like somebody I knew. It's not like that idiot in that movie Frenemies that was just so over the top arrogant that it was like uncomfortable. This was like, oh. How dare you bring that memory to my mind, but yes, you're right.
00:17:38
Speaker
But this was like, oh, I knew this guy in high school. Yup. yeah This is not an exaggeration. m yeah Actually, yes. All right. I have a question. How did you feel about the relationship between Alex and Emily? Because I've expressed that I loved it, but I want to give you a chance to share.
00:17:55
Speaker
Oh, yeah. I really liked it. I feel like I appreciated that they didn't make it one dimensional. I also appreciated that they didn't make it a they hate each other. So I feel like that is overdone and we're tired of it.
00:18:08
Speaker
I love that he, while being a very selfish teenage boy, still clearly loves his sister and like finds ways to connect with her. And that's really, i think important and really sweet. And the times that they talk about their mom together and she's like, did mom do this? Did mom do this? And he's like really taking time to like try to help her understand their mom. That was very sweet. And I really liked that.
00:18:32
Speaker
Um, Yeah, I think that the from an acting perspective, they had really good chemistry together. i think that was like well cast, well put together. Yeah, I agree i loved it. I'm excited for the where are they now for her because I feel like I've seen her before, but I couldn't put my finger on where and I didn't want to look it up.
00:18:49
Speaker
Don't look it up. I'll tell you. Yeah, okay. I also really liked when he was talking, I think it was to Mrs. J about how he's like, I don't want Emily to miss out just because our mom died. And like, that's why he, that's his real heart for helping the troupe.
00:19:03
Speaker
Right. And I think I really feel like Alex, like his his projection of his ego and being the best and thinking he's the best might be a defense mechanism against his grief and trying to...
00:19:20
Speaker
Be the best and and like make his dad proud and his sister proud so that they don't have to worry about him while they're grieving the loss of the mom. so that might you know They could have gone deeper into that. That might have something to do with it too, and and maybe that could have been explored even more with Mrs. j Okay, so final two questions that I have.
Sequel Possibilities and Modern Reception
00:19:43
Speaker
How well do you think this movie would do if it were made today as it is? And do you think it should have gotten a sequel? I'm to start with question two first. I think it's okay without a sequel.
00:19:55
Speaker
I think it rounded off really well. I think the sequel would have been fine, but I think the main lesson was learned and good. And I don't think we needed a sequel. Do you agree? you, what do you think? I agree with that.
00:20:07
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. There's more I would have liked to explore. i would have been interested possibly in a prequel, like about the friendship with goose and about Mrs. J and his mom. That could have been kind of interesting. Yeah.
00:20:20
Speaker
I could have, I could have watched something that was more like backstory. Um, for your first question, do I think it would do well today? Yes and no. I really think that people would, I'm thinking of a DCOM audience.
00:20:36
Speaker
I think Gen Z would be like, this was fun, makes me remember my Girl Scout days. I think they would take offense to the cross-dressing.
00:20:49
Speaker
Or the fact that it's like made fun of. Yeah. Yeah. I agree with that. I don't think it would do well simply because of that. I don't think it would get green. yeah They'd have to change the fact that he pretends to be a woman and then everybody's like joking around and making fun of him or they're like, oh, you're so brave for dressing like a woman at the end.
00:21:07
Speaker
That's like his big climactic moment at Campery. Yeah, I just don't think that resonates with audiences the way that it might have when we were kids. It's just not it's not something that Gen Z specifically connects with because it's a different world now.
00:21:23
Speaker
And men are able to take on more of those roles. I think it was weird that she was so insistent they have a den mother, that it be a woman. And I'm like, why don't they have a male uniform that he could put on?
00:21:35
Speaker
I guess because there was no den fathers or brothers. Yeah. at that time. And so I'm like, it would be very uncommon in this day and age for them to not have like a gender neutral or a masculine looking version of the uniform for him to wear. Like he had to wear the skirt, really? Yeah. Especially as as you said, men are in, ah continued to be in more domestic roles or whatever you want to call it. Like, absolutely. I think that people would be like, no, that doesn't make sense. They could have made a remake where this movie focuses a little bit more on that. i think that would do well.
00:22:09
Speaker
Oh, yeah, for sure. And I could see it being successful if the main ah like problem was that he's too young. He can't be an official den mother because he's too young. So he pretends like there's a den mother or a den father to that extent.
00:22:23
Speaker
But it can't just be like, you're a boy. Like pulled a little Ferris Bueller and tried to be like his dad on the phone. and Like Goose was playing his dad on the phone. That would make more sense to me.
00:22:34
Speaker
I would would appreciate that if they made it today. I agree. There was one major plot hole. I didn't know if you caught this, but I was like, I just want to sprinkle this on at the end.
00:22:45
Speaker
Okay.
Plot Inconsistencies and Critic Reviews
00:22:46
Speaker
Okay. So the whole thing starts because when he shows up to the meeting, the den mother has quit and she's like overwhelmed. He's supposed to be there at four to pick Emily up to take her home.
00:22:59
Speaker
So shouldn't the meeting have been over? And they're like just starting. And the den mother walks out on all of these young girls and is like, Alex, you take over the meeting. Wasn't it supposed to be over?
00:23:10
Speaker
I think you're right. I didn't notice, but yes, I think you're correct. Maybe he just got there really early, which does not seem like what we know about Alex to be true. But don't know. Unless he's like, I have other plans. You're leaving early today, which would make sense. Decom logic. Decom logic.
00:23:26
Speaker
Okay. I just was like, before we sign off here, I got to make sure I point out the plot hole. Although after last episode, you know, that's very minor as far as plot holes go. Let's not even begin on plot points being missing. Okay.
00:23:43
Speaker
Gabby, can you tell me what the rest of the world thought about this movie? Yeah, I will. So we always head over to Rotten Tomatoes to check out what the tomato meter and the popcorn meters are.
00:23:53
Speaker
The tomato meter is our critic scores based on like professional critics. And then the popcorn meter is what? Professional, yes. Very professional. Very professional. And the popcorn meter is what general audiences thought. So for a tomato meter to exist, you need at least five critics reviews.
00:24:11
Speaker
This had one critic review. So no tomato meter. This is my shocked face. I wish we had a video element so people could see you.
00:24:22
Speaker
But here's what Emily Ashby from Common Sense Media had to say. Our one review. Den Brother is a sweet tale of personal growth and accountability emphasized by the heartwarming relationship between a teen and his adoring little sister.
00:24:36
Speaker
Okay, sure. I feel like she didn't say anything, but sure. Easy enough. Yep. It was more like a synopsis than an opinion. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, so for the popcorn meter, this was shocking. There was only 250 ratings and only 12 written reviews, which is the lowest I think I've seen.
00:24:56
Speaker
i Yeah, I agree. I think that is the lowest we've seen, and that's shocking to me. Yeah, especially for a movie from this time period. I feel like people were giving a lot more reviews on these movies.
00:25:07
Speaker
Anyways, so the popcorn meter is only 52%, which I think is low. That is low. Yeah, made me kind of sad. this at least 65.
00:25:19
Speaker
Agreed. But I will say of the 12 written reviews, most of them were positive. There's a couple that are like, eh, so I'm going to read you a couple now. So first we have Den Brother is a fun film with important messages of responsibility and trust.
00:25:34
Speaker
The unique concept set in a Girl Scout setting is not only intriguing, but manages to keep you invested with the character. Sure. Then we have Drastic Turn, a fall from grace compared with other classic DCOMs.
00:25:48
Speaker
Oh no. Why did it fall? I know. I'm like, please elaborate. What do Say more. I think you're wrong, but Okay. Then we have cute movie for kids, but the messages are a bit muddled.
00:26:01
Speaker
To which I'm like, no, they're not.
00:26:05
Speaker
It's pretty straightforward. Yeah, very cut and dry. Don't be selfish. Take care of your siblings. Anyways. Finally, ah last review i enjoyed because they made the same comparison I did.
00:26:17
Speaker
They said, just like Mrs. Doubtfire, but more kiddier. Hutch Dano, Dano, I don't know how say his name, is a talented teenage actor. The movie was good because of the good acting and a nice story.
00:26:28
Speaker
Okay. I mean, I agree. I do feel like everyone in it was a good actor. There was no one that felt cringy to me. Yeah, I feel like of this era of DCOMs, I feel like they started to get actors...
00:26:43
Speaker
who knew a little bit more what they were doing, which is no hate to the earlier actors, but also a little hate to the earlier actors. Yeah, this was better. Even the other girls were really good.
00:26:56
Speaker
Yes, and I have i have um words about them. Okay, tell me your words. I am really ready. Where are they now?
Cast Member Updates
00:27:03
Speaker
Okay, welcome to Where Are They Now? The segment where I tell you where everyone is now.
00:27:08
Speaker
And this one's fun. I'm excited. Okay, so we're starting off with Hutch Dano, who played our main character, Alex. He was very busy in the 2010s. He starred as Zeke in the Disney Channel show Zeke and Luther, which I never watched, but apparently ran for a very long time because he's in like 9,000 episodes of that show.
00:27:28
Speaker
I never saw it either, but it was a big deal. Like I knew about it. I think it was it was mainly a boy show, so I don't think that was really our vibe. but Anyway, and then he starred opposite Selena Gomez and Joey King in Ramona and Beezus.
00:27:43
Speaker
Oh, love that. Yeah, around the same time. So he was a big old deal in twenty ten s um He continues to do some acting and some producing, but mostly now he is focused on abstract art.
00:27:58
Speaker
Ooh. Like what kind? Oh, like paintings and, and like mixed media things. Yeah. He posts all of his pieces on Instagram. he even does commissions. So if you want art done by Hutch Tano, he can absolutely do that for you.
00:28:13
Speaker
um Also in his spare time when he's not doing art and producing movies, he's also an acting coach focused on helping young actors in Hollywood, which is so cute because he used to be young actor in Hollywood.
00:28:26
Speaker
I love that. Oh, these are very abstract. I looked them up on Instagram. Yeah, aren't they fun? They are fun. It's a little bit giving i could do this, but I'm sure I couldn't.
00:28:37
Speaker
He does a great job. It's like painting splatters, but very cool. I like the colors. Yeah. Next we have Genevieve Henelius, who played younger sister Emily.
00:28:49
Speaker
um She's also called G. Henelius at some points in her career, but her name is Genevieve. Anyway, she is probably best known for starring in the three-time Emmy-nominated Disney Channel series Dog with a Blog.
00:29:04
Speaker
which was just a few years after this movie. um She also did stints on Hannah Montana, on ah Good Luck Charlie. She was a voice for a lot of the dogs in like the Air Bud spit-off movies. She in Jessie. She was in Sophia the First. Like she's a lot of voice stuff, but the main thing, dog with a blog.
00:29:27
Speaker
Okay. I probably knew her from Hannah Montana. Yeah. That's probably where I recognized her from. um While she continues to act, she is also an entrepreneur now. She co-founded G Polish, which sells all things nails, including nail polish and nail accessories.
00:29:45
Speaker
She is also an active supporter of the nonprofit organization, a Window Between Worlds, which is an arts program that supports art therapy for survivors of domestic abuse.
00:29:56
Speaker
Well, how cool for her. Amazing. know. Her Instagram is real cute. um Like I said, she continues to act. So she kind of like disperses like, here's this new movie I'm doing with like her nail content. And she's just like the cutest little thing in the world. So you should go follow her.
00:30:12
Speaker
Oh, I'm really happy about that for her. And what a cool idea for a nonprofit. I like that. Right? It's cool. I feel like she and Hutch should team up and do like an art therapy den brother.
00:30:24
Speaker
thing oh my gosh people would freak out people would go to that no you know what people would do people would go what's den brother because nobody knows what this movie is except for you and your husband which is so sad to me because it's so now you all know about it and go watch it now we know okay Next, we have Kelsey Asbill, who played Matisse. Yes, I love her. She started acting young, and she had her breakout role on One Tree Hill. Yes, she did. She also starred in Pair of Kings, Teen Wolf, and currently she plays Monica Dutton on the hit TV show Yellowstone.
00:31:01
Speaker
have you seen Yellowstone? No, but I've seen all the other ones you mentioned and I recognized her right away. I, when she showed up on the screen, I was like, why do I know her? She looks so familiar. It's from Teen Wolf. I remember her from Teen Wolf. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. She is creepy in that show. She sure is She sure is. yeah Okay.
00:31:21
Speaker
But I also know her really well from Pair of Kings, which is a phenomenal show. phenomenal show until they drop Mitchell Musso, then it's not so good. But oh my gosh, go watch it if you haven't.
00:31:32
Speaker
Never seen a single episode. Don't even know what is about. It's funny. Oh my gosh, I love it. My sister and I still quote that show. fun? Well, I don't know, fun.
00:31:43
Speaker
Interesting thing about Kelsey as Bill is that when she was younger and including in this movie, um her name was actually Kelsey Chow.
00:31:54
Speaker
That was her given name. um She has said publicly that she changed her last name around 2015 because she was concerned that she would only ever play roles meant specifically for Asian actresses.
00:32:07
Speaker
um She has been in a little bit of controversy lately, ah somewhat connected, um over her role in Yellowstone, where she plays a Native American woman.
00:32:19
Speaker
She has claimed that her heritage is Chinese, British, and Cherokee. But the Cherokee Nation issued an official statement that she is not an enrolled member of the tribe and there is no documentation to support her claim.
00:32:34
Speaker
And some people have been very angry about her playing a Native American woman claiming to be Cherokee and have chosen to boycott the show Yellowstone specifically over this controversy.
00:32:46
Speaker
Oh, wow. Yeah. I mean, that's where Kelsey's at drastic, but okay. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, this is, it's a difficult conversation from a casting perspective. um I would always love for people of the correct ethnicity and background and culture to be playing those roles.
00:33:08
Speaker
and will also say Native American is extremely underrepresented culture in Hollywood, and there's not a lot of actors who can do it. Because not a lot of them get the arts funding growing up. Yeah, because if you just don't have anyone to choose from. Yeah.
00:33:26
Speaker
So. Yeah. Obviously, I would like to fix that. um Very much so. It's something I'm passionate about. But anyway, so that's Kelsey Asbill. Also, it sounds like she wasn't trying to be.
00:33:39
Speaker
Well, maybe maybe she was, but it sounds like she wasn't trying to be manipulative. Like, oh, yeah, no, I'm definitely Cherokee. Sounds like she believed that and then was like told otherwise, which has happened. Yeah, I and don't have enough information on the story to comment it on completely, but do your own research on her if you're interested, y'all.
00:33:58
Speaker
Well, I hope that they get that resolved because I really like her as an actress. Yeah. I mean, she's gorgeous and pretty good actor. And I've heard Yellowstone is incredible. So I have heard that. Yep.
00:34:09
Speaker
Next, we have Vicki Lewis, who played the rival dead mother, Dina. um you thought she looked familiar. Do you remember her, Gabby? No, I just love this character.
00:34:21
Speaker
Okay, well, if you thought she looked familiar, it's because just last week we saw her as the headmistress in Upside Down Magic. No, we did not.
00:34:33
Speaker
No. Literally the same woman. And we gave her such a hard time. We hated her in Upside Down Magic. And she plays low-key the same character in this movie, but she's so much better in this movie.
00:34:47
Speaker
Oh my gosh. Yes. Isn't that hilarious? She really got bad. Yeah. And maybe it was the writing. Maybe she just had nothing to work with. We we know that's why.
00:34:58
Speaker
We know. Yeah. Yeah. She also done a whole ton of acting and voice work, including my favorite little tidbit. I mean, like, I could have picked so many things to put on this list, but I picked this one because it made me happy.
00:35:12
Speaker
She voiced the characters Deb and Flo in Finding Nemo. Oh my gosh. I love it so much. I know. My heart. i My name's Deb.
00:35:24
Speaker
That's my sister Flo. Don't listen to anything she says. She's crazy. She's nuts. I can't see Flo. Yes. ah She's been on Broadway and off Broadway. She continues to have a fantastic career. Go look her up because she's been in a million things. I just picked the things I thought were the best relevant to this.
00:35:42
Speaker
This is a fun Where Are They Now? So great. Aren't you having a great time? I really am. Thank goodness, too, because I was really concerned after the last episode.
00:35:54
Speaker
Oh, my gosh. I'm trying to even, like, picture her in Upside Down Magic, and I can't barely remember what she looked like. Like, that's how unmemorable she was. i just hated her character. And that's fair.
00:36:05
Speaker
All right. Next. And yes, I know I covered a lot of actors in this movie, but they were so fun. So just let it happen. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Next we have Debra Mooney, who played Mrs. J. um She has been in a whole heck of a lot of things.
00:36:19
Speaker
um She has over five decades of acting experience. um She played Edna Harper on the WB drama series Everwood.
00:36:30
Speaker
um She was in ABC's Scandal. She was in Tootsie, Dead Poets Society, Domestic Disturbance, The Grey's Anatomy, Arrested Development. ah She played Detective Lassiter's mom in Psych.
00:36:44
Speaker
Like, this woman's done everything. My goodness, please tell me she's still alive. She, ah surprisingly, yeah, she's still alive. Thank goodness. Yeah, wild, right?
00:36:55
Speaker
um But the ah thing I would like to point out that perhaps you and I may be the only ones that care about um is she played several of the background voices and singing voices in the animated film Anastasia from 1997.
00:37:12
Speaker
Oh, so good. Yeah. She it wasn't a named character, but apparently she did a lot of the voices. So I just think that's super fun. Fantastic. I was a little sad when you said Edna, whatever you said at the beginning, because I thought you were going to say Edna Mode in Incredibles.
00:37:27
Speaker
No. She doesn't even remotely sound like her. I know, but you know, voice actors, they can they can change. They can be chameleons. You know voice actors. You know how voice actors are.
00:37:40
Speaker
All right, finishing off. We have two of the Bumblebee girls. um I didn't do full sections on them. i just got little tidbits. But first we have Haley Chu.
00:37:51
Speaker
It's T-J-O. How do we think we pronounce that? I think it's Chew. I'm going to go with yes. Cool. Okay. She played Tina, um the little tiny quiet one. She's built a very successful voice acting career, including roles in Nickelodeon's animated series, The Loud House, and in Big Hero 6, the series. So are girls still working with Disney, mainly doing voiceover things?
00:38:16
Speaker
Good for her. And then I just want to highlight Kiara Muhammad, who played Ursula. the African-American little chubby little cheeks girl who's so cute. um She is best known as the voice of Doc McStuffins on Disney Junior.
00:38:30
Speaker
For real? Yeah. That's so great. Once I found that out, I rewound it and I listened to her voice. she Yes, she sounds exactly like Doc McStuffins because she literally is her.
00:38:41
Speaker
That's so precious. Good for her. And that's a big role. know, right? everyone's doing pretty well. um Everyone is, as far as I'm aware, alive and somewhat healthy. And only one of them is in a controversy. So we're thriving.
00:38:55
Speaker
Amazing. Good for everybody. Yeah, that's the cast. Love it. Great work, Natalie. Thank you. I really enjoyed this week's. Yay. I'm so glad.
Conclusion and Teaser for 'Brink'
00:39:05
Speaker
Okay. Well, are we ready to find out what we're watching in our next episode?
00:39:09
Speaker
Yes. I want it to be something good. Yeah, so do i There's still so many good ones to come. Like, I am very excited for when we do the 13th year. Ooh, don't that one. For when we get back to the cheetah.
00:39:20
Speaker
Oh, like, when the guy becomes a merman on his birthday. I'm sorry, what? You have missed out, my friend. was thinking about it today, and i I genuinely don't know what we're going to pick. So if I name this thing and it's something you picked, I'm going to be so freaking funny.
00:39:36
Speaker
Um... But I was thinking about Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off today. And I was like, dang, I want to watch that movie, but I'm going to wait until the podcast deems it time. Okay.
00:39:48
Speaker
ah Well, I guess we'll see. I don't know that one, actually. You'll love it. can't wait for a bunch of them. Like, we still have Johnny Capahala. We still have to go back to The Cheetah Girls. We have one more High School Musical. Like, there is a lot great stuff. We got more Xenon films.
00:40:02
Speaker
Right. And both Descendants, plus the one I don't like to talk about. And all the zombie stuff. There's so much. I forgot about zombies. What a great time. Okay. So in case you're new here, here's what we do. Every week we use a random number generator to pick a number between 1 and 117 because we're going to be watching every single DCOM ever made. That's how many there work.
00:40:26
Speaker
You will have two weeks to watch the movie and prepare yourself for the discussion. So here we go. Let's do our random generator. Spin the wheel. Spin the wheel. It's not a real wheel this time.
00:40:36
Speaker
It's just a number generator. Back the day, we used We should get back to spinning the wheel. It was kind of fun. I know. I liked the wheel. The problem was that you could only put so many on the wheel. and We can't put 117 on the wheel every time.
00:40:49
Speaker
Well, now it's only like 80-something, right? That's true. Maybe we'll get back to it. Anyways, are you ready? I have a number. I have a movie. I'm ready. Okay. I feel like we're sticking to a similar vein of movies that were marketed towards boys. Okay.
00:41:05
Speaker
We're going to be watching Brink from 1998. Brink. I've heard of it, but I know nothing about it. there's this I feel like there's skateboard involved. I want to say yes or a snowboard maybe. Let me look it up. But this is one of my husband's favorites. So he's going to be super pumped.
00:41:21
Speaker
Brink. Roller skates. Roller skating. Okay. Oh, these boys in the picture ah look like the main bad guy in Princess Diaries. The one that she dates at the beach party.
00:41:34
Speaker
oh You're right. what What is his name? Something Brian. Josh. Is it the same My name's Josh Brian. Shut up. It's the same kid.
00:41:44
Speaker
It's the same actor. Shut up. I just looked it up right Okay, wait, wait, wait. Put my phone down. I can't. I'm going to spoil it for myself, but that's the same kid I just checked. Oh my gosh.
00:41:54
Speaker
I can't believe I just called that. That was incredible. Guys, I had no idea. i was just trying to be funny. Guys, it's Josh Bryant. Okay, watch Brink. Come back in two weeks and we will just have the best time talking about Princess Diaries.
00:42:10
Speaker
But nobody look up where they are now because i i spoiled something for myself. Yeah, and I get to do it next week. Oh, how fun. Oh, what a great time. All right, let's watch Brink. Brink exclamation point.
00:42:21
Speaker
Oh, wow. Oh, no. We haven't had that since you wish. I know. No. Thank you all so much for listening to this episode of Once Upon a DECOM. Like what you just heard? Leave us a rating and review. We'd love to hear your thoughts.
00:42:36
Speaker
Also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at onceuponadcom.podcast and share this podcast with your Disney-loving friends. A big thanks to Gabby for editing this whole podcast together. Thanks, Fran. Plus, shout out to Kaori for sweetening the audio on this track. And don't forget to subscribe because there's always a new episode on the way. This is Gabriela. And Natalie. Signing off with a sprinkle of pixie dust. And a whole lot of nostalgia.