Misguided Intentions within OG Disney Channel DNA (Camp Rock 3 review)

 

If anyone had asked 10 years ago whether a Camp Rock sequel would ever happen, I would have said it wouldn't be right to make another without Demi Lovato or the Jonas Brothers, despite their personal relationships with each other and with Disney. Now, 19 years since the movie that spawned cringe-worthy memes and made Lovato the superstar she is now, she returns WITH the Jonas Brothers to produce an all-new generation of the franchise. 

Camp Rock 3 now focuses on new characters attending the iconic camp and finding themselves in an opportunity to be Connect 3's (The literal fictional equivalent of the Jonas Brothers, if anyone forgot) new opening act. This Disney Channel sequel closely follows the original film's familiar plot structure, from its musical elements to the Final Jam, which serves as a turning point for these characters to fully realize themselves in their subsequent arcs and learn lessons along the way.

Liamani Segura, who plays the main role as Sage, is a star in the making, personally reminding me of when Demi, Miley, and Selena first started out. I wouldn't bet against her being part of the new gen of popular singers who started out as Disney girls, alongside Olivia Rodrigo, in a few years. Despite the plot mostly following her character, Camp Rock 3 feels more like an ensemble than its predecessors, with focus and arcs on Malachi Barton's Fletch, Lumi Pollack's Rosie, Casey Trotter's Cliff, and Hudson Stone's Desi, who also happens to be Sage's brother.

There is a sense of The Breakfast Club and Glee within this fivesome, with a Gen Z twist. They manage to write these characters without poking too much ridicule towards the generation, which I found refreshing. Their different and relatable circumstances drive them to pursue their musical goals, and yes, in classic Disney Channel fashion, they do also find the power of friendship, as cliché as it sounds. In retrospect, their individualities and the dynamic between these actors lead us to believe in their friendship, which puts the sequel on the right track toward being effective. 

One thing I had hoped Camp Rock 3 would be confident about was its soundtrack. It is surprising to say that several of the original songs were very catchy and memorable. However, with Disney falling for the nostalgia bait, which greenlit the idea of making this sequel anyway, they decided to not lean towards a full set of new songs for the film. There is one sequence where they do recreate a specific song from the first film in an inventive way that reminded me of Pitch Perfect, which made sense for the context of the plot and the scene itself. With that, they also recreate 3 other songs from the previous films, which is where I think they started to push the lazy button. 

I was starting to be muddled by the truth about the capitalization of bringing back the franchise when I could have been falling for the facade that they were taking a chance on their new talent. Who were pretty great on their own right, both as actors and singers/musicians. 

These choices made sense when I learned that Tim Federle, creator of the overly long-titled High School Musical TV show, was approving them, thinking it might be the right choice because it made sense in his other project. However, those intentions were misguided and unfortunately bogged down what I thought could have been a good reboot of the franchise, which was already in big shoes to fill. 

Also missing were the stakes that set Camp Rock apart from the other Disney Channel features. Despite its sometimes crazy dialogue choices and what we thought were great wardrobe and hairy stylings, the two films went on to double down on the messaging that sometimes winning didn't mean everything. This lesson was maybe more subtle in the 2007 original film but definitely more present in the first sequel. They do try to do something similar with the characters they build here, but ultimately make everyone happy at the expense of the characters discovering that they gained something they didn't know they needed. 

I might be expecting too much from a children's movie, and maybe Disney is noticing their faults these days. Still, Camp Rock 3 unfortunately does not know where to find its footing in starting something new within existing franchises to create or even recreate the magic, without completely relying on the backbone of what they have already done and made a difference with.