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DVD Features
- Original Air Date: January 12, 2007 / Running Time: 85 Minutes / Rating: TV-G
- 1.33:1 Fullscreen Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English; Closed Captioned
- DVD Release Date: April 3, 2007
- Suggested Retail Price: $26.99
The Movie
Most people who enjoyed High School Musical have watched with interest as to what each of the principal actors’ next project would be, and if it would be as successful as their first monster hit. Ashley Tisdale and Vanessa Hudgens recorded albums, Zac Efron will be in this summer’s Hairspray, Monique Coleman did Dancing with the Stars, and now we have Corbin Bleu’s project in between High School Musical sequels. Jump In! is the story of Izzy (Bleu), an up-and-coming boxer who is pursuing his dream single-mindedly until he gets drawn into the world of double dutch competition by his friend Mary (Keke Palmer).
Izzy risks disappointing his dad by trading in his boxing gloves for a jump rope. Izzy trains with Mary and her friends for the big double dutch competition in secret, until a boxing nemesis finds out and exposes him to ridicule. If it all sounds a bit familiar, you’ve been watching a lot of Disney Channel movies lately.
On the surface, the plot does sound like High School Musical set to jump ropes and boxing instead of basketball and theatre. While a lot of the main plot points are similar, Jump In! has a different sensibility and tone. The characters are not over-the-top campy, and large groups of kids do not break out into song and run around a gleaming campus. The music in the movie is tied to the jump routines Izzy and Mary work on, and fit in well with the story. The young actors are especially likeable. Corbin Bleu is one of the most likeable young actors to emerge from the Disney Channel star-making machine, and Keke Palmer (also in the excellent Akeelah and the Bee) is a perfect foil for his playful, friendly attitude. It’s fun to watch Izzy coax smiles out of Mary, who is intent on her own dreams as a double dutch champion. The routines in the movie are very well done, and give a great look at a sport most kids in the suburbs have never seen before.
The lessons of the story, such as loyalty to family and friends, honesty about thoughts and feelings, and hard work in spite of adversity are all excellent themes for kids to see in a film. I’m happy to see such positive role models being portrayed in a Disney Channel film in such a fun, entertaining way.
The Goodies
Like many of the recent Disney Channel DVD releases, Jump In! does not have many extra features. There are two short featurettes under the Backstage Disney category. In “Learning the Moves” (5:17), Corbin Bleu and double dutch movie consultant Chris Emerson demonstrate some of the basic moves in double dutch, then show some of the more difficult tricks and stunts. It’s a very brief look—not really enough to give kids a thorough instruction, but certainly entertaining to watch. It is good to see that Bleu can actually pull off a lot of the moves without help of a stunt kid.
“Inside the Ropes: The Making of Jump In!” is the standard feature on what a great time everyone had making the film, and includes comments from all the lead actors, including Kenneth Daniels, who is both Corbin Bleu’s screen dad and real-life father. It shows some brief scenes of jump doubles being used for the more complex moves, but also focuses on the hard work Bleu put in learning double dutch to make the movie more authentic.
There are only two music videos under the “Music and More” bonus features; T-Squad’s “Vertical,” and Keke Palmer’s “Jumpin.” I’m not a fan of T-Squad, but I have to admit “Vertical” is a catchy tune, especially when hammered home through endless Disney Channel commercials. Palmer’s video is a mix of movie clips and dance moves around the set of the film. The song is not super-memorable, but the video is more likeable than “Vertical.” I was very surprised the DVD did not include the music video “Push it to the Limit” by Corbin Bleu, as it’s the song my kids have been singing non-stop since they started showing the video on the Disney Channel. It is a far better song than “Vertical” or “Jumpin” and could have easily replaced either one of those videos.
Audio, Video and Interface
Jump In! is presented in its original broadcast ratio of 1.33:1 and looks like all the recent Disney Channel movies: crisp, clean and bright. The audio is Dolby Digital 5.1 and does justice to all the music played throughout the film. The interface is a montage of clips from the movie set to Palmer’s “Jumpin.” The whole presentation of the DVD is workmanlike and well done, but without any extra touches put in to make the disc really special.
The Final Evaluation
Of all the High School Musical‘s alumni projects I have seen, I enjoyed this one the most (I’m also hoping for good things from Efron’s upcoming appearance in Hairspray .) The positive role models, excellent music, and likeable stars make this Disney Channel worth repeated viewings. On the other hand, the goodies on the DVD are nothing to write home about. You will have to decide for yourself if you need a copy of the DVD instead of tivoing one of the many showings on the Disney Channel. My kids enjoy the disc in their portable DVD player, so for us having a permanent copy was well worth it. It may tide them over until the next High School Musical film debuts.
