''Camp Rock'' is a 2008
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film
Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
television film
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...
directed by
Matthew Diamond from a screenplay by Karin Gist, Regina Hicks,
Julie Brown, and Paul Brown. The 73rd
Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM), the film stars
Demi Lovato
Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), she starred in the Disney Channel short series ...
,
Joe Jonas
Joseph Adam Jonas (born August 15, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He rose to fame as a member of the pop rock band the Jonas Brothers, alongside his brothers Kevin Jonas, Kevin and Nick Jonas, Nick. The group released their ...
,
Meaghan Jette Martin,
Maria Canals-Barrera,
Daniel Fathers, and
Alyson Stoner. In the film, aspiring teenage singer Mitchie Torres (Lovato) visits Camp Rock, a summer music camp.
The film premiered on
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
on June 20, 2008. ''Camp Rock'' was the second DCOM to air on
ABC's ''
The Wonderful World of Disney'' after its premiere on
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
and was placed on the
iTunes Store for digital purchase shortly after its premiere. The film was watched by 8.9 million viewers on the night of its premiere and is currently the third highest viewed DCOM of all time, behind ''
High School Musical 2'' and ''
Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie''. A sequel, ''
Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam'', premiered on September 3, 2010.
Plot
Shy singer Mitchie Torres and her family are unable to afford the fees required to attend Camp Rock, a summer music camp. Her mother, Connie, a chef, is hired to cater food for the camp, which enables Mitchie to attend at a discounted rate. Her mother tasks Mitchie to help her in the kitchen when not performing camp duties. Upon arrival, Mitchie meets fellow camper Caitlyn Gellar, an aspiring music producer.
Shane Gray, the spoiled lead singer of the pop music trio Connect 3, returns to Camp Rock at his bandmates' behest to rehabilitate Shane's public image. Shane assumes a position as a dance instructor and is required to record a song with the winner of Final Jam, the camp's closing singing competition. Shane overhears Mitchie singing in a hall; unable to see her before she leaves, he obsesses over finding her, with the camp knowing he is searching for the girl with "the voice".
During Opening Jam, a camp meet-and-greet, Mitchie learns the campers are rich or well-connected. Embarrassed at being able to attend camp due to Connie's catering, Mitchie lies to Tess Tyler (the popular daughter of singer TJ Tyler) and her friends Ella Pador and Margaret "Peggy" Dupree that her mother is the president of the Chinese department of the music channel Hot Tunes TV. Impressed, Tess invites Mitchie to join her group at the disappointment of Caitlyn, who advises against Mitchie becoming friends with Tess.
During lunch, an argument between Tess and Caitlyn escalates to a
food fight. Tess portrays Caitlyn as the aggressor of the dispute to Brown Cesario, the camp's director and Shane's uncle; Brown punishes Caitlyn by making her work in the kitchen. Mitchie, worried Caitlyn will learn about her secret, does not defend her, to Caitlyn's annoyance.
Shane shares a song with Mitchie, which is a stylistic departure to his previous music with Connect 3. Doubtful his
record label
"Big Three" music labels
A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...
and fans would accept a change in musical direction, Mitchie expresses she likes the song. As Caitlyn arrives in the kitchen and learns about Mitchie's secret, they argue but reconcile at Pajama Jam, a pajama party music showcase, after Mitchie stands up to Tess when Tess attempts to upstage Caitlyn's performance.
Jealous at seeing Mitchie and Shane together, Tess follows her and learns of her secret. Tess exposes Mitchie in front of campers; Shane, believing Mitchie lied to him solely to be with him because he is famous, breaks their friendship and Mitchie becomes ostracized at camp. Tess then deduces Mitchie is the mysterious singer. On the eve of Final Jam, Tess frames Mitchie and Caitlyn for stealing her bracelet, and Brown bans them from all camp activities until the end of Final Jam.
At Final Jam, which is judged by Connect 3, Peggy and Ella argue with Tess and opt not to perform with her as planned; Ella performs with fellow campers Barron James and Sander Loyer. Tess stumbles during her performance after TJ attends and takes a call, and then retreats backstage in tears. Peggy performs a solo song as Final Jam's closing act and eventual winner. When Brown announces the end of Final Jam, Mitchie and Caitlyn make the spotlights flicker; he lets them go on stage, proud they understood their ban was only until "the end of Final Jam". As Mitchie sings, Shane realizes she is the mysterious singer, and they reconcile by singing together. Backstage, Tess apologizes to Peggy and Ella and tells Brown that she staged the theft of her bracelet.
In the
extended ending, Caitlyn invites Mitchie, Tess, Peggy, and Ella to the recording studio she built in her garage.
Cast
*
Demi Lovato
Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), she starred in the Disney Channel short series ...
as Mitchie Torres, a young girl aspiring to be a singer.
*
Joe Jonas
Joseph Adam Jonas (born August 15, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He rose to fame as a member of the pop rock band the Jonas Brothers, alongside his brothers Kevin Jonas, Kevin and Nick Jonas, Nick. The group released their ...
as Shane Gray, the spoiled and arrogant lead singer of the popular music trio Connect 3.
*
Meaghan Jette Martin as Tess Tyler, a shallow and self-centered girl known as the "diva of Camp Rock".
*
Alyson Stoner as Caitlyn Gellar, a Camp Rock attendee whom Mitchie befriends.
*
Maria Canals-Barrera as Connie Torres, Mitchie's mother and Camp Rock's new cook.
*
Daniel Fathers as Brown Cessario, Camp Rock's camp director.
*
Julie Brown as Dee La Duke, Camp Rock's musical director.
*
Anna Maria Perez de Tagle as Ella Pador, a Camp Rock attendee and Tess's friend.
*
Jasmine Richards as Margaret "Peggy" Dupree, a Camp Rock attendee and Tess's friend.
**
Renee Sands as Peggy's singing voice.
*
Jordan Francis as Barron James, a Camp Rock attendee and rapper.
*
Roshon Fegan as Sander Loyer, a Camp Rock attendee and rapper.
*
Nick Jonas as Nate Gray, a member of the popular music trio Connect 3.
*
Kevin Jonas as Jason Gray, a member of the popular music trio Connect 3.
*
Aaryn Doyle as Lola Scott, a Camp Rock attendee and singer.
* Giovanni Spina as Andy, a Camp Rock attendee and drummer.
* Edward Jaunz as Steve Torres, Mitchie's father.
* Jennifer Ricci as T.J. Tyler, Tess's mother and a famous singer.
Production
''Camp Rock'' was filmed between September and October 2007 at
YMCA Camp Wanakita in
Haliburton, Ontario, and Kilcoo Camp in
Minden, Ontario.
Soundtrack
The ''Camp Rock'' soundtrack features lead vocals from Demi Lovato, Jonas Brothers, Roshon Fegan, Renee Sandstrom, Meaghan Martin, Jordan Francis and Aaryn Doyle. It was released on June 17, 2008, by
Walt Disney Records
Walt Disney Records is an American record label owned by the Disney Music Group. The label releases soundtrack albums from the Walt Disney Company's Walt Disney Studios (division), motion picture studios, television shows, Disney Experiences, them ...
. Full songs of the album were made available on Camp Rock's official web site for one week beginning June 10, and the full soundtrack premiered on
Radio Disney
Radio Disney was an American radio network operated by the Disney Radio Networks unit of Disney Branded Television within Disney General Entertainment Content, headquartered in Burbank, California.
The network broadcast music programming ...
on June 14, during Planet Premiere: Camp Rock. The soundtrack was released in the United Kingdom one month later on July 14.
The album reached top ten in six countries, among which peaked at number 3 for four weeks on the US
''Billboard'' 200 album charts, selling over 188,000 units in its first week. It also topped the
Soundtrack chart in the country. The album was certified
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) after selling over a million copies in the United States. In Brazil, Mexico and Spain, the album was also certified
platinum
Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...
by the
PMB,
AMPROFON and
PROMUSICAE respectively.
Release and marketing
Home media
The
DVD and
Blu-ray
Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
of the film, titled ''Camp Rock: Extended Rock Star Edition'', was released by
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. (doing business as Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment) is the home entertainment distribution arm of the Walt Disney Company. The division handles the distribution of Disney's films, television series, a ...
on August 19, 2008. It was released in November in other countries, and on December 1 in the United Kingdom, only on DVD. Both the DVD and Blu-ray release contains an extended ending with an additional musical number ("Our Time Is Here"), the music videos, sing-along and karaoke functions, a gallery and more bonus features.
Merchandise
Merchandise of the film is sold at
Target,
Claire's
Claire's (formerly known as Claire's Boutiques, Claire's Boutique and Claire's Accessories) is an American retailer of accessories, jewelry, and toys primarily aimed towards tween and teen
girls, and young women. It was founded in 1961 and i ...
, and
Limited Too. They include clothing (such as pajamas, T-shirts, and underwear), bags (tote bags, backpacks, etc.), bedding collection, toys, and dolls of the characters.
Play Along Toys, so far, has only released dolls of Mitchie and Shane. On May 13, 2008,
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
published ''Camp Rock: The Junior Novel'', by Lucy Ruggles, the novelization of the film. Target retail stores sell "special editions" of the novel, hardcover books that include photos.
Reception
Ratings
''Camp Rock'' premiered on
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
in the United States on June 20, 2008, with 8.9 million viewers, being the second most viewed
Disney Channel Original Movie at the time, only behind ''
High School Musical 2'' (2007). Its June 21 showing on
ABC had 3.47 million viewers, and its June 22 showing on
ABC Family
American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...
had 3.73 million viewers, according to
Nielsen SoundScan
Luminate Data, LLC (formerly MRC Data and P-MRC Data) is a provider of music and entertainment data. Established as a joint-venture in 2020, it brought together Nielsen Music, Alpha Data (formerly BuzzAngle Music) and Variety Business Intellige ...
. The DVD topped the national home video sales chart for the week ending August 24. The film's premiere in Canada became
Family Channel's second-most-watched film ever, also behind ''
High School Musical'', with 848,000 viewers.
Its
Disney Channel Italy premiere received 1.14 million viewers in September. According to ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' the film attracted an audience of 146 million viewers in 160 nations and 30 languages.
Critical response
The film received moderate reviews from critics. On the
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film has a rating of 48% based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 4.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "''Camp Rock'' wants to be the next ''High School Musical'', but its forgettable songs and dull premise hold it back".
Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, which uses a
weighted average, assigned the film a score of 64 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Brian Lowry of ''
Variety'' stated that "it's difficult not to grudgingly admire the marketing savvy with which ''Camp Rock'' was assembled". ''
New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative
daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...
'' critic Austin Smith called it a "really great movie, like a modern-day version of an old
Judy Garland-
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney (born Ninnian Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nearly nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last survivi ...
picture" in which the kids "put on a show that improves the lives of all who see it". Barry Garron of ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' admired
Matthew Diamond's "solid enough" direction and
Demi Lovato
Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), she starred in the Disney Channel short series ...
's performance. He also said that with ''Camp Rock'', "Disney plucks another fresh face off its deep bench of young talent". Robert Lloyd of ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' wrote that the film "isn't particularly good, but it's good at what it does", and called it "inauthentic". ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
''s Robert Blanco called the film "simultaneously overdone and underproduced" and said that "it jerks its way from point to point without bothering to explain the characters' behavior or inject any life into its musical numbers". ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
s Gillian Flynn said "the strange and objectionable thing about the film's morality tale is that no one makes an outright decision to be brave or better", and called it "so rigidly formulated and unremarkable" that by the time the cast sings its finale, ''
We Rock'', "it's hard to agree".
Following the critics' line of comparison to ''
High School Musical'', Jennifer Frey of ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' said that ''Camp Rock''s music is "in the same easy-to-memorize, dance-inspiring mode" as that of the previous franchise, "but not as catchy". ''
Daily News''s David Hinckley agreed, saying that "the songs don't feel as fresh" and "the film is specifically designed to ride on the success of the previous one", but he praised its formula that "goes back to the animated Disney classics of decades past", and called it "catchy and fun, a rock-steady Disney hit". Hinckley also praised the talent and performance of leads Joe Jonas and Lovato.
In 2016,
''Billboard'''s Maria Sherman named ''Camp Rock'' Lovato's best film to date, describing it as "something of a coming of age tale, one not only about believing in yourself, but accepting yourself". ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' added ''Camp Rock'' to the top ten best summer camp movies of all time. Rebecca Alter of ''
Vulture'' ranked the film as one of the best Disney Channel Original Movies of all time.
Sequel and spin-off
''Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam''
After the great reception to the official premiere of ''Camp Rock'', being the second most viewed
Disney Channel Original Movie at the time, Disney confirmed a
sequel
A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
to be produced in late spring 2009.
Lovato, the Jonas Brothers, Martin, Canals-Barrera, Fathers, and Stoner reprised their main roles.
Daniel Kash, Matthew "Mdot" Finley, and
Chloe Bridges joined the cast in the new film.
''
Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam'' premiered on the
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
on September 3, 2010, reaching a total of 7.9 million viewers on its first broadcast, the most for a film on cable television in the year. The film was directed by
Paul Hoen and written by
Dan Berendsen, Karin Gist and Regina Hicks. It was shot in
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, from September 3 to October 16, 2009, filming scenes at the
French River, Kilcoo Camp,
The Kingbridge Centre, and
Earl Bales Park. It was the last sequel of a Disney Channel Original Movie, until ''
Teen Beach 2'', in 2015.
''My Camp Rock''
''
My Camp Rock'', a singing competition based on ''Camp Rock'', aired between 2009 and 2010. It had five international editions: a
Scandinavian,
Spanish,
Benelux
The Benelux Union (; ; ; ) or Benelux is a politico-economic union, alliance and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighbouring states in Western Europe: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The name is a portma ...
,
French and
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
version, the original. It invited viewers to log online and make a video of themselves singing "
This Is Me" and "
We Rock" as a group, a duet or a solo. The competition was open to children aged 8 to 16. The best 8 entries were picked to participate in the TV show, and to attend a 4-day intensive Camp Rock-style singing and dancing workshop. They had the opportunity to demonstrate their musical talent to the panel of judges through a range of music and physical activities. In the Final Jam, the viewer vote decided the winner. The prize for the winner was to have their version of a song from the film professionally recorded and released along with a music video. The winner of the first British edition was
Holly Hull, 14, from
Camberley
Camberley is a town in north-west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. It is in the Surrey Heath, Borough of Surrey Heath and is close to the county boundaries with Hampshire and Berkshire. Known originally as "Cambridge Tow ...
,
Surrey
Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
.
References
External links
*
{{Matthew Diamond
2008 television films
2008 films
American teen comedy films
American teen musical films
American musical comedy films
American musical television films
Films shot in Ontario
Rock musicals
Films directed by Matthew Diamond
Disney Channel Original Movie films
2000s teen comedy films
2000s musical comedy films
2000s English-language films
Films scored by David Kitay
Films with screenplays by Julie Brown
2000s American films
Television shows set in summer camps
English-language musical comedy films
2008 musical films