July 16: R U Stuck in the Suburbs?

On this day in 2004, Disney Channel premiered the Disney Channel Original Movie Stuck in the Suburbs.  The comedy centers on middle school student Brittany (played by Danielle Panabaker) who accidentally exchanges cell phones with a popular teen singer named Jordan Cahill (Taran Killam). When Brittany's friend Natasha (Brenda Song) convinces her that it might be fun to mess with Jordan's "glamorous" career ... they learn that his life isn't as carefree as it appears.

Panabaker's acting career in 2004 was still in its infancy, but she would go on to appear in other Disney films such as Read It and Weep and Sky High. (Her credits also include the feature film Yours, Mine and Ours, guest television roles on Medium and Grey's Anatomy and the short-lived series Summerland.)

Starting out as a child fashion model, singer-actress Brenda Song had already appeared in Disney Channel's Get a Clue and episodes of That's So Raven. Today she is best known for her character of London Tipton on Disney's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and its spin-off The Suite Life on Deck.

Comic, actor and singer Taran Killam had made his first film appearance in the 1994 feature Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult before joining the cast of MADtv. Today his credits include Big Fat Liar and appearances on such sitcoms as How I Met Your Mother and Drake & Josh.

Animator and director Savage Steve Holland (already known for his comedy cult films Better Off Dead and One Crazy Summer) directed Stuck in the Suburbs. A few years earlier in 1998 he had directed the comedy Safety Patrol a direct-to-TV movie released by Disney starring Leslie Nielsen.

Stuck in the Suburbs gathered 3.7 million viewers - making it the most-watched telecast in its time period. It was also one of the first made-for-television movies by Disney that had its own soundtrack. Stuck in the Suburbs - Original Soundtrack was released 3 days earlier (on July 13) and featured tracks by Hilary Duff, Jesse McCartney, and Taran Killam.

Click HERE for much more July 16 Disney history.