Okay, I know what you're thinking... "Just let people enjoy things!"
About a year ago I watched "The Lizzie McGuire Movie," the iconic Disney movie based on the TV series where Lizzie graduates the 8th grade and goes to Rome with her school, for the first time in years. After a riveting phone call with a friend about how flawed its field trip system was, I decided it was the perfect time to write an article about all the misconceptions that the movie brought in.
1. First of all, let's talk about this field trip.
Lizzie and Gordo, Lizzie McGuire Movie, Disney
In "The Lizzie McGuire Movie," Lizzie is graduating from the 8th grade, and her school takes these 14-year-olds on a 2-week trip to Rome. THAT'S IN EUROPE. When I was in 8th grade, we just went to Universal Studios! Lizzie and her best friend Gordo are set for this amazing trip together and promise to make it the best trip ever.
2. One of the students were able to change their plans from going on a waterpark field trip to EUROPE!
Kate, Lizzie McGuire Movie, Disney
The 8th-grade class got a choice between the 26-hour bus ride to "Waterslide Wonderland," or the 2-week trip to Italy. For some reason, Lizzie's worst enemy Kate chose the peasant life of Waterslide Wonderland, but after a last-minute "Ebola or a very bad cold" disaster from a student, Kate re-arranges her plans to go to Italy.
Let's talk numbers here: Theoretically, let's say that their graduation was on a Friday. That was the day that the student got sick and led to canceling the trip and let's say the students left Monday to go to Italy. That gives Kate less than 48 hours to get a round-trip flight for Italy. With some research, I found this to cost a minimum of $1,500 if that one flight at that cost matches up their times, and the other flights averaging over $3,000. This cost is not even MENTIONING the multiple group excursions that Kate's parents had to pay. Homegirl should have signed up for Rome in the first place.
3. These 14 year olds have ONE SINGLE chaperone with them to a foreign country!
Miss Ungermeyer, Disney
So not only are these 14 year olds traveling to a foreign country, they're with ONE adult! JUST ONE! This chaperone is their future high school principal, the scary Ms. Ungermeyer. How is this legal? In addition, there are a number of parents who are talking to her about their child's multiple allergies and chronic conditions, and she's expected to watch over all of them alone. OKAY, DISNEY.
4. Lizzie apparently never learned not to talk to strangers in a foreign, tourism city.
When in Rome... do NOT talk to random men on the street! In this movie, Lizzie is wandering around, minding her own business, and a famous Italian singer named Paolo walks up to Lizzie, amazed that she looks just like his former singing partner, Isabella. Italians then start going up to the two of them, excited to see Isabella and Paolo, and one even gives her a cheese wheel. Paolo asks her to help her save Isabella's reputation by singing with him in a music awards show since the OG Isabella is MIA.
5. Lizzie fakes being sick multiple times and leaves the hotel room, but how was she allowed to be alone in the first place?
Maybe it's because THERE ISN'T ANOTHER CHAPERONE AVAILABLE TO BE WITH HER?? She fakes being sick and Ms. Ungermeyer brings in an Italian doctor, who prescribes for her to stay in bed and eat 3 apricots. Damn, I hope Lizzie's parents got international health care.
6. With less than a week left of Lizzie's trip, the McGuires miss Lizzie and decide to JET TO ITALY LAST MINUTE??
Lizzie and Mom
Everyone in this town must be rich. Lizzie's parents and brother are so worried about her that they just JET to Italy overnight? That's gotta cost more than Kate's round-trip ticket that she bought over the weekend.
7. TO EVERYONE'S SHOCK, Paolo ends up being, as Ms. Ungermeyer would call it, a "sneaky brown-noser with a hidden agenda."
*pretends to be shocked*
The night where Lizzie has to be Isabella finally comes. Throughout the two weeks of press and rehearsals, Paolo assures her that she will lip sing to Isabella's songs, but he has a few tricks up his sleeve. After Gordo covers for Lizzie being missing & is sent to go home, he finds the real Isabella, who tells her all about how everything Lizzie learned about Isabella is actually true about Paolo—he lip sings, he broke their record contract and soon after arriving at the music awards Gordo and Isabella learn that Paolo plans on framing Isabella for what he's done by turning off Lizzie's mic and revealing that Isabella can't sing. When Isabella and Gordo arrive to the scene, she turns off Paolo's mic and appears on stage just as it's revealed to the world that he lip sings. She then spills the tea on international television on what he's done and his reputation is ruined. Lizzie sings the rest of the song without him. GIRL POWER.
Despite everything listed here, I still love this movie. Will I continue watching it and listening to "This Is What Dreams Are Made Of"? Heck yes. This movie is still, in my eyes, one of the best Disney movies to exist, and has even brought out one of the best clapbacks in Disney history:
