15 Classic Black-Led Disney Channel Original Movies

Matthew Peyton It’s never a bad time to watch a feel-good Disney Channel Original Movie, be it a classic from the ’80s and ’90s, anything from the 2000s golden era or even some of the newer projects released during the current Disney+ era. One of the pioneering films that made the 2000s stand out was [...]

Jul 9, 2026 0

15 Classic Black-Led Disney Channel Original Movies

Stars Attend Premiere of The Cheetah Girls — Matthew Peyton

It’s never a bad time to watch a feel-good Disney Channel Original Movie, be it a classic from the ’80s and ’90s, anything from the 2000s golden era or even some of the newer projects released during the current Disney+ era.

One of the pioneering films that made the 2000s stand out was the 2003 fan-favorite musical, The Cheetah Girls. Starring then-teen sensation Raven-Symoné, the movie would go on to produce two successful sequels and a franchise that is still in demand over 20 years later.

Actually, fandom has built so much over the years that it convinced Raven to finally pull out the cheetah print pants one more time for an upcoming fourth film titled The Cheetah Girls: Next Gen.

Details are still developing on what to expect from Cheetah Girls 4, but so far we at least know that Adrienne Bailon and Sabrina Bryan are set to reprise their co-starring roles. Kiely Williams however isn’t set to return, which isn’t too surprising given her and Raven’s highly-publicized feud.

More details below via Variety:

“Joining the beloved Disney franchise is Sophia Bush in the role of Jennifré along with Leah Sava’ Jeffries (‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’) as Galleria’s daughter Faith, Carmen Sanchez (‘Electric Bloom’) as Chanel’s sister Dior, Kaileen Chang as Ruby, and Sophie Lennon as Brooklyn. Newcomer Kamogelo Ramashala will play Kendi.

The logline for the film states, ‘The story picks up when Cheetah Girls Galleria (Symoné) and Chanel (Bailon), alongside Galleria’s daughter Faith (Jeffries) and her three friends, travel to Africa to volunteer at a wildlife sanctuary. Along the way, these four teen girls test their friendship, find their voice, and discover the true Cheetah spirit as they save the preserve and ultimately take the stage as the new Cheetah Girls.’”

Also on board to return are Lynn Whitfield and Lori Alter as supportive moms Dorothea and Juanita, respectively. The sheer sight of Raven walking on the set in the shared clip above is enough to get the inner child in many of us excited for the series to be entering the territory of a tetralogy.

Just imagine if we get another “Cinderella” out of it!

The nostalgia it evokes got us really thinking back on the many other Disney Channel Original Movies that featured a Black lead, from singing sistas, superhero families and a dearly missed super spy to deeper subjects on race relations and even a fantastical film that gave us a clever term for “twin witches.”

For those who have a Disney+ account or at least access to a good movie streaming site, we put together a list for your next throwback movie night if you want some family films to watch with added cultural significance. Although they make up a smaller portion of the wider DCOM catalog, they’ve each made a substantial impact on introducing inclusive storytelling, depicting a positive image of Black families and the emphasis of unity amongst us all.