Disney Channel debuted its latest original movie August 10 with a TV musical adaptation of Freaky Friday, starring Broadway鈥檚 Heidi Blickenstaff and Liv & Maddie's Cozi Zuehlsdorff. The musical adaptation of Freaky Friday began as a project from Disney Theatrical Group; but as the stage version was in progress with book writer Bridget Carpenter and the Pulitzer and Tony-winning songwriting team of Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (Next to Normal, If/Then), the Disney Channel became interested in condensing the stage version for their next television movie.
Zuehlsdorff, who plays daughter Ellie in the mother-daughter switch-up story, co-wrote the song for the opening credits 鈥淲hat It鈥檚 Like to Be Me鈥濃攖he only song of the film not written by Kitt and Yorkey.
The musical then opens with 鈥淛ust One Day,鈥� as we meet Ellie and her mom Katherine. Ellie is nervous about making a name for herself in high school by winning The Hunt, the annual scavenger hunt organized by the classmate she has a crush on. Meanwhile, Katherine is getting ready for her wedding鈥攚hich doubles as the launch of her catering business. Take a look:
Ellie and Katherine don鈥檛 see eye to eye, but are forced to walk in the other鈥檚 shoes after a magic hourglass (a gift to Ellie from her late father) causes them to switch bodies in 鈥淭he Switch鈥�:
But it鈥檚 not all empathetic realizations right off the bat. In fact, Ellie and Katherine are so convinced that the other鈥檚 life is easy, they each brag about how they can handle a day in the life of the other in 鈥淚 Got This鈥�:
Things aren鈥檛 going smoothly and Ellie (trapped in her mom鈥檚 body) realizes that despite Katherine鈥檚 assurances that everything will turn out fine, 鈥淧arents Lie鈥�:
Having broken the original hourglass after their switch, the duo need to find the companion hourglass of the pair. Katherine (trapped in her daughter鈥檚 body) is trying to find it by winning The Hunt, since the hourglass is on the list of objects to procure. Here, Adam (played by Ricky He), pumps everyone up for the late-night search in 鈥淕o鈥�:
Ellie and Katherine manage to get their hands on the new magic hourglass and try to switch back in 鈥淔alse Switchback/Today & Ev鈥檙y Day鈥�:
