I took a break from reviewing Disney Channel Original Movies for a little bit, but it’s about time we continued. After all, these are movies that defined a generation for many people who grew up in the 80’s, 90s, and 2000’s. Many people have fond memories of sitting in front of the television waiting for the newest DCOM to start. It has been so much fun walking down memory lane with each of the films I have reviewed so far. There are ones that have sold tons of merchandise and will be remembered for years to come. Unfortunately, Ready to Run is not one of those movies.
Story
Despite her mother’s disapproval, a girl (Krissy Perez) whose father died in a horse-racing accident wants to be a jockey. Now this doesn’t sound like a bad premise. Coming-of-age stories are popular, especially among Disney, and if done well, can be a lot of fun and really interesting. But alas there is a sort of twist, I guess. The horse that our lead character is riding can TALK. Yeah… none of it works.
There are really well-done Disney Channel Movies that are creative and well-written. Some aren’t very good but still inventive enough to be entertaining, and then there are ones like this. A movie where the ideas can be interesting, but they do not work at all.
On one hand the movie could just be about our lead Corrie and her trying to be a jockey. It could be about her proving to her family that she has what it takes. Unfortunately, the script is very flawed, and we don’t have any interesting conversations or dialogue to get us to care. On the other hand, you could have had a fun family film about talking horses who try to rise and be champions. Unfortunately, once again, the reveal that horses can talk seems like an afterthought as they aren’t given anything interesting to say and just overall feels like a wasted idea. They also throw in a side plot where the horse will only race if he has headphones on because he likes music. Yeah, I don’t know either.
Overall
Ready to Run isn’t the worst Disney Channel Original Movie that I have seen so far, but it is one of the most forgettable ones. It’s also probably why this review is shorter than other ones. There isn’t much worth talking about. It isn’t so bad that it’s insulting, but it’s just insanely dull. Some might say for me to relax because these movies are just for kids. I would fight back and say to look at Halloweentown, Johnny Tsunami, and especially The Color of Friendship. Just because a movie might be meant for kids, doesn’t mean they don’t deserve movies with good messages and that are well-made. Disney has proven they can do it.
The movie even has the voice talents of Sinbad and Paul Rodriguez. How is it that you have two successful comedians in your movie and don’t give them anything funny to say or do? How this movie made Sinbad unfunny is more fascinating to think about than anything going on in the actual movie.
Ready to Run is poorly acted, has too many ideas for its own good, and worst of all, just not memorable. It is too dull for kids and too cheesy for adults. This is a horse that should have just been kept in the stables.
