The Cheetah Girls Franchise

### Written By

Alison Taylor, Jodis Pierre, Bethesda Brown, Dan Berendsen, Nisha Ganatra and Jen Small

### Original Network

Disney Channel

**The Cheetah Girls Franchise** consists of three films, all of which are Disney Channel Original Movies. Each film has its own soundtrack album featuring songs sung by the cast of that film.

## Films

### The Cheetah Girls

Four teen girls in Manhattan, Galleria, Chanel, Aqua and Dorinda, perform at a children's birthday party as The Cheetah Girls. After the performance, Chanel rushes home to tell her mother about the show, but her mother is preoccupied preparing for a date with her new Parisian boyfriend to pay attention. Galleria comes home to her parents, who chastise her for not taking phone messages for her mother or walking their Bichon Frise dog, Toto. Meanwhile, Dorinda attends to her job, doing janitorial work at a community center.

The girls hope to become the first freshmen to win the talent show in their school's history. After a successful audition for the talent show, a famous alumnus of the school, Jackal Johnson, expresses interest in signing The Cheetah Girls to his record label. Galleria introduces herself as the founder and songwriter of The Cheetah Girls, which is not appreciated by the group's other members. While Galleria's mother, Dorothea, is initially hesitant to let The Cheetah Girls pursue the opportunity with Jackal, she eventually allows the girls to have a meeting after being encouraged by Galleria's father.

The meeting is a success and despite some ongoing concerns from Galleria, the girls begin to prepare to record their first song. Without asking the group's other members for opinions, Galleria suggests that The Cheetah Girls should not make time for the talent show due to their record deal and criticises Dorinda for repeatedly wearing the same dull clothing. Aqua encourages Chanel, Galleria's oldest friend, to speak to Galleria about her behaviour. Meanwhile, Dorinda has the opportunity to take a dance audition at the center where she is employed. She is offered a paying role because of her work, but taking on the role would require her to leave the Cheetah Girls.

Later, Chanel becomes distressed after overhearing a voicemail suggesting that her mother was planning to sell their New York City apartment to move to Paris with her boyfriend. Feeling neglected, Chanel takes advantage of having her mother's credit card to go on a shopping spree on Madison Avenue. In an act of kindness, Chanel purchases a cheetah jacket for Dorinda who reveals her financial troubles. She is a poor foster child who lives in a 10-child household with a mother whose husband is a superintendent for the building. Chanel assures Dorinda that they will remain friends and she will always be a Cheetah Girl.

At the next meeting between The Cheetah Girls and Jackal Johnson, Jackal reveals that a marketing team has developed a new image for the group that will require them to wear masks and lip sync. Galleria is devastated by this and declares that the group refuse the offer, but the other girls stay behind due to their frustrations with Galleria's attitude. Galleria leaves under the impression that the other Cheetah Girls have taken the deal. Chanel arrives home where her mother reveals her credit card was declined due to Chanel's shopping spree. Chanel breaks down after thinking about how grateful she is for her mother given Dorinda's current status as a foster child and Chanel's mother agrees to make more time for her daughter.

Later, Galleria's dog Toto falls into an obstruction on the Manhattan streets. This attracts a great deal of attention, including a live news story, which alerts all four Cheetah Girls members about what is going on and causes them to come to Toto's rescue. Their singing helps calm Toto down and allow for his safe removal from the obstruction. This act of bonding ultimately causes the girls to repair their friendship and they go on to sing a new song on the news for all of New York to see. Jackal Johnson arrives, voicing his regret trying to change The Cheetah Girl, but the girls refuse an offer with him. The Cheetah Girls end up winning the talent show and the girls renew their commitment to achieving their dreams and maintaining their friendship.

### The Cheetah Girls 2

The movie begins in Manhattan, three years after the first movie, where the Cheetah Girls have just completed their junior year and are performing at a Graduation Party for the Manhattan Magnet's Class of 2006.

Later while having a sleep-over at Galleria's, Chanel tells the girls that her mother, Juanita, is planning a trip to Barcelona, Spain, where they will be visiting Luc, Juanita's boyfriend. Chanel is bummed and does not want to see Luc while the other girls are upset about being separated for the summer when Aqua sees a shooting star and the girls make a wish together, to go to Spain with Chanel. At that very moment, one of the girl's magazines flips pages until it comes across an ad for a Barcelona music festival. Galleria enters the Cheetah Girls and the next day, her mother Dorothea, Juanita, and the Cheetah Girls all travel to Spain.

When the girls arrive in Barcelona, they do some shopping before resting in a Cafe. Soon they hear a guitar playing and meet Angel, a mysterious guitar player who accompanies them around Barcelona as they sing to the entire city, and he becomes Galleria's love interest.

The next day the girls audition for the festival and earn a spot.

The next day at breakfast, they meet Joaquin, a count, Luc's godson and a handsome dancer who becomes a love interest for Dorinda. The next day after Dorinda finds out Joaquin is a dancer, she goes to his studio, where he teaches her tango.

That night Joaquin takes the Cheetahs to The Dancing Cat, a local Spanish night club where all the new artists perform their songs.

There they meet and befriended Marisol, a Spanish pop star, beloved by all of Barcelona and who will also compete in the Music Festival, and her manager/mother, Lola, who appears nice and wins the Cheetah Girls' affection, but secretly plans a scheme to break up the Cheetah Girls, as they pose a threat to her daughter's chances in the competition and she starts making Marisol take Chanel away from The Cheetah Girls. Meanwhile, Aqua and Dorothea have been designing clothes with Dorothea's old friends, Juanita is trying to get a proposal out of Luc, Dorinda is teaching hip hop to Joaquin's class and Galleria is the only one focused on the competition, as she is writing a song called, "Amigas Cheetahs", which they will sing at the competition.

Galleria notices that everyone is getting involved in other activities except for her and eventually decides to take a train to Paris, where she can meet up with her father, Francobollo and he will take her back home to Manhattan. While at a train station, the other three girls find Galleria and sing the starting sequence of "*Amigas Cheetahs*" and Galleria says she will only come back if they stay focused. While Chanel walked around the house, she overhears Juanita talking to Dorothea about how she believes that Luc doesn't want to marry her because Chanel doesn't like him. Luc later proposes to Juanita, after Chanel gives him permission and she gladly accepts. Luc tells Chanel that she can stay in New York with her friends for her upcoming senior year. However, the Cheetah Girls' dreams are in serious trouble. After the Cheetah Girls finish performing at The Dancing Cat, Lola convinces The Dancing Cat's manager to pay the Cheetah Girls money. The competition will only allow amateur performs to compete. Accepting payment from The Dancing Cat makes the Cheetah Girls professional performers. However, they gave the money back and Angel, who was present during the entire exchange, investigates.

Lola suggests that since the Cheetah Girls cannot perform as a group, Chanel should perform with Marisol instead since they can both sing in Spanish. Right before Chanel is going to get changed to perform with Marisol, the Festival Director informs that the Cheetah Girls are able to perform after getting a tip. Everyone is surprised when they see that the informer was his nephew, Angel. He informed that Lola tried to sabotage the Cheetahs and his uncle reinstates the girls as the Cheetah Girls. Lola tries to dispute, but the Director will not hear it. Marisol finally tells off her mother, saying she is quitting the competition because she loves to sing and not to be famous, and her mother is just desperate to make her a star. The Cheetah Girls then perform and as a surprise, bring Marisol onto the stage (where Lola sees how happy her daughter finally is), along with Joaquin's dancing crew, Angel on the guitar and the Director on the trumpet. Their song is a hit with the crowd.

### The Cheetah Girls: One World

With Galleria away at Cambridge, Chanel, Dorinda and Aqua are left as a trio and are cast in the lavish new Bollywood movie "Namaste Bombay". The Cheetah Girls travel across the globe to India. There, they meet Rahim, the man cast as the lead, whom they realise is attractive, yet somewhat clumsy. After meeting the movie's choreographer, Gita, a dance battle erupts between themselves and Gita with her backup dancers. They subsequently discover that the musical's director, Vikram "Vik" must choose only one Cheetah for the role as the budget is only enough for one star.

When it becomes apparent that they must travel home, they are upset, until realising they may each try out for the lead. Though they all make a promise to be fair in the competition, situations arise in which each member becomes jealous of the others' specific talents. Chanel befriends Vik, Dorinda befriends Rahim and Aqua befriends a boy she has been in contact with since before leaving America, Amar. Each girl is led to believe the producer of the film, Khamal, Vik's uncle, will choose her after the audition. Chanel is told because she is the better singer, she will receive the role, while Dorinda is promised the role as she is the best dancer, while Aqua is convinced the coveted role will be hers as she is the best actress. The three Cheetahs audition against one another with Chanel being awarded the role, which she later refuses realising, as do the other Cheetahs, that friendship and unity are more important than furthering their individual or group careers.

After refusing the role, they set to convince Khamal to award Gita as the lead, to which he reluctantly agrees, ending in a scene from "Namaste Bombay" in which the Cheetahs sing and dance the titular song, "One World".

## Music

### Albums

Formats: CD and digital download
Label: Walt Disney Records
 The Cheetah Girls 2 | Released: August 15, 2006
Formats: CD and digital download
Label: Walt Disney Records
MC: Gold
 The Cheetah Girls: One World | Released: August 19, 2008
Formats: CD and digital download
Label: Walt Disney Records

### Studio Albums

Formats: CD and digital download
 TCG | Released: September 25, 2007
Formats: CD and digital download
Label: Hollywood Records

### Extended Plays

Formats: CD
Label: Walt Disney Records

## Cast and Characters

* Adrienne Bailon as Chanel Simmons (The Cheetah Girls 1, 2 and 3)
* Kiely Williams as Aqua Walker (The Cheetah Girls 1, 2 and 3)
* Sabrina Bryan as Dorinda Thomas (The Cheetah Girls 1, 2 and 3)
* Raven-Symoné as Galleria Garibaldi (The Cheetah Girls 1 and 2)
* Lynn Whitfield as Dorothea Garibaldi (The Cheetah Girls 1 and 2)
* Lori Anne Alter as Juanita Simmons (The Cheetah Girls 1 and 2)
* Kyle Schmid as Derek (The Cheetah Girls 1)
* Juan Chioran as Francobollo Garibaldi (The Cheetah Girls 1)
* Vince Corazza as Jackal Johnson (The Cheetah Girls 1)
* Sandra Caldwell as Drinka Champagne (The Cheetah Girls 1)
* Kim Roberts as Mrs. Bosco (The Cheetah Girls 1)
* Belinda as Marisol Durán (The Cheetah Girls 2)
* Golan Yosef as Joaquin (The Cheetah Girls 2)
* Peter Vives as Angel (The Cheetah Girls 2)
* Kim Manning as Lola Durán (The Cheetah Girls 2)
* Michael Steger as Vikram (The Cheetah Girls 3)
* Kunal Sharma as Amar (The Cheetah Girls 3)
* Deepti Daryanani as Gita (The Cheetah Girls 3)
* Rupak Ginn as Rahim (The Cheetah Girls 3)
* Roshan Seth as Uncle Kamal Bhatia (The Cheetah Girls 3)

## On Stage Performances

### Tours

* Cheetah-licious Christmas Tour
* Party's Just Begun Tour
* One World Tour

## Video Games

1. The Cheetah Girls
2. The Cheetah Girls: Pop Star Sensations
3. The Cheetah Girls: Passport to Stardom

## Books

### Junior Novels

1. The Cheetah Girls: Junior Novel by Deborah Gregory, released October 25, 2004
2. The Cheetah Girls 2: Junior Novel by Alice Alfonsi, released July 18, 2006
3. The Cheetah Girls: One World by Kirsten Thorpe, released July 22, 2008

### Cheetah Girls Series

1. Wishing on a Star by Deborah Gregory, released September 15, 1999
2. Shop in the Name of Love by Deborah Gregory, released September 15, 1999
3. Who's 'Bout to Bounce by Deborah Gregory, released November 1, 1999
4. Hey, Ho, Hollywood by Deborah Gregory, released January 1, 2000
5. Woof, There It Is by Deborah Gregory, released March 1, 2000
6. It's Raining Benjamins by Deborah Gregory, released May 1, 2000
7. Dorinda's Secret by Deborah Gregory, released July 3, 2000
8. Growl Power! by Deborah Gregory, released September 1, 2000
9. Showdown At the Okie-Dokie by Deborah Gregory, released November 27, 2000
10. Cuchifrita Ballerina by Deborah Gregory, released January 1, 2001
11. Dorinda Gets a Groove by Deborah Gregory, released April 1, 2001
12. In the House with Mouse by Deborah Gregory, released May 30, 2001
13. Oops, Doggy Dog by Deborah Gregory, released September 2, 2002
14. Bow-Wow Wow! by Deborah Gregory, released September 30, 2002
15. Bring It On! by Deborah Gregory, released September 30, 2002
16. Twinkle, Twinkle, Cheetah Sisters by Deborah Gregory, released March 2, 2002

**Other Media:** Cheetah-licious Christmas Tour | The Party's Just Begun Tour | One World Tour | The Cheetah Girls Books
**Characters:** Galleria Garibaldi | Chanel Simmons | Aqua Walker | Dorinda Thomas
**Video Games:** The Cheetah Girls | The Cheetah Girls: Pop Star Sensations | The Cheetah Girls: Passport to Stardom