Lizzie McGuire

**Lizzie McGuire** is an American comedy-drama television series created by Terri Minsky. The series aired on Disney Channel from January 12, 2001 to February 14, 2004.

## Plot

The series follows Lizzie McGuire, a thirteen-year-old girl who faces the regular personal and social issues of teenage years alongside her best friends, Miranda and Gordo, at junior high. Episodes depict Lizzie's transition into adolescence at home and school, including the friends' rivalry with their classmate, Kate and affections for Ethan. Lizzie tries to develop her own identity, but is also attracted to the idea of popularity at school and longs for social acceptance among her peers. Lizzie shares a close relationship with her family, her mother, Jo; her father, Sam; and her younger brother, Matt. Lizzie's inner thoughts and emotions are conveyed sporadically in the episodes through her animated persona, who sometimes speaks directly to the audience.

## Cast and Characters

### Main

* Hilary Duff as Lizzie McGuire
* Lalaine as Miranda Sanchez
* Adam Lamberg as David Gordon
* Jake Thomas as Matt McGuire
* Hallie Todd as Jo McGuire
* Robert Carradine as Sam McGuire

### Recurring

* Ashlie Brillault as Katherine "Kate" Sanders
* Clayton Snyder as Ethan Craft
* Kyle Downes as Lawrence "Larry" Tudgeman III
* Davida Williams as Claire Miller
* Christian Copelin as Lanny Onasis
* Carly Schroeder as Melina Bianco
* Arvie Lowe Jr. as Digby "Mr. Dig" Sellers
* Federico Dordei as Dominic Shaw

### Notable Appearances

* Armando Molina and Dyana Ortelli as Edward and Daniella Sanchez
* Michael Mantell and Alison Martin as Howard and Roberta Gordon
* Chelsea Wilson as Parker Mackenzie
* Byron Fox as Danny Kessler
* Rachel Snow as Veruca Albano
* Haylie Duff as Amy Sanders
* Dot Jones as Coach Kelly
* Phill Lewis as Principal Tweedy
* Daniel R. Escobar as Mr. Escobar

## Animated Lizzie

Animated Lizzie was an animated character in the show. She represented the title character's inner thoughts, addressing the audience directly in the manner of a Greek chorus. The show was not the first series to use animation to reflect a live-action character's innermost thoughts, however; McGee and Me and Student Bodies two syndicated programs about the struggles of a cartoonist for a school newspaper, often used the artist's surrealistic caricatures of himself and his friends to visually illustrate his interior monologues. Animated Lizzie was also voiced by series star Hilary Duff.

## Episodes

See Also: List of Lizzie McGuire Episodes

 2 | 34

## Movie

See Also: The Lizzie McGuire Movie

A film based on the series, titled The Lizzie McGuire Movie was released by Walt Disney Pictures on May 2, 2003 in the United States. Set after the conclusion of the series and her middle school graduation, the film follows Lizzie and her classmates going on a school trip to Rome, Italy. The movie was filmed on location at Rome, at locations such as the Trevi Fountain. The film earned $42.7 million at the American box office in addition to $12.8 million internationally; the film grossing a total $55.6 million worldwide. It received mixed reviews, with a 41% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 99 reviews. The website's critical consensus states it is a "harmless piece of fluff that ought to satisfy fans of the TV show".

## Music

See Also: Lizzie McGuire Soundtrack and Lizzie McGuire: Total Party!

## Production

### Development

In 2000, Hilary Duff was asked to audition for a series on Disney Channel. Created by Terri Minsky, the series was known by the working title What's Lizzie Thinking? throughout development. The series was later retitled Lizzie McGuire and Duff successfully auditioned for the title character of Lizzie, who was described as a regular teenager. The premise for the series was based on a script previously written by Minsky, which featured the main character's inner thoughts and emotions as narration. Producer Stan Rogow conceived a high-concept version of the script in which an animated version of the character would be featured to convey these thoughts. This concept became known the "animated Lizzie" persona; and was also voiced by Duff. Rogow stated that the visual design of the show was inspired by the film Run Lola Run.

### Filming

Lalaine's character Miranda did not appear in the last several episodes of the second season, or The Lizzie McGuire Movie, due to Lalaine working on other projects such as the film You Wish!. Filming of the film and series concluded in December 2002 after 65 episodes were produced; a standard limit for Disney Channel's series.

### Revival

In May 2003, it was revealed that the Lizzie McGuire would end production due to contract disagreements between Duff and Disney. The company was interested in transitioning the program into a high school-centered series for ABC and expanding the franchise with a further film, while Duff was receiving offers for lucrative roles with other studios. After the series ended its original run, Disney Channel also considered producing an animated version of the series. A pilot for a spin-off was produced, entitled What's Stevie Thinking?, which was to centre on Miranda's younger sister, but the series was not picked up. In 2014, Duff stated that she would be open for a reunion, and in December 2018, stated that there had been discussions about reviving the series.

On August 23, 2019, it was announced at the D23 Expo that Disney was developing a revival television series of Lizzie McGuire. The series was revealed to be in production for exclusive distribution on the Disney+ streaming service, with Duff reprising her role as the title character; and original series creator, Terri Minsky serving as showrunner. The sequel series will center on Lizzie at the age of thirty, navigating life as an apprentice interior decorator in New York City. It was revealed that the animated alter ego of Lizzie would also appear in the new series. The series is produced by Salty Pictures in association with Disney Channel as part of an overall deal with Minksy. Duff also serves as an executive producer, alongside Rachel Winter and co-executive producer Ranada Shepard. In October 2019, it was announced that Thomas, Todd and Carradine would also return to the series, reprising their roles as Matt, Jo and Sam McGuire respectively. Production on the sequel series began on October 29, 2019 on location in Washington Square Park in New York. Further filming for the series will take place in Los Angeles. In November, it was revealed that Federico Dordei would be joining the cast as new character, Dominic Shaw and that Lamberg would be reprising his role as Gordo.

Minsky departed as the showrunner of the revival in January 2020 after the first two episodes of the series had been filmed, due to creative differences with Disney. Production of the series was placed on a hiatus and delayed until a new showrunner would be decided, with speculation that Minsky had been fired and the series would be cancelled. In February 2020, Duff hinted on social media that production had stopped due the series not being deemed as "family-friendly" enough by Disney+ executives. Disney reaffirmed that the development of the series was ongoing and that a new showrunner had not yet been decided. Duff later posted a statement publicly pleading for Disney+ to move the series to Hulu as had been done with Love, Victor and High Fidelity, stating that it would allow the series to fully represent the life of a thirty-year-old without the constraints of a "family friendly" classification. The Hollywood Reporter stated that the first episode's script featured references to sex and involved cheating as a central plot point.

## Broadcast

The series premiered on Disney Channel on January 12, 2001 following the premiere of the film Zenon: The Zequel. The series officially premiered on January 19, 2001. It began airing as part of the ABC Kids Saturday Morning line-up on September 20, 2003.

In 2006, Superstation WGN acquired the rights to Even Stevens and Lizzie McGuire. The series was broadcast in Australia on the ABC.

## Reception

### Critical Response

On Rotten Tomatoes, Lizzie McGuire has an approval rating of 100% based on reviews from 5 critics. Common Sense Media commended the realistic representation of friendship in the series and noted its relatability for both boys and girls. Reviewing the series's premiere in 2001, Laura Fries of Variety described the program as "good-natured" and praised the ability of the writers to include adolescent vernacular and pop culture references. A review on the DVDizzy blog described early episodes of Lizzie McGuire as "clever, funny and pretty sincere", but suggested that the show later suffered from a creative decline in favour of more celebrity guest appearances. A DVD review by Dove.org in 2003 described the series as "wholesome" and noted the real world lessons which are presented.

Katie Minard of Entertainment Weekly listed "Picture Day" as the best episode of the series in her 2016 ranking, due to its relatable plot and important moral. Writing for The Gateway, Ashlynn Chand said that "One of the Guys" teaches young viewers that "femininity and masculinity aren't so binary". Chand also described the Duff and her character as a "style icon" in reference to the fashion of the episode "Last Year's Model".

## Other Media

### Merchandise

Throughout the early 2000s, the popularity of the series led to merchandise to be released by Disney, including a series of novels and books, a Lizzie McGuire character doll, a bedroom set, board games and video games. Toys were also released through a partnership with McDonald's in 2004. Fortune estimated in 2003 that Lizzie McGuire merchandise had earned nearly $100 million. Two soundtracks for the series were produced; "Lizzie McGuire" and "Lizzie McGuire Total Party!".

## Awards and Nominations

**Films:** The Lizzie McGuire Movie
**Video:** Lizzie McGuire Videography
**Seasons:** Season 1 | Season 2
**Episodes:** List of Lizzie McGuire Episodes