Jump In!

**Jump In!** is a Disney Channel Original Movie that was released on January 12, 2007.

The film was written by Doreen Spicer-Dannelly, Regina Y. Hicks and Karin Gist, and directed by Paul Hoen.

## Plot

Isadore "Izzy" Daniels is a star boxer in Brooklyn, hoping to win the Golden Gloves, like his father and coach Kenneth. Izzy competes in an exhibition match against Rodney, his classmate and the neighbourhood bully, and wins using strategy and focus, giving him a chance to go to the Golden Gloves.

Izzy's neighbor, Mary Thomas, is a competitive Double Dutch player on a team called the Joy Jumpers; though the two are always arguing around each other, their friends know that they have crushes on each other. Izzy brings his younger sister, Karin, and her friends to the Double Dutch regional competition, to watch Mary and her teammates, Shauna, Keisha, and Yolanda. Watching the competition, though Izzy tries to hide it, he actually is impressed by the competition, and shows an interest in Double Dutch. The Joy Jumpers take fourth place, barely qualifying for the city finals. Upset with Mary's freestyle choreography, Yolanda leaves the team and joins their main competitors, the Dutch Dragons. The Joy Jumpers need to find another teammate, or they can't compete in the city finals. Not taking Double Dutch seriously, Izzy mocks their dilemma. Mary challenges him then to jump rope, and prove that it's easy. Izzy manages to pull it off, having done jump roping to train for boxing. He's convinced by Shauna and Keisha to be a temporary replacement until they can find someone else. Mary also agrees to the arrangement. He practices with the Joy Jumpers before school at his father's gym, so no one can see them.

Over the next several days, Izzy spends more time with the Joy Jumpers and improves tremendously at Double Dutch, though his boxing skills and punctuality suffer as a result. His fellow boxer, Tammy, finds out, but promises to keep it a secret if he stops teasing her. With some help from Izzy, the Joy Jumpers are able to put together a better freestyle routine. Izzy agrees to join the team permanently, and suggests they change the name to Hot Chili Steppers instead, which Mary agrees to. Izzy plans to perform with them at a Double Dutch exhibition to practice their routine. That day, though, Izzy's dad shows up with tickets to a boxing match. Reluctant to tell the truth, Izzy goes with his dad, and bails on Mary and the Hot Chili Steppers. Upset, Mary kicks him off the team, even though Izzy apologises.

Rodney, meanwhile, is furious over losing to Izzy, and demands a rematch, though Izzy continuously ignores him. He discovers Izzy's secret, and takes pictures of him, then puts them all over their school, exposing and ridiculing Izzy. After seeing this, Mary goes to Izzy, and tries to convince him to come back, but Izzy coldly turns her down, and Mary gives up. Kenneth gives Izzy a gift for his boxing match, but discovers the pictures Rodney posted, and confronts Izzy about it. Izzy admits that he didn't tell his dad because ever since Kenneth's wife, Izzy's mother, died, all he ever talks about is boxing. Izzy admits that he no longer likes the sport, and only does it for his father. Izzy apologises, feeling guilty for his outburst, while Kenneth accepts the apology, then leaves the room.

Izzy takes out his anger practicing at the gym, until Tammy comes over, and reminds him that she's been teased by him and others constantly for being a female boxer, but she's never let it get to her, and became the best girl boxer in Brooklyn. As Izzy is leaving that night, Rodney arrives at the gym , bringing a large crowd with him. He demands again that Izzy gives him the rematch, and after some mocking, Izzy agrees to it. In the ring, Izzy responds to Rodney's mockery with fact, that he was angry because his father was out of work, and everyone thought of him as a loud-mouthed bully. He uses the tricks he honed in freestyle practice to dodge Rodney's attacks and push him against the ropes repeatedly, finally stating that they both had a lot to be mad about, but fighting would not improve them. He leaves the ring, and Rodney angrily follows, but trips and falls. Everyone urges Izzy to finish him, but he refuses, stating that he's tired of being mad before leaving the gym. Rodney was impressed by Izzy, having felt the same way but not willing to admit it. He admired Izzy for standing up to him.

The Hot Chili Steppers come to the city finals with an abysmal replacement, until Izzy shows up. He apologises and, after some bantering, Mary quickly forgives him. The Dutch Dragons show up, with Yolanda and their leader, Gina, snarking at Mary and her teammates. Mary, though, shows a new attitude, not letting their snark get to her. During the compulsory, the Steppers stun the Dragons by taking first place, while the Dragons take second. The Dragons take first in the speed, while the Steppers take second, which means the Freestyle round will determine the winners. Tammy shows up with Izzy's friends, Chuck and Earl, to support the Hot Chili Steppers. Rodney shows up, as well, to watch. Just before they perform their freestyle routine, Izzy is surprised when his father and Karin show up to support him, too. The Hot Chili Steppers take the stage, with Izzy showing the skills he's learned, impressing his friends, Rodney, and Kenneth. After they finish their performance, Izzy goes up to his father. Kenneth apologises, saying boxing was his way to stay close to Izzy after they lost Izzy's mom. He tells Izzy that he's proud of him, and the two make amends. Rodney also tells Izzy that he's impressed by the Double Dutch, and hopes Izzy can show him the moves he made in the ring. Izzy agrees, and the two call a truce.

The results are announced, and the Dutch Dragons take second place. Before the winner is revealed, the screen suddenly freezes, and cuts to a group of kids at the boxing gym, who are listening to Izzy's story narrated by Rodney. He tells them that the Hot Chili Steppers went to state, but didn't win until the next year, and Mary and Izzy are still together. As he sends the kids to gear up, Rodney remembers that day, revealing the Hot Chili Steppers won. They happily accept their first-place trophy, stunning the Dutch Dragons. The movie ends with the Hot Chili Steppers and Karin teaching Kenneth how to Double Dutch.

## Cast

* Corbin Bleu as Isadore "Izzy" Daniels
* Keke Palmer as Mary Thomas
* David Reivers as Kenneth Daniels
* Shanica Knowles as Shauna Lewis
* Patrick Johnson, Jr. as Rodney Tyler
* Laivan Greene as Keisha Ray
* Kylee Russell as Karin Daniels
* Rebecca Williams as Tammy Lewis
* Jajube Mandiela as Yolanda Brooks
* Micah Williams as L'il Earl Jackson
* Harrison Hapin as Jump Rope #1
* Mazin Elsadig as Chuck Coley
* Paula Brancati as Gina
* Gene A. Mack as Felix

## Music

The soundtrack for Jump In! was released on January 9, 2007 by Walt Disney Records.

## Production

The film was originally set to star Raven-Symoné and be named Double Dutch, but due to unknown reasons it was later revamped into Jump In! with Corbin Bleu.

Actress and singer China Anne McClain, who later went on to star in the Disney Channel series A.N.T. Farm, auditioned for and won an undisclosed role in the film but turned it down to instead star in the television series Tyler Perry's House of Payne as Jazmine Payne, after catching Tyler Perry's attention.

Jump In! is the 69th Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOMs) and went into production in 2006. Earlier titles for the film included "Jump", "Jump In" and "Jump Start", with some early trailers even showing the "Jump Start" title.

In the movie, Izzy Daniels is in a group called the Hot Chili Steppers. This is an obvious parody of Red Hot Chili Peppers, a real-life rock band. The version in Spanish dubs the name Salto Extrapicante. This led to a failed lawsuit in March 2007.

Promotion for the film began in the Summer of 2006, with a poster appearing in the program for the High School Musical Tour. Advertisements highlighted Corbin Bleu's association with High School Musical and ran heavily during re-airings of that film. Several videos from the film were also put into heavy rotation on Disney Channel, airing during breaks in regular programming.

Corbin Bleu became very good at jumping and even performed some of his own stunts like the donkey kick and pushups, but he did have a stunt double for some of the jumping like back flips and individual jumping. At the end of the movie, Andy Royalle makes a guest appearance as one of the jump-ropers. During the final contest, an actual champion Double Dutch team from Brooklyn makes a cameo. They just happened to be in Toronto for a tournament at the same time the movie was being filmed.

Jump In! was the last Disney Channel Original Movie to use the 2003-2007 Disney Channel Movie intro; later DCOM films used the remixed version.

The story of Jump In! was originally written by Sherwyn Smith, who now works as a teacher at an elite private school on the Upper East Side of New York.

## Reception

Jump In! broke the record previously set by The Cheetah Girls 2 as the highest rated DCOM premiere with 8.2 million viewers. At the time it marked Corbin Bleu's second #1 hit for the Disney Channel and Keke Palmer's first. Its ratings record for highest rated DCOM was beat out for later that year by High School Musical 2 (in which Corbin Bleu also starred) on August 17, 2007 which gained 17.24 million viewers, making it Bleu's third #1 hit DCOM.

## Home Media

The DVD release of Jump In! carried the subtitle "Freestyle Edition" and was released on April 3, 2007, and July 2, 2007 in the United Kingdom.