Washington Heights

**Washington Heights** is a 2018 American musical comedy-drama television film and a Disney Channel Original Movie based on the Broadway musical, “In The Heights”. The film is produced by Disney Channel and stars Adam Irigoyen and Ariana Grande.

The film also stars, Raini Rodriguez, Scott Hoying, Bridgit Mendler, Cyrus Uy, Sofia Carson, Zendaya, Ross Lynch, Caroline Sunshine, Christian Simpson and Roshon Fegan. It debuted on July 27, 2018 as a Disney Channel Original Movie, to positive reviews and 9.8 million viewers.

## Plot

At the crack of dawn, on the hottest day of summer, Diego chases away a graffiti artist from his tiny bodega in Washington Heights, opens the store, and introduces the major characters ("Washington Heights"). Last to appear is Valentina Perèz, back from her freshman year at Yale University, who readies herself to give her parents some bad news ("Should I?"). Meanwhile, Valentina’s parents, Pete and Gabriela, seek an emergency loan to keep their struggling taxi dispatch afloat, temporarily leaving Sonny, a young employee and friend of Valentina, in charge; the two reconnect ("Sonny’s Dispatch").
At the hair salon across the street, Samantha, Diego's potential love interest, dreams of escaping to a studio apartment in the West Village, remaining optimistic despite her own financial insecurity ("Won't Be Long"). When Samantha stops by Diego's bodega, Diego's younger cousin Martìn asks her out to a romantic evening on Diego's behalf, and she accepts.
Valentina's parents return and she reveals how she lost her academic scholarship and dropped out of Yale. (Due to working two jobs there, she could not maintain good grades). Pete is devastated that he cannot provide for his daughter ("Useless"). Valentina seeks comfort from Samantha, but the salon owner and local gossip, Camilia, sits Valentina down for a makeover, coercing Samantha into admitting that she cares about Diego's decisions; Valentina then reveals to the salon that she has dropped out ("You Don’t Say").
After Diego discovers that he sold a winning lottery ticket worth $85,000, everyone on the block dreams of how they would each spend the small fortune ("85K"). Later, Marìa — the beloved neighborhood matriarch who "practically raised" Diego as a young orphan — reflects on her childhood journey from Cuba to New York in 1945, showing the audience that she secretly holds the winning lottery ticket ("Faith").
Valentina and Sonny take a tour of the neighborhood and reminisce, sharing romantic feelings ("Coming Home"). The local Piragua Guy comes out and sings a song in an attempt to sell his piragua ("Piragua"). Later, at a dinner party, Pete announces that he has sold the family car service to pay for Valentina’s tuition. Samantha and Diego then enter a dance club for their date, followed by a furious Sonny, who is now out of work, and an apologetic Valentina; tensions rise on the dance floor because Samantha and Diego are attempting to make each other jealous, while Sonny drunkenly hits a man dancing with Valentina ("Club"). The entire club breaks out into a huge fight when, suddenly, the power goes out throughout the city, probably due to the intense summer heat. The neighborhood erupts into chaos and Diego, Samantha, Valentina and Sonny all look for each other in the darkness. Meanwhile, Martìn and his mischievous friend from the opening of the show, Graffiti Alex, attempt to distract the bodega from any potential looters by setting off fireworks obtained in preparation for the Fourth of July; at the same time, Marìa reveals to Diego that she won the lottery, while Valentina and Sonny find each other, argue, and then kiss.
Sonny and Valentina spend the night together and it is now the morning of the Fourth of July. Nina teaches Somy some Spanish phrases, while he shares his stress over what Pete will think of their new relationship ("Horizon"). Down on the street, Usnavi's bodega has been looted. Marìa convinces Diego they should use her lottery winnings to move to Diego's homeland: the Dominican Republic, encouraging him to 'find his island'. Diego agrees to pursue this lifelong dream at last ("Thousand of Stories").
Valentina's parents have been searching for Valentina. When they learn she was with Sonny, Pete is furious. Pete vows that Sonny will never be a part of the Perèz family because he is not Latino, but Gabriela ends the family fight ("Enough!"). It is high noon and all are frustrated by the extreme heat and continuing power outage. The locals, led by Camilia, muster enough energy for a last celebration before the bodega, salon, and dispatch shut their doors forever. Samantha complains about having been abandoned by Diego during the blackout the previous night, and Camilia finally snaps, telling the whole neighborhood "we all know that (Diego) loves you". Diego publicly announces that Marìa won the lottery, and he and she will soon leave for the Dominican Republic; the neighborhood celebrates, though Samantha is heartbroken, and Martìn feels abandoned. When Camilia publicly gossips about Sonny and Valentina’s night together, Martìn snaps, having had a crush on Valentina himself, and goes into a rant about how once "they close the bodega, the neighborhood is gone". Diego comforts him, revealing that he and Marìa plan to split the money three ways- a third for Marìa, a third for Diego, and a third for Martìn. Quelling Martìn’s fears of it being their last time all together, Diego manages to rally the block for a huge blowout ("Carnival"). Pete makes a sudden announcement over the taxi radios: Marìa has died ("Attention"). The neighborhood holds a vigil for Marìa, while Diego, attributing her death to a "combination of the stress and the heat," makes an impromptu eulogy ("Praise"). Diego and Valentina rummage through boxes of Marìa's keepsakes ("Everything That I Know"). As Valentina discovers photographs from her own high school graduation, she decides to accept her father's sacrifice and return to Yale.
The Piragua Guy's rival, Mr. Softee, is unable to sell due to his truck being broken down, and Piragua Guy celebrates the flourishing of his business ("Piragua" – Reprise). Samantha brings a bottle of cold champagne to thank Diego and, though she flirts with him, he is so flustered by Marìa's death and Samantha being open with him that he is unable to appreciate Samantha's attempts; Samantha finally kisses him and leaves ("Cold Champagne"). Meanwhile, Sonny worries about his relationship with Valentina, since her decision to go back west, and they stand together while the sun sets, uncertain of their future ("Sunset").
The next morning, Diego wakes up early to begin closing up shop. In just a few weeks, Diego imagines that the block will be completely changed. Martìn, however, has commissioned Graffiti Alex to paint a mural of Marìa on the bodega's grate. Alex now rolls down the bodega grate in front of Diego, revealing the memorial. Diego is stunned that they completed this all in one night; he tells Martìn and Alex to spread the news that he has changed his mind to stay, promises to pursue Samantha, and realizes that "I've found my island, I've been on it this whole time- I'm home!" ("Finale").

## Cast

* Adam Irigoyen as Diego González - The narrator of the movie’s exposition and a major character throughout; he is the owner of a small bodega in Washington Heights called De La Vega Bodega. Abuela Marìa, the neighborhood matriarch, "practically raised" him when his parents both died during his early childhood. He dreams of moving to the Dominican Republic. He is in love with Samantha.
* Ariana Grande as Valentina Perèz - The first in her family (and from the Barrio) to go to college (Yale University), and everyone in the barrio admires her as the "one who made it out." However, she returns home from school for the summer to reluctantly tell her parents that she has become overburdened and dropped out. She is the typical "good girl" and always got along with her parents. Now, though, she loses patience constantly over her father's over protectiveness and his refusal to accept Sonny, with whom she gets into a romantic relationship.
* Scott Hoying as Sonny - He works at the dispatch of Valentina 's father, Pete. The only character in the play who does not speak Spanish, Sonny falls in love with Valentina. He dreams of opening his own business.
* Bridgit Mendler as Samantha - Diego's love interest who works at Camilia's salon. She is stunningly beautiful and catches the eye of every guy in the Heights, however she takes interest in Diego. She lives with an alcoholic mother and dreams of getting out of the Barrio and getting an apartment downtown, but cannot yet afford it.
* Raini Rodriguez as Abuela Marìa - The loving matriarch of the barrio who knows everybody and is like a grandmother to all ("abuela" means "grandmother" in Spanish). She is the one who looked after Diego when his parents died. She and her mother moved from Cuba to New York in 1945 while she was a child. She worked as a maid for several years but never earned the money for her and her mother to travel home.
* Cyrus Uy as Martìn González - Diego's sassy, superficially lazy, yet ambitious younger cousin who works with Diego in the bodega. He is typically the jokester of the Barrio, but he also has an intelligent and thoughtful side that yearns for social justice.
* Sofia Carson as Camila - She is the outrageously dramatic owner of the salon where the neighborhood girls come to gossip. She is very bold and loud and loves to banter.
* Zendaya as Isabella - She works at Camilia's salon along with Samantha, and is Camilia's close friend; young and pretty, but a little slow to get the others' jokes and innuendos, she is of Chilean, Cuban, Dominican, and Puerto Rican descent.
* Ross Lynch as Pete Perèz - Valentina's overprotective father, who, coming from a long line of farmers, has worked hard to resist following in his own father's footsteps. He now owns his own taxi cab service: Perèz's
* Caroline Sunshine as Gabriela - Valentina's strong-willed mother, who wants what is best for Valentina. She is typically tolerant of Pete's control issues, but in the course of the show, reveals her real feelings.
* Christian Simpson as Piragua Guy - He is the owner of a small piragua stand that competes with Mister Softee.
* Roshon Fegan as Graffiti Alex - He is a graffiti artist. He is good friends with Martìn and is one of the few characters who acknowledges Martìn's dreams. Diego believes Alex is a trouble-making vandal (constantly referring to him as a 'punk'), until Alex reveals his amazing skills as an artist.

## Production

On February 26, 2017, Disney Channel announced the production of the film. Kenny Ortega, a director who has previously worked with Disney Channel on the High School Musical trilogy and Descendants, was announced to be directing and writing the film. The script was written by the Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott. Filming began in the summer of 2014. Filming took place in Puerto Rico which is the fourth DCOM to be filmed in Puerto Rico, the first three being Princess Protection Program, Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie and Teen Beach Movie. The costumes were designed by Kara Saun.

Mariella Pérez Serrano, the then-executive director of the Puerto Rico Film Corporation and Carlos Aníbal Vázquez, Unit Production Manager, were the main responsible for the local production of this film. "The film industry relies heavily on trust and recommendations for the work they do. It is also important to know the professionals working in the field to personally promote Puerto Rico as a destination for filming", said Pérez Serrano. She also said that Disney spent about ten million dollars in Puerto Rico to film this production. The film's soundtrack features twenty-seven original songs composed in rhythms of pop, hip-pop, R&B and salsa.

## Broadcast

The film debuted on the Disney Channel on July 27, 2018. It will premiere in Canada on July 29, 2018 and set to premiere in all Disney Channels across the world on August 10, 2018.

## Soundtrack

* *Washington Heights: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (June 2018)*

## Sequel

A sequel has been officially confirmed on September 17, 2018.

## Trivia

* This movie is based on the broadway musical, “In The Heights”
* This movie is the first Disney Channel Original Movie based on a Hispanic culture
* This movie is the first Disney Channel rap musical
* Filming began on August 2017 and ended on February 2018
* This movie is the biggest anticipated Disney Channel movie of 2018