Netflix Removing Its Last Remaining Disney Channel Movie
Disney's continued uncoupling from Netflix continues, with the "House of Mouse" pulling the last remaining Disney Channel Original Movie from Netflix's catalog. Radio Rebel, a 2012 DCOM starring Debby Ryan, will leave the service on Feb. 28 alongside numerous other Disney-owned titles. Much like with American Horror Story, The BFG and Netflix's original Marvel shows, the streamer did not initially advertise that Radio Rebel was leaving. However, a notice announcing the imminent departure now appears on the TV movie's Netflix landing page.
Radio Rebel, based on Danielle Joseph's book Shrinking Violet, premiered on the cable network back in February 2012. It came as Ryan was one of the most prominent stars on Disney Channel, starring as the lead in Jessie and a supporting character in The Suite Life on Deck and The Suite Life Movie. Per Vudu, the movie's official synopsis reads: "Tara Adams (Ryan) is just an ordinary high school junior... except for one little thing. Tara's got a secret — a secret identity, in fact; she's Radio Rebel, the most popular radio DJ in Seattle. In person, Tara is as shy as they come, but on the air, Radio Rebel is the smoothest talker around — a skill she needs more than ever right now, since her school is in the midst of a clique-crisis."
In addition to Ryan, Radio Rebel's cast also includes Merritt Patterson, Adam DiMarco, Sarena Parmar, Nancy Robertson, Allie Bertram and Mercedes de la Zerda. Peter Howitt (Johnny English, Laws of Attraction) directs, with a script from Erik Patterson and Jessica Scott.
The movie might be of interest to Netflix viewers due to Ryan now being a regular presence in Netflix projects. She led the controversial sitcom Insatiable for two seasons and went on to star in the Netflix Original movies Horse Girl and Night Teeth.
As with most of the other Disney titles leaving Netflix, it's unclear where Radio Rebel will stream next. It's presumed that it will head to one of Disney's streaming services, either Disney+ or Hulu. However, the company could always license the movie to a competitor — including Netflix — once again.