Sonny with a Chance: Sonny’s Big Break Vol. 1 (a J!-ENT DVD Review)
August 15, 2009 by Dennis Amith
“Absolutely entertaining and all-out fun! ‘Sonny with a Chance’ is definitely recommended!”
DVD TITLE: Sonny with a Chance: Sonny’s Big Break Vol. 1
DURATION: 89 Minutes (23 minutes per episode)
DVD INFORMATION: Full Screen (1:33:1), Dolby Digital Stereo Sound, Spanish Language Tracks. Subtitles: Spanish
COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
RATED: TV G
RELEASE DATE: August 25, 2009
Directed by Eric Dean Seaton and Lee Shallat Chemel
Written by Phil Baker, Drew Vaupen
Producer: Patty Gary Cox
Associate Producer: Chris Phillips
Consulting Producer: Amy Engelberg, Wendy Engelberg
Music by Christopher A. Lee
Cinematography by Wayne Kennan, Kenneth D. Zunder
Edited by Brian Schnuckel
Production Design by Garvin Eddy
Costume Design by Julie Rhine
Starring:
Demi Moore as Sonny Munro
Tiffany Thornton as Tawni Hart
Sterling Knight as Chad Dylan Cooper
Brandon Smith as Nico
Doug Brochu as Grady
Allisyn Ashley Arm as Zora
Michael Kostroff as Marshall Pike
Nancy Mckeon as Conny Munroe
Jillian Murray as Portlyn
Brent Tarnol as Josh
Vicki Lewis as Joy
Four episodes of the latest smash-hit Disney Channel Original Series are now available on DVD. Meet Sonny (Camp Rock’s Demi Lovato), a talented Midwestern girl who relocates to Los Angeles to join the cast of the most popular sketch comedy show for teens and tweens, “So Random!” But life behind the scenes on a Hollywood set is not as idyllic as Sonny imagined, especially because of her fellow performers: the selfabsorbed Tawni (Tiffany Thornton), suave Nico (Brandon Mychal Smith), funnyman Grady (Doug Brochu), quirky Zora (Allisyn Ashley Arm) and dreamy Chad Dylan Cooper (Sterling Knight), star of the teen drama “Mackenzie Falls” that films in the adjacent studio, and his simmering rivalry with the cast of “So Random!” Sonny With A Chance: Sonny’s Big Break comes with bonus features as well as a bonus world premiere episode on the DVD!
From the writer and producer who has worked on popular animated titles such as “The Fairly Odd Parents”, “Danny Phantom” and “Family Guy” comes the Disney Channel series “Sonny with a Chance” starring pop star Demi Lovato.
The series started airing on February 2009 and I have to admit that among the Disney Channel shows that I have watched with my son, “Sonny with a Chance” is actually quite enjoyable and highly entertaining.
The series revolves around an Internet star named Sonny Munroe (Demi Lovato) who is from Wisconsin. She and her mother Connie (Nancy McKeon, “Facts of Life”) move to Hollywood for Sonny’s first major television role, to be part of the popular sketch comedy show “So Random!”. Joining her on the show is the diva Tawni Hart (Tiffany Thornton), the comedic best friends Nico (Brandon Smith) and Grady (Doug Brochu) and the youngest member of the group, and also quite odd at times, Zora (Alllisyn Ashley Arm). Along with the show’s producer Marshall Pike (Michael Kostroff), the group comes up ideas for their sketch show for the week and trying to maintain their grades in school.
But all is not easy for Sonny, which she soon discovers. Her castmate Tawni who likes all the attention to her self is not so thrilled she has to share the show with another girl and also, the cast of the teen drama “Mackenzie Falls” led by actor and teen hearthtrob Chad Dylan Cooper (Sterling Knight) have been at war with the cast of “So Random!”. Testing Sonny’s allegiance since she is a big fan of Chad but now part of a show despised by him and his castmates.
For “Sonny with a Chance: Sonny’s Big Break Vol. 1″, the series comes with the following episodes which are not in broadcast or production order. Here are spoiler-less summaries:
- EPISODE 1 – SKETCHY BEGINNINGS – Sonny joins the cast of “So Random!” and meets her castmates for the first time.
- EPISODE 2 – WEST COAST STORY – Sonny meets actor Chad Dylan Cooper (who she admires) of the teenage drama “MacKenzie Falls” but quickly learns of the rivalry between the cast of “So Random!” and “MacKenzie Falls”.
- EPISODE 5 – CHEATER GIRLS - Sonny and Tawni have a great idea for a sketch for “So Random!” but because of Sonny’s bad grade in a class, she is pulled off the show unless she shows improvement.
- EPISODE 3 – SONNY AT THE FALLS – Chad Dylan Cooper and the cast of “MacKenzie Falls” come up with an idea to get back at “So Random!” by causing friction with Sonny and her castmates.
“Sonny’s Big Break Vol. 1″ also comes with a bonus episode:
- UNAIRED EPISODE – SONNY IN THE MIDDLE – Sonny buys Nico and Grady a video game chair as a present for their birthday but the guys get into an argument over who will play in the chair that their friendship becomes torn and each of them look towards Sonny to be their new best friend. As of this time, this episode is only on this DVD and has only been shown on Delta flights and has not aired on television yet.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
“Sonny with a Chance: Sonny’s Big Break Vol. 1″ is presented in full screen (1:33:1) and audio is presented in Dolby Digital Stereo Sound (and also includes the Spanish language track). Subtitles are in Spanish.
It’s important to note that “Sonny with a Chance” is the first Disney Channel Original Series to be shot and aired in High Definition. It would be great to see Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment possibly release the whole series on Blu-ray in the near future.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Sonny with a Chance: Sonny’s Big Break Vol. 1″ includes the following special features:
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- A BONUS EPISODE – The DVD comes with an episode titled “Sonny in the Middle”.
- Demi’s Big Break - (3:28) Before Demi Lovato did “Camp Rock” and became a big pop star, she auditioned for “Sonny with a Chance” in July 2007. This clip features Demi auditioning for the role.
- Mackenzie Falls Season Finale Cliffhanger - (7:03) Literally the cliffhanger finale starring Chad Dylan Cooper and fellow cast members.
- Dylan & Cole Sprouse: Blu-ray is Suite – (5:57) A promotion for Disney’s Blu-ray featuring the Sprouse twins and Kim Rhodes (who plays their mother Carey on their show).
When I first watched “Sonny with a Chance”, I was actually quite impressed. Personally, the whole show based around a sketch comedy was quite intriguing, especially since I grew up watching shows like “You Can’t Do that on Television” and it helps that one of the executive producer’s for the show also was involved with a real sketch comedy show “All That”. The characters are fun and wacky and the rivalry with another teen show also makes up for interesting storylines for the show.
So, as an adult watching this comedy series, I was highly entertained. As for children, my son absolutely loves the show and the fact that the cast has many hilarious moments definitely keeps the series fun and entertaining from beginning to end.
For the most part, I think fans of “Sonny with a Chance” or the stars of the show will enjoy the DVD. If I had one thing to nitpick, its the fact that other DVD releases include two bonus episodes, for this release, you only get one.
But other than that, I really enjoyed the series and of the majority of the teen or children comedy shows that I have watched and reviewed, “Sonny with a Chance” is high on my list for recommendation!
Parents looking for a safe and hilarious show for their children or fans of Demi Lovato or the cast members of the show, “Sonny with a Chance: Sonny’s Big Break Vol. 1″ is highly recommended!
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