Disney Channel Masterpiece Theater: “Pixel Perfect” (2004)

In the wake of boy bands and punk rock princesses like Avril Lavigne, comes the Disney Channel original movie “Pixel Perfect”. The 2004 movie focuses on the fictional all-girl rock band “Loretta Modern and the Zetta Bytes”. Roscoe – the son of a computer programmer – has invented a holographic teenage girl named Loretta (who can sing and dance) in hopes of boosting the band’s chances of being signed by Harshtone Records, a well-known fictional record label. Although Loretta Modern and the Zetta Bytes find themselves at the top of the music charts, Roscoe fails to see the unrequited love Samantha (one of the bandmates) has for him.

Around this time, I was still coming off the high of Lizzie McGuire and songs like “I Can’t Wait”. However, when this movie came out, I couldn’t stop singing “Notice Me” for weeks. Ricky Ullman (now known as Raviv Ullman) was my celebrity crush when he played Roscoe – even more so as Phil of the Future – and my love for him was revitalized when I watched “Pixel Perfect” recently.
His part as the completely clueless and loveable Roscoe got me all over again as he failed to realize that the right girl for him was within his reach. Roscoe’s main issue is that he wants a girl who isn’t moody, has gorgeous features and a constantly bubbly attitude. That’s why he decides to create his own with the help of his father’s computer programme. Throughout the movie, he ignores the feelings of his best friend Samantha and focuses all of his energy on further perfecting the holographic Loretta. It’s only coming down to the end of the movie that he begins to realize that he’s turning into the person he never wanted to become; his father. WhenHarshtone Records demands full control over Loretta, Roscoe finally notices that the record label wants nothing more than to make a couple bucks.

What’s really admirable is the special effects in this movie. For a film made in 2004, the graphics weren’t as crappy as one would think. I actually found myself enjoying Loretta’s journey through the internet and even her physical encounter with emails. Loretta’s holographic makeup was also not as bad as it could have been (I’ve seen worse graphics in nowadays Horror flicks). However, the most outstanding thing about “Pixel Perfect” was the message Disney tried to get across to its young audience. The whole movie is wrapped around the saying “nobody is perfect”.

Compared to the moral values Disney tries to push down its audience’s throats these days, “Pixel
Perfect” subtly tells young girls that perfection is an unrealistic view imposed on them by media. The movie urges girls to accept themselves for who they are.

Honestly, I miss old Disney Channel movies like “Pixel Perfect”. They held real meaning back then and didn’t have to spell out the values that they wanted you to walk away with. Disney movies seem to have changed drastically over time or maybe it’s just me who’s changed.

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