LIZZIE MCGUIRE: IS THIS WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF?

Jéla Lewter

Now more than ever, it seems that nostalgia is dominating the entertainment industry. The further we get into the 21st century, the more prominent the appearance of reboots and remakes depicting the beloved series from our childhoods. Disney, especially, has been capitalizing on this trend, as seen with its recent reproductions of classics like That’s So Raven and Kim Possible.

The release of its new streaming service, Disney+, will bring with it much new Disney original content, and of course, some spin-offs of our favorite shows as kids, including Lizzie McGuire, a tv show that was much loved by millennials growing up in the early 2000s.

Yet, we have to ask: who is this for? We may always hold the catchy songs and heartfelt moments from these media close to our hearts, but we are growing older every day and aren’t necessarily as tuned into Disney productions as we used to be.

Disney seems to be aware of this, as the new Lizzie Mcguire show isn’t about another thirteen-year-old trying to survive the epic highs and lows of junior high school. Instead, this spin-off of the 2002 television series features a thirtyyear-old Lizzie as she traverses adventures, heartbreak and achieving her career aspirations in the ‘Big Apple.’

As we have aged, so has Lizzie, and it’s comforting to know that as an older audience we can still relate to the situations she’s dealing with. “All of the fun times and all of the big, monumental moments and all of the challenges that you’re faced with. I just thought there was such opportunity there for her to be grown up and for her to be there for women again,” said lead actress, Hillary Duff in an interview with People TV.

While Lizzie McGuire is all grown up, living in the city, and apprenticing under a high-end interior decorator, Duff wants fans to know that the character doesn’t have it all figured out.

“She still has her like 13-year-old, animated self that babbles in her head. That’s the voice that you hear that adult Lizzie would like to say out loud, but can’t,” Duff said of the new show. A favorite aspect of the spin off for the actress is that cartoon Lizzie is still 13, “I feel like I still have my 13 -yearold self in there, telling me that I’m not cool or speaking the truth when it can’t be spoken.” That age of insecure adolescence is something that can resonate with viewers as self-doubt never really goes away no matter how old you get.

Duff is right about this being an opportunity, but the question remains whether it can be a chance for women to reconnect with Lizzie, or for Disney to fill its pockets thanks to the profitable nostalgia factor.

The difference between this show and previous projects that Disney has brought back from the turn of the century like summer blockbusters, The Lion King (2019) and Aladdin (2019), seems to be the thought put into making Lizzie McGuire personal. It doesn’t take the same story and add A-list celebrities to the payroll. It shows a fictional character who dealt with topics from getting a first bra to eating disorders, and throwing her back into a reality for many: not being exactly where you expected to be as an adult.

While viewers won’t know who she was between her senior class trip to Rome and arriving in New York, we still get to see Lizzie make it or break it in a way relatable to situations her fans are currently going through in their own lives. While there’s no set date, Lizzie McGuire (2019) is a project in the works. For now, it’s up to us to decide if it’s worth the money.

Vidisha Banerjee