Tiger Cruise

Tiger Cruise is a Disney Channel Original Movie from 2004, starring Hayden Panettiere and Bill Pullman (Hayden's brother Jansen and Jennette McCurdy also appear); despite the title and the channel, it's not about animals but rather set aboard a cruise for military families dubbed Operation Tiger. Maddie (Panettiere) is a teenage girl who wants her Navy father (Pullman) to give up the life of a commander and stay at home... but during the cruise, the September 11 attacks on New York City take place, impacting all on board and causing Maddie to rethink her views.

This movie sticks out like a sore thumb among the usual kind of Disney Channel Original Movie, which may explain why it's rarely been shown on the channel and has yet to receive a video release in any form (it's also the only DCOM in recent memory that has never been screened in Britain). Luckily, the entire movie is up on YouTube.


 * Broken Aesop: "Family Before Work". And it is the Aesop the film practically starts out with.
 * The Cast Showoff: There are two people with the surname "Panettiere" in the movie, and one of them performs the song over the closing credits. Guess which one.
 * Cool Big Sis: Grace, Tina's older sister, who's also a pilot; Maddie after a bit of Character Development.
 * Cool Ship: The U.S.S. Constellation.
 * Defrosting Ice Queen: Maddie after coming around to how important her father's duty to his country really is.
 * A Father to His Men: Maddie's dad.
 * Good-Looking Privates: Well, no shortage here.
 * Hey, It's That Gal! Kairi and Sam Puckett are sisters, and Claire's on board too.
 * Assuming you mean Claire Bennet, she and Kairi are the same person.
 * Insistent Terminology: Maddie is not a brat!
 * Locked Out of the Loop: The Tiger Cruise passengers on the September 11 attacks, much to their frustration.
 * Made for TV Movie
 * Military Brat: All of the Tiger Cruise kids. Maddie despises the name.
 * Missing Episode: Shown considerably less often than other Disney Channel Original Movies at the time and to this day.
 * Mood Whiplash/Wham Moment: Utilizing one of the biggest Real Life Wham Moments in living memory.
 * Patriotic Fervor: The film got flak for this outside the US.
 * Interestingly, it's rarely shown even within the US.
 * Reality Ensues
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: Maddie and Tina.
 * When You Coming Home, Dad?: Maddie takes up to Tiger Cruise to confront her father with this very question.