Dadnapped (NR, 2009)

common sense media says

TV movie blends outrageous fun, positive messages for kids.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this adventure comedy centers on the abduction of a man and his teenage daughter, but the movie's over-the-top humor -- and the ineptitude of the goofy kidnappers -- keeps the tone light enough that it won't frighten kids. No realistic weapons are used, but kids do use plastic guns that shoot liquid cheese and sludge-filled water balloons on their enemies. The story offers positive messages about self worth and honest communication.

Educational value: No specific educational content, but kids will learn important lessons about believing in yourself and appreciating family.
Positive messages: The movie strongly emphasizes the importance of family bonds and self worth.
Positive role models: A man and his teenage daughter work out long-standing tensions and come
to appreciate each other in a new way. Melissa wrestles with her inner
demons and discovers a new level of self confidence.
Violence & scariness: Mild peril is exaggerated to the point of comedy. A man and his daughter are abducted and held captive; his potential death is alluded to, but the scenario is so over-the-top that it's more ridiculous than frightening. Weapons are limited to cheese-blasting plastic guns and water-balloon launchers.
Sexy stuff: An innocent boy/girl relationship develops, but there's no physical contact, and it culminates in him asking her out on a date.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.

More on Dadnapped

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about communication. Kids: How well do you think you communicate your feelings to family and friends? How does talking about your feelings help you deal with them?
  • Are there times when it's difficult to talk about how you feel? What do you do then? What kinds of issues come up in your relationships at home and with friends that require communication?
  • Are there any techniques that you've learned that make talking about feelings a little easier? If so, what are they? How do they help?

What's the story?

What's the story?
For Melissa (Emily Osment), being the daughter of a famous writer has its share of drawbacks. For years she's felt like she lives in the shadow of Tripp Zoome (Jonathan Keltz), the hero of her dad's best-selling books; Tripp seems to transcend his fictional existence to disrupt Melissa's life. Now that her long-awaited one-on-one time with her dad, Neal (George Newbern), has finally arrived, Melissa's determined that nothing will interrupt their plans. But when Neal is abducted by obsessive fans, it's up to her to save the day.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Chock full of wacky characters, outrageous antics, and elaborate schemes, DADNAPPED practically oozes kid-pleasing content. Though the story centers on abduction and what's technically a hostage situation (the perpetrators force Neal to write his "last novel," implying that he'll meet an untimely end), there's no tangible danger and very little force from the bumbling bad guys -- which gives the movie a playful feel that even kids will be hard-pressed to miss. As for weapons, the kids' cheese-spewing plastic guns are hardly realistic (though they still manage to help save the day).

While zany improbability antics are the movie's foundation, the story also shows a lot of heart. Melissa's feelings about taking a back seat to her father's work -- and his popular character -- are very relatable for kids, and the strong messages about communication and self confidence stand out from the otherwise silly content. Parents may not enjoy the juvenile humor themselves, but they can rest assured that Dadnapped is a worry-free choice for their grade-schoolers.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Director: Paul Hoen
Cast: David Henrie, Emily Osment, George Newbern
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 86 minutes
Theatrical release: February 16, 2009
DVD release: May 12, 2009
MPAA Rating: NR

This review was written by Emily Ashby
 
 

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Most useful reviews by all members

musicfan789
teen, 14 years old
 
perfect for younger kids but boring for older
I watched this movie for a good movie but i was wrong it was a little too silly and I thought it was too unoiginal i see y younger kids would like it but it wasnt for me

rebma97
teen, 14 years old
 
Typical DCOM
This is your average dcom; predictable plot about a main charcter's problem (usually a female), and at the end everything's okay. Although it had good actors (Emily Osment), I didn't really like it. Actually I don't really like a lot of dcoms because they're so predictable. And the main character did seem spoiled, but she was neglected by her dad, so that may have been why.

melim
adult
 
Dadnapped: Gooey Fun
Although I'm above the average age that watches the Disney Channel (at 21), I thoroughly enjoyed watching this movie. Maybe because most of my favorite Disney actors are in it (and they usually don't get the attention they deserve), but otherwise, I thought the plot to be silly and fun to watch, which is exactly what a Disney movie is supposed to do. I watched both Spectacular! and Dadnapped and Dadnapped was by far the better movie (and of course, Disney has one of the best marketing teams right now, going against Nickelodeon on the same night to get better ratings). Kids of all ages can enjoy the silliness of this movie while enjoying the performances of their favorite actors from favored t.v. shows. And of course, the only thing that I was disappointed in was the missing kiss, but I can understand the producers cutting it out. Overall, I was amused, which is all I ask for from Disney.

schuymarch1
teen, 17 years old
 
Awful movie
This movie is so horrible that I only watched it for like ten minutes.

mkalv
teen, 17 years old
 
Silly
When my sister made me watch this, I had low hopes. I was right, as this film is super silly, although I guess I kow why little kids would like it.

Jeff hardy wwe
kid, 11 years old
 
Ugh
i hate this movie

MVP wwe
kid, 11 years old
 
i hte this movie
I hate this movie do not see this movie you will hate it.

animefan
teen, 16 years old
 
Great message, but not so great of a movie.
Let me first say that this would be a great movie for an eight year old Disney fan to watch with her father. I'm not going to lie-- if you're a hardcore Disney fan, you'll appreciate the fact that there are a lot of 'stars' in the movie (Emily Osment, Jason Earles, Moises Arias, and David Henrie), but if you're not, it's a bit more unlikely this is going to be a favourite of yours. Though it has a great message, the plot is very weak and the acting isn't as good as it could've been. This movie looks like it took less than a week to film, yet they've tried to hype it up with countless advertisements and a music video (the song's actually very good, I have to give them that). What surprises me even more is that this movie was aired on a Monday-- Disney almost consistently premieres their movies on weekends. It was premiered at the same time Nickelodeon was premiering the movie Spectacular (which is my newest favorite movie), and had more viewers! I can tell that a lot of work went into Spectacular, with the music and choreography. Though I know that they're competitor channels, I think it's beyond rude that Disney had to go out of their way to premiere on the same night (3.3 million people tuned into Nick for Spectacular, while 4.6 million watched Dadnapped), and that choice of theirs will DEFINITELY influence my viewing choices in the future-- from now on, I'm going to be very reluctant to watch Disney Channel, except for Life With Derek (which isn't one of their original shows anyway).

NorthernNights
teen, 15 years old
 
Its like a maze!
I agree with the last two comments, this WAS a dreadful movie! It truely made no sense at all. It made my head hurt. I'm sorry, but there is a reason it didn't make to theaters ( which I'm sure they weren't planning on anyways ) anyway, the main character is rude, annoying, and always complaining, and the rolling eyes thing is old. She seems neglected a little, but spoiled, even though her parents ( try-to-try ) and truely what did they dadnap him for? I watched the movie, but it made no sense. Just don't watch it.

SilverSnake
teen, 15 years old
 
Snobby Characters mixed into a Sappy Tragity
Oh my gosh, why are all of these 'Original Disney' movies so suckish. All of the main characters are snobby and get their way easy, same plots but different stories, there's always this snobby cool kid, its just freakin annoying, in Dadnapped the main girl is rude and selfish the ENTIRE time, rolling her eyes and going 'whatever' she has weird halusinations, and why the heck would a bunch of nerds steal a comic book writer? The acting stunk (sorry, but its true) and it seems like they bash all of the 'sitcom' stars together into a big trainwreck. In Hatching Pete.. wow that was just bizar. People are too preppy in these movies, I only liked Bryan Stipanick. The plots make little sense dispite the fact I watched it 3 times to try to make sense of it. Nope, no sense. Although its a little better than Dadnapped. I think Disney Channel needs to just STOP making these crappy movies and think to themselves for a few months, actually read peoples complains. They're just wasting their millions which they mysteriously got. Little kids deserve to watch better things than this. I grew up with cartoons, they're growing up with horrible no-sense sitcoms that teach bad messages. I got a cousin that acts like Miley Cyrus, and she's 4. 4!! Sorry, this sounds a little like a hate-speech. But the truth must be told.

Abbyrae11256
kid, 13 years old
 
leave it
it is okay. it is very crazy and vilolent. okay and it is a little freaky.:(

GeodeGem
teen, 15 years old
 
I'm concerned to all who watch this dreadful movie
This was by far one of the worst movies I ever had to witness! BAD BAD BAD, the idea wasn't even good! Who would truely want to kidnap a comic book writer? And the main character was being rude to everyone the intire time! I am sorry, but no way was that movie worth it!

RainforestGal
teen, 15 years old
 
Dadnap this movie PLEASE!
Wow. . I'm sorry, but that was a stinky movie, bad acting, and the main character was a whiny little brat, I know she was upset, I understand that, but yell, whine, gripe was all she did, it made hardly ANY sense either. My head hurt after that!

geckogirl
teen, 16 years old
 
Boring!
Boring! Maybe little kids would like it, but I didn't. Not at all as good as Hatching Pete- which was actually a good movie.

super movie ...
teen, 15 years old
 
DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE
a horrible movie!!!!!!!!!!! DO NOT WATCH IT!!!!!!!!

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