Hey now, hey now — believe it or not, The Lizzie McGuire Movie is turning 20 years old on May 2, meaning it’s been a full two decades since the Disney Channel heroine flew to Rome and became a pop superstar. And while the plot of the 2003 film isn’t exactly as iron-clad as it might’ve seemed upon first watch back in the day, it’s still just as much fun to watch, thanks to Hilary Duff’s winning performance, the gorgeous Rome setting, and of course, that seriously iconic soundtrack.
If you haven’t caught up on all things Lizzie McGuire in quite some time, you’re not alone; with the planned Disney+ reboot series starring Duff sadly canceled in 2020, it’s been a long while since many fans of the franchise got to spend time with Lizzie and her pals. But thanks to the 20th anniversary of the movie (which is available to stream on Disney+), now’s the perfect time to revisit everyone’s favorite adorably awkward teen. But before you give the film a rewatch, check out the 13 pieces of behind-the-scenes trivia we’ve rounded up below, from those changed “Why Not” lyrics to the movie’s surprising connection to Cardi B.
It Was the First Disney Channel Series to Turn Into a Feature Film
While plenty of popular Disney Channel shows have spawned movies, from The Suite Life of Zack & Cody to Wizards of Waverly Place, only a select few have had their films premiere in theaters, not just on TV. The Lizzie McGuire Movie was the very first one to do just this, paving the way for future works like Hannah Montana: The Movie. It also marked a pretty big risk by Disney, since while the network knew that Lizzie was a hit on TV, it was far less certain how it’d fare with moviegoers. But as it turns out …
It Was a Huge Hit at the Box Office
In its opening weekend, The Lizzie McGuire Movie became a surprise hit, grossing more than $17 million and coming in second at the box office behind X2: X-Men United. It’d go on to make a total of $55.5 million, and to date is one of Hilary Duff’s most successful films.
And the Soundtrack Was Even More Popular Than You Think
In addition to the movie itself being a success, the soundtrack was hugely popular, selling more than 2 million copies and being certified platinum. And no wonder — in addition to memorable hits like “What Dreams Are Made Of” and “Why Not,” the album also features mood-boosting ’00s hits like “The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)” by Atomic Kitten and “Shining Star” by Jump5.
And speaking of music …
The Lyrics for “Why Not” Are Different Than You Remember
In the Lizzie movie and on the soundtrack, the first verse goes, “You think you’re going nowhere when you’re walking down the street/acting like you just don’t care/Life could be so sweet/Why you wanna be like that if there’s nothing new/You’re not fooling no one, you’re not even fooling you.” On Duff’s album Metamorphosis, though, which came out several months later, the verse goes, “You act like you don’t know me when you see me on the street/You’re actin’ like I turn you off/when I know you think I’m sweet/It don’t have to be like that/I guess you’re insecure/If you say what’s on your mind, I might answer, ‘Sure.’” Both versions, though, are total bops.
And in the Movie, Haylie Duff Provided Isabella’s Singing Voice
Although both Lizzie and her Italian look-alike, Isabella, were played by Duff, the actress’ sister, Haylie, actually swooped in to help out with the singing. If you’re asking yourself, “Wait, when did Isabella sing?,” don’t worry; you didn’t miss it — originally, the climatic rendition of “What Dreams Are Made Of” was supposed to be sung by both Lizzie and Isabella, but the director, Jim Fall, decided at the last minute to feature just Lizzie. Yet if you listen closely, you can still hear Isabella’s voice (aka Haylie Duff’s) mixed into the track. But she wasn’t alone, because …
A Third Woman Sang “What Dreams Are Made Of” Too
You might not have realized on your first (or 100th) listen as a kid, but toward the end of the song’s performance, you can actually hear the Duff sisters’ vocals being replaced by those of a totally different singer. That musician just happens to have been Angie Jaree, the singer of the Lizzie McGuire TV theme song. A Lizzie trifecta!
There Was a Real Reason Lalaine Wasn’t in the Movie
As bummed as fans were not to see Lizzie TV staples like Claire and Larry in the movie, the most heartbreaking absence was Lizzie’s BFF Miranda, aka Lalaine. In the film, it’s said that Miranda is on vacation with her family in Mexico City, but in reality, the actress turned down the offer to appear in the movie in order to pursue her burgeoning music career. Lizzie must’ve had to fill Miranda in on her Italian adventures once she got home!
Evangeline Lilly Had a Cameo
Years before she’d break out on Lost and star in franchises like Ant-Man, actress Evangeline Lilly played a police officer in The Lizzie McGuire Movie. It’s a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo, but it marked one of the star’s first-ever on-screen roles.
There’s a Big Continuity Error in the Script With Kate and Lizzie
Toward the beginning of the movie, when the students are still in America for their junior high graduation, Kate (Ashlie Brillault) calls out Lizzie for wearing the same dress that she wore to the spring fling. But in the TV show, Lizzie was banned from going to the dance, making that situation impossible. Oops!
Even Hilary Duff’s Son Thinks the Kissing Scene Was Awkward
Way before “shipping” was a thing, Lizzie fans everywhere rooted for Lizzie and her bestie Gordo (Adam Lamberg) to get together, making the scene at the end of the movie when they finally share a kiss so exciting. But since the characters are 14-year-olds, it’s also hilariously clumsy, with Gordo saying, “Thanks,” after Lizzie kisses him and Lizzie giggling uncontrollably. In a 2019 interview with Meghan Trainor (more on that below), Duff revealed that she’d recently rewatched the movie for the first time in years with her then-7-year-old son, Luca, and the child found the kissing scene — particularly Gordo thanking Lizzie — “so awkward.” Said Duff, “Luca was like, ‘You can’t do that!,’” prompting the actress to wonder how he knew what was or wasn’t kosher to do after a kiss.
The Movie Has Two Surprising Celebrity Superfans
The reason Duff was chatting with Trainor about the film? The “Mother” musician is a self-professed superfan of The Lizzie McGuire Movie, and so the duo filmed a video for Billboard in which Duff quizzed Trainor on trivia. True to her word, Trainor got nearly everything right, and showed her fandom even further when Duff surprised her with an appearance by Clayton Snyder, aka Lizzie’s crush Ethan. Suffice to say, Trainor freaked out, even telling him that he’s “so handsome still” and that he “aged so well.”
Another surprising A-list fan of The Lizzie McGuire Movie? Cardi B, who revealed onstage at a 2019 Vogue conference that the film has stayed with her over the years. “Has anyone seen that Hilary Duff movie [The Lizzie McGuire Movie]?” the rapper asked the crowd. “There’s a song in it that anytime I go to an event that I’ve always wanted to go to, I always play it in my head. It goes, ‘Hey now, hey now, this is what dreams are made of.’ That’s how I feel every single time that I get invited to these fashion events.”
There Was Supposed to Be a Sequel
Considering the movie’s success, it’s no shocker that Disney was keen to produce a sequel and keep the Lizzie franchise going. Unfortunately, though, the network and Duff couldn’t agree during contract negotiations, with both sides publicly expressing their frustration with each other at the time. In an 2003 Entertainment Weekly interview, Duff’s mom (and then-manager), Susan Duff, accused Disney of trying to “bully” them into accepting a too-low offer, causing them to have to walk away, while Disney claimed that they “very much wanted” to continue the Lizzie franchise but ultimately had to say goodbye. We may never know the full truth, but the fact remains that fans never got the sequel they wanted.
The Show Kept Airing After the Movie
Potential sequel plans aside, The Lizzie McGuire Movie is intended to feel like an end to the series, with Lizzie and Gordo kissing and the teens heading off to high school. But actually, the show’s second season (featuring the characters still as eighth graders) continued airing for eight months after the movie’s premiere, not ending until the series finale in February 2004. So while the plot timeline may be a bit all over the place, fans still got to spend a little more time with Lizzie and her friends. And hey, maybe that adult-Lizzie revival isn’t dead for good, and we’ll get even more Lizzie in our future. You never know, of course, but in the words of the heroine herself: Why not?
Rachel Simon is a writer with work in The New York Times, Glamour, NBC News, Marie Claire, and many other outlets. Follow her on Twitter @rachel_simon.
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