So the Drama

It is now well known to fans that Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley, from the start of creating "Kim Possible", planned on having Kim and Ron end up in a dating relationship. I wasn't around for the majority of Season 3 of the show because I was serving as a missionary in the Philippines and I did not watch TV during that time. In hindsight, now that I am a fan, there is a fair amount of moments throughout the third season of the TV show that foreshadow the ending of "Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama". The episode "Emotion Sickness" was the biggest hint of them all and it became one of the most popular episodes of the whole series. This must of been great for McCorkle and Schooley to hear as "So the Drama" neared broadcast because it showed that the audience could accept what was in store for Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. If you haven't read my review of "Sitch in Time", you missed my confession of being a "Kim Possible" fan. Due to my missionary service, I was only just re-discovering the show when "So the Drama" premiered on Disney Channel. In fact, I saw "Sitch in Time" not long before I saw "So the Drama". Because I had not seen hardly any episodes from Season 3 at that time, I completely did not see the ending of the second movie coming. "So the Drama" was the first ever animated Disney Channel Original Movie. "Sitch in Time" doesn't count apparently because it was designed to be broken up into three TV episodes. I think I like that movie a little more than "So the Drama" because that former movie is funnier. However, "So the Drama" provides exactly what the title implies. I feel the movie made the TV series go from entertaining to engaging or in others words, "from 'so' to 'whoa'". After so many adventures and after a twelve yearlong friendship, Kim and Ron come to a point where they have to take a look at the nature of their friendship.

McCorkle and Schooley's first draft of the script was for a live action adaptation. I am guessing however that the best chance of success of this story was for it to be animated. Also, they couldn't have their series "end" in live action form. The opening action sequence does a great job at introducing and summarizing the premise of the TV show for those like me who were not die-hard fans at the time. As with the last movie, there are pop culture references such as the nod to "Batman". Then there is the cool opening credit sequence that is reminiscent of a James Bond flick. While "So the Drama" is less funny, it still has some great humor. The best joke comes when Dr. Drakken losses Stevens to his new research project. As in "Sitch in Time", comedy is created from having two villains interact with each other. In this case, Drakken has to buy information from Big Daddy Brotherson (I love how creative that name is). Big Daddy is a one-time character from the first season and his shinning moment in the whole series is this scene in "So the Drama". Come to think of it, Big Daddy is not funny but Drakken's reactions to his methods are. Another funny moment is Ron's poker game. Besides being humorous, it also contributes to the story because it shows that Ron exhibits the obvious signs of bluffing all at once. When he and Kim have a talk in the old tree house, it is obvious that Kim's new boyfriend is bothering Ron because he once again can't bluff in the least when the subject comes up. Let's not get ahead of ourselves though. By this point in their lives, Kim and Ron's differences are finally beginning the take a toll on their friendship. Kim would never end her friendship with Ron on purpose but she just can't see him as boyfriend material. I think this is not just because of Ron's unique personality and because of peer pressure but mostly because of how long they have been friends. Having spent most of her time with Ron for over a decade, Kim can't imagine how that would effortlessly translate into love. There is some irony to that in more ways than one. Ron may be weird but is a teenage world-saving cheerleader any less weird? Kim realizes this through Bonnie's jab on her self-confidence and suddenly, Kim doesn't feel so basic and average. While Kim has been as romantically active as a crime fighter can be and as close as Josh Mankey in particular came to being her boyfriend, she has been subconsciously longing for someone "worthy". This problem may not have come up in the series but that was when things were "so not the drama". What Kim ultimately realizes is that she and Ron can be weird together. By the middle of the movie though, Kim resolves to not let Bonnie's criticism get to her. She plans to be content having Ron as a best friend but then Eric shows up.

It is important that Ron and Eric appear to find some common ground before Kim meets Eric because then Ron can't play the "not good enough for you" card. When talking to Eric about the nature of his relationship with Kim, Ron also can't see himself hooked up with Kim. When the prom arrives however, Ron starts asking the same questions he did on "Emotion Sickness". In that episode, the weird circumstances led him to desire his normal friendship with Kim as opposed to a dating relationship. This time however, as he mentions, "something's different now" and its not just the absense of a moodulator. The thing that is different is that unlike Kim's past love interests, Eric has the potential to replace Ron in Kim's life. Eric is not only playing Kim but also Ron as he lies about his desire to have his own naked mole rat for example. Because I was still fairly new to the show when I first saw this movie, I was under the impression that Ron was just missing Kim as a friend. I thought "his feelings" meant his longing for Kim's company. On the contrary, Ron is the first of the two main characters to acknowledge that he has affection for his best friend. But then, just like in the aforementioned TV episode, he would rather be just Kim's friend then come clean and by doing so ruin their friendship if she rejects his feelings. Ron is not the only one who is troubled at the Kim and Eric relationship. Kim's mother, Ann, has pity for Ron but Kim's happiness prevents her from speaking her mind. After showing Kim and Eric dancing at the prom, we get the saddest shot in the whole movie. Ron is out of his suit, slowly walking up to the counter at Bueno Nacho. He has given up going to the prom and it pains me to watch that. I've been in his shoes.

While the drama is high in this movie, it could have been even higher if we weren't wise to Drakken's plot. I think the filmmakers were catering too much to the kids watching the movie, not realizing that the audience is smarter than they appear. "So the Drama" contained so many hints concerning Drakken's secret plan to take over the world that it didn't stay secret for long. There are four moments where the filmmakers should have held back. The first is when we see Little Diablo for the first time. It should have been during the montage of children around the world going to Bueno Nacho so as to not be connected to Drakken. Secondly, by omitting Dr. Drakken talking about his board of directors meeting (or at least not having him elaborate on it), we would have been more in the dark. The third mistake was having Nakasumi speak English because it made Drakken's involvement with Bueno Nacho absolutely clear. If he had yelled in Japanese, we could have mistakenly assumed that he was just jealous or something. Finally, Eric's reflexes raised my suspicions when I first saw this movie and I believe the filmmakers could have gotten away with that too but then they had Eric go on for too long about his "dad". Of all the plot twists, Eric's true allegiances should have been that last thing to hint about. Then, the filmmakers could have deceived us into thinking that we were in the know and then pull the rug out from under our feet. At least the final shot of the movie wasn't spoiled.

The one good thing about the script is that we can't tell if Kim will accept Ron as a love interest. For me, because I had barely seen anything from Season 3, I was only hoping that things would go back to normal. Ron and Kim weren't going to take their relationship to the next level on their own. We can all agree that this would be "awk-weird" and so it required some high stakes. Kim needed to be physically & emotionally knocked down and Ron needed his friendship with Kim to be in clear jeopardy. Once Drakken's full plot has been revealed to Kim and Ron, Kim is humiliated. I am sure that at some point, whether before or after he took over the world, Drakken was going to reveal Eric's identity and defeat Kim in the ultimate way by heartache. It is working in the Bueno Nacho storage room where Kim and Ron are tied up. Seeing Kim about to give up, Ron steps back into the role of best friend and then some because this crisis gives him the drive he needed to confess non-verbally what he has come to realize: that the only way they can stay friends is to move to the next phase. Kim, by the sound of her voice, tells me that not only has she given up fighting Drakken but also given up any chance of finding the right guy. When she understands what Ron is getting at, she is in a state to accept what he is offering. "The Food Chain" and what others think doesn't matter anymore because she is longing for anyone right now. Lucky for Ron, he is the only person present (and the best person when you think about it) to snap Kim out of her "pity fiesta". When I first saw the show, I could tell that Kim and Ron were starting to talk about something much deeper than friendship. But then Rufus' appearance snaps the two back into mission mode and I thought that was as far as the romance angle would go. As a side note, Drakken got exactly what he deserved for tricking Kim and then mocking her when Kim punches him after escaping.

Here was my thought process during the last scene when I first saw it. When Bonnie declares Kim and Ron a couple, I thought she was jumping to conclusions. I was assuming that by going to the junior prom with Ron, Kim was showing gratitude to him for everything he has done for her (even before that night). I don't think they expected the majority of the student body to applaud their choice and this brings back the embarrassment briefly. It was sweet that Kim switched to a closed position while dancing but that didn't convince me that they were getting comfortable with each other because I have danced with girls in a closed position without being their love interest. Even seconds before the kiss, I was happy that Kim and Ron's friendship was stronger than ever. Kim would no longer be self-conscious having Ron as a best friend and Ron had things back to the way they were. When the kiss did happen, I know that my mouth was wide open. Besides that, my mind was blown. I kept saying "WHAT?!!" over and over. After multiple viewings, I can see what is really happening in the final scene. Of course Kim is grateful to Ron but she is also willing to try him out as a potential boyfriend. Ron is a little surprised when they move to a closed position while dancing but then they stop moving altogether. It is here that the two best friends realize that what is happening to them is natural and stronger than any crush or puppy love. When you grow up with someone, serving and helping each other the whole way, you develop something stronger than a mere friendship. When Kim puckers her lips, there is no hesitation on Ron's end as he confidently kisses her. This is proof of how important friendship is to romance. It is implied in the movie that who you go with to the prom makes a statement. Kim makes the greatest statement ever by going to the dance with Ron as her date date. The message of the movie is that truly anything is possible (as opposed to anything you want bad enough will happen). As clearly stated, Kim and Ron's relationship is not built on looks or even intense experiences. It is built on over ten years of true friendship and it took an intense experience for Kim to put aside her pride and for Ron to overcome his embarrassment.

When I look at the list of the top grossing animated feature films released in 2005, none of them are very special in my opinion. I actually haven't seen most of them and as a result, "So the Drama" is my favorite animated film from that year. The only guest voice actor for this movie is "Ricky" or Raviv Ullman. He is best known for playing the lead character on another Disney Channel series: "Phil of the Future". What Kim says to Ron is very true: "We're not in Pre-K anymore. Time to grow up." She takes her own advice by the end of the movie because adhering to peer pressure and social statuses is childish. If there ever was a movie that preached, "give geeks a chance", it is this show (maybe "Harry Potter" too). The movie may not be as funny as we have come to expect from "Kim Possible" but it was not advertized as such. After seeing this movie for the first time, I saw "Sitch in Time" for a second time and became a self-proclaimed (albeit secret) fan. "Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama" was meant to be the series finale but the ending of this movie increased the outcry from fans for a fourth season. I was very surprised when our wishes came true. I was even more surprized when Disney announced that casting had begun on a live-action TV movie! I was dreaming about a live-action film for a decade but I was willing to live without it. Even though the live-action movie failed to entertain because it strayed from the essence of the TV show, I will always have the original series to enjoy.

4 Stars