Da Jammies

Da Jammies is a 1999 American animated urban musical comedy film directed by Antoine Miller, who also was executive producer, co-produced by Bruce W. Smith, written by Frederick Donahue, Smith, Jah'Mir Wheeler, Stanley Bennett Clay, Reginald Hudlin, Larry Fuller, ChrisCross, and Maliaka McCain. It was produced by 20th Century Fox Animation, and co-produced by Regency Enterprises. The film stars the voices of Phil LaMarr, Ramón Rodríguez, Bettina Bush, Cree Summer, Jaleel White, James Earl Jones, Jeff Bennett, Brandy Norwood, Kel Mitchell, Jason Marsden, Bumper Robinson, Dante Basco, MC Lyte, Nika Futterman, Eve, Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, Tara Charendoff, and Tom Kenny.

The movie is about six talented and diverse pre-teens enrolled at a performing arts middle school in Rivercove, California form a hip-hop and R&B in hopes of making their dreams come true of becoming performers.

Da Jammies premiered at the 1999 San Diego Film Festival on March 20, 1999 in San Diego, California, and was released in North America on August 19, 1999 by 20th Century Fox in theatres. It released on September 8, 1999 internationally in theatres. It received universal acclaim from critics and was a box office success, grossing over $980 million over its' $67 million budget. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film and won, it also was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song but lost to Tarzan at the 72nd Academy Awards.

Plot
The film starts with a group of kids performing at a charity concert, and various people cheer on the kids. The kids are surprised, as they are not used to performing in public. The concert is interrupted by someone saying "Dolla! Dolla!". The concert is revealed to be a dream of William "Dolla" Chapman (LaMarr), a young short-tempered and fiery African-American tween, who is woken up out of his sleep by his little sister Lanelle (Futterman), telling him that their mother, told her to tell him to get dressed and ready for his first day at the Ridgecrest School of Performing Arts, and that breakfast will be ready. ("Fresher than Fresh")

Dolla finshes his breakfast and heads on the bus to the school, and sits next to his best friend, Aulsondro "Novelist" Hamilton (RodrÍguez), a Puerto Rican boy. Dolla tells Novelist that he had a dream about him, Novelist, their four other friends performing a in band. Novelist is surprised to hear this, tells Dolla they might have a chance to become a musical group, since they are going to the same performing arts school.

So Dolla decides that they should form a musical group. Overhearing this is, Shandira "Shandi" Lewis (Norwood), an African-American girl who has colorful braids, and a wicked fashion sense. Shandi introduces herself to Dolla and Novelist, and she tells them that she wants to join as well. They ask her what her skills are and how did she DIY her shoes. She tells them that she designs and creates her own shoes, and clothes. Both boys are interested in her skills and they tell her she's in.

The school bus is at bus loop, and the kids are at the school, there they meet up with Dolla and Novelist's friends, Viviane "Momo" Powell (Bush), a biracial black girl who is very bubbly and one with the universe, Lalaine "LaLa" Dimacuha (Summer), a Filipino girl who is very vain and is a diva, but means well, Shawn "Seven" Anderson (White), a chubby asthmatic black boy who is always trying to help, and has two loves in his life: food and LaLa. Dolla and Novelist introduce Shandi to the others, and the kids seem to enjoy her.

Dolla tells Momo, LaLa, and Seven about forming a musical group. The three kids become excited about their new band, and what should it be called. Overhearing this is, Mike Fresh (Robinson) and Smalls (Basco), who are going make sure to sabotage the band.

The students go inside the gymnasium for a first-day-of-school assembly, there they meet Principal Marvin Cransberry (Jones), a short-tempered and money hungry former R&B singer, and Vice-Principal Jon Winklebush (Bennett), a logical and mature former famous boy band singer.

Cransberry tells the kids that they will be starting a new school year, and that the school is a performing arts school about music, theater, art, and dance not a regular school. Winklebush interrupts saying that the school has extracurricular activities for the students like performing in musical groups, STEM labs, art design, domestic arts activities, etc. The assembly ends with Cransberry telling them about the school's save the music benefit charity concert.

During class, the save the music concert is the students concern. The six kids discuss about the band's name, what songs are they gonna make, what position they are going to take. Dolla, Novelist, Momo, LaLa, and Seven start arguing about who is gonna be the leader of the band, until Shandi comes up with a idea for the band. She suggests that they call the band "Da Jammies" (which inspired on R&B/Rap groups such as Salt-N-Pepa, Kid 'N Play), she also suggests that Dolla is the leader due to him being the founder, and he could be the rapper and breakdancer, she suggests that Novelist could be the co-leader due to him knowing Dolla the longest and him being a good compromiser, and he could the rapper and peacekeeper, she also tells that LaLa she can be the "Singing Diva" due to her being confident and very sassy, she tells Momo that she could be the "Singing Poet" due to her bubbly and earthy nature and can also be the songwriter, and she tells Seven that he could be the "Soulful Singer" due to his "soulful crooner" personality, and Shandi suggests that she could be the "Singing Sista" due to her quick wit and snark, and the fashion designer of Da Jammies. The five kids love Shandi's idea and officially named their group "Da Jammies". ("Here We Come!")

Class begins with their pretty teacher Mrs. Perkins (Eve), who wastes most of class time by talking about her family life and not teaching the kids anything. Dolla, Novelist, Momo, LaLa, Shandi, and Seven use this time to think about what song they should play at the benefit concert.

Momo starts to write a song about unity and doing it together, and Dolla asks her what she is doing, she tells him that she is writing a song about what it means to be together. Dolla goes on to ask her what does she mean by "together", Momo tells Dolla that being in a band together beats being apart, and that they can be a part of each other's life no matter what. Shandi starts to sketch designs for the outfits that they are going to wear to the benefit concert.

The kids hope to become the first seventh graders to win the benefit concert in their school's history. After a successful audition for the talent show, a famous alumnus of the school, Darren DuVall, expresses interest in signing Da Jammies to his record label. Dolla introduces himself as the founder and songwriter of Da Jammies, which is not appreciated by the group's other members, mainly Momo. While Dolla's mother, Sineda (Watkins), is initially hesitant to let Da Jammies pursue the opportunity with Darren, she eventually allows the kids to have a meeting after being encouraged by Lanelle.

After school, Novelist, LaLa, Momo, Shandi, and Seven go over to Dolla's house and head to his backyard where his treehouse is. Da Jammies start to rehearse in the treehouse ("Groove to the Music") with Dolla and Novelist rapping, Seven and Shandi singing the chorus, and Momo and LaLa dancing.

The next day, Cransberry announces that the students will be in teams of six and will perform in a 5-month competition that will lead up in to the benefit concert at the end of the first semester which is late January. In class, Dolla, Novelist, Momo, LaLa, Shandi, and Seven talk about the concert and what songs they are going to play. During the lunch break, Shandi, Momo, and LaLa go to the library. While there, Shandi shows LaLa and Momo the designs for the outfits that they are gonna wear, but she tells the girls not to show or tell the boys. The two girls nod at her. LaLa askes Shandi and Momo if they wanted to have a slumber party at her place next Friday, both girls agree to this and walk out of the library.

After the lunch break, Shandi and Seven go to their creative writing class. Seven opens up to Shandi about his crush on LaLa, he mentions how he has been crushing on LaLa since kindergarten but she only sees him as a friend and nothing else. He tells her that LaLa is like this unreachable goddess of vanity, and she always wants the good-looking popular guys. And he is chubby, and asthmatic and LaLa would never love a "big boy" like him. Shandi reassures him that he is beautiful the way he is, and the two of them continue to write in their notebooks. The bell rings, and Shandi goes to her science class that she shares with Momo, and Seven goes to his math class. Shandi sits next to a girl named Tessa (Lyte), she tells Shandi that she heard her and Seven's conversation about his crush on LaLa. Tessa tells Shandi that she has known LaLa for a long time, and she describes LaLa as a "spoiled diva" who has her moments of kindness that are overshadowed by her vain personality.

Next Friday evening, Shandi, and Momo are seen at LaLa's sleepover/pizza party alongside Tessa. Tessa tells the three girls that her, Lark, Levi, Noelle, and two other kids are also gonna be in the competition. Following the next month, Da Jammies keep on practicing and practicing but Dolla still think they don't practice enough. Without asking the group's other members for opinions, Dolla suggests that Da Jammies should not make time for other things and make time for the benefit concert, and criticizes LaLa for being late, Momo for wearing the same outfit but in a different variation, and calls Seven lazy and useless, and also takes his anger verbally out Shandi. This causes a fight between Da Jammies, Shandi becomes fed up and storms out, with Seven, Momo, and LaLa, and Novelist sadden and not able to fix it, with LaLa telling Dolla that he can perform by his self. Novelist has the opportunity to take a dance audition at the local dance center where takes his lessons at, and go to a performing arts school in the south side of Rivercove. He is offered a full tuition, but accepting it would require him to leave Dolla behind. ("What Should I Do?")

Later, LaLa becomes distressed after overhearing a voicemail suggesting that her mother was planning to sell their lavish middle-upper class home to move to Paris with her boyfriend. Feeling neglected, LaLa takes advantage of having her mother's credit card to go on a shopping spree on Verone Drive. In a random act of kindness, LaLa purchases a bold rainbow animal print for Seven who reveals his financial troubles and romantic problems: He is a poor foster child who lives in a 10-child household with a mother whose husband is a superintendent for the building, and he's scared that if he ever told LaLa his feelings for her, that she wouldn't like him. LaLa assures Seven that they will remain friends no matter what, but she tells him that she is not looking for love right now.

During a meeting, between Da Jammies and Darren, Darren reveals that a marketing team has developed a new image for the group that will require them to wear masks and lip sync. Dolla is furious by this and declares that the group refuse the offer, but the other Jammies stay behind due to their frustrations with Dolla's attitude. Dolla leaves under the impression that the other Jammies have taken the deal, with Novelist following him. Darren tells the other Jammies, to sit right there, and he'll be back. He goes upstairs and calls Mike and Smalls telling them that the plan is working ("They're Outta Of Our Way") LaLa arrives home where her mother reveals her credit card was declined due to LaLa's shopping spree. LaLa breaks down after thinking about how grateful she is for her mother given Seven's current status as a foster child, and LaLa's mother agrees to make more time for her daughter.

Later, Tessa's sister, Amira falls into an obstruction on the Callabash streets. This attracts a great deal of attention, including a live news story, which alerts all six Jammie members about what is going on and causes them to come to Toto's rescue. Their singing helps calm Amira down and allow for her safe removal from the obstruction. This act of bonding ultimately causes the kid to repair their friendship, and they go on to sing a new song on the news for all of Rivercove to see. ("Doin' It Jammie Style") Darren calls, voicing his regret trying to change Da Jammies, but the kids refuse an offer with him. Da Jammies end up winning the talent show, and the kids renew their commitment to achieving their dreams and maintaining their friendship.

Cast

 * Phil LaMarr as William "Dolla" Chapman - The passion of Da Jammies, A fiery tempered rapper/break dancer.
 * Ramón Rodríguez as Aulsondro "Novelist" Hamilton - Dolla's childhood friend, and a high energy talented rapper.
 * Brandy Norwood as Shandira "Shandi" Lewis - The new girl in town, and a confident and talented R&B/Hip-Hop singer.
 * Cree Summer as Lalaine "Lala" Dimacuha - A Filipino girl who is a supremely vain, talented and confident R&B singer.
 * Bettina Bush as Viviane "Momo" Powell - A biracial black girl who is a bubbly and earthy poetess.
 * Jaleel White as Shawn "Seven" Anderson - A chubby and asthmatic black boy who is a kind-hearted soul singer who has a crush on Lala.
 * MC Lyte as Tessa Reynolds - Lala's childhood friend.
 * Jason Marsden as Einny
 * Bumper Robinson as Mike Fresh, the main antagonists and a member of the Battlebrats.
 * Dante Basco as Smalls, one of the main antagonists and a member of the Battlebrats.
 * Kel Mitchell as Darren DuVall - One of the film's antagonists.
 * Tara Charendoff as Lark Dubois - A cheerleader.
 * Tom Kenny as Levi Dubois
 * Nika Futterman as Lanelle Chapman - Dolla's little sister.
 * Eve as Mrs. Perkins
 * Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins as Sineda Chapman - Dolla's mother.
 * Jeff Bennett as Vice-Principal Jon Winklebush
 * James Earl Jones as Principal Marvin Cransberry
 * Mo'Nique as Anita Brownson - Seven's foster mother
 * Charlie Adler as News Reporter

ADR Group

 * Jess Harnell
 * Maliaka McCain
 * Danielle Judovits
 * Christine Cavanaugh
 * Catherine Cavadini
 * Sharon Hughsman
 * Scott Menville
 * Jennifer Hale
 * Richard Steven Horvitz
 * Philece Sampler
 * April Stewart
 * Bob Bergen
 * Jeff Bergman as Weatherman
 * Kat Cressida
 * Michelle Ruff
 * Reginald VelJohnson

Development
Coming soon!

Animation
The animation was provided by in-house at Film Roman in Burbank, California, StarToons in Chicago, Klasky-Csupo in Hollywood, and Mirari Films in Los Angeles. Additional animation was done overseas at AKOM Production Co. in Korea, Toei Animation in Japan, Studio B Productions in Canada, and Toon City Animation in the Philippines.

Music
In August of 1997, Miller chose Marc Shaiman, who worked on Touchstone's Sister Act to compose the music for the movie. Shaiman described the score as "It has hip-hop, R&B, soul, rap, funk, pop rock, teen pop, and all that other stuff."

Theatrical
Da Jammies was initially scheduled for release on May 13, 1999, but was moved up to August 19, 1999 due to delays. The film received a PG-13 rating by the MPAA due to "mild language, suggestive themes. The film made its network premiere on Fox on September 19, 2000 and its cable premiere on FX on April 13, 2001. It also made its edited premiere on Cartoon Network's Cartoon Theater on October 17, 2000.

Marketing

 * The official teaser trailer was released on May 8, 1997, and was shown before Anastasia, Pippi Longstocking, Cats Don't Dance, and Babes in Toyland
 * The theatrical trailer was released on June 4, 1998, and was shown before Antz, Mulan, Quest for Camelot, and The Rugrats Movie
 * The final trailer was released on January 17, 1999, and was shown in front of Fantasia 2000, and The Iron Giant


 * Kellogg's made cereal of Da Jammies, with a chocolate and mocha taste.

Video game
A video game based on the film was released on November 24, 1999 for the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Sega Dreamcast, and Microsoft Windows. It was developed by Vicarious Visions and published by Fox Interactive.

Home media
The film was released on DVD, D-VHS, and VHS on June 12, 2000 with widescreen and fullscreen editions, with the DVD release on September 17, 2000. The film earned $76.4 million in DVD sales during the middle of 2000. A special edition DVD was released on September 17, 2006. It was later released on Blu-ray in North America on November 20, 2009. An Ultra HD Blu-ray/DVD was released on June 12, 2021, containing a new 4K restoration. It was released in a "FOX: Comedy Triple Feature" 3-movie combo with Jeremy Monroe: The Biggest Movie Ever and The Simpsons Movie on June 14, 2009.

As of August 2021, the movie is available on Disney+ to stream with a content disclaimer warning of potentially offensive material.

Critical reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Da Jammies holds a 90% "Certified Fresh" rating based on 275 reviews, with an average score of 8.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Da Jammies is a bit stereotypical, yet diverse, witty and full-on hilarious with an all-star cast." On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 87 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. Roger Ebert gave the film 4.5 out of 5 stars saying that "Da Jammies has some stereotypes, but it doesn't stop us from connecting with the colorful cast of tweens."

Box office
In North America, the film was released on Friday, August 19, 1999 alongside Criminal Lovers, Universal Soldier: The Return and competed against Bowfinger during the summer of 1999. The film earned $17,742,299 on its opening day in the U.S. and a combined total of $52,916,577 in its opening weekend at 3,070 theaters, topping the box office for that weekend. This outperformed the expectations of $30 million that Fox had for the release. The film then grossed $27,741,221 million in its second weekend opened to number two, behind Miracle, with $19,421,112 million in its third weekend and $12,121,234 million in its fourth.

The film closed on December 12, 1999, after earning $34,436,857 million in the United States and Canada and $56,563,462 million with a worldwide total of $91,000,319 billion which made it became Fox's highest animated film of summer 1999. It was the highest-rated film of 1999.

Television series and sequels
Because of the success the movie, 20th Century Fox Television announced an animated television series with Miller, Smith, McCain, Feiss, Donahue, and Hudlin returning to work on the show, and with most of the voice cast reprising their roles (with the exception of Rodríguez due to being busy with his music career). It aired on Pax TV and later Fox Family.

The movie received a theatrical sequel titled Da Jammies: 2 Cool at Da Glitzorama, that released in theaters on April 13, 2001, and a mixed-to-positive reception, with some criticism met at the writing.

Seven follow up direct-to-video sequels were released from 2002 to 2008, with the first one being Da Jammies: World Tour, and the last one being Da Jammies: Go Hollywood!