Prom season is upon us, and so, too, is Disney’s latest original movieProm Pact. The movie follows best friends Mandy and Ben, two high schoolers who’d rather focus on anything other than prom. Ahead of the movie’s premiere on March 30,Disneyreleased a new featurette breaking down the biggest themes of the YA rom-com.
Executive producerJulie Bowenkicks-off the video, comparing the movie to'80s rom-comsbut with its own twist. StarPeyton Elizabeth Leefurther emphasizes this point, noting that while familiar and classic stereotypes will be present, they will be presented differently. WhileProm Pactkeeps those similar aspects, it also strives to show characters that fall in the jock and other popular kid categories are “three-dimensional.” Additionally, cast memberMargaret Choshared that the movie is “a really great coming-of-age story” as its characters learn what is and isn’t important in their lives.
The video continues as cast membersMonique Green,Jason Sakaki, andArica Himmelfocus on thefriendship aspectof the movie. For Green, friendship is at the core of the movie, which is primarily seen through Mandy and Ben. Sakaki adds that the movie also portrays friendship as “the one thing that’s really gonna last.” The sentiment falls in line with what we’ve seen so far from thetrailerand clips sprinkled throughout the featurette. While there will, of course, be a romantic aspect, much of what we’ve seen is Mandy’s bond with Ben, and her forming new friendships before jumping into anything else.
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Lee, Cho,Milo Manheim, andBlake Drapercap off the featurette, discussing the movie’s themes through a wider lens. They each offer thoughts that build upon thecoming-of-ageaspect of the movie, and how its messaging is applied to life in general. For Manheim and Cho,Prom Pactis about living day-to-day and accepting that sometimes things don’t work out, but it can be for the better. To Lee and Forge, the movie focuses on the self – creating one’s identity and stepping out of comfort zones to try new things.
What IsProm PactAbout?
Described as a “heartfelt romantic comedy,” the movie follows Mandy and Ben, who are surrounded by extravagant promposals at school. However, Mandy won’t be distracted by the excitement ofprom, instead setting her sights on getting fully admitted to Harvard instead of staying on the waitlist. To do so, she strikes a deal with popular jock Graham, whose father is a prominent senator and Harvard alum. Along the way, Mandy begins to realize there’s more to Graham than meets the eye, and more to life than Harvard.
The movie is written byAnthony Lombardoand directed byAnya Adams. Adams executive produced alongside Bowen,Melvin Mar,Rachael Field, andJake Kasden, with Lee as co-producer. Additional cast includesChelah Horsdal,David S. Jung, andWendi McLendon-Covey.
Prom Pactpremieres Thursday, March 30 on Disney Channel, streaming next day on Disney+. Watch the new featurette below:
