Cloud 9 (2014)

Cloud 9 is a 2014 Disney Channel Original Movie that is set high atop snow-capped mountains and follows the world of competitive snowboarding. The film stars Dove Cameron and Luke Benward as Kayla and Will, respectively. Kayla is a female shredder who learns the only reason she's on her snowboarding team, the Swifts, is because her father owned the resort and supplied the team with money. Will used to be a famous, legendary snowboarder. However, a viral video of him wiping out during competition while trying to perform his move, Cloud 9, ended his snowboarding career. After this painful moment, people labeled him as an "epic failure". Throughout the main storyline, Will and Kayla must help each other learn from their past and realize that nothing's impossible. Dove Cameron revealed in an interview that she was comfortable auditioning for the female lead role in Disney's Cloud 9 because she started snowboarding at the age of 7. Dove Cameron states that there's a stereotype that most blonde girls like summer, the beach, and the heat and then shares that she loves the snow and is a winter person. She reveals she was most excited about playing the role of Kayla because of the epic stunt she got to perform called "Cloud 9" during the "Fire and Ice" snowboarding competition. Some of the cast members reveal that performing actual snowboarding stunts is harder than it looks and requires daily training, especially for cast members who have never been on a snowboard before. During filming, it is important for all of the cast members to get comfortable with riding down the mountain on a snowboard: it involves landings, turns, and courage. Another feature that stood out is the rescue scene at Tyson's Peak. According to Will, Tyson's Peak is named after Tyson, who attempted to ride down a treacherous mountain on a snowboard, where his body was never found. As Will and Kayla argue on whether Kayla is ready to learn Cloud 9, Kayla reminds herself that nothing's impossible. She takes a helicopter to the top of Tyson's Peak to prove to herself that she can "shred" down the mountain without fear. Even though she boarded all the way down Tyson's Peak, Kayla soon gets caught in an avalanche and Will comes to rescue her. Will's selfless act of rescuing Kayla shows the viewers that although he and Kayla have gotten off to a bad start, he cares about her and the subplot revolves around his relationship with Kayla. In addition, the rescue scene features Donald, one of the dogs from the dog kennel, digging Kayla out of deep snow. This is a reference to search-and-rescue dogs in real life who work with resort workers to rescue trapped skiers and snowboarders buried in an avalanche. The main plot revolves around Kayla Morgan's reality that, despite winning many medals, she was only on the Swift team because her father owned the resort. Kayla becomes angry and frustrated when she finds out that everyone is referring to her as "everyone's favorite Daddy's girl." She lives in the shadow of her father because he owns the resort and supplied the Swift team with money. She is also ridiculed by her former teammates for situations that she isn't responsible for; in one scene, her teammates let her take the full blame for breaking Will's sled and the lodge sign. Kayla wants people to respect her for the snowboarder that she really is, and not because she is "Daddy's girl." With the help of Will, she starts training in her snowboarding technique, something she was rusty at from the beginning of the film. Kayla reminds herself that she can conquer any obstacle, especially when she is eager to learn the Cloud 9, a snowboarding move that she wants to perfect. Will fears that Kayla will hurt herself, but Kayla is determined to prove her point. To get even with the Swifts, Kayla enters the "Fire and Ice" competition as a member of the "Hot Doggers," a rival team. Despite being ridiculed, Kayla believes in her theory that she can accomplish anything. She performs the Cloud 9 at the competition and earns perfect 10s from the judges, leaving everyone stunned and shocked that someone they saw as a pampered princess with no talent can ride. After winning her first real trophy, people started treating Kayla with more respect, resolving the plot's main conflict and encouraging young audiences to defy expectations. While the message is certainly uplifting, the film would also have reached and inspired more impressionable young viewers with a more diverse cast.