7 Movies To Watch If You Loved ‘Camp Rock 3’
Whenever the topic ‘Camp Rock’ comes up in my life (and believe me, it comes up a lot), I always wonder how I can explain its appeal to someone who has never seen it. Sure, on the surface, it’s a bunch of teenagers at a summer music camp with competitions, rivalries, friendship, romance, and some amazing songs. But it’s so much more than that, too. It’s a commentary on building confidence, fighting for what you love, and always being yourself. Okay, but it’s also a camp with food fights, an iconic fight song, you know the one (CAMP ROCK!!), Disney knees, and a place where pop stars visit for an entire summer.
For people who grew up with the movies, it’s become a core memory, and die-hard Rockers like me still sneak in the phrase “She’s really good!” into our conversations. So when the characters sat around that bonfire in Camp Rock 2, we knew that we wouldn’t see them again for a long time. However, in 2025, Camp Rock 3 was announced, and voilà, now the film is streaming on Disney+! With tons of callbacks and references to the old movies (and cameos from Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers), Camp Rock 3 brings a new group of campers to the titular camp for another summer of music and competition!
If you’ve already binged the film and are in dire need of some similar films, you’ve come to the right place. I’ll admit, the Camp Rock franchise is one of a kind, but all 7 movies on this list, which are available to stream on Disney+, Prime Video, and more, have the same musical, feel-good vibe you might be craving. I’m not including Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2 because they should be your obvious starting points if you’re new here and have only watched the third movie. Let’s start the party! (Hey, yet another callback!)
Hands down, High School Musical is the strongest follow-up to Camp Rock 3. True to its name, the High School Musical films are a musical trilogy with catchy songs and choreography that leaves me breathless. It’s not just a kids movie, though, it also has a surprisingly solid plot. Troy Bolton is the star basketball player and Gabriella Montez is the brilliant new girl. They both discover they love to sing together and start to wonder if they can break the identities everyone has assigned to them, and be themselves. But in true high school drama fashion, their friends are less than thrilled.
If you’re looking for movies that’ll become your new comfort watch, then the High School Musical franchise is the way to go. The second movie in particular is also summer-themed, so it’s the closest match to the performance, romance, and friendship vibes Camp Rock 3 brings to the table. The High School Musical movies have what I like to call ‘Disney optimism’ where everything falls into place in the end, even when the ‘stakes’ get increasingly higher with each film. Watch this if you want something bright and ridiculously sincere. I mean, only Kenny Ortega can choreograph an entire song around all the students suddenly having an identity crisis in a cafeteria, and I’ll never not find that hilarious.
If the Final Jam was your favorite part of Camp Rock 3, then move Lemonade Mouth to the top of your list. Teens staying in their lane? Absolutely not. Five students, Olivia, Moe, Stella, Wen, and Charlie, are thrown into detention and form a band together. These kids know how to jam, and they’re determined to push back against some of their school’s decisions (and their music speaks volumes and becomes a way for them to do so). It’s all very The Breakfast Club-esque and I love that for Lemonade Mouth.
The underdog-band formula works so much better than it has any right to. The friendship between them is also a big part of the appeal, because while the script could have assembled five people who are copies of one another, each of them come with their own personalities and insecurities, making you root even harder for them. Compared to Camp Rock 3, I think Lemonade Mouth has a bit more bite, and Dr. Bridgit Mendler makes me so proud as if she were my close, personal friend. If what you loved about Camp Rock 3 was the ensemble dynamic, then Lemonade Mouth is a great next choice. And if this movie doesn’t make you crave lemonade afterwards, I don’t know what will.
If there’s one movie on this list that makes you feel like you’re reading fan fiction on 2013 Wattpad, then it’s Starstruck. World famous teen pop star Christopher Wilde (literally) bumps into Jessica Olson, a fairly ordinary girl (who hates his guts, by the way) visiting her grandmother with her Christopher-obsessed sister, and that’s all I have to say about it for now. Oh, and the paparazzi constantly follow him, giving him zero privacy. What could go wrong?
Those who were invested in Shane and Mitchie’s relationship in the original Camp Rock film will find Chris and Jessica’s banter-filled relationship endearing. The track list for this movie is an absolute banger, but the story isn’t entirely focused on performance. It highlights Christopher’s “I need to figure out what I really want” and Jessica’s “maybe the horrible first impression I had of him isn’t true, after all.” Starstruck is a breezy movie, containing all the right ingredients to be a genuinely fun rom-com, so if a teenage version of Notting Hill is what you’re after, I’d add Starstruck to your watch queue. Will we ever get a post-Happily Ever After sequel? (I’m looking at you DCOM execs!)
Sometimes drama in real life isn’t enough, so Teen Beach Movie takes us into another movie, specifically, a ‘60s style beach movie. Mack and Brady get sucked into the world of Wet Side Story, an old-fashioned beach musical, where they have to deal with leather-jacketed bikers and surfers in floral shirts who spend their days fighting and bursting into song and dance. Brady’s having the time of his life, but Mack is completely unenthusiastic (frankly, that’s a normal response for someone who isn’t in her own reality.)
The entire thing works better if we don’t ask questions and just accept that the two modern teenagers’ summer has taken a strange turn. The outfits, hairstyles, and goofy villains are pretty perfect, I have to admit! Along with being packed with music, viewers who enjoyed the friendship and romance aspects of Camp Rock 3 will find this to be an easy yes. Both movies are tonally very similar, as they’re bright and summery, and you definitely must give it a try! If you want more Mack and Brady (and who wouldn’t), head over to Teen Beach 2 where, this time, the Wet Side Story characters come into our world! Also, if retro musicals are your thing, then Grease is another fantastic choice to consider.
Remember that viral meme of Hilary Duff lipsyncing to this one tune with her hands in her pocket? Yeah, that’s from Raise Your Voice. Silly moments aside, Raise Your Voice is for those teen drama fans who don’t mind movies that aren’t afraid of getting a bit real. Terri spends the summer at a performing-arts program in LA without her father’s knowledge, while grieving the death of her brother. Duff was absolutely thriving in the early 2000s (and yes, her renaissance right now is so exciting!)
Where she acted in more lighthearted fare back then like A Cinderella Story, The Perfect Man, and the film I think deserves more love and attention, Beauty & the Briefcase, Raise Your Voice is a movie that comes with an emotional weight. Don’t get me wrong, the film still has that classic 2000s charm about it, with friends, romance, and a big musical finale, but it isn’t as carefree as Camp Rock 3. Both movies have music as a foundation for the protagonists to grow, but when you place them side by side, Camp Rock 3 is more playful. Nevertheless, don’t let that deter you, Raise Your Voice is a nostalgic coming-of-age story that deserves a spot on your watch list.
I don’t believe there’s a single person out there who hasn’t at least heard of the iconic blonde teen pop star and her double life. Released between seasons 3 and 4 of Hannah Montana, Hannah Montana: The Movie drops Miley Stewart back into her hometown in Tennessee, where she now has to let herself shine as Miley rather than Hannah. There are horses, an old crush, and a fundraising mission. She also reveals her secret to a crowd who all promise to never let it out, and somehow actually follow through on it.
Hannah Montana: The Movie and Starstruck make interesting companion pieces as they both deal with famous teenagers finding their true selves away from the spotlight and the tensions that rise with a public figure’s persona versus their private self. And of course, the sweet romance! Unlike Camp Rock 3, though, Hannah Montana: The Movie takes its time setting up Miley’s inner world and we, as the audience, get to take that journey with her. If you’re an enthusiast of Disney Channel movies from the 2000s, then of course, you’ve got a winner here. Miley never disappoints with her music, so be warned, the songs from this movie will live forever in your playlists! (Case in point: The Climb.)
If the lyrics “I’ve always been the kind of girl who hid my face, so afraid to tell the world what I’ve got to say,” from Camp Rock were a real person, it would be Tara Adams from Radio Rebel. Painfully shy in school, Tara detests attention to the extent that she’s unable to even talk to her crush. But at home, she’s Radio Rebel, a super confident host of an extremely popular online radio show. Helmed by Debby Ryan, Radio Rebel is an underrated DCOM that I knew I had to add to the list. (And the memes from this movie are gold!)
The entire ‘anonymous radio personality’ concept is quite unique, only made better with its humor and original soundtrack. When it comes to standing up against authority figures, Radio Rebel and Lemonade Mouth are cut from the same cloth. There might not be many outright similarities between Radio Rebel and Camp Rock 3 except for the fact that Tara doesn’t like to stand out, kind of like Rosie from the latter, but I think their transformations from shy teenagers to taking the spotlight make it an interesting follow-up to Camp Rock 3. Personally, Radio Rebel is one of those movies I constantly revisit over and over again, and I believe it gets unfairly overlooked!
