''Tiger Cruise'' is a

Disney Channel Original Movie Many television films have been produced for Disney Channel, an American family-oriented basic cable channel and former premium television channel since its launch on April 18, 1983. Until October 1997, films were released under the banner nam ...

that debuted on Disney Channel in the United States on August 6, 2004. It stars

Hayden Panettiere Hayden Lesley Panettiere (; born August 21, 1989) is an American actress, model, and singer. She is best known for her lead roles as Claire Bennet on the NBC superhero series ''Heroes (American TV series), Heroes'' and Juliette Barnes in the Am ...

and

Bill Pullman William Pullman (born December 17, 1953) is an American actor. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater, he was an adjunct professor at Montana State University before deciding to pursue acting. He made his film debut in ''R ...

. The film's fictional events are intertwined with the real-life events of the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

in which USS ''Constellation'' was, as depicted, actually returning from her 2001 Western Pacific deployment with "

tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

" on board when the September 11 terrorist attacks occurred.

Plot

Teenager Maddie Dolan hails from

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

. She looks forward to the day her father Gary, a Commander in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

, retires from military service so that he can share Maddie's life at home with her sister Kiley and their mother Kate. Maddie's dad invites her to participate in Operation Tiger, a week-long cruise for military families and their friends aboard the aircraft carrier USS ''Constellation''. She agrees and soon hits it off with fellow teens Anthony and Tina. Tina is fascinated by the military, her elder sister Grace being a

United States Naval Aviator A naval aviator is a commissioned officer or warrant officer qualified as a crewed aircraft pilot in the United States Navy or United States Marine Corps. United States Coast Guard crewed aircraft pilots are officially designated as "Coast Guard ...

. Anthony, an aspiring drummer from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, would rather have nothing to do with the military, although his elder brother Kenny is a

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

. Maddie also bonds with preteen Joey, whose mom is a "Squid" (Naval slang for sailor) aboard the ''Constellation''. On September 10, 2001 (one day into the cruise), the "Tigers" are excited about the day's upcoming

air show An air show (or airshow, air fair, air tattoo) is a public event where aircraft are exhibited. They often include aerobatics demonstrations, without they are called "static air shows" with aircraft parked on the ground. The largest air show m ...

. Tina hopes to take pictures from the flight deck of Grace's jet taking off. However, the flight deck is a restricted area due to safety regulations; non-military personnel must watch the airshow from "Vulture's Row". Tina, Maddie and Anthony disguise themselves as members of the deck crew so that Tina can get the pictures she wants. The threesome are recognized by the instructor and brought to Captain Anderson's office. The Captain reprimands the teenagers for their reckless actions, warning them that violation of any further regulations will get all three confined to their quarters until the carrier docks. After the teens retire, Anderson admits to their families that - more than anything else - his threats were intended to scare the threesome into line and keep them there. Gary, Grace, and Kenny express their disappointment over what happened during the air show. Commander Dolan tells Maddie about another, tragic incident when a crew member was killed landing a jet during practice maneuvers. Maddie tearfully divulges her true reason for accepting his invitation: she dislikes the negative connotations that come with being a

military brat A military brat (colloquial or military slang) is a child of serving or retired military personnel. Military brats are associated with a unique subcultureDavid C. Pollock, Ruth E. van Reken. ''Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds'', Revise ...

. Maddie recalls how she and Kiley got jumped on their first day at school and suspended for fighting. Gary agrees to come home after the voyage. On September 11, 2001, the crew and passengers learn of the

terrorist attacks The following is a list of terrorist incidents that have not been carried out by a state or its forces (see state terrorism and state-sponsored terrorism). Assassinations are listed at List of assassinated people. Definitions of terrori ...

on the

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...

and

The Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...

. With the ''Constellation'' abruptly going on full alert, Tina finally realizes the truth behind her sister's assertions regarding the less-glamorous side of military life. Anthony fears for the safety of people he knew who had jobs in the Twin Towers. Maddie experiences her father's honor, courage, and commitment to his family and also his will to make sacrifices for their country. Although upset that her dad is still needed in the military, she and her fellow Tigers express their pride and support by unfurling a giant American flag on the ''Constellation's'' flight deck. Maddie, having concluded that being a "brat" isn't so bad after all, tells her father and his crew-mates to keep doing what they do.

Cast

as Madeline "Maddie" Dolan *

as Commander Gary Dolan *

Bianca Collins Bianca Suzanne Collins (born August 17, 1988) is an American actress, curator, and writer. She is probably best known for her role as Patti Perez in the Nickelodeon series ''Unfabulous'', and as Lulu in the Teen Nick program '' Gigantic''. Biogr ...

as Tina * Nathaniel Lee, Jr. as Anthony * Mercedes Colon as Grace *

Mehcad Brooks Mehcad Jason McKinley Brooks (born October 25, 1980) is an American actor and former fashion model. He is known for his roles as Matthew Applewhite in the second season of ABC's series ''Desperate Housewives'' (2005–2006), Jerome in '' The Gam ...

as Kenny *

Jansen Panettiere Jansen Rayne Panettiere (born September 25, 1994) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in films ''The Perfect Game'', '' Ice Age: The Meltdown'', ''The Martial Arts Kid'' and '' How High 2''. His elder sister is actress Hayden Panetti ...

as Joey *

Lisa Dean Ryan Lisa Dean Ryan (born April 30, 1972) is an American actress. She played Wanda Plenn, the girlfriend of the eponymous character in the series ''Doogie Howser, M.D.'', appearing in the series from 1989 to 1992.Gene I. Maeroff, Gene ed. (1998). Educ ...

as Diane * Troy Evans as Chuck Horner *

Ty O'Neal Ty O'Neal McClary (born August 2, 1978) is an American actor. Career He is best known for playing the ice-skating cowboy Dwayne Robertson in '' D2: The Mighty Ducks'' and '' D3: The Mighty Ducks''. McClary became close with Kenan Thompson while ...

as Danny Horner * Chris Ellis as Captain Anderson *

Gary Weeks Gary Weeks (born June 4, 1972) is an American film and television actor; he is also a film producer and screenwriter. Biography Gary Weeks was born in Wiesbaden, Hessen, Federal Republic of Germany in a U.S. airbase. He was raised in Georgia, ...

as Lieutenant Tom Hillman *

Barbara Niven Barbara Lee Niven (née Bucholz; born February 26, 1953) is an American actress, writer and producer, best known for her performances in Hallmark and Lifetime movies, and for television roles in ''Pensacola: Wings of Gold'', ''One Life to Live'' ...

as Kate Dolan *

Jennette McCurdy Jennette Michelle Faye McCurdy (born June 26, 1992) is an American writer, director, podcaster, singer and former actress. McCurdy's breakthrough role as Sam Puckett in the Nickelodeon sitcom '' iCarly'' (2007–2012) earned her various awards ...

as Kiley Dolan * E. Matthew Buckley as Pilot Brown *

Mark Christopher Lawrence Mark Christopher Lawrence (born May 22, 1964) is an American character actor, stand-up comedian and voice-over artist. He is known for his role as esoteric D.J. Tone Def in the 1994 satirical rap mockumentary ''Fear of a Black Hat''. He has appear ...

as Pop

Production

While the film is set aboard the USS Constellation, it was actually filmed aboard the

USS John C. Stennis USS ''John C. Stennis'' (CVN-74), named for Senator John C. Stennis of Mississippi, is the seventh of the -class of nuclear-powered supercarriers in the United States Navy. She was commissioned on 9 December 1995. Her home port is temporaril ...

and the

USS Nimitz USS ''Nimitz'' (CVN-68) is an aircraft carrier of the United States Navy, and the lead ship of her class. One of the largest warships in the world, she was laid down, launched, and commissioned as CVAN-68, "aircraft carrier, attack, nuclear ...

. It was also filmed on location in

. Panettiere sings the theme song for the film, "My Hero Is You".

Broadcast and release

''Tiger Cruise'' had its broadcast premiere on

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...

on August 6, 2004, but the film had its premiere in Los Angeles with many stars of other Disney Channel Original Movies in attendance.

Reception

Many critics noted that the film departed from the usual Disney Channel Original Movie formula. Laura Fries of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' noted that the film "...carries many Disney hallmarks — a burgeoning teen-queen star, a catchy theme song and predictable subplots, but marks a departure from the net’s usual fairytale formula" and adds that writers "Anna Sandor and Bruce Graham deserve kudos for filtering a tough story through the eyes of kids without diluting the message...

he film He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

never feels exploitative or opportunistic." Mike McDaniel of ''

The Houston Chronicle ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'' states that "The sobering events of 9/11 give this otherwise typical Disney movie unusual gravity." Barbara Vancheri of ''

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...

'' describes ''Tiger Cruise'' as "a veritable recruitment film with a predictable conclusion but it's a pretty good little movie with solid leading performances", adding "the movie comes down on the side of maturity, sacrifice and duty, and it's hard to argue with that." However, Anita Gates of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' was more critical, describing the film as "a worthy two-hour movie", but notes that ''Tiger Cruise'' "feels polarizing rather than patriotic". The film drew 3.8 million viewers, scoring a 2.8 household rating, and attracting 1.4 million viewers among tweens 9–14. Three encore telecast averaged 2.5 million viewers. ''Tiger Cruise'' holds a 67% rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

based on six reviews.https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tiger_cruise

References

External links

* {{Duwayne Dunham 2004 television films 2004 films 2000s teen drama films 2000s English-language films American aviation films American children's drama films American teen drama films Disney Channel Original Movie films Films based on the September 11 attacks Films about the United States Navy Seafaring films Films directed by Duwayne Dunham Films scored by Steven Bramson Films set in 2001 Films set in San Diego Films set on aircraft carriers 2000s American films Films shot in San Diego