: The film uses the fantastical premise of a boy turning into a merman to serve as a poignant, if sometimes literal, allegory for the physical and emotional turbulence of puberty. II. Plot Summary: The "Mer-Boy" Mystery
: Cody must hide these changes from his peers and a local fisherman, Big John Wheatley, who is obsessed with proving mermaids exist. He enlists the help of his "nerdy" classmate, Jess, whose father happens to be the obsessed fisherman. The Thirteenth Year
: Released on May 15, 1999, The Thirteenth Year was one of the early fantasy-driven DCOMs that defined a generation. : The film uses the fantastical premise of
: Cody eventually discovers his birth mother is a mermaid. After a dramatic rescue, Cody decides to spend time at sea with her to learn about his true nature, with a "co-parenting" agreement that he returns for school in the fall. III. Thematic Analysis 16 Disney Channel Movies That We All Almost Forgot About He enlists the help of his "nerdy" classmate,
: Symptoms include an unquenchable thirst, sticking to objects (like milk cartons), generating electricity, and growing scales when wet.