Johnny Tsunami facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Johnny Tsunami |
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| Written by | Ann Knapp Douglas Sloan |
| Directed by | Steve Boyum |
| Starring | Brandon Baker Lee Thompson Young Kirsten Storms Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Yuji Okumoto |
| Theme music composer | Phil Marshall |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Gerald T. Olson |
| Cinematography | David Hennings |
| Running time | 88 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Film Roman |
| Distributor | Buena Vista Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | Disney Channel |
| Original release | July 24, 1999 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board (2007) |
Johnny Tsunami is a fun Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) that came out in 1999. It's about a young surfer named Johnny from Hawaii. He has to learn to live in a totally new place, Vermont, because his dad gets a new job there. The movie was even nominated for an award called the Humanitas Prize in 2000, for being a great live-action film for kids. There's also a sequel, Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board, which came out in 2007.
Contents
The Story of Johnny Tsunami
Johnny Kapahaala lives in Hawaii and loves to surf. He has great friends and a happy family. His parents are Pete and Melanie, and his grandfather is Johnny Bartholomew Tsunami, a very famous surfer.
Moving to Vermont
One day, Johnny's dad, Pete, gets a new job. This means the family has to move all the way to Vermont. Johnny's grandfather, Tsunami, stays in Hawaii.
In Johnny's new town, there are two different schools. Students at the private school are skiers, and they are called "Skies." Students at the public school are snowboarders, and they are called "Urchins." Johnny goes to the skiers' school. However, he really wants to snowboard because it feels more like surfing to him.
Learning to Snowboard
Johnny has some trouble at first, but he eventually learns how to snowboard. A new friend named Sam Sterling helps him a lot. At his new school, Johnny also becomes good friends with a girl named Emily. Emily is the daughter of the school's Headmaster Pritchard.
A skier named Brett also likes Emily. He doesn't think Johnny is right for her. The Urchins often snowboard on the part of the mountain that belongs to the Skies. This causes problems between the two groups.
Mountain Challenges
Later, Emily tries to learn snowboarding with Johnny and his new friends. She almost falls off the mountainside. This leads to a big argument between Johnny and Brett. A snow ranger arrives and stops the fight right away.
After the fight, Johnny, his parents, and the headmaster have a meeting. Sam then tells Johnny that his dad, who is a U.S. Marine, is moving to Iceland. This means Sam has to move too. Johnny's dad, Pete, tells Johnny that Sam moving away might be for the best. He wants Johnny to fit in with the kids at his private school.
Family Troubles
Johnny and Pete have a big argument. Johnny wishes his grandfather Tsunami was there because he feels Tsunami understands him better. Pete, however, thinks Johnny Tsunami is a bad influence. He calls him a "surf bum."
Johnny and Sam decide to run away from home. They fly to Hawaii on a cargo plane to stay with Tsunami. Pete calls Tsunami and demands that the boys come home right away. But Tsunami says he won't send them back until they are ready to return.
Melanie, Johnny's mom, talks to Pete. She tells him he is being too hard on Johnny. She says he needs to let Johnny be friends with his snowboarder friends and let him snowboard. Pete tries to explain his actions, but Melanie tells him she misses the easy-going husband he used to be.
Returning to Vermont
Johnny and Sam enjoy surfing and the warm weather in Hawaii. But they decide it's time to go back to Vermont. Tsunami comes with them. Pete is very surprised to see his father in Vermont.
Pete and Tsunami have a serious talk. Pete admits he went too far by stopping Johnny from snowboarding with his friends. Tsunami tells Pete to be easier on Johnny. He says Johnny needs to make his own mistakes so he can learn from them. Tsunami explains that if Pete punishes Johnny too much, Johnny will become angry with him later.
The Big Race
The next day, Johnny is amazed to see that Tsunami is a great snowboarder! They decide to snowboard on the skiers' side of the mountain, where the best runs are.
Brett and his friends see Johnny and Tsunami. They decide to have a one-on-one race between Brett and Johnny. If Johnny wins, the skiers must share the mountain with the snowboarders. If Brett wins, he gets the Tsunami Medal, a special award for the best surfer in Hawaii.
Pete encourages Johnny to win the race to keep the medal in the family. Johnny wins the race, even though Brett tries to cheat. After the race, Johnny and Emily start a relationship. Brett's friends congratulate Johnny. They are even inspired to learn how to snowboard with the Urchins!
Uniting the Mountain
Johnny's parents throw a party to celebrate. Two brothers, Randy and Ronnie, own the different sides of the mountain. They tell their story: they were the original "Sky" and "Urchin." Their parents divorced, and they couldn't agree on what to do with the mountain after their father died. So, they split the mountain, with the skiers getting the best runs.
Randy and Ronnie decide to bring the mountain back together. They open a new shop that lets everyone use the best slopes. The brothers thank Johnny for helping them see that they were wrong.
Main Characters
- Brandon Baker as Johnny Kapahaala
- Yuji Okumoto as Pete
- Mary Page Keller as Melanie
- Lee Thompson Young as Sam Sterling
- Kirsten Storms as Emily
- Zachary Bostrom as Brett
- Gregory Itzin as Headmaster Pritchard
- Cylk Cozart as Sgt. Sterling
- Steve Van Wormer as Randy and Ronnie
- Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Johnny Tsunami
- Gabriel Luque as Matt
- Taylor Moore as Jake
- Anthony DiFranco as Eddie
- Noah Bastian as Aaron
- Anne Sward as Miss Arthur
- Kevin Clifford as Garbage Man
Songs from the Movie
Here are some of the songs featured in Johnny Tsunami:
- "The Way" - Fastball
- "Fire Escape" - Fastball
- "Nowhere Road" - Fastball
- "Rolled" - Jeffries Fan Club
- "Crystal 52" - Jeffries Fan Club
- "So Down" - Jesse Camp and the 8th Street Kidz
- "Life Jacket" - Simon Says
See also
In Spanish: Johnny Tsunami para niños
