The Cheetah Girls (franchise) facts for kids

The Cheetah Girls is a popular story series that became a big media franchise. This means it includes books, movies, and music. It was created by Deborah Gregory and is based on her novel series. The story started in 1999 and is all about a girl group trying to become famous singers. In the original book series, there are five Cheetah Girls. However, in the first two movies, there are only four girls, and in the third movie, there are only three.

The Cheetah Girls Books

The Cheetah Girls book series tells the story of the group's adventures. Here are the books in the series:

Who Are The Cheetah Girls Characters?

On the covers of the books, real-life models played the characters. The R&B group Before Dark even posed as three of the girls for some covers.

• Brandi Stewart played Chanel Simmons.
• Arike Rice played Aquanette Walker (Books 1-4).
• Jeni Rice played Anginette Walker (Books 1-4).
• Mia Lee played Galleria Garibaldi (Books 1-8).
• Imani Parks played Dorinda Rogers.
• Davida Williams played Galleria Garibaldi (Books 9-13).
• Sonya Millen played Aquanette Walker (Books 5-13).
• Sabrina Millen played Anginette Walker (Books 5-13).

Meet the Main Characters

• Chanel "Chuchie" Simmons is part Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Dominican. She is known for her tiny braids. Chanel loves designer clothes and once spent a lot of money on her mom's credit card. She speaks both English and Spanish. She cares a lot about her body image and even developed an eating disorder later in the books. Chanel and Galleria took ballet lessons when they were younger, and Chanel still practices ballet. She loves hair and singing. She lives in SoHo with her mom and brother, Pucci. In the movies, Adrienne Bailon plays Chanel.

• Anginette "Angie" Walker is African-American. She is the only group member who doesn't tell a story in the book series and was not included in the movies. She often lets her twin sister, Aquanette Walker, do most of the talking and can be a bit sneaky. She lives with her sister and dad on the Upper West Side. Her nicknames are 'Angie' and 'Nettie Two.' She enjoys horror movies and wants to be a doctor. She also loves gospel music. Anginette was not in the movies because Disney couldn't find twin actresses with enough fame to play both her and Aqua.

• Aquanette "Aqua" Walker (Aqua for short) is Anginette's sister. She tells her story in several books. Her character is also in The Cheetah Girls movie, played by Kiely Williams. Aqua moved from Houston, Texas to New York City with her dad after her parents separated. In the books, Aqua and Anginette have the strongest voices in the group. Aqua is friendly and always carries hot sauce in her purse. She and Anginette live on the Upper West Side. Aqua is very religious and goes to church every Sunday. Unlike her sister, she is outspoken when she's unhappy. She likes horror movies, animals, and wants to be a doctor. She has three pets: two guinea pigs and a dog.

• Galleria "Bubbles" Garibaldi tells her story in several books. She is part Italian and African-American. Galleria is the leader of the band and lives with her wealthy parents on the Upper East Side. She is the lead singer and co-founder (with Chanel). She is also the most direct and always speaks her mind, which sometimes causes problems. She writes all the group's songs. She has a dog named Toto. Raven-Symoné plays Galleria in the Disney Channel Original Movies The Cheetah Girls and The Cheetah Girls 2. However, she was not in The Cheetah Girls: One World.

• Dorinda "Do' Re Mi" Rogers tells her story in several books. Dorinda's mother is white and her father is African-American. She describes herself as a "scrambled egg" because of her mixed background. Even though she is 12, she is in ninth grade at Fashion Industries High School. She is the smartest and best dancer in the group. She is also a foster child and lives with ten other children in Harlem, New York. She eventually finds her biological sister, Tiffany. In the movies, she is the same age as the other Cheetah Girls. Her character is called Dorinda Thomas in the movies and is played by Sabrina Bryan.

The Cheetah Girls Movies

The Cheetah Girls is a series of three musical comedy movies. They were produced by Debra Martin Chase, co-produced by Cheryl Hill, and executive produced by Whitney Houston. The movies are based on the young adult book series by Deborah Gregory. The films star actresses like Raven-Symoné, Adrienne Bailon, Sabrina Bryan, Kiely Williams, and Lynn Whitfield. The first movie, The Cheetah Girls, is set in New York City. The other movies take the girls to different countries: The Cheetah Girls 2 is in Barcelona, Spain, and The Cheetah Girls: One World is in New Delhi, India.

The Cheetah Girls (2003)

This first movie introduces the four Cheetah Girls: Raven-Symoné, Adrienne Bailon, Sabrina Bryan, and Kiely Williams. They are students at a performing arts high school in Manhattan. They want to be the first freshmen to win the school's talent show. During auditions, they meet a famous producer named Jackal Johnson (Vince Corazza). He wants to make them superstars, but they face many challenges. Galleria starts acting snobby and forgets her friends. Dorinda has to choose between her friends and a dance club. These problems threaten to break the group apart. The girls have to make tough choices, but they always find the right path in the end.

The Cheetah Girls 2 (2006)

The second movie starts in Manhattan, two years after the first one. The Cheetah Girls have just finished their junior year and are performing at a graduation party.

Later, during a sleepover at Galleria's house, Chanel (Adrienne Bailon) shares that her mom, Juanita (Lori Anne Alter), is planning a trip to Barcelona, Spain, to visit her boyfriend, Luc (Abel Folk). Chanel is not excited about seeing Luc, and the other girls are sad about being separated for the summer. Then, Aquanette (Kiely Williams) sees a shooting star, and they all wish to go to Spain with Chanel. Right after, one of their magazines shows an ad for a music festival in Barcelona. Galleria enters the Cheetah Girls into the festival. The next day, Galleria's mom Dorethea (Lynn Whitfield), Juanita, and the Cheetah Girls all travel to Spain.

When they arrive in Barcelona, they shop and then rest at a cafe. They hear a guitar playing and meet Angel (Peter Vives), a mysterious guitar player. He takes them around Barcelona as they sing to the city. Angel becomes a love interest for Galleria.

The next day, the girls audition for the festival and get a spot.

At breakfast the next day, they meet Joaquin (Golan Yosef), a Count and Luc's godson. He is a handsome dancer who becomes a love interest for Dorinda (Sabrina Bryan). Dorinda finds out Joaquin is a dancer and visits his studio, where he teaches her the tango. That night, Joaquin takes the Cheetahs to the Dancing Cat, a local Spanish nightclub where new artists perform.

There, they meet Spanish pop artist Marisol (Belinda), who will also compete in the Music Festival. Marisol's manager and mother, Lola (Kim Manning), tries to break up the Cheetah Girls because they are a threat to her daughter winning. Lola tries to make Marisol distract Chanel from the group. Meanwhile, Aqua and Dorothea design clothes with Dorothea's old friends. Juanita tries to get Luc to propose, and Dorinda teaches hip hop to Joaquin's dance class. Galleria is the only one focused on the competition, writing a song called "Amigas Cheetahs" for their performance.

Galleria notices that everyone is busy with other things except her. She decides to take a train to Paris to meet her father, Francobollo, who will take her back to Manhattan. At the train station, the other three girls find Galleria and sing the beginning of "Amigas Cheetahs." Galleria agrees to come back only if they stay focused. Chanel overhears Juanita telling Dorothea that she thinks Luc won't marry her because Chanel doesn't like him. Luc later proposes to Juanita after Chanel gives her permission, and Juanita happily accepts. Luc tells Chanel she can stay in New York with her friends for her senior year. However, the Cheetah Girls' dreams are in trouble. While they were performing, Lola convinces the Dancing Cat's manager to pay the Cheetah Girls money. The competition only allows amateur performers. Accepting payment makes the Cheetah Girls professional. Angel, who saw everything, investigates.

Just before Chanel is about to perform with Marisol, the Festival Director announces that the Cheetah Girls can perform after all. Everyone is surprised to learn that Angel, the director's nephew, told him that Lola tried to sabotage the Cheetahs. The director lets the girls perform as the Cheetah Girls. Lola tries to argue, but the director won't listen. Marisol finally tells her mother that she is quitting the competition because she loves to sing, and her mother is just desperate for her to be a star. The Cheetah Girls then perform "Amigas Cheetahs." As a surprise, they bring Marisol, Joaquin's dance crew, Angel on guitar, and the Director on trumpet onto the stage. Their song is a huge hit with the crowd.

The Cheetah Girls: One World (2008)

In the third movie, Galleria (Raven-Symoné) is at the University of Cambridge in England. So, only Chanel (Adrienne Bailon), Dorinda (Sabrina Bryan), and Aquanette (Kiely Williams) are left. The girls get roles in a big new Bollywood movie called "Namaste Bombay." The Cheetah Girls travel all the way to India. There, they meet Rahim (Rupak Ginn), the male lead, who is attractive but a bit clumsy. After meeting the movie's choreographer, Gita (Deepti Daryanani), they have a dance battle with her and her backup dancers. They then find out that the movie's director, Vikram "Vik" (Michael Steger), can only choose one Cheetah Girl for the main role because of the budget.

When it seems they have to go home, they are upset. But then they realize they can each try out for the lead role. They all promise to be fair in the competition. However, situations come up where each girl gets jealous of the others' special talents. Chanel becomes friends with Vik, Dorinda becomes friends with Rahim, and Aqua becomes friends with Amar (Kunal Sharma), a boy she had been talking to online before leaving America. Each girl is led to believe that the movie's producer, Khamal (Roshan Seth), who is Vik's uncle, will choose her after the audition. Chanel is told she will get the role because she is the best singer. Dorinda is promised the role because she is the best dancer. Aqua is convinced the role will be hers because she is the best actress. The three Cheetahs audition against each other. Chanel is given the role, but she later refuses it. She realizes, like the other Cheetahs, that friendship and being a team are more important than their own careers or even the group's career.

After refusing the role, they convince Khamal to give the lead role to Gita. He agrees, even though he's not happy about it. The movie ends with a scene from "Namaste Bombay" where the Cheetahs sing and dance the song "One World." They are joined by Joaquin's dancing crew, Angel on the guitar, and the Director on the trumpet. Their song is a hit with the crowd.

Who Played Who?

This table shows the main characters and the actors who played them in each of The Cheetah Girls movies.

Note: A gray cell means the character did not appear in that movie.

See also

In Spanish: The Cheetah Girls (trilogía) para niños