Johnny Tsunami

Critics Consensus

No consensus yet.

Movie Info

In this made-for-cable family comedy, a teenage surf champion gets some bad news from his family; they're moving to Vermont, where the waves are pretty hard to come by. Trapped in a school full of landlocked ho-dads, he has to find a way to fit in.

Rating:

G
Genre:

Comedy, Drama, Kids & Family, Television
Directed By:

Steve Boyum
Written By:

Douglas J. Sloan, Ann Knapp
In Theaters:

Jul 24, 1999 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

Mar 20, 2001
Runtime:

92 minutes
Studio:

Disney Channel

Watch it now

Amazon

Cast

Brandon Baker
as Johnny Kapahaala

Lee Thompson Young
as Sam

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
as Johnny Tsunami

Kirsten Storms
as Emily Pritchard

Yuji Okumoto
as Pete Kapahaala

Mary Page Keller
as Melanie Kapahaala

Zachary Bostrom

Zach Bostrom
as Brett

Gregory Itzin
as Headmaster Pritchard

Cylk Cozart
as Sgt. Sterling

Steve Van Wormer
as Randy

Gabriel Luque
as Matt

Noah Bastian
as Aaron

Samuel Taylor Moore
as Jake

Anthony DiFranco
as Eddie

Anne Sward
as Miss Arthur

Margaret Aoki
as Food Server

Douglas Sloan
as Ski Patroller

View All

Critic Reviews for Johnny Tsunami

All Critics (5) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (5)

Writers Doug Sloan and Ann Knapp take a cliched situation and don't do much with it, but script's brisk pacing moves the plot along swiftly enough to keep interest.

Sep 9, 2019 | Full Review…

Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic
From giving a snowboarding community soap opera-level lore to the ups and downs of Johnny's athletic and romantic lives, Johnny Tsunami is one of the most fun DCOM rides, no matter the weather.

Sep 9, 2019 | Full Review…

Jonathon Dornbush
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic
Johnny Tsunami is one of the classic Disney Channel original films.

Sep 10, 2019 | Full Review…

Bobby Anhalt
ScreenRant
This movie has something for everyone - sports, romance, family drama, and Disney faves Kirsten Storms and Lee Thompson Young.

Sep 10, 2019 | Full Review…

Glenn Gaslin
TV Guide
Brimming over with positive messages about perseverance, friendship, forgiveness... Johnny Tsunami has lots to offer kids in addition to the action-packed surfing and snowboarding scenes.

Sep 9, 2019 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Emily Ashby
Common Sense Media