In Oceanside, California, the show follows Hailey Banks, a 14-year-old girl who does not like taking risks. Her life gets turned around during her New Year's party when she is visited by a scientist who comes from the future. Hailey learns that if she finishes a long list of tasks she wrote, she will be the important start of events that will lead to her making a device that will be used to save the entire planet by stopping global warming.[7][8]
Now, Hailey must go over her fears and finish tasks. She must also face her feelings to her best friend, Scott Denoga.[8] However, some of her tasks will get attention from Chaos Bots, small robots from the future sent by a unknown villain who wants to stop her from finishing her list and saving the world.
Cast
Main
Hailey Banks (voiced by Auliʻi Cravalho[9]) is a 14-year-old half-Hawaiian girl who does not like taking risks. Now she has to overcome her fears in order to save the world. She has a crush on Scott, her best friend. Scott does not know this and only sees her as a close friend. In the video "U.F. Whoa!", it is shown she makes the clean energy element that powers the Chaos Bots.
Scott Denoga (voiced by Manny Jacinto[10]) is a 14-year-old Filipino-Korean[11][12] boy and Hailey's best friend who she has to kiss in order to stop the end of the world. Hailey chooses to do it last on her list because it could possibly ruin their friendship.
A.C. Aychvak (voiced by Josh Brener[16]) is Hailey's enemy. Only A.C feels as if Hailey is his enemy. A.C is spoiled. He is wanting to cheat in order to win, sometimes with the help of small robots. His catchphrase is "What the beans?"
The Professor (voiced by Sarah Chalke[17]) is an unknown scientist from the future with high energy.
Rebecca "Becker" Denoga (voiced by Judy Alice Lee[18]) is Scott's tomboyish and troublemaking younger sister. She at first has a crush on Hailey. She later moves on when Hailey doesn't have any feelings for her. Becker later begins a relationship with her old school enemy, Kennedy.
Bonesaw, Buzzsaw (voiced by Nik Shriner), Chainsaw (voiced by Kyle S. More), and Paul (voiced by Billy Kametz) are Becker's friends.
Kristine Sanchez (voiced by Amanda Leighton[19]) is a popular girl who is very happy and friendly to everyone. She goes to the same school as Hailey and Scott. She is a fashionista who works with hats. Hailey has been shown to not like Kristine's cheerful personality at first. Hailey does start to open up to Kristine in the video "Road Trippin'". In "The Beginning of the Friend", Kristine begins to date Scott. However, she later breaks up with him in the video "U.F. Whoa!".
Sunny Denoga (voiced by Joy Osmanski[20]) is Scott's mother.
Thad (voiced by Nik Dodani[21]) is one of Hailey's class mates. He is in a relationship with Jonathan.
Jonathan (voiced by Nico Santos[22]) is one of Hailey's class mates. He in a relationship with Thad.
Dwayne and Johnson Banks are Hailey's twin baby brothers. Their names are a reference to Dwayne Johnson, who co-starred with Hailey's voice actress Auliʻi Cravalho in the Disney film Moana.
Lucy (voiced by Sydney Mikayla) is Hailey's clumsy class mate.
Kennedy (voiced by Shara Kirby) is Becker's perfectionist girlfriend. She is also Becker's old school enemy.
Bill Board (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui) is a local business man who is shown in some videos. He own a company that puts up billboards, in a manner to his name, and has also has a number of other close by companies (often in bets or games with other business people).
Genesis (voiced by Erica Lindbeck) is Hailey's popular class mate.
As part of a course, Disney Channel began airing the Disney Theme Song Takeover in which characters from different Disney shows sing the theme song to the show they were in.
A shorts show about Hailey, Scott, and Beta going on a road trip in the Professor's car to visit the clown museum. The shorts are a loose follow up to a similar series from Big City Greens.
With Beta driving a car from the future, Hailey and Scott set out to accomplish one of Hailey’s silliest tasks yet: visit the Giggleton clown museum!
Production
Ideas
The earliest idea for Hailey's On It! was made when Devin Bunje and Nick Stanton came up with a scenario of a girl not paying attention to a time-traveling messenger.[35] The duo grew interested in the characters and slowly began to make more ideas about what would grow into the series.[36] The show was at first named I Will NOT Kiss Scott Federman.[37]
On November 18, 2021, Disney Branded Television said that Hailey's On It! had been allowed to do a 20-episode first season.[1] Meredith Roberts, a Disney Television Animation worker, describes the series as the first show by Bunje and Stanton. Roberts called it a "fast-paced comedy" with "grounded stories" and "heart" which made it a "perfect fit" for Disney.[8] The series was described as pointed to kids aged 6 to 14 and their families.[38] On June 15, 2022, Disney Branded Television said that Hailey's On It! would be getting 10 more episodes, taking the total from 20 videos to a 30 video count for the first season.[39]
It was also said that Howy Parkins would be a co-executive producer. Bunje and Stanton would be supervising directors. Reports also said Wade Wisinski would be the show's producer. Karen Graci would be the show's story editor. Lee Ann Dufour would be the show's art director.[1][40][41]
Writers for the show would have Mary Gulino and Kevin Yee.[43][44] Karen Graci is the story editor.[41][45] Bunje and Stanton said the use of animation gave them greater creation freedom than their live-action works.[36] Due to the often changes made to the show's story during development, the writers avoided having the stuff on Hailey's list to all be named, instead wanting the content as they made the story for each video in order to allow greater creativeness.[36]
The character of Beta was created because the writers wanted a way to "organize and prioritize list items" without always relying on the list itself, with the idea of a technologically advanced smartphone being conceived due to the dynamic such character could have with Hailey.[36] Beta was originally meant to be a minor character, but his role was expanded after the writers enjoyed Gary Anthony Williams' performance and further developed him.[46]
All songs written and composed by Andrew Underberg & Matthew Tishler except where indicated.
No.
Title
Performer(s)
Length
1.
"Born For This"
Auliʻi Cravalho
2:47
2.
"I'll Never Lose You Baby"
Onestar
2:34
3.
"Kiss Your Friend"
Wade O. Brown
1:20
4.
"You Fit Me Perfectly"
Cravalho, Manny Jacinto
1:28
5.
"Dance (Da Da Da Da)"
Onestar
1:32
6.
"The Future's in My Hands - Theme from "Hailey's On It!""
Cravalho
2:58
Broadcast
The series came at the same time on Disney Channel and Disney XD on June 8, 2023. It came on Disney+ the following day.[6][48] Several "Theme Song Takeover," "Broken Karaoke" and "Chibi Tiny Tales" shorts featuring characters from the show began airing in July.[6][47] The series has a TV-Y7parental guideline.[47]
Reception
Critical response
Matthew Aguilar of ComicBook.com described Hailey's On It! as a "delightful new comedyadventure series."[49] Rob Schwarz of FanSided said the show is "wonderful for families with children of any age," saying it empowers women, and loved the different characters.[50] Ashley Moulton of Common Sense Media gave Hailey's On It! a score of four out of five stars, loved the good messages and role models, noting friendship and courage, while loving the educational value, writing, "Teen girl role model shines in funny action-adventure."[51]
Awards
The show won Outstanding Kids & Family Programming or Film - Animated at the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards.[52][53]
In other media
Video games
Following the show's release, DisneyNOW sent updates for the games Bubble Burst and Color Splash related to the show.[6][47]
↑"Voice Of Beta – Behind The Voice Actors". Behind The Voice Actors. Check marks indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
↑"Voice Of Kai – Behind The Voice Actors". Behind The Voice Actors. Check marks indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
↑"Voice Of A.C. – Behind The Voice Actors". Behind The Voice Actors. Check marks indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
↑"Voice Of Sunny – Behind The Voice Actors". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2023-10-02. Retrieved 2023-08-19. Check marks indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
↑"Voice Of Thad – Behind The Voice Actors". Behind The Voice Actors. Check marks indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
