Lizzie McGuire trivia: 101 facts about the Disney Channel hit show

Lizzie McGuire is the Disney Channel show that introduced Hilary Duff to the world. The show is bound to make a comeback through Disney+.

So let’s dive into some more trivia and facts about the show and its success.

1. Lizzie McGuire is an American drama comedy television series
2. It is created by Terri Minsky
3. It premiered on Disney Channel on January 12, 2001
4. The series stars Hilary Duff as the title character
5. Lizzie McGuire navigates the personal and social issues of her teenage years
6. And an animated version of the character, who performs soliloquies to express Lizzie’s inner thoughts and emotions
7. The series also stars Lalaine, Adam Lamberg, Jake Thomas, Hallie Todd and Robert Carradine
8. The final episode aired on February 14, 2004
9. A total of 65 episodes were produced
10. The series was nominated for two Emmy Awards in 2003 and 2004 for Most Outstanding Children’s Program
11. The pilot received a nomination at the Writers Guild of America Awards for Best Children’s Script
12. The series also received various awards and nominations at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards from 2002 to 2005
13. A sequel series was announced in August 2019 to be entering production for Disney+
14. With Duff reprising her role and Minsky returning as showrunner
15. Lamberg, Thomas, Todd and Carradine will also return to the series in their original roles
16. The series will be produced in association with Disney Channel
17. The series follows Lizzie McGuire, a thirteen year old girl who faces the regular personal and social issues of teenage years alongside her best friends, Miranda and Gordo, at junior high
18. Episodes depict Lizzie’s transition into adolescence at home and school
19. Including the friends’ rivalry with their classmate, Kate, and affections for Ethan
20. Lizzie tries to develop her own identity, but is also attracted to the idea of popularity at school and longs for social acceptance among her peers
21. Lizzie shares a close relationship with her family, her mother, Jo, her father, Sam and her younger brother, Matt
22. Lizzie’s inner thoughts and emotions are conveyed sporadically in the episodes through her animated persona
23. She sometimes speaks directly to the audience
24. Fifteen years later, Lizzie is thirty years old and living in an apartment in Brooklyn, New York City
25. Lizzie works as an apprentice to a interior decorator, and is engaged a man who owns a restaurant in SoHo, Manhattan
26. Lizzie is forced to leave Brooklyn and return to Los Angeles
27. In 2000, Hilary Duff was asked to audition for a series on Disney Channel
28. Created by Terri Minsky, the series was known by the working title What’s Lizzie Thinking? throughout development
29. The series was later retitled Lizzie McGuire, and Duff successfully auditioned for the title character of Lizzie, who was described as a regular teenager
30. The premise for the series was based on a script previously written by Minsky, which featured the main character’s inner thoughts and emotions as narration
31. Producer Stan Rogow conceived a high-concept version of the script in which an animated version of the character would be featured to convey these thoughts
32. This concept became known the “animated Lizzie” persona
33. It was also voiced by Duff
34. Rogow stated that the visual design of the show was inspired by the film Run Lola Run
35. Lalaine’s character Miranda did not appear in the last several episodes of the second season, or The Lizzie McGuire Movie
36. Due to Lalaine working on other projects such as the film You Wish!
37. Filming of the film and series concluded in December 2002 after 65 episodes were produced
38. A standard limit for Disney Channel’s series
39. In May 2003, it was revealed that the Lizzie McGuire would end production due to contract disagreements between Duff and Disney
40. The company was interested in transitioning the program into a high school-centered series for ABC
41. Expanding the franchise with a further film
42. While Duff was receiving offers for lucrative roles with other studios
43. After the series ended its original run, Disney Channel also considered producing an animated version of the series
44. A pilot for a spin-off was produced, entitled What’s Stevie Thinking?
45. Which was to center on Miranda’s younger sister
46. The series was not picked up
47. In 2014, Duff stated that she would be open for a reunion
48. In December 2018, stated that there had been discussions about reviving the series
49. On August 23, 2019, it was announced at the D23 Expo that Disney was developing a revival television series of Lizzie McGuire
50. The series was revealed to be in production for exclusive distribution on the Disney+ streaming service
51. With Duff reprising her role as the title character
52. Original series creator, Terri Minsky serving as showrunner
53. The sequel series will center on Lizzie at the age of thirty
54. Navigating life as an apprentice interior decorator in New York City
55. It was revealed that the animated alter ego of Lizzie would also appear in the new series
56. The series is produced by Salty Pictures in association with Disney Channel as part of an overall deal with Minksy
57. Duff also serves as an executive producer
58. Alongside Rachel Winter, and co-executive producer Ranada Shepard
59. In October 2019, it was announced that Thomas, Todd and Carradine would also return to the series
60. Reprising their roles as Matt, Jo and Sam McGuire respectively
61. Production on the sequel series began on October 29, 2019 on location in Washington Square Park in New York
62. Further filming for the series will take place in Los Angeles
63. In November, it was revealed that Federico Dordei would be joining the cast as new character, Dominic Shaw
64. And that Lamberg would be reprising his role as Gordo
65. The series premiered on Disney Channel on January 12, 2001 following the premiere of the film Zenon: The Zequel
66. The series officially premiered on January 19, 2001
67. It began airing as part of the ABC Kids Saturday Morning lineup on September 20, 2003
68. In 2006, Superstation WGN (now WGN America) acquired the rights to Even Stevens and Lizzie McGuire
69. The series was broadcast in Australia on the ABC
70. Episodes of the series were distributed on compilation DVD releases in various countries
71. Collections of episodes were released in the United States from 2003 to 2004
72. A box set containing 22 episodes from the first season, titled “Volume 1”, was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on November 23, 2004
73. Further DVD sets with the remaining episodes were later made available in Europe
74. The first two seasons of Lizzie McGuire were first made available to stream on Disney+ on November 12, 2019
75. In Australia, the original series is available on Stan as part of its distribution deal with the ABC
76. A film based on the series, titled The Lizzie McGuire Movie was released by Walt Disney Pictures on May 2, 2003 in the United States
77. Set after the conclusion of the series and her middle school graduation
78. The film follows Lizzie and her classmates going on a school trip to Rome, Italy
79. The movie was filmed on location at Rome, at locations such as the Trevi Fountain
80. The film earned $42.7 million at the American box office
81. In addition to $12.8 million internationally
82. The film grossing a total $55.6 million worldwide
83. It received mixed reviews
84. With a 41% overall approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes
85. Based on 98 reviews
86. The website’s critical consensus states it is a “harmless piece of fluff that ought to satisfy fans of the TV show”
87. Throughout the early 2000s, the popularity of the series led to merchandise to be released by Disney
88. Including a series of novels and books, a Lizzie McGuire character doll, a bedroom set, board games and video games
89. Toys were also released through a partnership with McDonald’s in 2004
90. Fortune estimated in 2003 that Lizzie McGuire merchandise had earned nearly $100 million
91. Two soundtracks for the series were produced
92. They were titled “Lizzie McGuire” and “Lizzie McGuire Total Party!”
93. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating for Lizzie McGuire
94. With an average audience score of 75%
95. Common Sense Media commended the realistic representation of friendship in the series and noted its relatability for both boys and girls
96. Reviewing the series’s premiere in 2001, Laura Fries of Variety described the program as “good-natured”, and praised the ability of the writers to include adolescent vernacular and pop culture references
97. A review on the DVDizzy blog described early episodes of Lizzie McGuire as “clever, funny, and pretty sincere”, but suggested that the show later suffered from a creative decline in favor of more celebrity guest appearances
98. A DVD review by Dove.org in 2003 described the series as “wholesome”, and noted the real world lessons which are presented
99. Katie Minard of Entertainment Weekly listed “Picture Day” as the best episode of the series in her 2016 ranking, due to its relatable plot and important moral
100. Writing for The Gateway, Ashlynn Chand said that “One of the Guys” teaches young viewers that “femininity and masculinity aren’t so binary”
101. Chand also described the Duff and her character as a “style icon” in reference to the fashion of the episode “Last Year’s Model”