“Freakier Friday” is in theaters on August 8.
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Freaky Friday was one of my favorite films as a child, so when Disney announced a sequel to the 2003 classic, my excitement was through the roof. Of course, with any reboot, there’s always the question of whether it will live up to the original. (After all, nothing quite replicates the charm of those early 2000s Disney films.) Still, the movie, set to hit theaters this summer, deserves a fair shot.
In the sequel, directed by Nisha Ganatra, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan return as the iconic mother-daughter duo, Tess and Anna Coleman. In the 2003 film, mystical Chinese fortune cookies caused them to swap bodies, forcing them to experience each other’s lives firsthand and learn some lessons—like how high school is way more brutal than it seems (mean girls, pop quizzes, and all) and nothing’s more awkward than flirting with your crush in your mom’s body.
Freaky Friday
Courtesy of Disney
Now, 22 years later, they’re back for another round of body-swapping (only this time, it’s even wilder.) Anna is now a mom herself, with a daughter, Harper (Julia Butters), and a soon-to-be stepdaughter, Lily (Sophia Hammons). Instead of a two-way switch, the sequel ups the chaos with a four-way body swap. Several familiar faces from the 2003 film are also back, including Chad Michael Murray, Mark Harmon, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Lucille Soong, and more.
Now, let’s talk about the first teaser trailer, which dropped on Friday, March 24. Right off the bat, it pays homage to the original, opening with a fortune teller reminding Tess and Anna that they’ve swapped bodies before, and that the lesson they learned will come in handy once again.
At a party, they feel the same all-too-familiar earthquake from before, but Tess brushes it off, saying, “I think it’s all in our heads.” As Anna wakes up in Harper’s body, she exclaims, “Oh, no! Not again,” but they soon realize it’s not just a two-way swap—Anna’s daughter and stepdaughter have switched bodies with Tess and Anna. “They all freak out, and Lily (in Tess’s body) screams, ‘My face looks like a Birkin bag that’s been left out in the sun to rot!’—which, if you ask me, is an instantly iconic line.
Set to the pop anthem “Hot To Go” by Chappell Roan, the trailer continues with Tess, Anna, and the girls desperately trying to switch back (at one point, they attempt to recreate the classic body-swap crash from the original film). In the final scene, Murray rolls up on his motorcycle, pulls off his helmet, and instantly transports us back to his peak early-2000s heartthrob days.
In the YouTube comments of the trailer, fans are praising the sequel for capturing the feel of an older Disney movie, with many especially excited to see Lohan back in her Disney era following her return to acting in 2022.
“I’ll pay my ticket just for Lindsay! Yo go girl! Welcome back to your new Disney era!” one user cheered. “This looks INCREDIBLE! Honestly THANK YOU Disney for respecting the original movie so much!” another fan raved.
One commenter joked, “A theatrical Disney movie that is not a live action adaptation? It’s 2007 again? Sign me up!” Another viewer added, “Well this is the first time in a LONG while where I’ve laughed out loud the entire time during a Disney trailer.”
Freakier Friday premieres in theaters on August 8.
ForbesEverything To Know About ‘Freakier Friday’—From The Release Date To The CastBy Monica Mercuri
