Honestly, if you grew up in the late nineties, you probably have a very specific, slightly damp memory of a kid turning into a fish. We aren’t talking about The Little Mermaid. We’re talking about Cody Griffin. Back in 1999, Disney Channel The Thirteenth Year swam onto our television screens and fundamentally changed how an entire generation felt about scales, swimming pools, and the terrifying prospect of puberty. It was the tenth Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) ever made. It felt different. It felt... slimy.
The plot is basically a fever dream. Cody Griffin is the star of the swim team, has a cute girlfriend, and is generally winning at life until his thirteenth birthday hits. Then things go south. He starts drinking massive amounts of water. His skin gets itchy. He starts sticking to things. Most kids just get acne or a voice crack; Cody gets a dorsal fin and starts communicating with his biological mermaid mother through a glass tank. It's wild. Looking back, the movie is a surprisingly heavy metaphor for the physical changes kids go through, just wrapped in some very questionable CGI and a lot of wet spandex.
The Weird Science of Cody Griffin’s Transformation
People always ask why Disney Channel The Thirteenth Year feels so distinct from other DCOMs like Halloweentown or Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century. It’s because it leans hard into the "body horror" for kids. Directed by Duwayne Dunham—the same guy who gave us the original Halloweentown and actually worked as an editor on Twin Peaks and Star Wars—the film has a specific, moody pacing.
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Cody’s scales didn't look like glittery Halloween costume scales. They looked like actual, organic protrusions. If you watch the scene where he’s in the shower and notices the green patches on his arms, it’s played for genuine anxiety. It’s a literal manifestation of "I don't recognize my own body anymore."
Chez Starbuck, the actor who played Cody, had to deal with some intense practical effects. He spent hours in makeup. The tail itself was a massive piece of latex that made filming in water a logistical nightmare. Unlike today’s movies where everything is a digital overlay, the physical weight of that costume gave the swimming scenes a sense of drag and realism. You could tell he was struggling to move, which worked perfectly for a character learning he's a merman.
Why 1999 Was the Peak of DCOM Culture
You have to remember what the Disney Channel landscape looked like in 1999. It was the transition era. We were moving away from the earnest, family-drama style of the mid-90s and into the high-concept, slightly "edgy" sci-fi/fantasy era. Disney Channel The Thirteenth Year was the bridge.
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- It wasn't as polished as High School Musical would later be.
- The acting felt a bit more raw and "Disney Channel" in that specific, over-the-top way.
- The stakes felt weirdly high—Cody was literally going to be taken away from his adoptive parents to live in the ocean.
Justin Jon Ross played Jess Wheatley, the nerdy best friend who was obsessed with biology. He’s the unsung hero of the movie. Without him, Cody probably would have just dried up in a gym locker room. Jess provided the "scientific" explanation for why a human boy was sprouting gills, which helped ground the fantasy in a way that felt believable to a ten-year-old. He was the one who realized that Cody's birth mother was a mermaid who left him on a boat to keep him safe from... well, whatever happens in the deep sea. It’s never fully explained why the merman society couldn't just have a daycare, but we roll with it.
The Metaphor Most People Missed
While we were all focused on whether or not Cody would win the big swim meet, the movie was busy being a deep dive into adoption and identity. Cody loves his parents. Sam and Sharon Griffin are great. But the pull of his "true" nature—the ocean—is something he can't fight. It’s a pretty sophisticated take on the nature vs. nurture debate.
The ending of Disney Channel The Thirteenth Year is actually kind of a downer if you think about it too hard. Cody leaves. He just dives into the water and swims away from his life, his girlfriend, and his school. Sure, he says he'll come back to visit, but he's a fish now. The logistics of a long-distance relationship between a land-girl and a sea-boy are complicated at best. It’s a bittersweet conclusion that most modern kid movies would shy away from in favor of a "he gets to stay human" trope.
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Where Is the Cast Now?
It’s been over twenty-five years. That’s a long time in Hollywood. Chez Starbuck didn't stay in the limelight forever. After a few more roles, he mostly stepped away from acting. He’s been seen at various fan conventions, looking very much like a normal guy who just happened to be a merman for a summer.
Dave Coulier—yes, Uncle Joey from Full House—played Cody’s dad. It’s one of those "wait, is that who I think it is?" moments when you rewatch it as an adult. He brought a lot of heart to the role, playing the terrified but supportive father who just wants his son to stop turning into a sea creature long enough to finish dinner.
Practical Insights for Fans and Rewatchers
If you’re planning a nostalgia night and want to revisit Disney Channel The Thirteenth Year, there are a few things to look out for that make the experience better.
First, pay attention to the sound design. The way the sound muffles whenever Cody is near water or feeling "fishy" is actually quite clever for a TV movie. Second, look at the fashion. It is peak 1999. The cargo pants, the baggy shirts, the hair gel—it’s a time capsule.
To get the most out of your rewatch:
- Watch it on Disney+. It’s the highest quality version available, though some of the CGI looks even more "retro" in high definition.
- Compare it to The Little Mermaid. It’s fun to see how Disney handled the "human wanting to be in the water" trope versus the "mermaid wanting to be on land" trope.
- Check the background characters. DCOMs of this era often used the same rotating cast of extras and filming locations in Utah, giving it that cozy, familiar feel.
The legacy of this movie isn't just about the memes or the weirdness. It’s about that specific era of television where things could be a little gross, a little scary, and a lot of fun. Disney Channel The Thirteenth Year remains a standout because it didn't talk down to its audience. It knew that being thirteen is a transformative, terrifying experience, even if you aren't literally growing a tail.
If you really want to dive deeper into this era of film, look into the production history of the other 1999 DCOMs. You'll find that many of them shared the same crew and creative energy that made this movie a cult classic. The best way to appreciate Cody's journey is to view it as the start of the "Golden Age" of Disney Channel movies, where the weirdness was the point. Start by making a list of the 1998-2002 DCOMs and watching them in order; you'll see exactly how the tone shifted from suburban drama to the fantastic adventures we still talk about today.