A Review of ‘Hailey’s On It!’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Auliʻi Cravalho as the Voice of Hailey Alohilani Banks in ‘Hailey’s On It!’ (Photo Courtesy of Disney.)

There comes a point in our teenage years, where we are tasked with something quite important. In that, since we are mere years from adulthood, we must ponder upon what we are going to do with our lives and begin the search for our purpose and our direction and at that age, such thoughts can be quite daunting. Which is why we spend those teenage years doing extracurricular activities at school and joining various clubs. So, we can gently begin to see what kinds of potential careers excite us and what about the world calls to us. That way we can slowly figure out the future and our path and ease into it when the time is right. But that particular understanding is only found in hindsight.
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For as teens, we want the answers right away and we do indeed spend time pondering upon what life would be like… if we just knew what our future would hold so we could get a head start on it in the moment and not make mistakes along the way and deal with the doubt that has us making baby steps in the first place. But alas, that’s simply not possible in the real world, so we follow the process and live life to the fullest. But in the world of fiction, that’s a thought that can in fact come to life, and it just so happens that a brand-new show on the Disney Channel is going to explore in detail, what life for a teenager would be like if they knew their fate and knew their path, and that makes Hailey’s On It! quite the special series. 

For this is a story that introduces us to a teenager named Hailey, who is indeed trying to figure out what her future is going to look like and how on Earth she’s going to accomplish anything worthwhile when the nerves and angst of being a teen are present within her psyche, and well… she is given quite the gift by a visitor from the future. By way of a Professor from the future that has returned to the past to inform Hailey of what awaits her and how to follow that path so her destiny will be fulfilled. And of course, to ensure she finds success in this task, she is gifted with an artificial intelligence assistant named Beta, and well… just like that… Hailey knows her future and knows her worth to the world and that… is what takes us on such a unique journey.

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Auliʻi Cravalho and Manny Jacinto as the Voices of Hailey Alohilani Banks and Scott Denoga in ‘Hailey’s On It!’ (Photo Courtesy of Disney.)

Because such revelations provide Hailey with a unique outlook regarding a concept, we all dreamed of. In that, knowing our future wouldn’t give us peace, nor would it make life easy. If anything, it could potentially add to the anxiety of tomorrow since now, the path is outlined. Which means, one mistake or critical deviation, and the future promised is removed from the equation. But of course, rather than let that anxiety and concern allow for Hailey to crumble, it instead leads to her finest hour. For this is a Disney story after all, and Disney stories always provide both the characters and the viewers with inspiration and strength and moments that lift our spirits, and this series accomplishes that in a beautiful manner.
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For this situation, and her wondrous support network consisting of her family, Beta, and her bestie/crush, Scott, helps her to see this as an opportunity… to deliver on her potential. To push herself to new heights and accomplish wonders in the process. To in essence, be the best version of herself to ensure that her magnificent tomorrow becomes reality, and there’s a lot to learn from that. Such as what it means to be fearless in everything we do, and how that can help us with so much in life. But more so, her push to seize her future, helps us to learn that that we should always be the best version of ourselves that we can be in life, partly because such a push will inspire others around us, but more so because… who doesn’t want to be the best version of themselves? Who wouldn’t want the peace and satisfaction that comes with that? 

If anything, all of those elements bring forth, a stunningly inspiring series. One that features a wonderfully original and refreshing plot, and stories that are fun and relatable for folks of all ages. But above all, it is a story that manages to really take the audience to task. All by asking us, have we given our day our all? Have we worked toward being the person we’ve always wanted to be? And that’s rare to find in storytelling, period, especially in a manner that isn’t preachy or over the top. But this series accomplishes it with minimal effort and the good news is that we are mere hours away from enjoying its wonder. For Hailey’s On It! makes its debut on the Disney Channel tomorrow, and it will be streaming on Disney+ the day after and you should absolutely give this series a look when it arrives tomorrow. Because you can never go wrong with a story that both entertains and challenges the audience, in a positive and dynamic manner.

As a bonus, here is a clip from ‘Hailey’s On It!’

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