Based on the popular series of children's books by Deborah Gregory, the made-for-cable The Cheetah Girls is all about four teenage girlfriends, all from different ethnic and economic backgrounds, all attending a Manhattan high school specializing in fashion design. The foursome includes the unofficial leader, Galleria Garibaldi (Raven) and her pals Dorinda (
Sabrina Bryan) and Chanel (Adrienne Bailon), as well as comparative newcomer Aqua (Kiely Williams). Aspiring to pop-music stardom, the quartet forms a girl group, whereupon they attract the interest of music teacher (and former disco queen) Drinka Champagne (Sandra Caldwell) -- who, in turn, refers the girls to Jackal Johnson (Vincent Corazza), a charming but duplicitous producer for Def Duck Records. Sensing that the Cheeta Girls' first taste of showbiz success will degenerate into exploitation and backstabbing, Galleria's mom, ex-model Dorothea (
Lynn Whitfield), tries to save her daughter and friends from the cruelties of life in the fast lane. The Cheetah Girls debuted August 15, 2003, on the Disney Channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide