The Thirteenth Year

The Thirteenth Year
Video cover
Directed by	Duwayne Dunham
Produced by	Thom Colwell Heidi Wall Mike Jacobs Jr.
Written by	Jenny Arata Robert L. Baird Kelly Senecal
Starring	Chez Starbuck Courtnee Draper
Music by	Phil Marshall
Cinematography	Michael Slovis
Country	United States
Language	English
Original channel	Disney Channel
Release date	May 15, 1999 (1999-05-15)
Running time	95 minutes

The Thirteenth Year is a 1999 Disney Channel Original Movie. It was released May 15, 1999 and is a mix of comedy and fantasy. The film was directed by Duwayne Dunham, who has directed other children and Disney movies, including Little Giants and Halloweentown. The ocean scenes were primary shot in the Newport Beach communities of Balboa Peninsula and Corona del Mar.

Plot summary

Cody Griffin is an adopted teenager, who was left on his parent's boat by a mermaid when he was a baby, and they decided to adopt him. Cody establishes himself as a quick diver in the town he lives in, attracting the attention of a girl named Sam. Cody is under a lot pressure from a big swim meet coming up and because he's failing biology. He's partnered with Jess Wheatly, the class geek who is a marine biology expert.

When Jess shows up for Cody's birthday party, he's mocked by Sean to go swimming (something Jess never learned) and leaves. After Cody's thirteenth birthday, he begins to feel strange weirdness. As he wakes up in the morning, he goes to turn off his alarm clock and zaps it. Thinking nothing of it, Cody goes downstairs and starts to drink orange juice, noticing his hand getting stuck to the container, which leads to a scene of him attempting to let go of the container, and with some difficulty he does, but cannot find anything on his hands that would have caused this to happen. He goes to Jess for help who agrees to help figure out what's going on with him as long as Cody teaches him to swim in return.

Jess runs various tests on Cody and learns that Cody can generate electricity, climb walls, talk to fish, swim extremely fast, and sometimes when he gets wet, scales appear on his hands and arms. Eventually, he comes to the conclusion that Cody is turning into a merman.

Cody has a choice of listening to his parents and not going to the swim meet (they want to protect him and don't want anyone to see), or going for the most important thing that matters to him (right then). He decides to go and wins the race after breaking the state record and beating Sean. However, Cody realizes he has fins and quickly runs to the locker room with Sean following, but Cody is nowhere to be seen.

Sean calls Cody out, stating that he knows Cody cheated somehow and vows to find out what it was he did before leaving. Cody is then seen on the ceiling. Cody safely makes it out of the stadium and goes home, but the scales on his arms aren't going away. Jess shows up and says that people are talking about Cody and that some may have seen something.

Sam then shows up, sees the scales, and faints. When she comes to, she is freaked out. Cody tells her that he's still the same guy and to not be afraid. Cody's parents tell Sam that she must keep this a secret because Cody will be in danger if anyone finds out. Still freaked out, Sam promises not to say anything, but leaves.

Sometime later, Cody is at the beach and Sam is there. Cody shows her that he has no scales and fins for now. He then tells Sam he wants to show her something and they go into the water. After a moment, Cody is able to contact his mermaid mother. Cody suddenly gasps in pain and stumbles back to the shore. While lying on the ground, he tells Sam to go get his parents.

After she leaves, Cody's legs start to turn into a tail and then someone throws a blanket over Cody. Jess comes down to where Cody was, but sees that he's gone. He then sees his father's boat and panics because his father had seen Cody's fins at the swim meet earlier. Jess's father is planning on using Cody to lure his mother. Jess comes on board and he and Cody try to warn the mermaid to swim away, but Jess's father drops a fishing net on her, capturing her.

Jess then takes a knife and jumps into the water to cut the net. He frees the mermaid, but the net gets caught on his leg, pulling him under. Jess passes out, but Cody jumps in and brings him to the dock where Jess's father, Cody's parents, and Sam are. Once Jess is pulled out of the water and Mrs. Griffin and Sam do CPR on him, but Jess doesn't respond to it. Cody then shocks Jess's heart with his hands and Jess comes to.

Cody's mermaid mother shows up again and Cody tells his parents that she wants him to go with her and that he has to because she's the only one that can help him with his changes. Cody's mother realizes that Cody must go and that he'll be back before school starts.

After saying goodbye, Jess tells Cody that he and his dad want to know about everything that happens while he's gone and Sam tells him not to fall for any mergirls. Cody goes into the water and meets his birth mother for the first time and they hug. He swims back up to the surface and waves goodbye before swimming off.

Cast

• Chez Starbuck - Cody Griffin
• Bridget & Kendra Byrd - Cody as a baby
• Justin Jon Ross - Jess Wheatley
• Courtnee Draper - Sam
• Brent Briscoe - Big John Wheatley
• Tim Redwine - Sean Marshall
• Dave Coulier - Whit Griffin
• Lisa Stahl - Sharon Griffin (as Lisa Stahl Sullivan)
• Brian Haley - Coach
• Kristen Stewart - Extra
• HBHS Marching Band - Background Band

External links

• The Thirteenth Year at the Internet Movie Database