I’ve always been a fan of the crossover. This probably dates back to my comic book days as a teenager. Some of my favorite books were the ones where Batman teamed up with Superman, or Green Lantern fought crime with Green Arrow. And when the stars aligned to allow the DC heroes to fight alongside the Mavel heroes, I was in heaven.

Even outside of the comic book genre, I’ve always enjoyed crossovers in movies and books. Stephen King does it on a regular basis, and I even remember the NBC soap operas taking a stab at this in the mid-1990s.

So you’ll understand that I’m predisposed to enjoying “That’s So Suite Life of Hannah Montana” on the Disney channel. Sure, it’s nothing like having Superman and Spider-Man join forces, but it’s still a fun exercise.

“That’s So Suite Life of Hannah Montana” is a mish-mash of three popualr shows on the Disney Channel: “That’s So Rave,” “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” and “Hannah Montana.” The bulk of this cross-over takes place on an episode of “The Suite Life.” However, it’s lead into with an episode of “That’s So Raven” and finished off with an episode of “Hannah Montana.”

All three of these epsides from their different series are presented together on this DVD. It begins with “Checkin’ In” from “That’s So Raven.” Raven’s boss Donna Cabonna lets her be her interim assistent for a photo shoot at the Tipton hotel. A mysterious photographer named Pistache has signed on for the event.

This brings Raven and company to the Tipton where they convince Zack and Cody to stand in as boy models for the new clothing line. Of course, it also invovles Raven dressing up as the reclusive photographer when Pistache doesn’t show.

The story continues with “The Suite Life” episode in which Raven is stranded at the Tipton. She helps Zack and Cody throw a birthday party for their mother. Along the way, Hannah Montana stops in at the Tipton, and Zack becomes a bit of a stalker.

Things wrap up with what amounts to a bonus episode of “Hannah Montana,” which starts at the Tipton but soon sees her home.

Of the three shows, I like “The Suite Life” the best. Of course, “Taht’s So Raven” is the bain of my existence, and if you don’t believe me, Google my name and Raven. You’ll see the venomous hatred I have for that show. “Hannah Montana” is cute enough. It’s nice to see that Billy Ray Cyrus is working again after his mullet country career and canceled show “Doc.”

Still, it’s a bit far fetched that a simple blonde wig can withhold Hannah Montana’s secret identiy. To stick with the comic book mentality, it’s like the amazing pair of Sears glasses that conceals Superman as Clark Kent to the outside world.

The thrill of this for Disney Channel fans is to see all the characters from three different shows interact. The DVD also comes with a Raven trivia game and a bonus episode of “The Suite Life with Zack and Cody.”



Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Fullscreen (1.33:1). English subtitles for the hearing impaired.