In the ’90s, rollerblading really entered the national consciousness — there were a handful of movies that featured rollerblading in some fashion, but only two that focused on it as a large component of the main character’s story: Airborne and Brink! Airborne debuted at the beginning of the fad in 1993, whereas Brink! came out toward the end of it in 1998. You most likely saw Airborne on HBO in the afternoons on repeat (though it did release in theaters), whereas Brink! debuted as a Disney Channel Original Movie.
But which of these two movies takes the rollerblading cake? To be honest, if you like one you probably will like the other, but for the sake of this article, we’re going to break down some of the different aspects of each film and compare the two. It’s time for Brink! vs. Airborne…
Main Character - Andy “Brink” Brinker vs. Mitchell Goosen
If you’re going by star value alone, then Brink! would win in this case, as Erik von Detten, who starred as the title character Andy “Brink” Brinker, certainly had much more star power than Shane McDermott, who you probably only know as Mitchell Goosen in Airborne. But if we look at their characters and not just the actors who played them — both Brink and Mitchell share the trait of being all about positive vibes, and are both from SoCal. Mitchell has to deal with being a fish out of water in Cincinnati where people don’t accept him, while Brink is compelled to join a sellout sponsored team with his rival to help his family make some money. They’re both likable and attractive, and it’s hard to find true fault in either of them.
Winner: Tie
Villain - Val vs. Jack/Blane
When you’re voting for best villain, do you base it on who’s a more terrible villain, or who you hate less? The truth of the matter is, Brink! just has a more clear-cut villain in the form of Val (Sam Horrigan). He pretends to be Brink’s friend to get him to join his team, but he’s really just in it to win and doesn’t care about anything other than that, and even tries to physically hurt Brink’s friend Gabriella. In Airborne, Jack (Chris Conrad) starts out as the villain, but in the end he accepts Mitchell as they both have an even worse common enemy in the form of Blane (Owen Stadele), a preppy jerk. Jack has a larger role in the film than Blane, so it’s hard to really say that Airborne could have a better villain since it changes throughout.
Winner: Brink!
Supporting Cast - Christina Vidal & Patrick Levis vs. Seth Green & Jack Black
Even if you haven’t seen either film, almost everyone can name the two supporting actors in Airborne, while the same recognition isn’t as prevalent for the supporting cast from Brink! Sure, the Brink! cast have been in other television stuff, but come on, they’re up against Seth Green and Jack Black, who are both hilarious in Airborne. Seth Green plays Mitchell’s cousin Wiley, an awkward guy who doesn’t fit in (and has a hilarious dress up scene). Jack Black plays one of the initial bullies at the high school, but he puts such a nice silly spin on the character that it makes him stand out. No question here.
Winner: Airborne
Love Interest - Eh, Friendship is Fine vs. Nikki
Okay, okay, maybe this category isn’t really fair. But you know you always like a movie where you have a romance to root for throughout. In Airborne, Mitchell quickly falls for Nikki (Brittney Powell), who just happens to be the sister of the guy who bullies him, and, oh yeah, is also the ex-girlfriend of the real villain of the story. Meanwhile, in Brink!, it’s all about his relationship with his friends and skating buddies, who feel he has let them down. Eventually, of course, they make up, and work together to take down the rival team, but it was a foregone conclusion, really.
Winner: Airborne
Rollerblading Sequences
The fact of the matter is, we actually get to see what Mitchell can do on his blades, while we hardly see Brink show off his skills at all. There’s a whole memorable sequence partway through Airborne that features Mitchell skating through town and slowly amassing a following of people because he’s just so damn cool. Meanwhile, we sort of just have to believe that Brink is really good. Pretty easy decision here.
Winner: Airborne
Lesson Learned - Don’t Sell Out vs. Don’t Judge People
In Brink!, it’s pretty clear what the lesson learned is going to be. Though the reason Brink initially joins the rival sponsored team is because his dad has been on disability and Brink can make money to help out the family by joining the bad dude team, really, Brink kinda wants to shine in real competitions, which he hasn’t been able to do in his friendly low-key “soul skater” team. In the end, though, he realizes that he doesn’t need to be part of this sponsored team to have the chance to compete in the big competitions, and once he does compete, he can show his skills no matter the team he’s on. In Airborne, the lesson is a little murkier, and seems to be less about Mitchell himself learning a lesson, and more about everyone learning a lesson — the ole accepting of others. Mitchell doesn’t really want to accept being in Cincinnati with people different from him, and they don’t want to accept him either, but in the end they both learn to accept each other. This one is more of a tossup, but we’re going to give it to…
Winner: Brink!
The Final Rollerblade Battle - Official Downhill Battle vs Unofficial Downhill Battle
Both movies end in a final downhill battle between our good guys and our bad guys. In Brink!, Brink re-joins his fellow soul-skaters under a new team, and they make it to the final round in a rollerblading competition. Brink has to compete against his former teammate and villain Val, in a downhill race to the finish. Whoever wins, wins the whole thing. Brink has a chance to win after Val falls, but he helps him up, only for Val to double cross him — but Brink outsmarts him in the end, and wins the whole deal. It’s fairly tame compared to Airborne, which has a street downhill race rather than an official competition, with many actually scary bits, including having to dodge vehicles. The villain Blane repeatedly tries to take out Mitchell and the others on his team, and succeeds in making Jack fall, but in the end Mitchell outsmarts Blane. Now, Mitchell could just claim the victory for himself, but he helps Jack get up, and they win together, all previous animosity healed. Both of these endings feature our hero helping someone who has fallen who they aren’t necessarily friendly with, so what sets the two apart? We’re gonna have to go with the one that has you more on the edge of your seat.
Winner: Airborne
Overall Winner
Using our very objective scoring system, Airborne takes the cake here. Though both movies have a family-friendly element to them, because Brink! was specifically made for the Disney Channel, it was a bit hampered by having to be very G-rated. Airborne, though still rated PG, had way better rollerblading sequences and a wider range of comedy and drama to match its more complicated moral story, so ultimately it’s much more dynamic. But do you agree? Let us know via the poll below, and in the comments!
- Airborne was released in 982 theaters on September 17, 1993. It made $2,850,263 during its domestic run, and $1,262,239 in its opening weekend.
- Brink! was released on the Disney Channel on August 29, 1998, and was the third Disney Channel Original Movie.
- Brink! is a loose adaptation of the Mary Mapes Dodge classic novel, Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates (which Disney had adapted as a two-part TV drama back in the 1960s).
- Airborne lead Shane McDermott had a few other roles in the early ‘90s, but has since quit acting and now works as a realtor.
- Though inline skates had been around for many years previously, rollerblades only became popular in the early ‘90s when Rollerblade Inc. updated the design.
- Airborne was released in 982 theaters on September 17, 1993. It made $2,850,263 during its domestic run, and $1,262,239 in its opening weekend.
- Brink! was released on the Disney Channel on August 29, 1998, and was the third Disney Channel Original Movie.
- Brink! is a loose adaptation of the Mary Mapes Dodge classic novel, Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates (which Disney had adapted as a two-part TV drama back in the 1960s).
- Airborne lead Shane McDermott had a few other roles in the early ‘90s, but has since quit acting and now works as a realtor.
- Though inline skates had been around for many years previously, rollerblades only became popular in the early ‘90s when Rollerblade Inc. updated the design.
