In 2006, they had a small film role in Step Up as Camille, Channing Tatum's character's younger foster sister. They provided the voice of Isabella Garcia-Shapiro and Jenny (until Season 4) in the Disney Channel animated series Phineas and Ferb from 2007 to 2015. In 2008, they starred in the Disney Channel Original film Camp Rock as Caitlyn Gellar, an aspiring music producer. Their reception in Camp Rock was particularly strong, with various media outlets suggesting it was about time they played a main character role having backed up for other big names such as Will Smith and Eminem. Stoner starred as Alice McKinley in the film Alice Upside Down, based loosely on the Alice series, particularly The Agony of Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. This was their second starring role and, according to an interview that appears on the direct-to-DVD release, they stated that this was the first time they had to appear in every scene in a film.
In 2010, Stoner appeared in the third Step Up film Step Up 3D opposite Adam Sevani where they reprised the role. Stoner uploaded a video onto their official YouTube page of her final dance rehearsal which introduced other cast members.[3] The same year, Stoner returned to reprise their role as Caitlyn Gellar in Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, a sequel to Camp Rock. Stoner also guest-starred in the television drama series House as a skater.
In 2008, they sang two songs, "Lost and Found" and "Free Spirit", from the soundtrack of Alice Upside Down, in which they played the lead role. They have also recorded a cover version of the song Dancing in the Moonlight for the 2009 Space Buddies.[5]
On April 4, 2010, Stoner posted a video to their YouTube Channel announcing the release of her debut single "Flying Forward" on April 20, 2010.[6] Stoner released their debut EP entitled Beat the System in 2011. Also in 2011, Stoner started working with record producers, songwriters and a vocal coach to change her vocal style from "kiddie-pop" to a more soulful pop vibe with a little alternative edge for their first studio album.[6][failed verification]
Dancing
After choreography training in Los Angeles, Stoner appeared as a backup dancer in several music videos, notably Missy Elliott's "Work It", "Gossip Folks", "I'm Really Hot", Eminem's "Just Lose It", and "No Tengo Dinero" by the Kumbia Kings. They have also been a backup dancer for Outkast at the 2004 Kids' Choice Awards and for Will Smith at the 2005 show. Stoner danced with a dancing group called The JammX Kids between 2003 and 2006. They quit the group in early 2006 due to scheduling conflicts, but continued to work with the individual kids on different jobs. They were also one of the dancers in the special features for the Shark Tale DVD.
Stoner teaches hip hop classes at the Millennium Dance Complex, and is credited as the youngest person to teach a master class there. They also appeared in Debby Ryan's "We Got the Beat" for Disney Channel's Radio Rebel. In February 2015, they released a dance tribute video to Missy Elliot featuring a mash up medley of Missy Elliott videos they had danced in when they were younger.[7][8] Within the first week, it received more than 12 million views.[7]Missy Elliott invited Alyson to perform "Work It" with her at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards.[9]
Publishing
Stoner was the "dance editor" for KEWL Magazine. In February 2009, Stoner released the Alyson Stoner Project described as "a dance video hybrid — melding many styles of entertainment into one package".[10] It was directed by Kevin Schmidt, their co-star from Cheaper by the Dozen.[10]
Personal life
In March 2018, Stoner came out in an article on Teen Vogue, stating they were "attracted to men, women, and people who identify in other ways."[11] Later that year they stated in an interview "I don't feel comfortable labeling my sexual orientation or even faith at the moment."[12] In June 2023, Stoner stated that they use they/them pronouns and they had been fired from a television show after coming out as queer.[13][14]
Stoner has been open about their struggles with mental health and disordered eating. According to Stoner, they first developed anxiety at age six due to the high-stress environment of working in the entertainment industry with symptoms including heart palpitations, hair loss, and seizures.[15] In 2011, at age 17, they were hospitalized and checked themself into rehab facility for eating disorders, having struggled with anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder for years. They credit therapy for assisting in their recovery.[15][16]
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvw"Alyson Stoner (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved May 23, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
