film, executives at Disney dropped the character Anginette Walker from the books, because couldn't find the right twin girls to play both her and Aqua. According to author Deborah Gregory, Tia and Tamera Mowry's names were brought up in the meeting, but were considered to be "too sophisticated" for the roles. The singer Solange Knowles was originally cast to play the role of Aqua. However, she pulled out of the film's production due to the promotion and release of her debut album Solo Star. The role was then given to Kiely Williams, who was in the girl group 3LW with Adrienne Bailon at the time. Jurnee Smollett also auditioned for the film at one point. The film was directed by Oz Scott and produced by Whitney Houston, Debra Martin Chase and Co Producer Cheryl Hill. The script was written by Alison Taylor and the music was composed by John Van Tongeren and Mark Mothersbaugh. It was shot during October and November 2002 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and Manhattan, New York City, New York. Soundtrack An original motion picture soundtrack containing songs from and inspired by the film was released on August 12, 2003, by Walt Disney Records and Columbia Records. The soundtrack went to #33 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Double Platinum. Awards 2004 – Nominated; Black Reel: Television Best Actress (Raven-Symoné) 2004 – Nominated; Black Reel: Television Best Supporting Actress (Lynn Whitfield) 2004 – Nominated; DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs (Oz Scott) 2004 – Nominated; Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Program (Lynn Whitfield) 2012 – Nominated; Vision Award for Best Dramatic Performance (Lynn Whitfield) Reception The movie premiered with 6.5 million viewers. The DVD sold 800,000 copies. Video games The Cheetah Girls was released in 2006 by Disney for Game Boy Advance. The Cheetah Girls: Pop Star Sensations was released in 2007 by Disney for Nintendo DS. The Cheetah Girls: Passport to Stardom was released in 2008 by Disney for Nintendo DS. Film sequels The Cheetah Girls 2 The Cheetah Girls 2 was released August 25, 2006. The sequel follows the same main characters as the first film. They travel to Barcelona, Spain to compete in a musical performance competition and continue pursuing their dreams of pop superstardom. Its premiere received a total of over 8.1 million viewers. The movie begins at a graduation party for the Manhattan Magnet's Class