Mary Santiago
Played by: Selena Gomez, Nicole Muñoz (11 years old), Mia Aida Duran (3 years old)
- All of the Other Reindeer: She is looked down up for being a "charity-case"
- Conveniently an Orphan: Leaving her to be Dominique's ward
Joey Parker
Played by: Drew Seeley
- Abusive Parents: He does not have it as bad as Mary, but his parents seem to view him as a meal ticket. It is implied that they became this way after he became successful.
- Child Popstar
- Even the Guys Want Him: His male fans are just as crazy about him as his female fans. When he sets up a booth to find the mystery girl from the dance, a bunch of boys get in the line.
- Nice Guy
- Prince Charming
Dominique Blatt
Played by: Jane Lynch
- Abusive Parent: To Mary who she treats like a servant. She's not much nicer to her biological children either.
- Big Bad: She's the main villain of the film.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: She likes to appear nice for the cameras but is an absolute monster in private.
- Evil Diva
- Evil Is Bigger: She's played by the six foot tall Jane Lynch while Mary is played by 5'2 Selena Gomez.
- Fostering for Profit: Treats Mary like a servant.
- Large Ham: As one would expected of a wicked stepmother played by Jane Lynch, Dominique is very theatrical.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Dominique gets her comeuppance when she falls off the stage, leaving her wheelchair bound in the end.
- White-Dwarf Starlet:
Word of God is that she was a one-hit wonder. She has successful enough to afford her own house, but still needs to exploit an orphan into being her slave/captive. - Wicked Stepmother: Though the closest we get to what Dominique's actual relationship to Mary is her "legal guardian."
- Witch with a Capital "B": Which even she admits to...
Natalia Faroush
Played by: Nicole LaPlaca
- Alpha Bitch: Though considering Mary's sisters are her only apparent friends, she might not be so popular.
- Evil Counterpart: To Mary, as a love-interest for Joey. The movie highlights this during the two-way mirror sequence.
- Evil Is Petty: She bullies poor Mary for being a "charity-case."
- Graceful Loser: She finally tells Mary how much of a good dancer she is, hinting the possibility of a Heel–Face Turn.
- Karma Houdini: Though Joey could easily ruin her for all that she did to Mary, she never receives any punishment, though she does admit defeat to Mary in the end, though possibly to save face. Since the movie never shows her to be rich though or as talented at dancing as Mary and the other kids at Joey’s contest is possible her entire social standing relies on Joey. Without him, she likely lost everything.
- Woman Scorned: It is implied that Joey and her broke up years ago. She still wants him back, for his fame mind you.
