How to Build a Better Boy

How to Build a Better Boy is a Disney Channel Original Movie directed by Paul Hoen and written by Jason Mayland. It stars China Anne McClain, Kelli Berglund and Marshall Williams. The first images were shown during a promo for Disney Channel's Summer 2014, while the first promo aired on June 27, 2014 during the premiere of the Disney Channel Original Movie Zapped. The film premiered on August 15, 2014. The movie premiered on Disney Channel UK on September 19, 2014. Plot Mae Hartley and Gabby Harrison are intelligent tenth graders. Mae has a crush on a jock named Jaden and thinks that he is going to invite her to the Homecoming dance. However, she is publicly humiliated by Nevaeh, a mean cheerleader girl who is already going with Jaden. In her embarrassment, Mae claims that she already has a boyfriend. To cover the lie, Gabby offers to program a virtual boyfriend for Mae using computer software known as X-17, which they believe is used by Mae's father, Dr. James Hartley, to design high definition video game characters for his company. Gabby successfully creates a virtual boyfriend according to Mae's direction, and Mae names him Albert. The software goes haywire and short circuits James' computer. Mae's brother Bart agrees to fix the computer if Gabby will go to homecoming with him. The next morning, Albert actually arrives at school and becomes popular among the students. Albert is able to speed read and throw/kick harder than normal humans. Bart and Gabby learn that she created a robot soldier and hacked into the Pentagon to do so. They also learn that James actually works for the Pentagon. General McFee discovers the X-17 prototype robot soldier, who is Albert, is missing.