Hornaday danced in the film version of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (as one of the football players) but soon became more active as a choreographer, including Flashdance, the movie version of A Chorus Line, the Disney theme park film Captain EO (choreographing for Michael Jackson), and several projects for Madonna (including her dance numbers in Dick Tracy). His first movie as a director was the John Travolta vehicle Shout, and more recently he helmed the Disney Channel movies Teen Beach Movie (with Ross Lynch) and Geek Charming.