Overview of Cable Disney Channel | Forums - The Lost Media Wiki (2024)

Some time ago I announced an upcoming list of the worst Disney Channel shows. I figured that in order to share my thorough thoughts on this network, we can look back at all of the progress that the network has made up to this day.

I am going to be honest-- Disney Channel never seemed to be good ever since it became a cable network. Its launch in 1983 as a movie network was fine and actually worth the investment. While the original series at the time were mostly anthology or educational programs, the appearance of the network as a whole encouraged Disney animated series to be made for television. I applaud them for this move and like what came from it (even if some of the products were not of acceptable quality). This would lead to the well-regarded block Disney Afternoon. In the late-1980's, Disney Channel made more diverse programming like The All-New Mickey Mouse Club; Teen Win, Lose, or Draw; Good Morning, Miss Bliss; and Adventures in Wonderland. Whether you liked them or not, you had to admit that all of these programs had unique significances each of their own. Also, there was a myriad of original movies that premiered each year (about seven on average). These details will transgress into the cable years.

The cable years came to be when Disney Channel noted how well their competition (mainly Nickelodeon) was performing in comparison. Disney Channel made the understandable choice of transitioning to being a cable network. While this was a worthy move from a business perspective (as is everything that they would do in future years), it also resulted in a quality shift. The styling of the programming on Disney Channel and beyond (think One Saturday Morning) changed. The Disney Channel Magazine disappeared, and people complained about a loss inquality in Disney Adventures magazine. Actually, considering that it was 1997, it was a major change for the Walt Disney Company as a whole since they closed opportunities for films falling under the label Walt Disney Classics. In the next few posts, I will summarise what each year was like in terms of shows and movies and describe my specific problems with the network.

Before anyone criticises me for anything, I should explain as well as I can why I have problems with the network. Put simply, whereas the Walt Disney Company is meant to be timeless, Disney Channel seems to be following trends of the era. Technically, this idea has been introduced to the company as far back as the 1980's (in terms of their films and television) with Oliver & Co. and transgressed into the 1990's with Goof Troop. However, is it really worth the consideration when you recall the values that Walt Disney held true to the company? I am not saying to digress completely, but the way that they seemed to transgress evolved into a much bigger contrasting result than expected, as we will see. It is not just relevancy, though; at this point, more and more people were encouraging Disney to add more edge to their products now that the 1990's had come and there needed to bea sort of show that matched the revolutionary cartoons of the time like The Ren & Stimpy Show. Now, edgy content expands to many different fields of content, but the only type of edgy content that seems to suit Disney well, even today, is horror. A short from the 1930's proved this to be effective, but it was so scary that Disney never really considered doing anything again of the sort until The Black Cauldron.Not to mention that movie was a failure (though it was for other reasons that you probably know and acknowledge, whether you like the film or not). Disney then tried again at edgy material for four consecutive years in the mid-1990's with only one successive product-- Gargoyles. It provided stellar animation and an unusual sense of dark, melodramatic themes. The other shows? The Shnooku*ms and Meat Funny Cartoon Show tried to introduce Ren & Stimpy to Disney with poor results (though creator Bill Kopp admits to enjoying working on that show even after all these years). Quack Pack, the Ducktales spinoff, tried to merge hip and cool themes with edgy content using classic Disney characters to diminishing returns. Nightmare Ned, based off the video game of the same name, wanted to have horror elements infused with a hybrid of animations but never really could communicate the edgy material that well and was cancelled for going over-budget. I mention the idea of edgy material because Disney Channel will try its own take on it and have more success with the live-action shows than most of the cartoons (key word: most).

This should be fun. Besides, I love this company while acknowledging all of their questionable decisions (like free domain). Oh, and listen, one more thing: I will do my best to not let anything nostalgic get in the way of my work here, unlike all of the other critics.

Before I begin, let me continue my thoughts from before: I am unsure how Walt Disney would feel about the changes of his company as a whole, but the current state of Disney Channel would likely result in some sort of negative reaction. Whereas the Walt Disney Company focused on creating a decent product and then trying to obtain money with it, Disney Channel jumps straight to the money-making step. This will be a recurring problem following the launch of a cable network, though for now it is still a state of experimentation.

We should start from the beginning of this phase.

1997

Since this was the first year, little actually happened besides the change in the logo and services. We might as well look t the shows. For reference, Hercules (the movie)premieres this year. Firstly, there was Flash Forward. This show was a sitcom about two friends attending school together as early teenagers and connecting their lives to their five-year-old selves. Like practically all of the other shows of this decade for Disney Channel, this one had Canadian involvement, which is not bad but will disappear by the 2000's. As for the show itself, it was a start but nothing really worth noting besides it being the first original series. Technically, it premiered in 1995 under the same label but was otherwise part of this time. The other shows were Mad Libs, a game show where people play Mad Libs to win a trip to Disneyworld, and Going Wild with Jeff Corwin, which was a more serious documentary than something like, say, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and derived its entertainment from the animals that they analysed. As you can probably tell, the programming is quite diverse-- something that becomes less common throughout the years as experimentation ceases.

How are movies? Honestly, I did not really watch the movies but chose to note them because some play important roles in the network's development. I am ignoring Northern Lights due to its premiere occurring before official cable launch. The only movie this year was Under Wraps, a comedy horror film about a group of friends befriending a mummy. Like most other movies that I will be noting, people have mixed feelings about it. Some people found the movies charming, while others found it cheesy and dull. This was not as big as some of the other movies that I will be noting, though, such as something from the following year.

While it is not much of a bad start, trends start to settle into the network here and embed themselves over time to the point of no return. At this point, Disney Channel is setting aside the classics in Vault Disney for late-night hours so that younger viewers can enjoy the more relevant shows (relevant not always meaning hip and cool, by the way).

1998

One significant event worth noting is the launch of the separate networks Playhouse Disney and Toon Disney to encourage larger audiences to enjoy Disney programming of all kinds. It is a bold move, but it will pose more problems down the line. As for original programming, Disney Channel gets Bug Juice, Off the Wall, and The Famous Jett Jackson. The first show introduces reality television to the network and influences more shows to follow in later years. The show follows teenage campers living at camp. The second show is another gameshow promoting a trip to Disneyworld as a prize. This was the last of its kind. As for the last show, it introduces teen drama in the form of a sitcom. A teenager that played in a show called Silverstone wishes to lead a normal life in his neighbourhood but must deal with the constant attention. Due to The Matrix premiering in 1999, the show decided to showcase Jett's career in Silverstone in later seasons. While the shows were fine, though not exactly major for the network's history, it would encourage trends down the line that would make matters worse.

Movies are another story. Three movies premiere this year. You Lucky Dog seems to be the weakest of them. It tells the story of a dog therapist that does not seem to be a therapist at all...and is at stake of losing his business...moving on. I prefer not to know until later. Brink! is regarded rather well as a sports movie. I am not that fond of sports, so let us just get to Halloweentown. This is the first big movie-- and I am talking massive in reception. It is fondly regarded as one of Disney Channel's best movies. There are more crucial ones for development to come, though, so let us finish on an eventful note.

1999

So Weird and The Jersey are the new shows of the year. The former is one of their best shows and is what I meant before about live-action shows fairing well as "edgy," though like Gargoyles, it has a lacklustre third series. The latter was just dull and repetitive but was actually genuine. Neither of these shows was major or influential to the network, but that would change next year.

A large sum of movies comes this year. Shall we see? Oh, boy-- Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century-- another big movie. One thing that I should note about these movies is that they tend to be milked for their worth in later years and is true of many hits to come. What else? Can of Worms has its visuals going for it, but not much else. The Thirteenth Year has...morals, but...um...I...oh, look Smart House and Johnny Tsunami. Those should be good, right? Genius was some oddball film about a clone that can define gravity...I think. Okay-- WHAT KINDS OF MOVIES ARE THESE, ANYWAY (for someone who has not seen them)? Other than that, we have Don't Look Under the Bed and Horse Sense. The former has horror and the latter has Disneyland. I should leave it at that.

Neither the shows nor the movies have shown much significant change, but the trends are being instilled slowly and will take full effect eventually. As for the worst of the worst in shows, we are in for quite the ride.

Sorry for the week delay. Considering the amount of information that I gathered and was easier to find took more time than usual. I also feel that I may not have made my points as to why I disliked Disney Channel as of 1997 clear. The whole move of becoming a cable network was more or less a ploy to gain ratings. This was not necessarily a bad thing, but they then established a goal to find their voice through the right genre of live-action programming (which was big at the time). This evolved into a bigger problem around this time, as you will see. Not to mention that it gets worse and worse from there. Anyway, we shall now resume.

2000

Before I delve into the line-up, I want to note Disney Channel’s new rule (and I do not mean that 65-episode rule established years beforehand). Due to a national stance at the time, Disney Channel now must include morals in all their shows. Why is this important? Well, this is one common rule that all of the shows must use while also proving to create a decent product. While some shows did it well, others failed on this front as we shall see. Speaking of which, in 2004, Disney Channel would greenlight a cartoon called Super Cooper, which was dropped midway through production because the channel executives pushed the creators to add a moral, ruining the strongest aspects of the show. Quite a few shows in the future fell into a similar trap.

Let me talk about the obscure shows first: Totally Circus and In a Heartbeat. These were short-lived reality shows that failed to be hits. The former sparked two spinoffs that I will get to soon, whereas the latter simply fell through the cracks. Even Stevens, on the other hand, was major for the network. It was their first hit series—and for good reason. It was a kid-friendly sitcom that tackled issues that felt relatable to the audience with a kind of charm and is fondly remembered (like all of the other shows I have yet to note, good or bad) to this day. While it took off, it did not necessarily spark the craze for tween-pandering sitcom-styled shows—yet. The worst of the trend was yet to come, but this show may be the main reason for it actually existing. I mean, I like the show for what it is, but I also am aware of the problems that it may have caused—not to mention that the shows following it were not much better, as we are about to see.

How are movies? There are twelve to note here—one for every month, really. Since none of them made much of an impact, I will simply run down the list of them: Up, Up, and Away; The Colour of Friendship; Alley Cats Strike; Rip Girls; Miracle in Lane 2; Stepsister from Planet Weird; Ready to Run; Quints; The Other Me; Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire; Phantom of the Megaplex; and The Ultimate Christmas Present. For the general public at least, quantity did not have the same quality as later years would. Just saying.

2001

And here is when Disney Channel finds its voice that goes against its brand name. Shall we run through the line-up? For reference, Atlantis: The Lost Empire is the Disney movie of the year.

Firstly, ignore Totally Hoops. It is basically a rendition of Totally Circus but with basketball, and reality television was clearly a dying breed at that point. The hits this year were Lizzie McGuire and The Proud Family. Oh, boy, do I have to talk about these two. Lizzie McGuire was the spark that caused the sitcom craze for the network. With commercials that may as well be lying to you (despite the situations being quite similar to that of any American adolescent—this show did have a sense of American nationalism, after all—I doubt that Lizzie’s family was like any normal family, as it was a sitcom after all) and a style that showed just how much it wanted to appeal to the younger audiences, people got turned off by this show’s style, even with the animated persona—but they were sparse in comparison to the massive amount of fans. I feel debated about this show anyway, partially because of what is to follow. In other words, this show was a hit but sent a message that Disney Channel seemed to be going downhill. The Proud Family was the first original animated series and is one of the few that Disney Channel actually cares for to this day (see the 2017 New Year’s Marathon). Basically, the show was meant to exemplify how people with black skin were no different from white fellows. What was especially noteworthy was how this show used unique plots to convey this. Despite being a hit, some people hated on the show for degrading black people on the surface and coming off as offensive to them especially with their dialogue. I enjoyed it, but it was not as big as the other hits to follow.

Movies. Zenon: The Zequel and Halloween Town II: Kalabar’s Revenge prove that sequels to hit movies worked, while Jett Jackson: The Movie proved that the same could be said for original series, whether as finales or not. Other than that, the movies are nothing really special save Motorcrossed, probably. We got The Luck of the Irish, Hounded, The Jennie Project, Jumping Ship, The Poof Point, and ‘Twas the Night.

You may notice people saying that Lizzie McGuire was the last good show because of its style and the trends that followed it, ruining everything else to come. This would happen in 2003—big time.

2002

Seriously, ignore Totally in Tune. The trend dies along with this show, anyway. And who cares—when you have Kim Possible? This show proved to be an even bigger hit—which is likely the reason why no other hit series would premiere until it officially ended in 2007. There was good reason to like this show, and many people did. It was one of those shows that emphasised “girl power” while using trends of the era along with it (the slang, for instance). While there are better analyses of this show out there, I do wonder how good of a role model Kim really is—and not just because of the bare-midriff shirt trend that seemed to exist in the cartoons (The Proud Family had this with certain characters, and cartoons that were soon to follow would do so, too). It was more about her personality and how it reflected the “basic average girl” as a whole. I will leave it up to you to decide in comparing her to Penny Proud and other girls to follow, but I still enjoyed the show for what it was. Sorry if this section is cluttered—I really do not know what to say.

Movies were interesting, too. The major hit was Cadet Kelly, while the others were merely let to the ether. They were Get a Clue, Tru Confessions, Gotta Kick It Up!, The Scream Team, Double Teamed, and A Ring of Endless Light. Bored? Next year, things get really fun. Stay tuned.

You are reading this rant-- on Disney Channel!

I suppose it depends on the age really. For example I’m 16 and started watching Disney Channel at around the age of 6 (after I convinced my Mum to pay extra for it), so watched things like Suite Life on Deck and Wizards of Waverly Place. However I do remember staying up late to watch reruns of the older shows, as I really liked That’s So Raven. I think my interested faded when I was about 9, as shows like Shake it Up, Good luck Charlie and Jessie were on.

I have watched a lot of the older shows, and somehow managed to feel more nostalgia towards those ones that one’s from the early 2010’s. I feel like the shows started to focus more on quantity rather than quality (like most shows do as they go on), and the humour didn’t appeal to me anymore. I know around 2010 I switched to mostly Nickolodeon, to watch iCarly and Victorious, because I just didn’t like Disney Channel anymore.

I must say that I haven’t seen anything from Disney Channel pre-2001, so I couldn’t give an opinion on that, but the only show on the current lineup that I’ve heard anything good about is Andi Mack, which apparently features LGBT+ characters. So in my eyes, Disney went downhill in the early 2010’s, butsomeone older or younger than me might have a different view on it.

When they began their “Ribbon Era” of branding.

That was their downfall.