Disney Channel
The Disney Channel is a cable TV network run by The Walt Disney Company. Disney Channel features family-oriented programming, much of it aimed at pre-teens and young adolescents.
Table of contents |
Programming
Launched on April 18, 1983 as a premium channel, Disney Channel began with basic family programming of shows and movies.
Most Disney Channel programming, surprisingly, does not heavily feature the "classic" Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, and Goofy. The characters appear on occasion, especially during the holidays on movies such as Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas, and are also featured on the show House of Mouse, which airs each midday on the channel.
In 1997, Disney Channel took on a revamped look, with splitting the network into three programming blocks — Playhouse Disney, a block of shows aimed at preeschoolers, Vault Disney, an overnight block that featured classic Disney shows and movies such as Zorro, Mickey Mouse Club, and The Love Bug, but the most distictinct block, ran from afternoon to late evenings was a new-and-more-tweens (pre-teen, 12 year olds) programming block — Smart Guy, Bug Juice, The Famous Jett Jackson, So Weird, etc. It was called Zoog Disney. It connected Disney Channel viewers and the computer. Basicly, it was for kids who interact with games and such could see their screen name on Television. The programming block also featured anthropomorphic characters called 'Zoogs'.
In January of 2000, Disney Channel moved from Premium cable to Basic cable, and the format also changed that year — The Zoogs got new redesigned looks, which felt as one of the moments in which Disney Channel, considerately, "jumped the shark". Also their 1997 logo (which generally featured a 1930s-era Mickey Mouse on the TV was changed the reflect the Zoog Disney image.
From 2001 through 2002 ratings grew higher and Disney was about 90% basic, cable programming. and teenage viewers started watching the 'newer' , teen shows like, Even Stevens, Kim Possible, Lizzie McGuire and others; This led to the disintegration of Vault Disney and any other classic Disney programming on September 2002. Which led long-time viewers to send complaints and basicly stop watching the channel altogether — another considerate moment in which the network "jumped the shark".
The only actual spinoff of Disney Channel is Toon Disney, which features (mostly) cartoons either created or distributed by Disney. The ABC Family Channel (originally CBN and later The Family Channel and later FOX Family, founded in 1976 by Pat Robertson), is now owned by Disney and also features some programming similar to the Disney Channel.
Today's Disney Channel runs mostly cancelled ABC sitcoms such as Boy Meets World and original programming such as That's So Raven and Phil of the Future. Other shows aired by Disney Channel include The Proud Family, Recess, and Lilo and Stitch: The Series. Additionally, a movie is broadcast every night at 8 P.M. Eastern Time, although they aren't always feature films. The Disney Channel releases a new made-for-TV movie every month, and those are frequently broadcast during that timeslot. Occasionally, Disney will secure the rights to air a picture released by a non-Disney studio, such as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Preschool programming includes, Rolie Polie Olie, PB&J Otter and Stanley.
The channel received a special citation from U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1984, who, coincidentally, was present at the opening of Disneyland.
Disney Channel Original Movies
- Tiger Town (1983)
- Gone are the Dayes (1984)
- Love Leads the Way (1984)
- Black Arrow (1985)
- Lots of Luck (1985)
- The Undergrads (1985)
- The Blue Yonder (1985)
- The Parent Trap II (1986)
- Spot Marks the X (1986)
- Down the Long Hills (1986)
- Strange Companions (1987)
- Anne of Avonlea (1987)
- Not Quite Human (1987)
- The Christmas Visitor (1987)
- Save the Dog (1988)
- Night Train to Kathmandu (1988)
- Ollie Hopnoodle's Heaven of Bliss (1988)
- A Friendship in Vienna (1988)
- Good Old Boy (1988)
- Goodbye, Miss 4th of July (1988)
- Danny, the Champion of the World (1989)
- Looking for Miracles (1989)
- Great Expectations (1989)
- Not Quite Human II (1989)
- Spooner (1989)
- Lantern Hill (1990)
- Chips, the War Dog (1990)
- Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme (1990)
- Back Home (1990)
- The Little Kidnappers (1990)
- Back to Hannibal: The Return of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn (1990)
- Bejeweled (1991)
- Perfect Harmony (1991)
- Mark Twain and Me (1991)
- Still Not Quite Human (1992)
- The Ernest Green Story (1993)
- Spies (1993)
- Heidi (1993)
- One Promised Land (1994)
- The Whipping Boy (1994)
- The Old Curiosity Shop (1995)
- The Four Diamonds (1995)
- The Little Riders (1996)
- Nightjohn (1996)
- Northern Lights (1997)
- Under Wraps (1997)
- You Lucky Dog (1998)
- Brink (1998)
- Halloweentown (1998)
- Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1999)
- Can of Worms (1999)
- The Thirteenth Year (1999)
- Smart House (1999)
- Johnny Tsunami (1999)
- Genius (1999)
- P.U.N.K.S. (1999)
- Don't Look Under the Bed (1999)
- Horse Sense (1999)
- Up, Up, and Away (2000)
- The Color of Friendship (2000)
- Alley Cats Strike! (2000)
- Rip Girls (2000)
- Miracle in Lane Two (2000)
- Stepsister from the Planet Weird (2000)
- Ready to Run (2000)
- Quints (2000)
- The Other Me (2000)
- Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire (2000)
- Phantom of the Megaplex (2000)
- The Ultimate Christmas Present (2000)
- Zenon – The Zequel (2001)
- Motocrossed (2001)
- The Luck of the Irish (2001)
- Hounded (2001)
- Jett Jackson: The Movie (2001)
- The Jennie Project (2001)
- Jumping Ship (2001)
- The Poof Point (2001)
- Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge (2001)
- 'Twas the Night (2001)
- Double Teamed (2002)
- Cadet Kelly (2002)
- Tru Confessions (2002)
- Get a Clue (2002)
- Gotta Kick It Up (2002)
- A Ring of Endless Light (2002)
- The Scream Team (2002)
- You Wish! (2003)
- Right on Track (2003)
- The Even Stevens Movie (2003)
- Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off (2003)
- The Cheetah Girls (2003)
- Full-Court Miracle (2003)
- Pixel Perfect (2004)
- Going to the Mat (2004)
- Zenon: Z3 (2004)
- Stuck in the Suburbs (2004)
- Tiger Cruise (2004)
- Halloweentown High (2004)
- Now You See it... (Jan. 14, 2005)
- Buffalo Dreams (Mar. 11, 2005)
- Kim Possible: So the Drama (Apr. 8, 2005)
Disney Channel in the world
United Kingdom
A British version of the Disney Channel was originally scheduled to launch in 1989 as part of the Sky Television package, but due to an apparent dispute the launch was cancelled, and it was not until 1995 that it finally went on air.
In the UK, Disney Channel runs a live program between shows, which viewers have the chance to call in, or play games. The programme usually has guests, who are usually popular singers in the UK. It runs Monday through Friday, from 15:45 to 19:00 GMT.
Africa and Asia
During the same decade the Disney Channel expanded its operations to Africa and by 2000 to much of Asia.
Australia
The Disney Channel has been broadcast in Australia by OptusVision, Foxtel and Austar since the late 1990s.
Scandinavia
In 2003 the Disney Channel started broadcasting in Scandinavia via Viasat. The Scandinavian edition broadcasts three different soundtracks with Swedish, Danish and Norwegian dubbing. At first the Disney Channel was exlusively provided by Viasat, but after som month other companys started distributing the channel. In Sweden, the Disney Channel can be watched trough cable via com hem, through satellite via Viasat and in the terrestrial network via Boxer. Starting at the 1 August 2005 Disney Channel also will be aired by Canal Digital at the Thor Satellite.
Latin America
The Disney Channel has been broadcast in Latin America and Brazil since 1999 as a premium channel. It became a basic channel in 2004.
See also Walt Disney anthology series