Overview of Cable Disney Channel

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.

You are reading this rant-- on Disney Channel!

2003

This year is well recognized for the influences that the shows and movies created. We will start with shows. That’s So Raven and Lilo and Stitch: the Series premiere this year. The former show was basically a sitcom that focused on a girl who led a normal life but kept a dark secret: she was psychic and could see the future. It quickly became the highest rated Disney Channel live-action series and has held that record to this day. It also was a great influence on future sitcoms to come. (Speaking of which, a spinoff will premiere soon, featuring Raven-Symone herself.) Lilo and Stitch: the Series was not the first or last Disney cartoon to be based on a movie, but it was the first for Disney Channel in more ways than one. Besides being a movie adaptation, it was also a tier 2 cartoon. Basically, there are three tiers of Disney Chanel cartoons. Tier 1 signifies shows that Disney Channel cares about to the end. Tier 2 runs the cartoons into the ground and pretty much abandons them afterwards, with which is a category most Disney Channel cartoons are labelled. Tier 3 is one signifying cartoons about which Disney Channel gave little attention ever. Lilo and Stitch basically was milked for its worth since it was based off a hit movie and was well-received by the general public. Not to mention that it took an approach similar to that of Pokemon and it seemed to appeal to younger children rather than teenagers (the stories were not reflective of teen issues much). However, its fame slowly declined as people got tired of the “same old song and dance” and disappeared some years later. Thus, Raven held to this day s a milestone in Disney Channel’s programming whereas Lilo and Stitch was enjoyed for its stay.

Movies were just as big, too. The Even Stevens Movie premieres this year, officially ending the series. We also got Eddie’s Million Dollar Cook-Off, You Wish!, Full-Court Miracle, and Right on Track. While the latter four were not necessarily breathtaking, there was one bound to change Disney Channel for better or for worse (I say for worse): The Cheetah Girls. Also starring Raven-Symone, it proved to be a hit with fans and critics alike, leading to the impression that Disney Channel should be music-orientated. This movie is why Disney Channel is in the state that it is now—if you thought that it was bad at this point, the just wait until we meet again next time…after 2005.

2004

And here is when Disney Channel officially jumps the shark, as I see it. Anne Sweeney had undertaken a major role back in 2002 by reformatting the network, including changing the logo, but it was here when she took full control. The music trends began development under her control. At this point, it was clear more than ever that Disney Channel cared more about competing for the most ratings and revenue than making quality products—and not just because of this.

On another note, the shows were more experimental than anything. For example, creator Doug Langdale, fresh off the fame of The Weekenders, presents Dave the Barbarian. Paying homage to the original George of the Jungle cartoon, this show came with a unique sense of humour and a message that genders did not determine bravery. Unfortunately, even with the occasional appeal to tween girls using the character Candy, this show was cancelled after one series. In other words, it was a tier 3 cartoon. On the same level is Phil of the Future, or as it should be called Human Doraemon and His Family Fit into the Past Instead of Helping a Failure in Life. Nothing more than a hunch on that preferable pseudonym.

I should also mention some blocks of programming that appeared. One was Click It to Pick It! This block allowed viewers to select the next episode of a show to air. If anything, it was better than Magnet-Tude, which did not last even a year. The latter block was Disney Channel’s way of competing with Cartoon Network for ratings with hip and seemingly-appealing magnets that talk. The block displayed cartoons that clearly were not helping them win against Cartoon Network, which was big due to Teen Titans. I mean, The Proud Family was deteriorating while Kim Possible was the source of income. Lilo and Stitch was weak at best and Dave the Barbarian was ending soon. They decided to create a cartoon practically designed to look like a Cartoon Network show at first glance but at heart was a Disney Channel show appealing to teen girls. This was at a time when Cartoon Cartoons were still big and before Teen Titans proved itself worthy. The show? Brandy & Mr Whiskers, or as I should call it Ren & Stimpy Meets Mike, Lu & Og for Tween Girls Before Dropping All Pretences of Flow Just to Be a Hit Show. Despite having the potential to surpass Kim Possible as a great show, it did not go well to say the least. Also, despite having four million viewers on average for each new episode (yes, four million), Disney Channel hated this one—even though it forced the show to go “far out” like Cartoon Network. Basically, the show sold its soul to be popular (making it a soulless kind of show with little to nothing new) but was nothing more than a tier 3 cartoon that got little respect from the network. It is also probably the most forgotten of the cartoons since series 2 aired in an unpopular timeslot with an unannounced show finale.

Movies are somewhat quiet, too. Stuck in the Suburbs, Going to the Mat, Pixel Perfect, and Tiger Cruise had their premieres, but the most notable ones were Halloweentown High and Zenon Z3 since they were follow-up movies to acclaimed first and second movies. Honestly, the movies in general were never as influential as the shows, though there were ones that left lasting impacts that I will note.

2005

At least this year had prominent hits. We got American Dragon: Jake Long, a show that seemed to be Kim Possible light made possible by…that one person working on Fillmore! It is tier 2. We also got The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, another hit sitcom. Like That’s So Raven, this show relied heavily on farce derived from two boys living in a hotel. A lot of shows on Disney Channel to follow would do their most to be like farce. There was also The Buzz on Maggie, which was cancelled after one series due to fan complaints. It was essentially another tier 3 cartoon. Why was it cancelled? Due to the 65-episode rule, Kim Possible had ended by series 3 (though fan requests would lead to a revival for a fourth series in 2007). When The Buzz on Maggie premiered, it was too soon since Kim Possible ended and the quality comparison led to outraged viewers. Critics, on the other hand, credited it for being good despite being a show with an edgy gross-out style appealing to tween girls (sounds familiar). And then there was Katbot—or not. The show was scheduled to premiere but was cancelled by creator’s intentions. She was upset at how much the executives had interfered with development of the show and ordered all evidence of the show to be locked away in the vault of archives.

Movies are interesting, too. Life Is Ruff feels like an experiment on using comic relief in the spotlight, which worked so well for audiences that Kyle Massey would be a star in future original series. The Proud Family Movie and Kim Possible: So the Drama premiere, ending both series (presumably for the latter, though it would be revived). Another hit movie was Twitches, featuring the cast of the popular show Sister, Sister. This may or may not have influenced Disney Channel to hire already famous stars for their movies and shows. Other movies include Buffalo Dreams, Go Figure, and Now You See It… They were not very notable in comparison, to be honest.

And that was up to 2005. By next year, things get really intense and bad. Stay tuned. We will be right back-- on Disney Channel.