Disney Channel Criticism/State of the Disney Channel

[carolinakid]

I don't watch the Disney Channel and I haven't since they stopped airing classic Disney (Walt era) programming.

[Goliath]

[...] I'll always have a resentment toward [Lizzy McGuire] as it was the actual reason why the Vault Disney block ceased to exist. They took it off to air more re-runs of it. [...] I found Lizzie Mcguire in particular to be a precursor to the Disney Channel of today. It's popularilty opened the door to more shows toward that demographic.

Oh, I never knew that. But I've never been able to see the Disney Channel until a year or two ago, when it started airing over here as well. I always had the idea that the 'Disney Channel' would be this cool channel where you could watch Disney cartoons all day. Bummer! And the only reason to watch it, they have ruined for me as well: they don't air original episodes of Wizards of Waverly Place anymore, just Dutch-dubbed ones! No fun watching Selena without being able to hear her.

They also air 101 Dalmatians: The Series, The Lion King's Timon and Pumbaa, Emperor's New School, Legend of Tarzan and Kim Possible on Disney Channel Netherlands.

[jediliz]

I grew up with Disney Channel, but not 24 hours a day.....only with free preview weeks and watching the channel while staying at my maternal grandma's house. Disney was a premium channel...my parents refused to pay the extra it would cost. Back then, though, the programming wasn't cheesy and music/dance focused. There were good programs for everyone.....kids, families and adults. Kids had Dumbo's circus and welcome to pooh corner, there were classic walt films for families and adults had some of the late night programming. There were dramatic series like 'Avonlea'. Mickey Mouse Club was the ONLY show with singing and dancing and used unknowns that eventually became stars...later on (Justin Timberlake, Keri Russell, JC Chavez to name a few).

Now Mickey and Friends have been demoted to being for three year olds, every show seems to involve Singing and dancing ALL the TIME/Almost all the time, except Good Luck Charlie and P&F). The ideas for new shows are horrible (new pitched show ideas are Zombies and Cheerleaders & Dog with a Blog ----> No, I am NOT kidding!)

I didn't really care for Wizards at first since it was basuically a parody of Harry Potter (almost everything in the show) But I ended up watching Who Will be the Family Wizard AND recording all the Every Wizards ever made (except Frankengirl....I was finalziing a dvd recorder disc of wowp episodes right when it started and didn't get it recorded).

There's ONE show on Nickelodeon I LOVE....and wish Disney could make a show like it,.....House of Anubis. It has mystery, drama, romance and comedy. It does NOT have singing or dancing!

Last Sunday, Disney decided to air all three High School Musical movies.....I would have aired Sports based films since it WAS the Supwer Bowl.....I would have premiered Miracle (the movie about the 1980 hockey team winning the OLympic gold medal), Ice Princess and another sports movie. Disney actually aired THE LION KING last night! Now, if only they would make the effort to make EVERY Saturday NIGHT a MOVIE NIGHT...because usually they just air repeats, repeats, repeats....which gets REPETIVIE!




Oh, and Fish Hooks is horrible and looks like a 5 year old drew the fish. Why Disney would pick up such junk is beyond me!

[jazzflower92]

I grew up with Disney Channel, but not 24 hours a day.....only with free preview weeks and watching the channel while staying at my maternal grandma's house. Disney was a premium channel...my parents refused to pay the extra it would cost. Back then, though, the programming wasn't cheesy and music/dance focused. There were good programs for everyone.....kids, families and adults. Kids had Dumbo's circus and welcome to pooh corner, there were classic walt films for families and adults had some of the late night programming. There were dramatic series like 'Avonlea'. Mickey Mouse Club was the ONLY show with singing and dancing and used unknowns that eventually became stars...later on (Justin Timberlake, Keri Russell, JC Chavez to name a few).

Now Mickey and Friends have been demoted to being for three year olds, every show seems to involve Singing and dancing ALL the TIME/Almost all the time, except Good Luck Charlie and P&F). The ideas for new shows are horrible (new pitched show ideas are Zombies and Cheerleaders & Dog with a Blog ----> No, I am NOT kidding!)

I didn't really care for Wizards at first since it was basuically a parody of Harry Potter (almost everything in the show) But I ended up watching Who Will be the Family Wizard AND recording all the Every Wizards ever made (except Frankengirl....I was finalziing a dvd recorder disc of wowp episodes right when it started and didn't get it recorded).

There's ONE show on Nickelodeon I LOVE....and wish Disney could make a show like it,.....House of Anubis. It has mystery, drama, romance and comedy. It does NOT have singing or dancing!

Last Sunday, Disney decided to air all three High School Musical movies.....I would have aired Sports based films since it WAS the Supwer Bowl.....I would have premiered Miracle (the movie about the 1980 hockey team winning the OLympic gold medal), Ice Princess and another sports movie. Disney actually aired THE LION KING last night! Now, if only they would make the effort to make EVERY Saturday NIGHT a MOVIE NIGHT...because usually they just air repeats, repeats, repeats....which gets REPETIVIE!




Oh, and Fish Hooks is horrible and looks like a 5 year old drew the fish. Why Disney would pick up such junk is beyond me!

I am beginning to think the people who come up with these horrible shows have connections or bribe the people in charge in order to get their cruddy shows on the Disney Channel.

[Semaj]

The problem with The Disney Channel is, even within their main demographic, their programs are highly repetitive and disposable. There was even a time when they put a 65-episode rule on all of their programs, including their successful ones. Their one current program that I pay any attention to is Phineas and Ferb, and due to the obvious challenge, that show had to fight YEARS in development limbo to see the light of day.

There just used to be a time when The Disney Channel had more variety in their programs, when they didn't aim exclusively for the tween girl crowd, and when they educated the public on the Disney heritage on a daily basis. What little they're doing with Mickey Mouse anymore minimize his appeal.

Nowadays, ABC Family is a closer resemblance to the variety DC once had, as they air Disney and Pixar films more frequently than the actual Disney Channel.

[TsWade2]

First of all, I think Fish Hooks is better than Spongebob. Second of all, they need to make a new animated series of Mickey Mouse and friends.

[bugsplat9999]

I am not an expert, and I am new, so if this has already been said then I apologize. IMHO, the DC is afraid of losing its younger audience by playing the older classic films & episodes. There are decisions being made by management that are obviously not influenced by anyone under the age of 30? If the DC wants to try and attract old fans like me over the age of 50... then it would be nice if they brough back something like the Disney Vault or a channel like CineMagic...

The state of cartoons and children's features seem to be heading towards minimal effort animation (like Southpark) and they try to provide shows that are one step below MTV, but still considered PG or G?

There is absolutely no effort to try and attract the older generation to the DC. The effort put into creating the DGC series is minimal.. Many of the execs and Disney could bring back all the old WWoD, P&P and nature/Tru-life series in a heartbeat and make them streams... Many of the old TV series have been put out (like Twilight ZOne, I Love Lucy, etc.) But not Disney? Wjy not? IMO, it is because they want to attract those children between 2-13... After age 13-14, the know they are going to lose them.. So why waste the effort...

But the place where the money is... Is in the older generation and what they decide to do with the g'kids...

I hope they consider ages above 40 as a marketable entity... But alas, if Walt & Roy were still here, they would not want to lost the base that they worked so hard to please... Wasn't it the boomers that gave Disney the start they needed?? WHy abandon us at this stage? Makes no sense at all.

v/r
Chris

[Goliath]

There's ONE show on Nickelodeon I LOVE....and wish Disney could make a show like it,.....House of Anubis. It has mystery, drama, romance and comedy.

Cool, I didn't know there was an American version of that show! 'Het Huis Anubis' is originally a Dutch/Belgian show.

MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE MUST END RIGHT NOW OR ELSE!

Give it a rest already! Your obsession with this issue is beginning to take unhealthy proportions. There's no need to be so hysterical and dramatic about it and posting about it in every. other. thread. is slowly becoming highly annoying.

[TsWade2]

There's ONE show on Nickelodeon I LOVE....and wish Disney could make a show like it,.....House of Anubis. It has mystery, drama, romance and comedy.

Cool, I didn't know there was an American version of that show! 'Het Huis Anubis' is originally a Dutch/Belgian show.

MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE MUST END RIGHT NOW OR ELSE!

Give it a rest already! Your obsession with this issue is beginning to take unhealthy proportions. There's no need to be so hysterical and dramatic about it and posting about it in every. other. thread. is slowly becoming highly annoying.

Sorry. This obsession compulsive disorder is driving me nuts.

[jpanimation]

The Disney Channel criticisms are completely justified. During the 90s, they were dominated by animated programs and original ideas. During the 00s, they were dominated by live action tween sitcoms (usually set in a school environment) and a severe lack of originality (even the few animated programs they had were tween sitcoms, only they would put a spin on it - whether that was making them dragons, crime fighters or fish, it was essentially the same thing).

[slave2moonlight]

Going back several posts, I want to say that Lizzie McGuire shouldn't be blamed for the end of Vault Disney or the change to all tween programming. The only people to blame are those behind the scenes who were more focused on making as much money as possible rather than doing well enough providing something of top quality that would please a wider fanbase. Lizzie McGuire was a very well-done show that could have fit in well with old Disney Channel. I always cite "That's So Raven" as the first of the wave of overly campy and obnoxious Disney Channel comedies, which seem to be all they have now. However, the fault lies with those execs who make decisions to sacrifice quality and founder ideals for the bigger buck. The oldschool (and I mean pre-Lizzie) Disney Channel was something I think Walt would have approved of, though he probably would have wanted everything on there to be Disney-made (which would have been awesome), and it was something that had appeal for all ages. But the bigger bucks are actually in the tween shows, it seems, and this is in no small part due to merchandising. It's sadly starting to affect Cartoon Network now too. Lizzie may have been a test for this stuff, but it's really not fair to foul a high quality show for making them turn to all tween stuff. That's like people blaming Toy Story's success for the wave of CGI animated features we have to deal with today. It's just the narrow-minded vision of the powers that be. They see something successful, and they think they can make a mint by making a million cheaper copies of it, and they are usually right about that. However, it can alienate a lot of their pre-existing fanbase. But, if the numbers are rolling in, they don't care.

Last Sunday, Disney decided to air all three High School Musical movies.....I would have aired Sports based films since it WAS the Supwer Bowl.

Honestly, I think it's better for other channels to air non-sports stuff during the superbowl. I mean, if you like sports or the superbowl, you'll be watching that. I, personally, am not a sports fan. The only sports I can stand to watch are Disney sports movies like The Mighty Ducks, SOME sports comedies (the most ridiculous ones, like Basketball, Waterboy, and The Comebacks), and actual sports when there are attractive female athletes involved (which is rare outside cheerleading competitions). Okay, occasionally I have watched hockey. Very rarely. Anyway, even though I can watch Disney sports movies, I prefer the non-sports ones, and my point is, it makes sense that people not watching the super bowl are less into sports.

I have to agree 100percent with jpanimation on the assessment of school settings in Disney programming, just repeatedly given a new (sometimes very slight) spin. It's so tedious, that I caught on to this and got quickly annoyed by it a LOOOONG time ago when they were doing it on Disney's One Saturday Morning. It started out with cool shows like Darkwing Duck and Buzz Lightyear and so on, but they worked in a lot of those school focused shows gradually, and that's all they do now! But, it started back with stuff like Recess, Pepper Ann, Fillmore, Lloyd in Space, Teacher's Pet, Weekenders, and heck, now that I think about it, even Hercules was one of those kid in school shows! And Emperor's New School! Heck, they actually started turning their shows based on animated features into those same school based shows!

Anyways, to be honest, I can't remember how good Disney Channel was in the 90's right now. All I know is, it was incredible in the early 80's, and then my mom disconnected it for a while, which sucked. We got it back shortly before the Mickey Mouse Club was canceled (the most recent one), whenever that was. I remember there was a super dark period when it was changing to what it is now, and all they showed were reruns, mostly of shows I didn't care for. Stuff like Torkelsons and Smart Guy, and Dinosaurs and Muppets Tonight (those two were okay, but I wasn't in the mood for them), and a few other shows, and that's all they aired during that time! It was sooo disturbing for someone who knew oldschool Disney! And eventually, it became a regular cable channel and started up all the tween stuff... Anyways, the best of the Disney Channel, definitely when it was still fresh in the 80's, and probably for a while in the 90's too.

[Goliath]

[...] But, it started back with stuff like Recess, Pepper Ann, Fillmore, Lloyd in Space, Teacher's Pet, Weekenders, and heck, now that I think about it, even Hercules was one of those kid in school shows! And Emperor's New School!

Recess was different, though, because it wasn't about high school and it certainly wasn't about the typical problems (high) school kids usually go through (in real life or in tv shows). It presented a wholly own, unique mini-universe of all kinds of eccentric characters with their own rules, laws and hierarchy within the school system. I consider it as a very good satire on society, politics and human relationships. In fact, I think kids can't fully appreciate this show because most of the jokes fly right over their heads. Pepper Ann was some sort of typical high school show, but it was the first of its kind when it comes to Disney. Well, there was Doug, but that was a continuation of a non-Disney series and Pepper Ann was distinct enough to justosfy its existence. Plus, it often was hilarious! The other shows you mention: not so much. I tried really hard to like them, but they were just very bad.

[Dr Frankenollie]

^ Agreed. Recess was probably my favourite show on the Disney Channel when I was younger, and I still think it's quite witty.

[Super Aurora]

my favorite Disney Channel show was Disney Inside Out.

[Semaj]

^ Agreed. Recess was probably my favourite show on the Disney Channel when I was younger, and I still think it's quite witty.

I was never that big a fan of Disney's TV cartoons, but Recess was without question one of their best shows ever.

[slave2moonlight]

[...] But, it started back with stuff like Recess, Pepper Ann, Fillmore, Lloyd in Space, Teacher's Pet, Weekenders, and heck, now that I think about it, even Hercules was one of those kid in school shows! And Emperor's New School!

Recess was different, though, because it wasn't about high school and it certainly wasn't about the typical problems (high) school kids usually go through (in real life or in tv shows). It presented a wholly own, unique mini-universe of all kinds of eccentric characters with their own rules, laws and hierarchy within the school system. I consider it as a very good satire on society, politics and human relationships. In fact, I think kids can't fully appreciate this show because most of the jokes fly right over their heads. Pepper Ann was some sort of typical high school show, but it was the first of its kind when it comes to Disney. Well, there was Doug, but that was a continuation of a non-Disney series and Pepper Ann was distinct enough to justosfy its existence. Plus, it often was hilarious! The other shows you mention: not so much. I tried really hard to like them, but they were just very bad.

Ah, I forgot but fully intended to mention that I liked Recess and even a couple of those other shows (Fillmore, Lloyd in Space, definitely Herc and Emperor's New School, and Kim if that show counts), but it still was about kids at school, which was what I was getting at. Good or not, I was getting a bit frustrated, even very early on, that all the shows were about kids at school. There have, of course, always been cartoons about that, I've got Galaxy High in my collection, as an example, but Disney usually had a lot more variety. As for high school vs. grade school or jr. high, that distinction isn't even important to me. Just that they are shows all mostly set at school.

[slave2moonlight]

Okay, so the post below was written by mistake. What I mean was, I was on the wrong page, and I thought I was responding to the newest statements. Anyways, I wrote so much on it, that I'm posting it anyway. I think I was going to write more, but then I saw the mistake I was making...

I honestly never got the love for Lizzie McGuire. I always thought it was as shallow and banal as anything Disney has made since. I think most of the people that find it to be a better show just grew up watching it.

I also don't understand the love for Phineas & Ferb. To me, it's nothing more but an Ed, Edd, n' Eddy rip-off without any of the qualities that made that series so great.

I didn't truly grow up with Lizzie, I was in college at the time, but I still developed a HUGE crush on Hilary Duff. Don't mind admitting it, because it was actually pretty common among 20-somethings, ha. Even Jimmy Fallon admitted to having a crush on her at the time. Not that I ever usually mind admitting to crushing on Disney girls. I have occasionally watched that awful show "Austin and Ally" because the actress who plays Ally is strikingly gorgeous. Though, in this uptight country, it is better to wait till their 18 these days to say anyone is attractive. Sooo technical, but they wouldn't even be cast in those roles is they weren't beautiful.

Anywho, my point is, I didn't "grow up" with Lizzie, but I did crush on her, so of course that also gives me a bias. However, it was still a far better show than anything on Disney today. for one thing, yeah, it wasn't over the top. It was as much drama as it was humor, but that junior high drama over stupid little things (and not the fake kind, at least fake when I grew up, in which all the junior high kids are in hot and heavy relationships, like on a Nick show). In that way, it was a much more realistic show. Not that I feel shows have to be realistic (I don't actually watch any realistic shows), but today their shows are over the top, obnoxious, AND unrealistic, all at the same time. It's like if Santa Clause 3 was a TV Network.

Yeah, the new shows are rather like Cars 2. They are as much about merchandise as making a show. Heck, like the direct to video Disney sequels, they pretty much ARE merchandise. Lizzie was about making a good show, but towards the later half, they did start to test out the "let's make her a pop-star" deal, but that wasn't on the actual show, just on the side. They did do it in the movie though, which was pretty absurd really. In a lot of ways, when Hannah Montana first came on, it seemed like it could have been an idea they had for more seasons of Lizzie to follow the movie, though of course it would have ruined the whole Lizzie McGuire thing. And, as for merchandise, a nice little pile started to come out towards the end of the show, but this stuff came out because the show was popular. It was an afterthought, even if it did pave the way for the future. I had a ton of the merch. I actually wish I could get rid of it now, ha. Though, I will keep my official Lizzie McGuire doll, the one made to look like Hilary, not the cartoon, which is still in the box and everything, and I'll keep a few other items. I do wish the rest of the show would come out to DVD.

Uh, but where was I? In regards to Nick, which folks have mentioned, my problem with that Network's teeny bopper shows was that, and this was clearly related to the fact that MTV owns Nick, or something like that, their tween shows are just so skanky. Well, maybe not now. They seem to be copying Disney more. Maybe it was more Jamie Lynn Spears' show than anything, but that put a bad taste in my mouth. Also the bits I got of Emma Roberts' show. Maybe skanky is a strong word, but I'm a bit put off by junior high shows that are all about dating drama and making out and stuff. I'm sure that's how junior high is now, but when I was in it, only a select handful of kids were doing that stuff. As for Nick's toon stuff, though in later years it looked like some of it I might like, I never have given much of it a chance since I hated the art on the early stuff, especially like Rugrats and Aah! Real Monsters, and stuff like that. Later stuff like Danny Phantom, Avatar, and Spongebob looks better though. I need to check some of it out more thoroughly. I don't have cable when I'm in Austin, but I do watch it when I'm back at my mom's. If I'm not watching my main shows though, I usually have it on Cartoon Network or Disney (my current main shows being Once Upon a Time, Being Human, Napoleon Dynamite, and The Walking Dead, but there are a few others too which I'm just way behind on; the ones I mentioned I make the effort to keep up with online here in Austin).

Incidentally, I actually know some people who won't let their kids watch these Nick and Disney shows, and I can kinda understand it. They are more and more pushing this fantasy world where the kids do what they want when they want, often don't have any parents around, act obnoxious... then the kids watching imitate it. Though, in the end, I feel a parent's real job is not to shield a kid from seeing and hearing stuff, but teach them to deal with it and not let it affect how THEY behave. Then again, I am just about ready to emulate Rumpelstiltskin.

Anyways, continuing. I kinda don't get the love for Phineas and Ferb myself. However, I also never got the love for Ed, Edd, and Eddy. I just found that show sooo obnoxious, and I hated the art too (I mentioned being picky about toon art before, but in truth, most shows have bad art now, *sigh* so I did get used to it). However, to me, Phineas and Ferb is just an overthetop take on Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Plus the annoying stuff about Doofenshmirtz (sp?) and the platypus. I can watch the show, especially if Vanessa is onscreen, but basically I usually wish something else was on. I really miss the repeats of Emperor's New school, Lilo, and Kim Possible, though I have that stuff downloaded, ha. I wish they'd make some new shows of that caliber though, whether based on features or not. Curious to see that TRON show. Is it on yet? Though, I don't have DisneyXD even at my moms, though I guess I can find it online.

[Goliath]

Though, in this uptight country, it is better to wait till their 18 these days to say anyone is attractive. Sooo technical, but they wouldn't even be cast in those roles is they weren't beautiful.

Ha, I totally know what you're talking about! We're on the same page here.

[slave2moonlight]

Ugh, how do I get so many typos these days though! My extreme apologies. Honestly, I think my sister's keyboard is weird. But, that doesn't excuse my typing "their" instead of "they're".

[Goliath]

Ugh, how do I get so many typos these days though! My extreme apologies. Honestly, I think my sister's keyboard is weird. But, that doesn't excuse my typing "their" instead of "they're".

No worries, I completely understood what you were saying and I agree wholeheartedly with it. Too bad you can't send PM's. We should meet in Chat sometimes, maybe get Avaitor there, too. Been a long time I had a talk with "just the guys".