Hard to believe that only 10 years ago...

aimster

aimster

Active Member
Original Poster
...Disney Channel was still a pay channel.

I was going through some old video tapes last night and ran across one where I had taped Escape to Witch Mountain and Return from Witch Mountain off Dicney Channel as they were aired back to back. My parents had been Disney Channel subscribers since the 80's, but this happened to be during one of the old free preview weekends back in 1995 (right before Pocahontas came out).

Man Disney Channel showed some excellent quality stuff back then. Remember after 9pm it was programming just for adults? They showed some of the best movies and concert specials. I remember watching The Beatles' "A Hard Days Night" film with my dad one night... and another time they showed David Bowie's "Black Tie, White Noise" special. And then they actually showed stuff during the day like Zorro, Corky & White Shadow, The Swamp Fox... as well as their own original programming like Avonlea, the New Mickey Mouse Club (later renamed MMC), Adventures in Wonderland. And their original movies were really well made back then too. I saw a preview on my tape for The Old Curiousity Shop.

These days... I think Disney Channel sucks. It's nothing but a bazillion episodes in a row of Lizzie Maguire, That's So Raven and Kim Possible. What kid is up at 2 or 3am to watch this stuff? They really need to bring back the nighttime programs for adults. I miss stuff like Vault Disney, when they showed episodes of the old Disneyland, Walt Disney Presents and Wonderful World of Color, Ink & Paint Club, Zorro, the original Mickey Mouse Club, The Mouse Factory (or was that Mouse Works?). I miss the airings of all these cheesy 70's live action films and the animated classics... commercial free. I guess since Disney Channel is not a pay channel anymore, you get exactly what you pay for... nothing.

Sorry for the rant, but this is something that's been bugging me on and off the last few years.
 
Atta83

Atta83

Well-Known Member
Yeah , I remember when the Disney channel had to be paid for. My parents didnt get it but everytime it came on for a free preview we watched it till no tomorrow.....Thats when they had the good shows like MMC and Kids InC. ahhhhh the good old days...
 
E

Erika

Moderator
Shows how out of it I am... I thought it still was a pay channel! (can you tell we don't have cable? :lol: )

I liked the old Disney channel. I haven't really seen much of the new version but it doesn't sound that great!
 
G

General Grizz

New Member
*sigh* I bought my cable box exclusively for Disney Channel (the best thing on the air anywhere, anytime for a number of years).

Ditch the cable box! I don't want Raven half the day, shows that are kid-only, Boy Meets World 24/7, a character show that always involve Pete shutting a club down, Nickelodeon-style toons, or a Hilary Duff/Music Video/half-dressed Kim Possible-mania. Walt Disney (hence the word "Disney") standed against this. . .

Where are the parks? The family? Where did WALT go (right before his birthday)? Since when is "Lady and the Tramp II" a Disney classic and "The Many Adventures Winnie the Pooh" movie a film for kids? How are kids expected to know Mickey Mouse??

*sigh*. . . The only thing the Disney Channel isn't is Disneyesque.
 
stranger

stranger

New Member
My thoughts exactly. I miss the classic Mickey cartoons, shows such as Avonlea and classic movies like Polyanna or Parent Trap.
I don't care to watch Raven or Hillary Duff, either. I understand that Disney is trying to cater to the young tween groups, but don't feel the Disney channel is the appropriate channel for it. I feel that is more for ABC Family or ABC. IMO
 
FigmentJedi

FigmentJedi

Well-Known Member
They showed all sorts of stuff back in the old days, all apealing to the family. They even showed some Godzilla movies(Son of Godzilla annd Godzilla VS Sea Monster) along with some Sesame Street specials like Big Bird In China and don't eat the pictures. They had all sorts of stuff, but now it's all the same teenage crap now. It needs to stop and they need to bring variety back to the channel.
 
E

Erika

Moderator
Tahu said:
They showed all sorts of stuff back in the old days, all apealing to the family. They even showed some Godzilla movies(Son of Godzilla annd Godzilla VS Sea Monster) along with some Sesame Street specials like Big Bird In China and don't eat the pictures. They had all sorts of stuff, but now it's all the same teenage crap now. It needs to stop and they need to bring variety back to the channel.
Click to expand...

Big Bird In China! I loved that movie! :sohappy: There was another one, too, where he goes to the museum and meets a boy from ancient Egypt. I can't remember the name of that one.
 
aimster

aimster

Active Member
Original Poster
You know, even if I was a mamber of the Tween audience Disney Channel is catering to these days, I wouldn't bother watching what they air. Then again, when I was 12 I was listening to music like The Cure, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Def Leppard and The Beatles.
 
FigmentJedi

FigmentJedi

Well-Known Member
Erika said:
Big Bird In China! I loved that movie! :sohappy: There was another one, too, where he goes to the museum and meets a boy from ancient Egypt. I can't remember the name of that one.
Click to expand...
That one was Don't Eat the Pictures, which took place in the Museum of Metropolitan Art in NYC.
 
surfsupdon

surfsupdon

Well-Known Member
We also solely bought the cable box just for the Disney Channel. I remember the excitement pre cable box when a free preview w/e was on and all the hoopla my sister and I went through b/c we had Disney Channel!

Boo to them now!! And adios to that cable box.
 
F

Fossil

New Member
Do any of you remember when the Disney Channel aired Ocean Girl, Flash Foward, Avonlea, and Spellbinder? I loved those shows. I wish they would bring them back.
 
aimster

aimster

Active Member
Original Poster
Fossil said:
Do any of you remember when the Disney Channel aired Ocean Girl, Flash Foward, Avonlea, and Spellbinder? I loved those shows. I wish they would bring them back.
Click to expand...
Of course I do. I even mentioned Avonlea in my initial post.
 
Figment1986

Figment1986

Well-Known Member
I remember premium Disney... (It was that or HBO... so i got Disney..)

My mom got it just cause she knew it was worth it for me...

I would watch it untill the older kids shows got on, then i would change the channel untill latter and watch...

I remember a show, i forget it's name but i thought New Kids on the block was on it... i may be wrong... it was after my usual. pooh corner, fraggle rock, and a few others... right after MMC.....
 
angel

angel

New Member
I remember when we got the cable box, and I remember watching most of these shows, especially when I was sick and home from school. Now the Disney channel isn't even worth watching at all (we got rid of our cable box years ago, before all of this "tween" stuff. My grandparents have it as a regular cable channel.)
 

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