Why No Classics on Disney Channel?

[ToTBellHop]

So, tonight on Disney Channel, they showed Mulan, and it got me thinking--why don't they play the classics anymore. Mulan is nice and I like the Even Stevens Movie just as much as the next guy, but I really wish instead of playing Cadet Kelly or Xenon again, they'd play something I'd actually watch--like Aladdin, The Lion King, or Beauty and the Beast. Is Disney really so insistent that you buy these films on DisneyDVD that they have to play their far-less-inventive Disney Channel Originals like Smart House at least twice a month?

I'm pretty sure the kiddies, teenagers, and adults-alike still like Aladdin--they deny it in high school, but just about every college student I know is willing to admit he/she loves movies like Aladdin...

 

[CaptainMichael]

I'm pretty sure the kiddies, teenagers, and adults-alike still like Aladdin--they deny it in high school, but just about every college student I know is willing to admit he/she loves movies like Aladdin...

It's amazing how much things change between high school and college. It's like night and day sometimes.


I'd think that Disney would do well to show the classics on TV to get people (kids) familiar with and more eager to have them.:shrug:

 

[rbrower]

Alice in Wonderland is coming on the Disney Channel on Sunday.
Plus, I think that they often play original Disney Classics on the Toon Disney channel more often. I hope that you find what you are looking for!

 

[Shaman]

Occasionally Disney does play some its movies...of course I'm sure it depends on whether the film in question is out of DVD at the time. But I agree, maybe they should do it more often.

 

[prberk]

They are too interested in "branding"... which, for the "Disney" Channel means programming that some marketing people have decided fits the demographic that they have decided the channel is for... 10 - 15 -year olds.

They took the classics off when they made this decision. Google search the topic and you will find quotes from the executives saying this. My favorite is when they promoted the new ABC executive (from Disney channels) to program the network a few years ago. I forgot her name, but when asked about her inexperience with programming a general interest network, she said something like, "I don't know much about programming, but I do know how to create a brand."

At another point, when "Disney" Channel decided to drop the classic programming (old Disney films, Mickey Mouse Club, Spin and Marty, Walt Disney Presents, etc.) from the late night "Vault Disney" schedule, another executive explained that the channel was world-wide and that its target demographic was 13 years old. He said something like, "We need to serve the thirteen-year-olds around the world, no matter when they tune in around the clock." Thus, Raven repeats throughout the night.

The only exception is "Playhouse Disney" during the morning... which itself was set up, according to Eisner at a shareholders meeting, to be a programming block that they wanted to use to "build a brand" for a new channel aimed at preschoolers.

So, the "Disney" channel is no longer about Disney. It is about "creating the Disney brand"... for a certain demographic... they way the executives think it works.

Paul

 

[ToTBellHop]

creating a brand is fine, and the shows on Disney Channel are amusing--except when they decide to play That's So Raven 4 times a day--the show only has 100 episodes so after about 3 weeks of Disney Channel, you will have seen every episode of every show (if you have no life outside of Disney Channel), and then it's all re-runs.

Yale, unfortunately, doesn't give us Toon Disney...I just figured 13-year olds would still like The Lion King and Aladdin...I did when I was 13.

 

[prberk]

creating a brand is fine, and the shows on Disney Channel are amusing--except when they decide to play That's So Raven 4 times a day--the show only has 100 episodes so after about 3 weeks of Disney Channel, you will have seen every episode of every show (if you have no life outside of Disney Channel), and then it's all re-runs.

Yale, unfortunately, doesn't give us Toon Disney...I just figured 13-year olds would still like The Lion King and Aladdin...I did when I was 13.

I think you are exactly right. I think it is just the marketing gurus at Disney who don't get it. They find one formula and take it WAY too far...

 

[mousermerf]

1 Word: TiVo

 

[sbkline]

I find it somewhat odd and amusing that the OP cited such movies as Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King as "Classics". :ROFLOL:

When I think of "classics" in terms of Disney, I'm thinking of Snow White, Cinderella, old Mickey and Donald cartoons, live action movies such as "The Apple Dumpling Gang", etc. And yes, I totally agree, I wish the Disney Channel would actually put more Disney shows on. Even as a 32 year old, I have to admit I like Suite Life of Zach and Cody and Hannah Montana, and to a lesser extent, Raven. But to me, those shows just aren't "Disney". I want the old Disney channel back that I used to see when I was 11 or 12. When I could turn the TV on and watch classic Donald Duck cartoons, or the Parent Trap movies (not the Lindsay Lohan version), etc. Heck, I've even flipped through Toon Disney and that channel is more pathetic than a pile of rotting dog poo. In a 24 hour slot, I may find one show such as Mulan or something, but the rest of it is pathetic crap probably no older than 5 years old. If that is the kind of stuff that they are going to show on both of these channels, then I wish they would make a third Disney Channel called "Disney Classics" or something, where we could find the true Disney classics.

 

[k.hunter30]

I find it somewhat odd and amusing that the OP cited such movies as Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King as "Classics". :ROFLOL:

Me too! and I'm still rather "young!" :lol:



I can say that, right...? I'm still young...?:lookaroun

 

[mary219]

i have tried to get my kids interested in disney classics,other than the lion king,they could care less.well,maybe the little mermaid for the girls when they were around 4.But at least the original disney channel shows are clean enough to watch with your kids.its hard to find things on television that doesnt have at least one cringe moment (usually a lot more).

 

[Nicole220]

So, tonight on Disney Channel, they showed Mulan, and it got me thinking--why don't they play the classics anymore. Mulan is nice and I like the Even Stevens Movie just as much as the next guy, but I really wish instead of playing Cadet Kelly or Xenon again, they'd play something I'd actually watch--like Aladdin, The Lion King, or Beauty and the Beast. Is Disney really so insistent that you buy these films on DisneyDVD that they have to play their far-less-inventive Disney Channel Originals like Smart House at least twice a month?

I'm pretty sure the kiddies, teenagers, and adults-alike still like Aladdin--they deny it in high school, but just about every college student I know is willing to admit he/she loves movies like Aladdin...

My three favorite Disney movies! I'm in high school and will admit to liking Disney movies, and I know many people who would as well.

I would like to see the classics back on Disney Channel, I've grown out of the dumb Disney Channel Origionals. I got excited when I heard that the Disney channel is playing Alice and Wonderland on Sunday.

I know the target age of the Disney Chanel is around 9-13, so putting the Disney Channel Origionals on is a good thing. However, I think they should play a Disney Classic once a week, like Sunday nights.

Someone mentioned this earlier, but I also miss the old tv shows they played on the Disney Channel. I loved Ocean Girl, Care Bears, My Little Pony, Duck Tales, Tale Spin, and the Rescue Rangers!! The Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, etc. cartoons were the best! I still have fun watching those! I feel like kids are getting riped off with the shows they have on these days, they are a bunch of crap in my mind (this doesn't just apply to the Disney Channel).

 

[ToTBellHop]

Aladdin, BatB, and The Lion King are classics to me! They came out before Disney Channel's "target audience" was even born. I could not imagine growing up on such greats as Dinosaur and Home on the Range...poor kids. It is our duty as Americans to expose our kids to the REAL classics, like Ducktales (wooo ooo).

 

[sbkline]

Aladdin, BatB, and The Lion King are classics to me! They came out before Disney Channel's "target audience" was even born. I could not imagine growing up on such greats as Dinosaur and Home on the Range...poor kids. It is our duty as Americans to expose our kids to the REAL classics, like Ducktales (wooo ooo).

You're REALLY making me feel old! :ROFLOL:Those movies came out when I was in High school and it's hard for me to imagine anything that recent being a "classic".

 

[Nicole220]

You're REALLY making me feel old! :ROFLOL:Those movies came out when I was in High school and it's hard for me to imagine anything that recent being a "classic".

They are classics to me as well! How can they not be? I think most of the movies up to Lion King can be considered classics.

 

[Nicole220]

Aladdin, BatB, and The Lion King are classics to me! They came out before Disney Channel's "target audience" was even born. I could not imagine growing up on such greats as Dinosaur and Home on the Range...poor kids. It is our duty as Americans to expose our kids to the REAL classics, like Ducktales (wooo ooo).

Amen to that!

 

[erasure fan1]

Ill tell you what I miss, Mousterpiece theater! The Disney channel is just a shell of what it was when I was a kid. Why dont they take a page from nick at night and that could be when they play "classic Disney". Just a thought.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Do you think in 15 years, people will long for the days of "classics" like Home on the Range and Treasure Planet? I'm personally hoping it'll be more like "Home on the Range what what?"

 

[Nicole220]

Do you think in 15 years, people will long for the days of "classics" like Home on the Range and Treasure Planet? I'm personally hoping it'll be more like "Home on the Range what what?"

No to the first, and yes to the second.

 

[mharrington]

I'm guessing having classic movies on the Disney Channel is bad for the DVD industry. They want you to pay for the privilege of watching classics instead of allowing you to watch them on TV for free.