http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=43433742

Is it just me or are the shows put out by Disney these days lacking in quality? I understand that the programs are geared towards children,
but if you look at Disney's output on TV in days gone by, you will
find intelligent family programming. From the old cartoons and specials to the more recent "Disney Afternoon" shows, Disney created content that could be enjoyed by both young and old. I have watched some of the modern shows on the Disney Channel and found them to be almost unwatchable. Bad acting, puerile humor, and plots without substance. Am I alone in this opinion? Are there shows out there that
are decent?

Too candy like for me. Too sugary. Too OMG for me.

Bring back Dumbo's Circus, Welcome to Pooh Corner, and Under the Umbrella Tree or get out.

Yes! They used to have good shows on their lineup like Growing Pains and Boy Meets World. I think Disney may have been the 1st place I saw Growing Pains.

Do fish know how to swim? :mad: :angryfire

IMO, they have the kids on the "new" Disney shows speaking to recklessly to adults, and kissing and talking about dating.... it's like that on Nick. too.

It all went down hill after High School Musical aired. It seemed like everything on Disney and Nick had to incorporate some sort of singing and dancing after that.

http://lifeofananimationstudent.blogspot.com/2011/11/disney-channel-ho%20w-anne-sweeney-is.html

But ever since 2004 when Anne Sweeney ended up being in charge of the channel, it steadily got worse and in 2006, Sweeney was given a task. How do you make Disney Channel viable to Nickelodeon? Since 1992, Nick had been getting more and more viewers, and eventually became the #1 TV network for kids. Since Nickelodeon was getting the most viewership of any channel for kids, what could she do?

Simple: Stop focusing on the DISNEY part of the name, and focus on the CHANNEL. Or even better, stop airing so much stuff related to Disney in general. The Disney Channel isn't supposed to entertain people, it's just there to make money and ratings and is the profit driver for The Walt Disney Company.

The idea Anne had was to change the network from a station dedicated to family oriented programming and stuff actually related to Walt Disney himself, to an MTV for pre-teen girls. Shows such as Hannah Montana (which was terrible, overrated to the exact), Wizards of Waverly Place (another overrated show with Selena Gomez, one of the few tolerable Disney Channel stars today, being the show's only saving grace), and their latest shows such as Shake It Up and A.N.T. Farm all focus on kids either being famous or having a secret. Sounds cool, but... well, we all have seen those kinds of concepts before. It's become too generic, and is unfortunately a formula that works for them now. Sure shows such as Lizzy McGuire and Even Stevens we're aimed at tweens, but the entire family could enjoy them unlike now.

Meanwhile, we're seeing the legacy Walt and his company left probably almost 80 years ago suffer as a whole.

Walt Disney believed that a show or a movie he was involved with should not be aimed at just kids and no one else, he always did projects that both kids and adults could enjoy. This trend made a comeback in the 1990s when Disney had their renaissance. The '90s wasn't just the decade for Disney Animation, it was the decade for animation in general. The Disney Renaissance and the animation industry's comeback seemed to come to an end when Tarzan came out in 1999.

Now, it's pretty rare that you can really watch the classics that made Disney popular outside the internet, and most of the stuff Disney Channel airs now are their own original movies and shows... nothing else! To me, the fact that the classic Disney cartoon shorts with Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and others are stuck on the internet with the channel that bears the Disney name on it not willing to give them another chance on cable TV... my god, it's shocking! Walt is spinning in his grave over this as we speak.

Back when Disney still had its renaissance in the '90s, they still promoted their animated movies very aggressively, especially on Disney Channel, and it was one hell of a good thing for the company. Sure, they had tween shows back then too (Mickey Mouse Club anyone?), but at least it was neither the majority of the channel's programming back then nor the stuff that overshadowed the animated films Disney itself is known for. To me, the decline began back in 2004.

Since the start of Anne Sweeney's reign as Disney Channel's president in 2004, their line-up has been more of a focus on not producing entertainment the whole family or introducing a new generation to the classic Disney movies and shows made when Walt himself was still alive (especially the stuff with Mickey & Pals), but instead making more shows aimed at preteen girls, focusing on a few original shows, and seeing what sticks. It's more in line with MTV and Cartoon Network in sense that the name is in "spirit" only, and it's irritating as a Disney fan and someone who wants to be an animator someday to see this happen to a once great TV network.

Is it just me or are the shows put out by Disney these days lacking in quality? I understand that the programs are geared towards children,
but if you look at Disney's output on TV in days gone by, you will
find intelligent family programming. From the old cartoons and specials to the more recent "Disney Afternoon" shows, Disney created content that could be enjoyed by both young and old. I have watched some of the modern shows on the Disney Channel and found them to be almost unwatchable. Bad acting, puerile humor, and plots without substance. Am I alone in this opinion? Are there shows out there that
are decent?

I agree!!!!!!!!

That's So Raven was the last Disney Channel series I watched. I would rank it as my all time favorite Disney Channel show, just in front of Even Stevens and Lizzie McGuire. It's sad to see what its become.

Forget That's So Raven, Lizzie McGuire and Even Stevens; This is the Disney Channel I miss.

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When I was a kid in the early 80's, I used to watch the free cable previews of The Disney Channel and enjoyed their movies and and cartoons. Now it's nothing more than a marketing warehouse intent to make pop music stars out of its actors and actresses, most that can't even act or sing to begin with. If you've ever seen Saturday Night Live's sketch "Disney Acting School" with Miley Cyrus, that pretty much sums up the channel today in a nutshell.

I watch a lot of the Disney Channel and at first I didn't really like the shows, but now I've really gotten into a few of them. Some are better than others but overall I think they are entertaining and it's nice to be able to watch shows without feeling uncomfortable when the occasional "bad word" or reference to sex arises.

I don't think the quality has went downhill. I like Good Luck Charlie, Jessie, Wizards of Waverly Place, Austin & Allie. Disney is doing better than Nickelodian.

The Disney Channel is one of the largest cable-station-gone-to-hell offenders. It's really quite sad that they went from intelligent, well-designed shows for the whole family to mass produced opiate for the asses (in this case prepubescent girls). Their lineup used to be home to a wide variety of high profile programming and at times they aired some real gems like the classic Disney cartoon shorts.

It's a textbook case of corporate America selling it's soul for larger profits. Disney wins, 13 year old girls win, and who loses - the original audience who appreciates quality television.

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Well said. I imagine Walt is rolling over in his grave.

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Well said. I imagine Walt is rolling over in his grave.

Yeah and the thing with the Disney Channel is that this sea change is merely one part of a larger scheme in a company whose new suits deemed their traditional, more noble business approach as unfit to reap the amount of monies they desired.

Disney's focus was always feature films first, then the theme park(s), then television programming as a support & supplement for the other 2 arms. Dating back to the 50s they poured A LOT of money and resources into television production so the shows were nearly as well done as the films & parks. Even after launching their own channel this basic model stayed. It was wisely decided to showcase classic Disney material, new shows with Disney character spinoffs, and various syndicated shows sharing the same moral fiber - all of these promoting the overall Disney brand of family entertainment.

This business model worked for half a century and brought joy to untold millions of people of all walks of life. In the 2000s, the company's output started seeing a bit of a lull both creatively and financially - this had happened before and was nothing new to Disney. They had ridden out much larger storms before. But this simply wasn't good enough for some newly-instated decision makers at the House of Mouse. It was a perfect opportunity to push an agenda for bigger profits. In doing so, a tested and respected business model was thrown right out the window. They literally pulled a 180 and went the opposite direction by making the television arm their main focus and completely redefining their target audience.

I guess what makes me so irked about Disney is the fact they got away with a great financial scheme and didn't kill their company. Name me one other institution that turns itself on its head and comes out stronger than before.

I stopped watching Disney after Lizzie McGuire ended its run. Since then, it's been nothing but banal slapstick and juvenile "humor". A combination of bad writing and bad acting from no-talent kid stars. Lizzie McGuire was the last Disney original that didn't insult the intelligence of the audience.

I do give credit to Disney for hanging on to their programming, unlike Nickelodeon.

We got the Disney Channel when I was in sixth grade. At that time, they were playing shows like: The Famous Jett Jackson, So Weird, Even Stevens, and, Jersey, and later Lizzie McGuire. I also remember them airing a late night block with old programming such as Zorro and the original Mickey Mouse Club. I watched the Disney Channel regularly for a long time through junior high, high school, even college. I'd call myself a kid at heart, because I always preferred those shows to more adult shows. The last crop of shows I watched somewhat regularly were Hannah Montana, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and Wizards of Waverly place. I think it was probably shortly after I graduated college that I finally stopped watching Disney. If I happen to flip to Disney today, it is practically unrecognizable from what I remember. The acting is so bad and exaggerated. Everyone seems to be shouting and the laugh track is so loud, you can't even hear what a character said in the first place to warrant a laugh. I loved Disney growing up and even in to my late teens and early 20's, but today, it's just unwatchable.

I was extactic when my Cable System announced it was gatting the Disney Channel. I was more than happy to ante up an additional $5.99 a month to watch it. On Sunday Evenings they would play The Wonderful World of Disney and I no longer had to worry about the Sporting Events overrunning their schedule and cutting off the show. :mad: :angryfire

I gave up on them (and all the other Pay TV Channels) a little over five years ago. :rip:

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Well said. I imagine Walt is rolling over in his grave.

It must be hard for him to roll under all that ice! :)


I was wondering why Disney is being singled out here. Yes, it's true that their programming as a whole has declined but then can you not say the same thing for most of the other basic cable, specialty, and digital channels out there in North America? If you go down the list, TV Land seems to be the most popular case on here, but then you also have to look at MTV, Nickelodeon, ESPN, Cartoon Network, and those are just the higher profile cases. I'm sure you can find a lot more examples.

And I don't even want to think about all the rotten channels that I get up here....