ABC's One Saturday Morning – The Rise and Fall of a Saturday Classic

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From 1997 to the early 2000s, ABC’s One Saturday Morning was a magical block of cartoons and live-action segments that transformed weekends for millions of kids. With a surreal setting, unforgettable characters, and an iconic lineup of shows like Recess, Pepper Ann, The Weekenders, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, and House of Mouse, it wasn’t just television—it was an experience.

In this video, we take a deep dive into the history, development, and legacy of ABC’s One Saturday Morning, including detailed breakdowns of each of its most popular shows, the creative minds behind them, and how Disney revolutionized weekend programming for a generation.

If you grew up in the late '90s or early 2000s, this one’s for you.

TIMESTAMPS

• 00:00 INTRO
• 02:42 RECESS
• 04:16 PEPPER ANN
• 05:26 THE WEEKENDERS
• 06:26 SABRINA: THE ANIMATED SERIES
• 07:24 LLOYD IN SPACE
• 08:23 TEACHER’S PET
• 09:20 DISNEY'S DOUG
• 10:10 BUZZ LIGHTYEAR OF STAR COMMAND
• 11:20 THE NEW ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE POOH
• 12:23 THE BUGS BUNNY AND TWEETY SHOW
• 13:19 MICKEY MOUSE WORKS
• 14:13 HOUSE OF MOUSE
• 15:08 DISNEY’S HERCULES: THE ANIMATED SERIES
• 16:15 101 DALMATIANS: THE SERIES
• 17:11 THE LEGEND OF TARZAN
• 18:13 JUNGLE CUBS
• 19:11 TRANSITION TO ABC KIDS
• 20:02 OUTRO

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5 HOURS OF SUMMER ONCE A WEEK!

One Saturday Morning, Disney’s One Too, and ABC Kids were very memorable blocks in their own right, even though Disney also had The Disney Channel. With different hosts including Charlie, Phil, Uncanny Manny, Meme and Jelly Roll, as well as all of the interstitials created for the block.

From the factory of One Saturday Morning, where Saturday Mornings are made, to the fields of the ABC Stadium, today I’ll be taking a trip with you through the timeline of One Saturday Morning and ABC Kids from 1997-2011.

What shows do you remember watching on the block?

Is there a certain Era you remember watching?

**ALL DATES IN THE VIDEO REFER TO THE SHOWS ORIGINAL AIR DATE**

Video Chapters

• 0:00 - 1:07 INTRO
• 1:08 - 5:14 1996
• 5:15 - 8:23 1997
• 8:24 - 11:06 1998
• 11:07 - 12:47 1999
• 12:48 - 14:24 Disney’s One Too
• 14:25 - 15:59 2000
• 16:00 - 17:36 2001
• 17:37 - 18:46 2002 DOSM
• 18:47 - 21:02 2002 ABC KIDS
• 21:03 - 22:34 2003
• 22:35 - 24:21 2004
• 24:22 - 26:09 2005
• 26:10 - 28:14 2006
• 28:15 - 29:20 2007-2011
• 29:21 - 30:30 OUTRO

Over the span of 14 years, Disney delivered a lot of fun shows for ABC Saturday mornings and weekday afternoons, be they new and original or just reruns of various Disney Channel shows.

Chapters:

• 0:00:00 Introduction
• 0:02:24 Preamble to Construction
• 0:08:40 The Insides of Disney's One Saturday Morning & One Too
• 0:22:37 One Too's development
• 0:23:53 One Too Premieres
• 0:24:57 Schedule Change-ups
• 0:28:05 Drop-in Visitors, Decline & Revamp
• 0:36:06 First Outro
• 0:37:05 First Credits/Segway
• 0:39:21 Second Intro
• 0:41:34 Construction of the Stadium
• 0:45:38 The Main Events of ABC Kids
• 0:56:26 New Party, Stagnation and Shutdown
• 1:03:41 Second Outro
• 1:04:47 Second Credits

A historic look at Disney's One Saturday Morning (1997-2002) and it's apprentice, ABC Kids (2002-2011). I explain how it began, the different shows, the transition from One Saturday Morning to ABC Kids, and how it all ended. I can't believe there's only ONE tribute video on YouTube for this amazing block.

Info that didn't fit:

• I should've made bigger note of the massive publicity One Saturday Morning got before airing, with a live show at Disney-MGM Studios, a cassette tape, books, and commercials, as well as a special airing on TGIF in 1998.
• VHS and DVD also played a part in Saturday morning cartoons dwindling, but I wouldn't make it as a big a deal as the Internet.
• Hard to believe, but in 2011, the Internet really wasn't as prevalent. It was everywhere, but not extremely accessible for EVERYONE, it would still take another 3 years for that to happen, especially with video. I think ABC cut their programming block early out of laziness.
• Except...it wasn't just laziness. I never really went into ad revenue during the video...but that definitely factored in. A lot.
• Power Rangers was going to be killed by Disney a number of times, but producers kept it alive by taking massive cuts. At one point, Disney was thinking of using Super Sentai footage and dubbing everything rather than filming new footage. They
• said Power Rangers "didn't fit their brand." However, I think they really forgot about it existing in the Iger-era, because if parents were really complaining about violence, then explain how Disney owns Lucasfilm and Marvel.

With 1 Saturday Morning floundering, ABC's Saturday morning line-up needed a refresh, and ABC Kids was just that... until it wasn't.

Chapters:

• 00:00 Intro
• 02:13 Consruction of the Stadium
• 06:17 The Main Events of ABC Kids
• 17:07 New Party, Stagnation and Shutdown
• 24:19 Outro
• 25:22 Credits

Two kids' blocks that've left their marks in many people's childhood memories and hearts.

Chapters:

• 0:00:00 Intro
• 0:01:10 Subscribe Tag
• 0:01:28 Origins & Construction of the Block
• 0:06:36 The Insides of 1 Saturday Morning
• 0:14:37 1 Too
• 0:16:08 Various Changes
• 0:18:49 Decline & Closure
• 0:24:25 Conclusion/Credits

Remember Disney's One Saturday Morning? That awesome Saturday morning block that aired in the late 90’s and early 2000’s? Well...I made a video about it. Watch to learn more about the birthplace of classic cartoons such as Recess, Pepper Ann, and The House of Mouse!

Who remembers watching Disney's One Saturday Morning and ABC Kids from 1997 through 2011? The Walt Disney Company in 1984 created the division of Walt Disney's Television Animation to specialize in making animated Disney TV shows.

This is where we got The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Adventures of the Gummi Bears, Darkwing Duck, Goof Troop, 101 Dalmatians: The Series, Doug, Pepper Ann, Recess, Jungle Cubs, Hercules: The Animated Series, Teacher's Pet, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Lilo and Stitch The Series, Emperors New School, and many more!

Today on Day 1 of 25 Days of Disney, we will dive into the rise and fall of Disney Saturday mornings. Why did a company that had so many good original animated television shows tank in the end? Why were so many Disney Channel reruns of Hannah Montana, Suite Life of Zach and Cody, and That's So Raven shown on ABC Kids?

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• ABC Kids (TV programming block)
  
• Disney's One Saturday Morning - Disney Wiki - Fandom
  
• Disney's One Saturday Morning site:www.reddit.com
  
• How did One Saturday Morning hold next to Disney Afternoon?
  
• One Saturday Morning and ABC Kids (Creator)
  
• ONE SATURDAY, 20 YEARS

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Over the course of 21 years, Disney brought some of the best animated shows for both ABC Saturday mornings and weekday afternoons in syndication, with The Disney Afternoon, One Saturday Morning/One Too and ABC Kids.

Note: this supercut is reflective of when each respective video was made. As such, I apologize for the fluctuating audio levels.