| Revision as of 20:59, 23 February 2006 view source24.225.138.64 (talk) →The 1980s← Previous edit | Revision as of 20:59, 23 February 2006 view source 24.225.138.64 (talk) →The 1990sNext edit → | ||
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| ==The 1990s== | |||
| Disney premiered '']'', a '90s update of ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' which featured as cast members, ], ] and most notably ], ] and ]. ''MMC'' lasted until 1993. | |||
| Disney also aired its own production of ''Avonlea'' from 1993 to 1996. | |||
| In 1997, Disney premiered a sitcom (Disney's first Canadian import) called '']'' that starred ] and ] as two teens who were best friends (and next door neighbors) since childhood and also chronicled their own friends and family. The series lasted until 1999. | |||
| Disney premiered a couple of game shows during the late 1990s including a television version of the Parker Brothers game '']''. | |||
| Disney's Original Series really began developing in the late '90s with the series '']''. Seen by many as sort of a version of '']'' for younger viewers, ''So Weird'' premiered in early 1999 and starred ] as Fiona Phillips (usually referred to as Fi by her friends and family), who always investigated the supernatural. Her brother didn't really believe in the supernatural however but his friend Clu (]) and his brother Carey (]) became part of Fi's journey's. | |||
| After the show's second season, DeLizia left the series for unknown reasons, (her character had apparently wanted to live a "normal" life after investigating the supernatural most of her life) she did appear in one last episode and ] joined the series as Annie Thelen, who continued Fi's investigations of the supernatural. Annie's (and Alexz Johnson's) singing talents were explored on a few occasions during her run on the series. The show one of only two Disney Channel Original Series not to feature a "nuclear family" as Fi's rock star mom Molly (]) was a widow. | |||
| Disney also premiered ''The Famous Jett Jackson'' in 1999. The series starred ] as the title character, a teenager who starred in the action series ''Silverstone'', a show-within-a-show about a teenage secret agent. Jett wanted to live a normal life away from Hollywood but wanted to keep doing the show, so he (and ''Silverstone'') moved to Jett's old hometown, (the fictional) Wilsted, ]. The pilot showed how much of a celebrity Jett was in his hometown as he had to outrun a mob of fans. He reconnected with his cop father (]), his grandmother (]) and his best friend (]). He also made a new friend in Kayla (], no relation to Hilary Duff of ''Lizzie McGuire''). Jett also kept in touch with his mother (]) back in L.A., who visited Jett in Wilsted on occasion. The show featured some guest appearances by Britney Spears and ]. The series lasted until 2002 and in the same year, the series became the first Disney series to have a movie version titled ''Jett Jackson: The Movie'', appropriately enough. | |||
| ==The 2000s== | ==The 2000s== | ||
Revision as of 20:59, 23 February 2006
Disney Channel is known for its original series. The following is a summary of original series from the Channel's 20+ year history.
The 2000s
Disney Channel's first Original Series in the 21st Century was The Jersey, a series about a group of four teens (played by Michael Galeote, Courtnee Draper, Theo Greenly and Jermaine Williams) who form the Monday Night Football Club. Nick (Galeota) is given his late grandfather's old football jersey. When he puts in on, suddenly, he finds out the jersey had the ability to transport him (or anybody) into the bodies of sports celebrities. His friends and cousin Morgan didn't believe him at first until they transported themselves. They transported into the bodies of such sports stars as Junior Seau, Lisa Leslie and John Elway. They kept the secret of the jersey a secret however in season three, Nick's sister (Breanne Prather) wound up finding out about the jersey's secret. The series lasted until August 2002.
In a Heartbeat was about a group of teens who worked as EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians). The series has the unfortunate distinction of being Disney's shortest-lived series lasting only 20 episodes. The series premiered in 2000, and was Disney Channel's last original drama series.
In June 2000, Disney premiered Even Stevens, a series which despite its slapstick comedy was popular with some critics. It was even more popular among viewers. The series starred Shia LeBeouf and Christy Carlson Romano (no relation to Ray Romano) as siblings Louis and Ren Stevens. Louis is a class clown and gets into a lot of sticky situations that usually get him into a lot of trouble. Ren was a perfectionist, who was Student of the Week for 15 weeks straight as mentioned in one episode. However in some episodes, Ren was revealed to be not so perfect on occasion. A movie version of the series called The Even Stevens Movie premiered in August 2003, only a few months after the show's final episode aired. The series won a Daytime Emmy in 2003 for Best Children's Television Program.
In January 2001, Lizzie McGuire made its debut. The series starred Hilary Duff as the title character, who was trying to get through junior high school and deal with her family including bratty brother Matt (Jake Thomas). Executive producer Stan Rogow says that the visual look of the show was partly inspired by the movie Run Lola Run. The series is best noted for an animated version of the Lizzie character (voiced by Duff) who tells the audience what Lizzie's really thinking. The series became Disney's first major hit series, its rebroadcasts continue to garner good ratings.
In November of the same year, Disney premiered its first original animated series (outside of the Playhouse Disney lineup), The Proud Family. The series was also Disney's first series focusing on African-American characters. The series focused on the Prouds, a family living in the suburbs (the show's actual location is unknown). The family consists of 14-year-old Penny (voiced by Kyla Pratt), her father, Oscar (voiced by Tommy Davidson), who is the owner of Proud Snacks, a company which makes snack foods which the characters agree is terrible. Matriarch Trudy (voiced by Paula Jai Parker), Penny's siblings, twins Bebe and Cece and Suga Mama (voiced by JoMarie Payton) and her dog Puff. The series also focuses on Penny's friends including Dijonay (voiced by Karen Malina White), Sticky (voiced by Orlando Brown) and rival LaCieniga (voiced by Alisa Reyes).
In June 2002, Disney premiered another animated series, Kim Possible, a series about a teenager (voiced by Christy Carlson Romano) who by day is a normal teenager but also moonlights as a superhero. Her best friend/sidekick Ron (who is one of very few people in Kim's life who knows she's a crimefighter and voiced by Will Friedle) "helps" Kim in the missions. Tagging along with Kim and Ron is Ron's pet naked mole rat Rufus (voiced by Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson on The Simpsons) and tech wiz Wade (voiced by Tahj Mowry). Two movie versions of the series were made, only one of which is considered a Disney Channel Original Movie. The series is one of two DCOS to surpass the 65 episode mark.
In January 2003, Disney premiered what would be its most popular series That's So Raven. Originally called Absolutely Psychic, the series focuses on the life of Raven Baxter (Raven-Symone), a teenager who possesses psychic abilities which are limited mainly to allow her to see into the future. She tries to prevent her visions from coming true and accidentally makes them come true. One such example is in "Art Breaker", when Raven has a vision that a statue made to look like her as an actual Raven made by her best friend Chelsea gets knocked over, only a couple of seconds after she has the vision, she accidentally knocks it over. The series also focuses on Raven's friends Chelsea (Anneliese van der Pol) and Eddie Orlando Brown, Raven's brother Cory (Kyle Massey) and her parents Tanya and Victor (T'Keyah Crystal Keymah and Rondell Sheridan).
The series is very popular in the U.S. and other countries around the world. The series will be one of onlt two Disney Channel series to produce and air 100 episodes. The fourth (and final season) will begin in March.
The series has numerous merchandise including video games, a clothing line and even a makeup line.
During 2003 and 2004, Disney Channel premiered several original animated series, including Dave the Barbarian, Lilo & Stitch: The Series and Brandy and Mr. Whiskers.
In July 2004, Disney Channel premiered the series Phil of the Future. The series starred Ricky Ullman as Phil Diffy, a 15-year-old from the year 2121, who with his family gets stuck in the 21st century after their time machine breaks down. Having to adjust to living in an era, where food doesn't come in spray cans, they try to keep "present-dayers" as they refer to those in the 21st century from finding out they're from the 22nd century. Phil becomes a best friend to "present-dayer" Keely Teslow (Alyson Michalka). During the second season, however, there were numerous clues that Keely and Phil both had crushes on each other which led to some very awkward moments between the two. Phil's sister Pim (Amy Bruckner) is a troublemaker who has a dream of world domination as clued in a few episodes. Lloyd and Barbara (Craig Anton and Lise Simms, respectively) try to adapt to 21st century life. Lloyd is kind of a kid at heart and is very paranoid about people finding out they are from another century. The Diffys have a caveman, who stowed away in their time machine and lives in their garage which they name Curtis (J.P. Manoux, who also plays Mr. Hackett).
When the series ends sometime in the spring or summer of 2006, 45 episodes will have been broadcast, making it one of Disney Channel's shortest-lived Original Series.
2005 was a big year for Disney Channel Original Series. In January, Disney premiered American Dragon: Jake Long, a series about a teen who has the ability to change into a dragon.
In March, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody launched. It stars twins Cole Sprouse and Dylan Sprouse as Zack and Cody Martin, who live in a suite in the fictional Tipton Hotel in Boston with their mother, Carey (Kim Rhodes) who is a singer at the Tipton. Zack has a crush on candy counter girl Maddie Fitzpatrick (Ashley Tisdale), who is also he and Zack's babysitter. Maddie has an unusual friendship with the hotel's heiress, London Tipton (Brenda Song). Marion Moseby (Phill Lewis) is the hotel's manager who is bewildered by Zack and Cody's antics. The series is currently the #2 most watched series on Disney Channel.
Disney premiered two new Original Series in the summer of 2005 with the animated series The Buzz on Maggie about a "pre-teen" fly who tries has a passion for rock and the Canadian import Naturally, Sadie about a intelligent teenager named Sadie Hawthorne (Charlotte Arnold) who tries to deal with people including brother Hal and her friends.
In September, Life with Derek (Disney's third original series produced in Canada, the second produced with Canada's Family Channel) premiered. It stars Michael Seater as Derek, who becomes part of one new family when his mother marries the father of Casey (Ashley Leggat).
Disney's most recent original series is The Emperor's New School, a animated series based on the 2000 movie The Emperor's New Groove that premiered in February. One noticable difference from the movie and is sequel Kronk's New Groove is the voice of Emporor Kuzco. He was voiced by David Spade in the movies, however Kuzco is voiced by Phil of the Future]] 's J.P. Manoux in this series.
In March 2006, Disney is premiering a new comedy series, Hannah Montana.
See also
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