So after watching Gravity Falls to the nth degree, and getting excited over Wander Over Yonder, I decided to make a thread/topic dedicated to talking about other Disney Channel original animated shows, as well as voting for which one is your favorite!
...In practice, this turned out to be a LOT harder then it seemed at first. One one hand, Disney channel is FLOODED with with live-action sitcoms, most of which are either teen or high school dramas, or just really dumb. Or both. As such, it was hard to me to tell if a certain show was an animated show or another one of these kinds of show. Once I ironed that out, it turns out there were actually a small number of original animated shows on the Disney Channel. Then, on the other hand, it was hard to figure out just which ones were Disney Channel originals or just shows made BY Disney that happened to air on the Disney Channel...
So I decided "screw it", and came up with a relatively arbitrary list of shows that supposedly debuted or is connected to the Disney Channel (some of them were primarily shown on Disney XD, which was formerly Toon Disney). There were quite a few shows that I think should be more well known and worth mentioning, so I decided to include them on this list. Anyway, without further ado, I'm going to list off the shows in chronological order (I hope) and talk about my impressions on them. Starting with:
The Proud Family (September 15, 2001 - December 31, 2005): Disney Channel's first animated original series. You all remember this show, right? A sitcom about family of African-Americans; Penny Proud, a 14-year-old who gets into trouble even though she's probably one of the more responsible characters in the series, Oscar Proud, Penny's father who owns and runs a snack company that no one likes and acts pretty immature for his age, Trudy Proud, Penny's mother and probably the most reasonable and level-headed character in the series, BeBe & CeCe, Penny's twin infant siblings, and Sugar Mama, Oscar's mother with a sassy attitude and a pet poodle named Puff. There are also other characters, such as Penny's friends, Dijonay, Zoey, and LaCienega, the Proud family's next-door neighbors, the Boulevardez's, of whom LaCienega is the daughter, who has a grandfather called Papi, whom Sugar Mama loves, but he doesn't, and insults her in Spanish so she can't tell (and follows up with his trademark cackle), and many more where that came from. If there's one thing I remember about the series, it's that it's a predominantly Black cast, which I appreciate now more then ever. What I like even more, though, was that unlike shows like Static Shock, which also had a core case of Black actors but divulged into the race angle a bit too much and became "anvilicious" over time, The Proud Family touched on the race angle a few times, but otherwise wasn't much of an issue... nor do I think there SHOULD be that much of an issue. I mean, sure, you can touch on it once or twice, it IS a surprisingly still relevant problem in certain places in the world, but otherwise, let's try not to make a big deal about it, because really, it SHOULDN'T be a big deal at this point... Anyway, I remember quite a few episodes, though it was never one of my favorites. It certainly did make me laugh a lot, especially when Oscar always got the butt of everything, and often deserved it.
Kim Possible (June 7, 2002 - September 7, 2007): Okay, here we go; probably the definitive Disney Channel animated series that everyone knows about! Kim Possible is a seemingly normal teenager, who fights crime and evil-doers alongside her sidekick and best friend, Ron Stoppable (and his pet naked mole rat, Rufus), all while balancing that out with attending high school and being cheerleading captain. She faces off against an impressive "rogue's gallery" of villains, most prominently Dr. Drakken and his hyper-competent sidekick Shego. I remember watching it and liking it when it was on the air, but was never a big-time fan of it. It definitely had it's moments, and I liked a lot of the action, but it's attempts at humor fell short for me... as did certain "dramatic" moments. I think the funniest stuff from the show involved addressing certain cliches of the genre, as well as the villains themselves, all of whom had some kind of gimmick. Not to mention, this show is practically "I Know That Voice" the TV show, as a lot of characters had some big-name voice actors and/or comedians behind them. Next time you're watching the show, listen to the character's voice and try to guess who it is.
Lilo & Stitch: The Series (September 20, 2003 - July 29, 2006): You remember the Disney movie Lilo & Stitch, right? Fun memorable movie, more then what it seemed at first glance. Well, this TV show is basically a continuation of that movie, though I think the movie was better and probably more interesting. Basically, the story goes that the rest of Jumba's experiments have escaped (remember, Stitch is experiment 626) and Lilo, Stitch and co have to find them all... Or something like that. Never really paid all that much attention to this series. It was cute, but kind of eh... Apparently, they did a crossover with The Proud Family at one point. Isn't that weird?
Dave the Barbarian (January 23, 3004 - January 22, 2005): Now THIS series I watched all the time back when it was on! I don't know if I've seen every episode, but I've probably seen the vast majority of them (which isn't that hard, since there are only 21 episodes spanning over 1 season), and I LOVED it! Dave is the beefy but wimpy "barbarian" son of the king and queen of the land of Udrogoth, who left to defeat all the evil in the world, leaving Candy, Dave's older sister, the ruler while they're gone. There's also Dave's younger sister, Fang, his sorcerer uncle Oswidge, Faffy, the family's pet dragon, and Lula, Dave's sassy talking enchanted sword. together they (barely) protect the land of Udrogoth fromt he forces of evil, including Quosmir, the god of freshly laundered trousers, Ned Frischman, a nerd from 1994 who tries to take over the world by having the people of the past get addicted to video games, and probably the series' main antagonist, the Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy! ...Yeah, the series is just as ridiculous as it sounds. And it was awesome! Too bad it didn't last that long.
Brandy & Mr. Whiskers (August 21, 2004 August 25, 2006): This show APPEARS to be cut from the same mold as Dave the Barbarian, being mostly just weird and, dare I say, "zany", though I don't recall it being as good, or at least, not as appealing to me. Basically, Brandy's a prim and pampered pooch who's on her way to a spa via aricraft when she meets Mr. Whiskers, a goofy, immature rabbit who was going to be sold to a zoo for 39 cents, when they're suddenly dropped from the plan and land in the middle of a jungle, where they have to learn to warm up to each other and survive the dangers the jungle holds. If there's one thing I remember from the show, it's that Brandy and Mr. Whiskers spend a lot of time avoiding getting eaten... and Mr. Whiskers farts. And Brandy is constantly at odds, trying to put up with all this disgusting and dirty stuff. It'd say it's unmemorable, but I still remember it, even after all this time.
American Dragon: Jake Long (January 21, 2005 September 1, 2007): Jake Long is a 13-year-old boy who has the ability to transform into a dragon (apparently an ability gifted throughout his family, on his mother's side at least), and is being trained by his grandfather to properly utilize those powers to fight off evil creatures that invade his home city of Manhattan, all while trying to have a normal life. In retrospect, it reminds me very much of Danny Phantom on Nickelodeon, and even moreso of Juniper Lee on Cartoon Network, although this technically came first. I remember this being a pretty cool series, but like Kim Possible, nothing I got too wild about. I also remember there being a shift int he art style at one point, which I personally did not care for. I also remember John DiMaggio playing this fat pug dog, which was... really weird. And made it even MORE similar to Juniper Lee. It's just really weird... but not weird in the same way the previous shows were.
The Buzz on Maggie (June 17, 2005 June 2, 2006): Another short-lived show, The Buzz on Maggie is about Maggie Pesky, a fly, who dreams of being a rockstar, but always seems to want to take the easy way out of things. I can't really describe the series other than what I've read, because I never watched the show at all. Supposedly most episodes focusing on her day-to-day life, has her cheating or otherwise be self-absorbed, learn a lesson, etc. What I find incredibly interesting, though, was that this series was created by none other than notorious My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic writer, Dave Polsky! Wow, that's... interesting... Really makes me question the quality of this show.
The Emperor's New School (January 27, 2006 November 20, 2008): Remember The Emperor's New Groove? That funny animated movie by Disney? Well, forget about it, because this series pretty much ignores what happens in that movie in order to make this series work. What do I mean by that? Well, in the movie, Emperor Kuzco is a selfish jerk of a ruler who is so self-absorbed that he can't ever bother to see anything outside of his own "problems", and the movie basically teaches him to get over that and become a better person. In this series, Kuzco goes to school... and apparently is still an egotistical jerk. His character either regresses or his "development" in the movie was for that specific moment or something. So you can imagine my general feelings for this series. I can only assume this was during the "dark age" of Disney, where they were literally squatting out sequel after direct-to-DVD sequel and all of this other half-assed continuations to their beloved (and not-so beloved) classic movies, and the writers didn't really thing about what the movie was or why it worked and just threw something together to meet this studio mandate. Maybe that's too harsh, though. I'm sure the series was funny and had it's moments, I just think those moments came at the expense of ruined the good moments of what started this series. You know what I mean?
The Replacements (July 28, 2006 March 30, 2009): Never saw this series, thought the premise was stupid, did not care for the style or the animation of the show, never bothered with it. I've actually heard some good things about the show, but I'm not sure either way. The show stars Todd and Riley Daring, adoptive son and daughter of Dick Daring, world-famous daredevil and K Daring, a "super-spy". The entire premise of the show is that the kids get a mail-ordered Fleemco phone, which they can use to to replace anyone in the kids lives to their liking. This, incidentally, is how they got their adoptive parents. Something about this premise just sounds like it'll make for a crap-tastic TV show, but then again, there are some interesting scenarios that could make the series insightful and interesting... Again, I wouldn't know, I never saw it. Maybe I will, somewhere down the road...
Shorty McShorts' Shorts (July 28, 2006 May 25, 2007): An anthology show that didn't last long. Shorty McShorts hosts a series of shorts while being the conductor of his own train on the "Short Line". He introduces and concludes the shows, as well as shows up during the advertisements, but otherwise doesn't appear in the shorts themselves, which include "Boyz on Da Run", "My Mom Married a Yeti", "The Imperfect Duplicates of Dodger Dare", and even SheZow. Yeah, you know that new show on the Hub where this boy wears a ring and gets female-themed superpowers and costume? That originated from this! ...So that's one thing this series had going for it.
Phineas and Ferb (August 17, 2007 present): Okay, how many of you live under a rock and never heard of Phineas and Ferb? Kind of surprised that this series has lasted so long and is still going... Then again, I have jet to see a full episode for myself, so maybe I should... Either way, the show is about a boy named Phineas and his step-brother Ferb, doing all sorts of crazy things to past the time during this increasing long summer. The more outlandish and ridiculous, the more likely they'll do it, all the while, Phineas's older sister Candance tries to tattle-tale on their parents about what they're doing for whatever reason, probably because she's just a jerk or she's at that age or whatever. There's also a subplot of Phineas and Ferb's pet platypus, Perry, who is secretly a member of an all-animal government agency, known as "Agent P", who is constantly fighting against Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz. The series was created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, both of whom had previously worked on such shows as Rocko's Modern Life and The Simpsons. What's hilarious is that Dan Povemire was the director of Family Guy for a while, and when Disney tried to enforce what they wanted on them, Dan would be all "I could just go back to by better-paying job on Family Guy, if you really don't want to do things my way", and they immediately stopped doing it. :P All-in-all, it sounds like an awesome show that I wish I would try to get into more. Maybe some day...
Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil (February 13, 2010 December 2, 2012): Even though this is a Disney XD Original Series, it first aired on the Disney channel on April 2, 2010, as part of the "Get Animated" marathon going on at the time, so I'm going to count it. The show is basically Evel Knievel but with a kid... Hell, the series was originally called "Kid Knievel" when it started out. I don't know much about the show, though I've heard mixed things about it. I've seen people like the show and wants it to continue, but I've also seen people despise it... Anyone want to weigh-in on this?
Fish Hooks (September 3, 2010 - present): Alright, here's a series I didn't think would last as long as it did and would still be on the air at the time of writing this... Then again, I like so many shows on this list, I haven't really SEEN the series, though I guess I seemed to just assumed the worst about it. The guy who created it also created a show called "Almost Naked Animals", so you could imagine just how I'd feel about this... But then again, Alex Hirsch, the creator of a series I'll get to momentarily, wrote for this show, and the show is directed by Maxwell Atoms and Tom Warburton, the creator of The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and Codename: Kids Next Door, respectively, so perhaps I'll give it a chance and check this out... As to the actual series, it revolves around an adventures adolescent fish named Milo, his shy brother Oscar, and their "overly dramatic" friend Bea Goldfishberg, as they attend a school in an aquarium located within a pet store, and the various misadventures they somehow get into, including eel attacks, fieldtrips, homework, romancet, blah, blah, blah. Really doesn't sound like all that interesting a premise, but then again, it could be a lot better then I'm making it out to be...
Motorcity (April 30, 2012 January 7, 2013): Another animated show that's more Disney XD, but it's still worth mentioning, and you'll see why. The series takes place in the futuristic "Detroit Deluxe", ruled over by the evil billionaire Abraham Kane, who deprived various rights from the citizens, including personal transportation. He is opposed by a group of hot-rod wielding rebels known as the Burners, led by the main protagonist, Mike Clinton. The main conflict is Kane and the Burners fighting over last oasis of Freedom, an underground refuge known as "Motorcity". The series was created by one Chris Prynoski, who previously directed Cartoon Network's Megas XLR. ...Yeah, sounds pretty awesome to me. But much like Megas XLR, the show as screwed over by the network and only lasted one season. Still, there may be hope yet; George Krstic, crew member on Moter City and co-creator of Megas XLR Tweeted about a meeting being held to talk about reviving both shows:
https://twitter.com/GeorgeKrstic/status/328962947995013121
And there's a petition to bring back Motorcity here:
http://www.smgo.tv/shows/motorcity-1/
Might not help that much, but it definitely couldn't hurt!
Tron: UPRISING (May 18, 2012 January 28, 2013): A TV spin-off of the Tron series, set between the first Tron and Tron: Legacy... You know, I really want to get into the Tron series, but I've never really found the time to do so... Maybe I will, now that I have Netflix. In retrospect, it feels a little embarrassing that Disney tried to create a major franchise out of Tron, only to have people just shrug it off... Still, I'm sure Tron: Legacy isn't as bad as certain people made it out to be.
Gravity Falls (June 15, 2012 present): Created by Alex Hirsch, this is one of Disney's newest animated shows that's only been rising in popularity, though I'm not sure if it's a cult following or a genuinely popular show... Only time will tell I suppose. Anyway, the show stars two twins, Dipper and Mabel Pines, as they spend the summer visiting their great-uncle (or "Grunkle") Stan, who loves in Gravity Falls Oregon. Stan's a bit of a con artist, having turned his home into a tourist trap known as the "Mystery Shack", where he shows off a number of random oddities, most of which or fake for the purpose of milking as much money out of hapless tourists. But there's more to Gravity Falls that meets the eyes, as Dipper soon discovers as he finds a mysterious book in the middle of the woods. Together, he and Mabel encounter all sorts of strange oddities and try to figure out what mysterious this place holds... all the while, being unaware that Grunkle Stan is hiding some secrets of his own... There's already a topic for this show on this forum, which I comment on quite a bit, and the season 1 finale just aired a few days ago. No announcement has been made of when season 2 will air, though the series has been renewed for a second season, so it's coming! If you haven't checked out this show, you totally should!
Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja (September 17, 2012 present): I literally just found out about this series, and I don't know for certain if it's still in production or not, but no matter what, I'm going to support this series because it sounds awesome! For 800 years, the town of Norrisville as been protected by a powerful ninja, but what the people don't know is that once every 4 years, a new ninja is selected to fill the role. Randy Cunningham is that next ninja. It's up to Randy to protect Norrisville from the evil Sorcerer, his ally Hannibal McFist, and Hannibal's assistant William Viceroy. The series was co-created by sci-fi and horror writer, Jeffrey Thomas, and the character designs were supplied by Jhonen Vasquez, creator of Invader Zim. That alone should get your attention. Seriously, this show sounds so nuts that I just love it!
Okay, that's all the shows I could find from the Disney Channel's past... Here's a look at what's to come!
Wander Over Yonder: A pet project from Craig McCracken, creator of Cartoon Network's The Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. Lauren Faust, Craig's wife and former showrunner of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, is co-producer and story editor. The series follows Wander, a type of nomadic, wandering space-hippie Muppet-thing, traveling across the galaxy with his trusty steed Sylvia, and constantly put at odds with the evil Lord Hater. There have been some promos and sneak peaks of the series, and it's looking pretty good so far, on ways that would take too long to properly describe. A preview episode will air August 16, 2013 after Phineas and Ferb: Mision Marvel, while the official premiere will be on September 13, 2013. Stay tuned!
Star and the Forces of Evil: After having skirmished with a number of dangerous monsters, Star Butterfly arrives on Earth to live with the Diaz family. However, rather than living a normal life, Star continues to battle villains both throughout the universe and in their high school, although if only to protect her extremely powerful wand, an object which she is still confused with. The series will premiere in Fall 2014... And that's pretty much all I know about the series... Well, also, Dave Wasson will direct and co-executive produce the series. He created Cartoon Network's Time Squad and has had a hand in quite a few of these TV shows that I listed... Including one particular show that I neglected to mention until now, which is none other than...
Mickey Mouse (June 28, 2013 present): Mickey and the gang are back, in a series of animated 4-minute shorts! Emmy Award-winning artist Paul Rudish, known for his work on Cartoon Network's Dexter's Laboratory and The Powerpuff Girls, is executive producer, as well as director and writer of several shorts. The summary of this series is pretty simple, in that it's just Mickey and his friends on various adventures. The setting tends to change drastically with each new episode, as one episode could take place in France, another could take place in Central Park, and yet another will take place in Tokyo. It's a bit of a call-back to the early days of Mickey, in which there didn't really need to be a specific setting, just have Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and the rest just do their thing in wherever they happen to be! Speaking of call-backs, the style seems pretty reminiscent of Mickey's old black-and-white days, with cartoon physics being stretched out for comedic visual effects. Mickey's design is even changed to that of his old look, as opposed to his newer, peach-colored look. The cartoons also have more of an emphasis on visual story-telling, in that you can get the basic idea of what's going on in the character without dialogue. Best examples of this are Croissant de Triomphe and Yodelberg, the former get the story across very well with all the characters speaking in French, while the latter manages to tell the story with no dialogue at all. I find that very compelling, and refreshing. It takes true skill to pull of something these new Mickey Mouse cartoons do, and I definitely appreciate it!
Phew! Well, that's about all the shows I could find... Please, feel free to discuss your favorites, or just generally talk about these shows!
...In practice, this turned out to be a LOT harder then it seemed at first. One one hand, Disney channel is FLOODED with with live-action sitcoms, most of which are either teen or high school dramas, or just really dumb. Or both. As such, it was hard to me to tell if a certain show was an animated show or another one of these kinds of show. Once I ironed that out, it turns out there were actually a small number of original animated shows on the Disney Channel. Then, on the other hand, it was hard to figure out just which ones were Disney Channel originals or just shows made BY Disney that happened to air on the Disney Channel...
So I decided "screw it", and came up with a relatively arbitrary list of shows that supposedly debuted or is connected to the Disney Channel (some of them were primarily shown on Disney XD, which was formerly Toon Disney). There were quite a few shows that I think should be more well known and worth mentioning, so I decided to include them on this list. Anyway, without further ado, I'm going to list off the shows in chronological order (I hope) and talk about my impressions on them. Starting with:
The Proud Family (September 15, 2001 - December 31, 2005): Disney Channel's first animated original series. You all remember this show, right? A sitcom about family of African-Americans; Penny Proud, a 14-year-old who gets into trouble even though she's probably one of the more responsible characters in the series, Oscar Proud, Penny's father who owns and runs a snack company that no one likes and acts pretty immature for his age, Trudy Proud, Penny's mother and probably the most reasonable and level-headed character in the series, BeBe & CeCe, Penny's twin infant siblings, and Sugar Mama, Oscar's mother with a sassy attitude and a pet poodle named Puff. There are also other characters, such as Penny's friends, Dijonay, Zoey, and LaCienega, the Proud family's next-door neighbors, the Boulevardez's, of whom LaCienega is the daughter, who has a grandfather called Papi, whom Sugar Mama loves, but he doesn't, and insults her in Spanish so she can't tell (and follows up with his trademark cackle), and many more where that came from. If there's one thing I remember about the series, it's that it's a predominantly Black cast, which I appreciate now more then ever. What I like even more, though, was that unlike shows like Static Shock, which also had a core case of Black actors but divulged into the race angle a bit too much and became "anvilicious" over time, The Proud Family touched on the race angle a few times, but otherwise wasn't much of an issue... nor do I think there SHOULD be that much of an issue. I mean, sure, you can touch on it once or twice, it IS a surprisingly still relevant problem in certain places in the world, but otherwise, let's try not to make a big deal about it, because really, it SHOULDN'T be a big deal at this point... Anyway, I remember quite a few episodes, though it was never one of my favorites. It certainly did make me laugh a lot, especially when Oscar always got the butt of everything, and often deserved it.
Kim Possible (June 7, 2002 - September 7, 2007): Okay, here we go; probably the definitive Disney Channel animated series that everyone knows about! Kim Possible is a seemingly normal teenager, who fights crime and evil-doers alongside her sidekick and best friend, Ron Stoppable (and his pet naked mole rat, Rufus), all while balancing that out with attending high school and being cheerleading captain. She faces off against an impressive "rogue's gallery" of villains, most prominently Dr. Drakken and his hyper-competent sidekick Shego. I remember watching it and liking it when it was on the air, but was never a big-time fan of it. It definitely had it's moments, and I liked a lot of the action, but it's attempts at humor fell short for me... as did certain "dramatic" moments. I think the funniest stuff from the show involved addressing certain cliches of the genre, as well as the villains themselves, all of whom had some kind of gimmick. Not to mention, this show is practically "I Know That Voice" the TV show, as a lot of characters had some big-name voice actors and/or comedians behind them. Next time you're watching the show, listen to the character's voice and try to guess who it is.
Lilo & Stitch: The Series (September 20, 2003 - July 29, 2006): You remember the Disney movie Lilo & Stitch, right? Fun memorable movie, more then what it seemed at first glance. Well, this TV show is basically a continuation of that movie, though I think the movie was better and probably more interesting. Basically, the story goes that the rest of Jumba's experiments have escaped (remember, Stitch is experiment 626) and Lilo, Stitch and co have to find them all... Or something like that. Never really paid all that much attention to this series. It was cute, but kind of eh... Apparently, they did a crossover with The Proud Family at one point. Isn't that weird?
Dave the Barbarian (January 23, 3004 - January 22, 2005): Now THIS series I watched all the time back when it was on! I don't know if I've seen every episode, but I've probably seen the vast majority of them (which isn't that hard, since there are only 21 episodes spanning over 1 season), and I LOVED it! Dave is the beefy but wimpy "barbarian" son of the king and queen of the land of Udrogoth, who left to defeat all the evil in the world, leaving Candy, Dave's older sister, the ruler while they're gone. There's also Dave's younger sister, Fang, his sorcerer uncle Oswidge, Faffy, the family's pet dragon, and Lula, Dave's sassy talking enchanted sword. together they (barely) protect the land of Udrogoth fromt he forces of evil, including Quosmir, the god of freshly laundered trousers, Ned Frischman, a nerd from 1994 who tries to take over the world by having the people of the past get addicted to video games, and probably the series' main antagonist, the Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy! ...Yeah, the series is just as ridiculous as it sounds. And it was awesome! Too bad it didn't last that long.
Brandy & Mr. Whiskers (August 21, 2004 August 25, 2006): This show APPEARS to be cut from the same mold as Dave the Barbarian, being mostly just weird and, dare I say, "zany", though I don't recall it being as good, or at least, not as appealing to me. Basically, Brandy's a prim and pampered pooch who's on her way to a spa via aricraft when she meets Mr. Whiskers, a goofy, immature rabbit who was going to be sold to a zoo for 39 cents, when they're suddenly dropped from the plan and land in the middle of a jungle, where they have to learn to warm up to each other and survive the dangers the jungle holds. If there's one thing I remember from the show, it's that Brandy and Mr. Whiskers spend a lot of time avoiding getting eaten... and Mr. Whiskers farts. And Brandy is constantly at odds, trying to put up with all this disgusting and dirty stuff. It'd say it's unmemorable, but I still remember it, even after all this time.
American Dragon: Jake Long (January 21, 2005 September 1, 2007): Jake Long is a 13-year-old boy who has the ability to transform into a dragon (apparently an ability gifted throughout his family, on his mother's side at least), and is being trained by his grandfather to properly utilize those powers to fight off evil creatures that invade his home city of Manhattan, all while trying to have a normal life. In retrospect, it reminds me very much of Danny Phantom on Nickelodeon, and even moreso of Juniper Lee on Cartoon Network, although this technically came first. I remember this being a pretty cool series, but like Kim Possible, nothing I got too wild about. I also remember there being a shift int he art style at one point, which I personally did not care for. I also remember John DiMaggio playing this fat pug dog, which was... really weird. And made it even MORE similar to Juniper Lee. It's just really weird... but not weird in the same way the previous shows were.
The Buzz on Maggie (June 17, 2005 June 2, 2006): Another short-lived show, The Buzz on Maggie is about Maggie Pesky, a fly, who dreams of being a rockstar, but always seems to want to take the easy way out of things. I can't really describe the series other than what I've read, because I never watched the show at all. Supposedly most episodes focusing on her day-to-day life, has her cheating or otherwise be self-absorbed, learn a lesson, etc. What I find incredibly interesting, though, was that this series was created by none other than notorious My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic writer, Dave Polsky! Wow, that's... interesting... Really makes me question the quality of this show.
The Emperor's New School (January 27, 2006 November 20, 2008): Remember The Emperor's New Groove? That funny animated movie by Disney? Well, forget about it, because this series pretty much ignores what happens in that movie in order to make this series work. What do I mean by that? Well, in the movie, Emperor Kuzco is a selfish jerk of a ruler who is so self-absorbed that he can't ever bother to see anything outside of his own "problems", and the movie basically teaches him to get over that and become a better person. In this series, Kuzco goes to school... and apparently is still an egotistical jerk. His character either regresses or his "development" in the movie was for that specific moment or something. So you can imagine my general feelings for this series. I can only assume this was during the "dark age" of Disney, where they were literally squatting out sequel after direct-to-DVD sequel and all of this other half-assed continuations to their beloved (and not-so beloved) classic movies, and the writers didn't really thing about what the movie was or why it worked and just threw something together to meet this studio mandate. Maybe that's too harsh, though. I'm sure the series was funny and had it's moments, I just think those moments came at the expense of ruined the good moments of what started this series. You know what I mean?
The Replacements (July 28, 2006 March 30, 2009): Never saw this series, thought the premise was stupid, did not care for the style or the animation of the show, never bothered with it. I've actually heard some good things about the show, but I'm not sure either way. The show stars Todd and Riley Daring, adoptive son and daughter of Dick Daring, world-famous daredevil and K Daring, a "super-spy". The entire premise of the show is that the kids get a mail-ordered Fleemco phone, which they can use to to replace anyone in the kids lives to their liking. This, incidentally, is how they got their adoptive parents. Something about this premise just sounds like it'll make for a crap-tastic TV show, but then again, there are some interesting scenarios that could make the series insightful and interesting... Again, I wouldn't know, I never saw it. Maybe I will, somewhere down the road...
Shorty McShorts' Shorts (July 28, 2006 May 25, 2007): An anthology show that didn't last long. Shorty McShorts hosts a series of shorts while being the conductor of his own train on the "Short Line". He introduces and concludes the shows, as well as shows up during the advertisements, but otherwise doesn't appear in the shorts themselves, which include "Boyz on Da Run", "My Mom Married a Yeti", "The Imperfect Duplicates of Dodger Dare", and even SheZow. Yeah, you know that new show on the Hub where this boy wears a ring and gets female-themed superpowers and costume? That originated from this! ...So that's one thing this series had going for it.
Phineas and Ferb (August 17, 2007 present): Okay, how many of you live under a rock and never heard of Phineas and Ferb? Kind of surprised that this series has lasted so long and is still going... Then again, I have jet to see a full episode for myself, so maybe I should... Either way, the show is about a boy named Phineas and his step-brother Ferb, doing all sorts of crazy things to past the time during this increasing long summer. The more outlandish and ridiculous, the more likely they'll do it, all the while, Phineas's older sister Candance tries to tattle-tale on their parents about what they're doing for whatever reason, probably because she's just a jerk or she's at that age or whatever. There's also a subplot of Phineas and Ferb's pet platypus, Perry, who is secretly a member of an all-animal government agency, known as "Agent P", who is constantly fighting against Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz. The series was created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, both of whom had previously worked on such shows as Rocko's Modern Life and The Simpsons. What's hilarious is that Dan Povemire was the director of Family Guy for a while, and when Disney tried to enforce what they wanted on them, Dan would be all "I could just go back to by better-paying job on Family Guy, if you really don't want to do things my way", and they immediately stopped doing it. :P All-in-all, it sounds like an awesome show that I wish I would try to get into more. Maybe some day...
Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil (February 13, 2010 December 2, 2012): Even though this is a Disney XD Original Series, it first aired on the Disney channel on April 2, 2010, as part of the "Get Animated" marathon going on at the time, so I'm going to count it. The show is basically Evel Knievel but with a kid... Hell, the series was originally called "Kid Knievel" when it started out. I don't know much about the show, though I've heard mixed things about it. I've seen people like the show and wants it to continue, but I've also seen people despise it... Anyone want to weigh-in on this?
Fish Hooks (September 3, 2010 - present): Alright, here's a series I didn't think would last as long as it did and would still be on the air at the time of writing this... Then again, I like so many shows on this list, I haven't really SEEN the series, though I guess I seemed to just assumed the worst about it. The guy who created it also created a show called "Almost Naked Animals", so you could imagine just how I'd feel about this... But then again, Alex Hirsch, the creator of a series I'll get to momentarily, wrote for this show, and the show is directed by Maxwell Atoms and Tom Warburton, the creator of The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and Codename: Kids Next Door, respectively, so perhaps I'll give it a chance and check this out... As to the actual series, it revolves around an adventures adolescent fish named Milo, his shy brother Oscar, and their "overly dramatic" friend Bea Goldfishberg, as they attend a school in an aquarium located within a pet store, and the various misadventures they somehow get into, including eel attacks, fieldtrips, homework, romancet, blah, blah, blah. Really doesn't sound like all that interesting a premise, but then again, it could be a lot better then I'm making it out to be...
Motorcity (April 30, 2012 January 7, 2013): Another animated show that's more Disney XD, but it's still worth mentioning, and you'll see why. The series takes place in the futuristic "Detroit Deluxe", ruled over by the evil billionaire Abraham Kane, who deprived various rights from the citizens, including personal transportation. He is opposed by a group of hot-rod wielding rebels known as the Burners, led by the main protagonist, Mike Clinton. The main conflict is Kane and the Burners fighting over last oasis of Freedom, an underground refuge known as "Motorcity". The series was created by one Chris Prynoski, who previously directed Cartoon Network's Megas XLR. ...Yeah, sounds pretty awesome to me. But much like Megas XLR, the show as screwed over by the network and only lasted one season. Still, there may be hope yet; George Krstic, crew member on Moter City and co-creator of Megas XLR Tweeted about a meeting being held to talk about reviving both shows:
https://twitter.com/GeorgeKrstic/status/328962947995013121
And there's a petition to bring back Motorcity here:
http://www.smgo.tv/shows/motorcity-1/
Might not help that much, but it definitely couldn't hurt!
Tron: UPRISING (May 18, 2012 January 28, 2013): A TV spin-off of the Tron series, set between the first Tron and Tron: Legacy... You know, I really want to get into the Tron series, but I've never really found the time to do so... Maybe I will, now that I have Netflix. In retrospect, it feels a little embarrassing that Disney tried to create a major franchise out of Tron, only to have people just shrug it off... Still, I'm sure Tron: Legacy isn't as bad as certain people made it out to be.
Gravity Falls (June 15, 2012 present): Created by Alex Hirsch, this is one of Disney's newest animated shows that's only been rising in popularity, though I'm not sure if it's a cult following or a genuinely popular show... Only time will tell I suppose. Anyway, the show stars two twins, Dipper and Mabel Pines, as they spend the summer visiting their great-uncle (or "Grunkle") Stan, who loves in Gravity Falls Oregon. Stan's a bit of a con artist, having turned his home into a tourist trap known as the "Mystery Shack", where he shows off a number of random oddities, most of which or fake for the purpose of milking as much money out of hapless tourists. But there's more to Gravity Falls that meets the eyes, as Dipper soon discovers as he finds a mysterious book in the middle of the woods. Together, he and Mabel encounter all sorts of strange oddities and try to figure out what mysterious this place holds... all the while, being unaware that Grunkle Stan is hiding some secrets of his own... There's already a topic for this show on this forum, which I comment on quite a bit, and the season 1 finale just aired a few days ago. No announcement has been made of when season 2 will air, though the series has been renewed for a second season, so it's coming! If you haven't checked out this show, you totally should!
Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja (September 17, 2012 present): I literally just found out about this series, and I don't know for certain if it's still in production or not, but no matter what, I'm going to support this series because it sounds awesome! For 800 years, the town of Norrisville as been protected by a powerful ninja, but what the people don't know is that once every 4 years, a new ninja is selected to fill the role. Randy Cunningham is that next ninja. It's up to Randy to protect Norrisville from the evil Sorcerer, his ally Hannibal McFist, and Hannibal's assistant William Viceroy. The series was co-created by sci-fi and horror writer, Jeffrey Thomas, and the character designs were supplied by Jhonen Vasquez, creator of Invader Zim. That alone should get your attention. Seriously, this show sounds so nuts that I just love it!
Okay, that's all the shows I could find from the Disney Channel's past... Here's a look at what's to come!
Wander Over Yonder: A pet project from Craig McCracken, creator of Cartoon Network's The Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. Lauren Faust, Craig's wife and former showrunner of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, is co-producer and story editor. The series follows Wander, a type of nomadic, wandering space-hippie Muppet-thing, traveling across the galaxy with his trusty steed Sylvia, and constantly put at odds with the evil Lord Hater. There have been some promos and sneak peaks of the series, and it's looking pretty good so far, on ways that would take too long to properly describe. A preview episode will air August 16, 2013 after Phineas and Ferb: Mision Marvel, while the official premiere will be on September 13, 2013. Stay tuned!
Star and the Forces of Evil: After having skirmished with a number of dangerous monsters, Star Butterfly arrives on Earth to live with the Diaz family. However, rather than living a normal life, Star continues to battle villains both throughout the universe and in their high school, although if only to protect her extremely powerful wand, an object which she is still confused with. The series will premiere in Fall 2014... And that's pretty much all I know about the series... Well, also, Dave Wasson will direct and co-executive produce the series. He created Cartoon Network's Time Squad and has had a hand in quite a few of these TV shows that I listed... Including one particular show that I neglected to mention until now, which is none other than...
Mickey Mouse (June 28, 2013 present): Mickey and the gang are back, in a series of animated 4-minute shorts! Emmy Award-winning artist Paul Rudish, known for his work on Cartoon Network's Dexter's Laboratory and The Powerpuff Girls, is executive producer, as well as director and writer of several shorts. The summary of this series is pretty simple, in that it's just Mickey and his friends on various adventures. The setting tends to change drastically with each new episode, as one episode could take place in France, another could take place in Central Park, and yet another will take place in Tokyo. It's a bit of a call-back to the early days of Mickey, in which there didn't really need to be a specific setting, just have Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and the rest just do their thing in wherever they happen to be! Speaking of call-backs, the style seems pretty reminiscent of Mickey's old black-and-white days, with cartoon physics being stretched out for comedic visual effects. Mickey's design is even changed to that of his old look, as opposed to his newer, peach-colored look. The cartoons also have more of an emphasis on visual story-telling, in that you can get the basic idea of what's going on in the character without dialogue. Best examples of this are Croissant de Triomphe and Yodelberg, the former get the story across very well with all the characters speaking in French, while the latter manages to tell the story with no dialogue at all. I find that very compelling, and refreshing. It takes true skill to pull of something these new Mickey Mouse cartoons do, and I definitely appreciate it!
Phew! Well, that's about all the shows I could find... Please, feel free to discuss your favorites, or just generally talk about these shows!
