When we think of the typical Neurotic Disney Person, we envision an adult, certainly no younger than a teenager, mature enough to appreciate all of Disney’s subtleties and rich history.
But how does one become such a person?
With the rebranding of “Playhouse Disney” into “Disney Junior,” Disney hopes to create a whole legion of potential NDPs by exposing new generations to both classic and contemporary Disney storytelling and characters.
Disney Junior, targeted to children between the ages of 2 and 7 and their families, premieres on February 14 and will be available on Disney Channel as a daily program block.
Gary Marsh, President, Entertainment, and Chief Creative Officer, Disney Channels Worldwide described Disney Junior as “an entry point into the world of Disney for young kids, creating a world, online and on-air, that captures the magic of Disney and its classic heartfelt storytelling and timeless characters beloved by generations.”
The Crown Jewel of Disney Junior’s programming is the new animated series, “Jake and the Never Land Pirates.” Following the adventures of the evil Captain Hook and his dim-witted yet lovable cohort, Smee, “Jake” also features a new crop of kid pirates led by the courageous Jake and his friends, Izzy and Cubby.
Initially available only as part of regular Disney Channel programming and video on demand, Disney plans to expand Disney Junior into its own 24-hour basic cable and satellite channel in 2012.
To complement the premiere of Disney Junior, Disney has launched DisneyJunior.com, a learning-focused, highly interactive companion to Disney Junior programming. There, Neurotic Disney children-in-training and their families can listen to storybooks narrated by Disney characters, engage in a variety of creative and learning-based activities, watch episodes of “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” or play games featuring Disney princesses and other characters from classic Disney movies.
Contributed by: John Marchese (NDD#172) John is the DDL Media Relations Blogger.
John is an attorney, writer and life-long Disney fan who married a life-long Disney fan and raised two daughters who have become even bigger Disney fans. One of the ways John lives a Disney Driven Life is by decorating his office with Disney-related items. Despite incessant teasing from his colleagues, John’s passion for Disney remains unwavering. By day, John is a shareholder with the law firm of Colucci & Gallaher, P.C., in Buffalo, New York. John is a Disney Vacation Club member, avid golfer and is a frequent contributor to The Disney Driven Life, Diszine.com and Good enoughmother.com
I have mixed feelings about this new network. I honestly do not see a need for it. The Disney Channel already currently runs endless loops of repeat after repeat. Fewer repeats leaves blocks of time open for fresh programming.
I would actually prefer a Classic Disney Channel. A channel that plays classic Disney animation (Remember Good Morning Mickey and Donald Duck Presents back in the 80s?). I remember when the Disney Channel played nature documentaries, classic live-action films and classic episodes of the MickeyMouseClub. Ahhh the good ol’ days when Disney was a premium cable channel you had to pay for. I guess when it comes to Disney, I wish they would opt for quality over quantity, and fewer re-runs wouldn’t be a bad thing either.
I, too, have mixed feelings, Mel. I know Disney uses these new shows and new treatments of classic characters and stories to reach a new audience–an audience that isn’t drawn to the classics as we are. And, I guess I’m OK with that.
The bottom line for me is that I’m for anything that takes programming like “The Suite Life on Deck” off the air!
I agree w/ John & Mel! It is great to see that they are thinking of a certain target age group but then again the Disney channel that is on is like every 2-3 hours are repeating shows. I would like to have a channel targeted more for adults ( a child at heart inside) I miss seeing classic disney & documetaries would be awesome! Like this coming week, Feb 3rd, CNBC is showing a Documnetary on Walt.
Shelley, an adult Disney Channel would be incredible! Not that I mind a kid-centered Disney Channel. I just think that, if there is one Disney brand in need of “plussing” it is the current incarnation of the Disney Channel.