Toon Disney was an international pay television channel which was owned by the Disney Channels Worldwide, a subsidiary of Disney–ABC Television Group. A spin-off of the Disney Channel, the channel mostly aired children's animated series and some live action programming. Its format had similarities to those of Discovery Kids, Cartoon Network, and Nicktoons. The channel's target audience was children ages 2–12, and children ages 7–14 during its nighttime block called Jetix. The US version of Toon Disney shut down on February 13, 2009, after nearly 11 years, and was succeeded by Disney XD, which has carried some programs previously seen on Toon Disney. The final channel bearing the Toon Disney moniker was in Italy, and was discontinued in 2011.
History[]
Toon Disney was launched at noon Eastern Time on April 18, 1998, in honor of Disney Channel's 15th anniversary by Disney/ABC Networks on digital tiers of DirecTV, Marcus Cable and EchoStar. The first show aired on the network was The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1940) and other Mickey Mouse shorts. At 7 PM that day, its nighttime block, "The Magical World of Toons", was launched. In the next five months, Toon Disney furthered its programming to cable subscribers such as Americast. At its launch, the channel shared half of its assigned series with the Disney Channel. The channel had no advertising until its viewership reached a set number. On January 31, 1999, the first annual Pumbaa Bowl was broadcast.
By September 2000, the channel was expected to reach 20 million subscribers, and thus, would start showing advertising. Ad sales would be handled by Disney Kids Network. In the Fall of 2000, Disney launched its first overseas Toon Disney channel in the United Kingdom.
In June 2001, Toon Disney US launched its "Most Animated Kid Search". The Santa Claus Brothers had its world premiere on the channel in December. In September 2002, eight new shows joined the line-up as part of Toon Disney's fall schedule. In commemoration of the network's fifth anniversary in April 2003, the channel held a "Toon Disney's Magical Adventure Sweepstakes" in which three winners along with 3 family members each won a trip to Disneyland Resort to see Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular.
On February 14, 2004, the Jetix programming block began on Toon Disney and ABC Family as a part of the Jetix programming alliance of ABC Networks Group, Fox Kids Europe and Fox Kids Latin America. The block consisted of the entire acquired Fox Kids/Saban Entertainment action library as the result of a bulk buy-out by The Walt Disney Company in summer 2001, as well as some original programming. Some shows, like The Legend of Tarzan, aired under both the Toon Disney and Jetix monikers. The UK channel switched over to Disney Cinemagic in March 2006.
In 2004, 4 new markets added a Toon Disney channel with three in Europe with Germany also adding a time shift channel. In December, Walt Disney Television International India launched a Toon Disney channel with three language audio tracks (English, Tamil and Telugu) at the same time as it debuted along with Disney Channel on Star TV. In 2005, a Toon Disney channel was launched for the Nordic countries, as well as another one for Japan. A Hindi-language audio track was introduced on Toon Disney in India on September 1, 2005.
The Toon Disney/Big Movie Show premiere of The Polar Express on December 22, 2006 was the channel's highest prime time rating with 1.35 million viewers. On January 27, 2007, Toon Disney launched its weekend afternoon programming block called "The Great Toon Weekend."
In February 2009, Toon Disney US switched over to the Disney XD format and name. Some shows that were formerly on Toon Disney US began airing on Disney XD US. Except for Toon Disney Arab, Toon Disney and Jetix were succeeded by September 2009 with Disney XD or the Disney Channel.
Shows broadcast on Toon Disney[]
Disney animated and live-action shows[]
Jetix Animation Concepts[]
- Get Ed (2005-2009)
- Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! (2004-2009)
- Yin Yang Yo! (2006-2009)
Jetix Europe[]
- W.I.T.C.H. (2004-2008)
- A.T.O.M. (2006-2009)
- Ōban Star-Racers (2006-2009)
- Pucca (2006-2009)
- Monster Buster Club (2008-2009)
DIC Entertainment shows[]
- Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (1998-2002)
- Bump in the Night (1998-2001)
- Gadget Boy (1998-2002)
- The Littles (1998-2002)
- Madeline (1998-2003)
- Mary-Kate and Ashley in Action! (2002-2004)
- The New Archies (1998-2002)
- Sabrina: The Animated Series (2002-2004)
- Sabrina's Secret Life (2004-2005)
- Super Dave: Daredevil for Hire (1998-2002)
- What-a-Mess (1998-2002)
- Wish Kid (1998-2002)
- The Wizard of Oz (1998-2002)
Other non-Disney shows[]
Movies broadcast on Toon Disney[]
Disney animated and live-action movies[]
Other non-Disney movies[]
Programming[]
Live-action programming[]
Although the majority of the network's programming was animation, live-action programming had become a part of Toon Disney during the later half of its life. Live children were featured in bumpers aired from 1998 to 2002, and fan-made animations done in live-action were aired in these bumpers. The Jetix block aired the show Power Rangers. Toon Disney also began airing Muppet movies in 2004, including Muppets from Space (one of the few Muppet productions that was not included in Disney's acquisition of the franchise).
During the network's existence, Toon Disney aired the Disney Channel Original Movies Jett Jackson: The Movie and Up, Up and Away, and the theatrical films Max Keeble's Big Move, Snow Dogs, and Hurbie: Fully Loaded. Toon Disney contained more than 10 short segments includes video/slideshow format. The short series Check This Kid Out aired randomly during the commercial breaks between July 7, 2008 and February 13, 2009. On September 7, 2008, one of Disney's few live-action short films, Frankenweenie, aired on Toon Disney. The Suite Life of Zack and Cody aired on the network in late 2008, as well as the original movie Minutemen in 2009, but this was likely part of the transition to Disney XD as the announcement had already been made.
Programming blocks[]
Toon Disney frequently aired groups of series in blocks; over the course of Toon Disney's broadcast history, it had several programming blocks that featured at least two of their shows.
- 12 Days of Christmas (1998–2008) - A block that aired around Christmas between 1998 and 2008, and showed Christmas themed episodes and movies.
- 2oon Disney (2002–2004) - Aired on weekend mornings, this block showed two episodes each of the shows like Teacher's Pet, Bonkers, Recess, TaleSpin, House of Mouse, Pepper Ann, Timon & Pumbaa, The Weekenders, Madeline, Disney's Doug, Mary-Kate and Ashley in Action!, Toad Patrol, Teamo Supremo and Lloyd in Space. It was replaced by 2x Toons Weekend.
- 2x Toons Weekend (2004–2005) - Aired on weekend mornings, this block showed two episodes each of the shows like House of Mouse, Lloyd in Space, Sabrina's Secret Life, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Hercules, Teacher's Pet, Timon & Pumbaa, Teamo Supremo, Kim Possible, The Proud Family, Recess and The Legend of Tarzan. It came back in the summer of 2005 under a slightly different name (2x The Toons).
- @Toon (2001–2004) - A spinoff of Toons in the House. Before each first commercial break for most of the shows, it featured viewer submissions and game high scores from the official website from the April 2002 onward. The segments were "Game-On Challenge" (focusing games), "It's Ummmm...?" (a guessing game hosted by Darkwing Duck and later Chip and Dale, which showed a close-up image of a cartoon character that the viewer had to guess), "I Wanna Watch" (a Thursday request show where viewers voted on which cartoon they want to see), "Mail-a-Toon" (where viewers could send e-mails to Lloyd Nebulon, Rope Girl, Timon and Pumbaa, and Tino Tonitini), "Goofy Giggles" (joking with Goofy), "Shout-Out" (a chat game hosted by Timon and Pumbaa), "Super Secret Word" (a "secret word" game where the secret word would appear by the screen bug during each Teamo Supremo episode), "Whatcha Think?" (a thinking game hosted by Scott Leadready II), and "Website Check-In" (a "check-in" segment hosted by Max Goof, which showed to viewing at the Toon Disney website).
- After Class Laugh (2006) - A two-hour block of "The Most Funny Shows", consisting of Lilo & Stitch: The Series, Brandy and Mr. Whiskers, American Dragon Jake Long, The Emperor's New School, Recess, and Kim Possible. This block was shown on weekdays from 3:00 pm Eastern/2:00 pm Central to 5:00 pm Eastern/4:00 pm Central. It came back in late 2006 under a slightly different name (After Class Laugh Attack!). It was replaced by Mega Jam.
- After School (2004-2006) - An afternoon block shown after school hours which included The Weekenders, Recess, Lloyd in Space, Dave the Barbarian, Fillmore!, The Proud Family and Kim Possible. This block was shown on weekdays from 3:00 pm Eastern/2:00 pm Central to 5:00 pm Eastern/4:00 pm Central. It was replaced by After Class Laughs.
- Big Movie Show (2005–2009) - A daily showing of films, usually animated Disney films, but the film shown may be produced by another studio or occasionally live-action. The Big Movie Show was often the subject of theme weeks, which usually heralded the initial Toon Disney broadcast of a given film.
- Big Movie Weekend (2008–2009) - A spin-off of the Big Movie Show.
- Big Time Morning Show (2005) - A two-hour weekday morning block that aired from 7:00am to 9:00am. Like the @Toon block, this block had more answers and questions, weekly polls, and shout-outs at the official website.
- Chillin' with the Villains (2000–2004) - A weekly two-hour marathon of a certain show presented on Sunday afternoons. These particular marathons would consist entirely of episodes focusing on a certain villain from whichever series was being featured.
- Double Feature Movie Show (2001–2004) - It featured back-to-back movies airing every Friday from 5:00pm to 9:00pm and repeating Saturday from 11:00am to 3:00pm. Formerly known as Double Feature Fridays (or Double Feature Saturdays).
- Friday Night Movie (1998-2001) - A feature film presentation on the Magical World of Toons every Friday night starting at 7:00pm. It featured films made by the Walt Disney company, as well as non-Disney films such as The Land Before Time series.
- Hangin' with the Heroes (2002–2004) - Originally aired on weekends, but then aired on weekdays, too. It featured Aladdin, Gargoyles, and Hercules.
- Jetix (2004–2009) - A fourteen-hour block on weekdays and a seventeen hour block on weekends. It featured action shows that some of which were originally on Fox before Disney bought its children's shows and this block was what Fox Kids eventually became in February 14, 2004 at Midnight (Technically launch on February 13, 2004 on Eastern), during its first two years on ABC Family had no proper name and was known simply as ABC Family Action Block. Originally the network's nightly block, it eventually took up more than half of the network's schedule and close in February 13, 2009 at Midnight EST before Disney XD appears at midnight.
- Magical World of Toons (1998–2003) - A four-hour nightly block that aired from 7:00pm to 11:00pm Sunday to Thursday until 2003, when its slot was replaced by the Power Pack. During the week, shorts and series showcasing Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Timon and Pumbaa, Hercules, Aladdin, Doug and Pepper Ann. The block's weekend consisted of animated features, mostly of those created for the home video market, like The Return of Jafar and The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars, as well as some theatrical releases including A Goofy Movie, Alice in Wonderland and The Brave Little Toaster.
- Play it Again Jam! (2006–2007) - Replaced the Bonus Stacks. This format had three episodes of a given show in a row instead of four. Its name is a pun to the phrase, "Play it again, Sam!" from Casablanca. It was replaced by Mega Jam, then Treasure Cove.
- Power Pack (2003) - Replacing the Magical World of Toons in March 2003, this block consisted of airing three-hour marathons of a specific show every weeknight, except for Friday, when the Double Feature Movie Show ran. These marathons featured House of Mouse on Monday, Teamo Supremo on Tuesday, Lloyd in Space on Wednesday, Gargoyles on Thursday, The Weekenders on Saturday, and Timon & Pumbaa on Sunday. Although it was replaced by a standard prime-time block in June, it formed the basis for the later Weekday Stacks.
- Princess Power Hour (2000–2007) - A one-hour block featuring episodes of Aladdin and The Little Mermaid. The block aired only in the afternoons on weekends. Formerly known as Princess Power Hour. It was replaced by The Great Toon Weekend Getaway.
- Pumbaa Bowl (1999-2009) - An annual marathon of Timon & Pumbaa that aired on Super Bowl Sunday every year.
- Screaming Meanies (1998–2003) - A block that aired around Halloween between 1998 and 2003, and showed Halloween-themed episodes of shows.
- Super Stacked Weekdays (2007–2009) - A mini-marathon each weekday. On Fridays a random show would air sometimes a show that wasn't aired often. It began as Mega Movie Jam, but changed its name afterwards to Mega Jam. Starting October 1, 2007, it was renamed Toon Disney Treasure Cove. After this, it was changed to Super Stacked Weekdays to coincide with the Super Stacks, at this time known as Super Stacked Weekends.
- Super Stacked Weekends (2007–2009) - A three-hour weekend marathon of two random programs, one Saturday, and one Sunday. It was known as Super Stacks before its concision with Super Stacked Weekdays.
- The Brother Hood (2008–2009) - A one-hour block, which aired two times a day. It showed The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Phineas and Ferb. This block continued to appear on Disney XD, but without the name.
- The Great Toon Weekend Getaway (2007–2008) - A five-hour weekend block featuring shows based on Disney movies: Aladdin, Timon & Pumbaa, Hercules: The Animated Series, The Emperor's New School, The Little Mermaid, The Legend of Tarzan, Lilo & Stitch: The Series and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command.
- The New For You Show! (2003–2004) - A half-hour slot that featured previously unaired episodes of Lloyd in Space, House of Mouse, The Weekenders, Teamo Supremo, and Fillmore! every Friday and Saturday night at 9:00 pm Eastern/8:00 pm Central.
- Toons in the House (2000–2001) - A four-hour weekday-afternoon block similar in spirit to The Disney Afternoon. It was replaced by @Toon.
- Weekday Bonus Stacks (2004–2006) - Basically three 2-hour marathons of three different shows that aired from 11:00 am Eastern/10:00 am Central to 5:00 pm Eastern/4:00 pm Central. Everyday were three shows different from the previous day. Though many kids have enjoyed these shows, many of these programs were already airing in good time slots, so it decreased the variety of shows on the network. In September 2005, this block was renamed the Superstar Bonus Stacks and its starting time changed to 10 am, but this time airing 7 different shows for an hour each and on a more regular schedule. However, this did not last long. In October 2005, Toon Disney went back to the regular Bonus Stacks. It was replaced by Play it Again, Jam!
- Toon Disney Wild Card Stack (2007–2009) - It showed classic Disney cartoon series multiple times with The Shnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show, DuckTales, Quack Pack, Bonkers, Pepper Ann, TaleSpin, Goof Troop, Darkwing Duck, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers and 101 Dalmatians: The Series.
Announcers[]
- Joe Alaskey (2001 - 2004)
- Jason Marsden (2004 - 2008)
- Mikey Kelley (2007 - 2010)
Network slogans[]
- Home for all your favorite Disney characters (1998–2001)
- Built from the best toons (2001–2010)