Scratchbuilding | SB-05: Disney Channel 1.0

Originally Posted by Jeff Harris

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Many moons ago, I talked about recreating Toon Disney. Recently, The Walt Disney Company did just that. Instead of transforming it into the perfect all-animation network utilizing the best from the massive and heavily underused Disney television library, they transformed it into Disney XD, essentially a Disney Channel for boys.

Oops.

Okay, so, let's start again. Instead of rebuilding Toon Disney again (I'll do that in a future installment), I want to rebuild something that used to mean something to a lot of people until a new culture surplanted it. When The Disney Channel was created in 1983, it was a premium family entertainment network, commercial-free, and full of shows, movies, and specials with the trademarked Disney spirit and quality for all ages and all sexes. Nowadays, Disney Channel not only got rid of the word "The," but it's largely aimed towards pre-adolescent (tween) girls and barely keeping with the Disney tradition.

This wasn't The Disney Channel your parents or grandparents knew. Heck, there's rarely anything remotely connected to that Disney on the channel. And that's the problem.

Some people think that there's nothing wrong with Disney Channel, and according to the ratings, they may be right. But there's a flaw in the program, and I know how to fix it. And by that, I can create two very distinct, very powerful brands out of one. Here's how I would do it.