In the early 2000s, Disney Channel was one of our biggest sources of entertainment. We loved to watch our favorite shows each day in the morning prior to school, after our sporting events, or before bed. Now kids have different sources for TV entertainment. Netflix, PBS kids, Hulu, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and etc. 

“During elementary school I used to get on the bus and look forward to going inside and watching my favorite show “Shake It Up,” expressed, Isabella Stachowiak.

While we were kids Disney had lots of amazing shows that my generation would look forward to watching daily. “Jessie,” “Shake it up,” “Good Luck Charlie,” “Liv and Maddie,” “Wizards Of Waverly Place,” “The suite life of Zach and Cody,” “Hannah Montana,” “Dog with a Blog,” “High School Musical (1-3),” “Teen Beach Movie (1-2),” and many more. 

Disney Channel has made some choices that some parents disagree with.  Some people still support them while others do not. Shows started featuring gay pride and LGBTQ.  Some parents no longer allow their children to watch any of the shows Disney offers. Others still allow their children because it aligns with their parenting. Some shows/ movies that promote this are “Diary of a Future President, ” “Better Nate than Ever,” and  “Cruella.” 

“Disney+ lost 1.3 million subscribers in the final quarter of 2023 amid a hefty price hike that went into effect last fall, but managed to narrow its streaming business’ losses by $300 million during the October-December period,” wrote Jennifer Maas in the Variety Newsletter.

Disney Plus prices have also been increasing steadily; now it is $7.99 a month. People no longer feel that it is worth the cost because their shows and movies are not as good anymore. They discontinued a lot of shows that were liked by many viewers. Nowadays, it is rare for people to still have cable. So for people to watch “Disney Channel” shows they have to have Disney Plus. Disney used to have engaging and comedic shows/movies that many kids/families could relate to and loved to watch. Now, a majority of the shows and movies that they produce seem to be cartoons and not as popular or engaging as they once were.

When Disney comes out with “live action” movies like the new “Little Mermaid” or “Beauty and the Beast,” some viewers feel the movies are not as good as the original. Disney is coming out with a live action “Tangled,” and people are mad. The person they cast as Rapunzel looks nothing like the original girl. Similar to the “Little Mermaid” situation, which is causing conflict with Disney and their fans once again. 

Moving from innovative and original content, Disney has started producing live action movies based on their original cartoon version, like “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King”, and “the Little Mermaid.” These productions have not only shown the unoriginality of Disney but has created many complaints as Disney uses a diverse cast that strays from their original features in the animated films, creating a lack of engagement from their original fan base. Disney has also stripped original shows and movies from their network in order to make room for the newer films and shows, which have made some fans stop watching Disney altogether. 

“Disney Channel is no longer something I watch because they took Fairly Odd parents out and that used to be my go to show,” said Blaise Burns. 

There are a lot of reasons that Disney Channel is not as popular as it once was. Maybe one day they will have a huge comeback and people will love watching their content as much as they did when our generation was young. 

Picture Credit: Google