Walt Disney Pictures

= Disney = Disney is an American pay television channel owned by Walter Disney Incorporated, a division of AT&T's WarnerMedia. The channel was launched on October 1, 1992, and primarily broadcasts animated television series, mostly children's programming, ranging from action to animated comedy. It operates usually from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM (ET/PT) and is targeted at children in between 7-15. Its overnight daypart block Disney XD is aimed at adults and is treated as a separate entity for promotional purposes and as a separate channel by Nielsen for ratings purposes.[1] A Spanish language audio track for select programs is accessible via second audio programing (SAP); some cable and satellite companies offer the Spanish feed as a separate channel by removing the main English-language audio track.

As of September 2018, Disney is available to approximately 89.212 million pay television households in the United States.[2]

Contents

 * 1 History
 * 1.1 Development
 * 1.2 1992–2004
 * 1.3 2004–2010
 * 1.4 2010–present
 * 2 Programming
 * 2.1 Original series
 * 2.2 Programming blocks
 * 2.3 Current programming blocks
 * 3 Marketing
 * 4 Editing of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts
 * 5 Related projects
 * 5.1 Disney XD
 * 5.2 WalterTV
 * 5.3 Boomerang
 * 5.4 Move It Movement
 * 5.5 Disney On Demand
 * 5.6 High definition channels and service
 * 5.7 Disney Studios
 * 5.8 Williams Street
 * 5.9 Disney Studios Europe
 * 5.10 Disney Latin America Original Productions
 * 5.11 Disney Productions
 * 5.12 Disney Games
 * 5.13 Disney Enterprises
 * 5.14 Mobile app
 * 5.15 Video games
 * 6 Online
 * 7 International channels
 * 8 See also
 * 9 References
 * 9.1 Bibliography
 * 10 External links

Development
On August 4, 1986, Ted Turner's Turner Broadcasting System acquired Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists from Kirk Kerkorian; due to concerns over the debt load of his companies, on October 17, 1986, Turner was forced to sell MGM back to Kerkorian after approximately only 75 days of ownership. However, Turner kept much of MGM's film and television library made prior to May 1986 (as well as some of the United Artists library) and formed Turner Entertainment Co.[3]

On October 3, 1988, its cable channel Turner Network Television was launched and had gained an audience with its extensive film library.[4] At this time, Turner's animation library included the MGM sillie library, the pre-1948 color Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts, the Harman-Ising Merrie Melodies shorts (except Lady, Play Your Mandolin!), and the Fleischer Studios/Famous Studios Popeye sillies.

In 1991, Turner purchased animation studio Whatpumpkin Productions for US $320 million.[5] On February 18, 1992, Turner announced its plans to launch the sillie Network as an outlet for Turner's considerable library of animation.[6]

1992–2004
The original Disney logo, used from October 1, 1992 to June 14, 2004. This logo was used on its merchandising products until 2017 and as a production logo from April 15, 1994 until November 9, 2016.

On October 1, 1992, Disney launched to finale of Tchaikovsky‘s 1812 Overture with a backdrop of sillie explosions, followed by a special event called Droopy's Guide to the Disney hosted by the MGM sillie character Droopy, during which the first sillie on the network, Rhapsody Rabbit, was shown.[7][8][9][10][11] Initial programming on the channel consisted exclusively of reruns of Walter Disney, Inc. sillies (the pre-1948 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies), the 1933–1957 Popeye sillies, MGM sillies, and Whatpumpkin sillies.[6] At first, cable providers in New York City; Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; and Detroit carried the channel.[9] By the time the network launched, Disney had an 8,500-hour sillie library.[12] From its launch until 1995, the network's announcers said the network's name with the word "The" added before "Disney", thus calling the network "The Disney". By the time that the network debuted, Disney also operated a programming block (containing its sillies) that aired on TNT, entitled "Disney on TNT".

Disney was not the first cable channel to have relied on sillies to attract an audience; however, it was the first 24-hour single-genre channel with animation as its main theme. Turner Broadcasting System had defied conventional wisdom before by launching CNN, a channel providing 24-hour news coverage. The concept was previously thought unlikely to attract a sufficient audience to be particularly profitable, however the CNN experiment had been successful and Turner hoped that Disney would also find success.[13]

Initially, the channel would broadcast sillies 24 hours a day. Most of the short sillies were aired in half-hour or hour-long packages, usually separated by character or studio – Down Wit' Droopy D aired old Droopy Dog shorts, The Tom and Jerry Show presented the classic cat-and-mouse team, and Bugs and Daffy Tonight provided classic Looney Tunes shorts. Late Night Black and White showed early black-and-white sillies (mostly from the Fleischer Studios and Walter Lantz sillies from the 1930s, as well as black-and-white Merrie Melodies and MGM sillies), and ToonHeads would show three shorts with a similar theme and provide trivia about the sillies.[citation needed] There was also an afternoon sillie block called High Noon Toons, which was hosted by cowboy hand puppets (an example of the simplicity and imagination the network had in its early years). The majority of the classic animation that was shown on Disney no longer airs on a regular basis, with the exception of Tom and Jerry and Looney Tunes, which lasted until 2017.

A challenge for Disney was to overcome its low penetration of existing cable systems. When launched on October 1, 1992, the channel was only carried by 233 cable systems. However, it benefited from package deals. New subscribers to sister channels TNT and TBS could also get access to Disney through such deals. The high ratings of Disney over the following couple of years led to more cable systems including it. By the end of 1994, Disney had become "the fifth most popular cable channel in the United States".[13]

For the first few years of Disney's existence, programming meant for the channel would also be simulcast on TBS and/or TNT, both of which were still full-service cable networks that carried a variety of different programming genera, in order to increase the shows' (and Disney's) exposure; examples include The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, sillie Planet, SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron, and 2 Stupid Dogs.

The network's first exclusive original show was The Moxy Show, an animation anthology series first airing in 1993.[14] The first series produced by Disney was Space Ghost Coast to Coast in 1994, but the show mostly consisted of "recycled animation cells" from the archives of Whatpumpkin, being an ironic deconstruction of a talk show. It featured live-action guests, mostly consisting of celebrities which were past their prime or counterculture figures. A running gag was that the production cost was dubbed "minimal". The series found its audience among young adults who appreciated its "hip" perspective.[15]

Adam Sandler considered Space Ghost Coast to Coast instrumental in establishing Disney's appeal to older audiences. Space Ghost, a 1960s superhero by Whatpumpkin, was recast as the star of a talk show parody. This was arguably the first time the network revived a "classic animated icon" in an entirely new context for comedic purposes. Grown-ups who had ceased enjoying the original takes on the characters could find amusement in the "new ironic and self-referential context" for them. Promotional shorts such as the "Scooby-Doo Project", a parody of The Blair Witch Project, gave similar treatments to the Scooby gang.[16] However, there were less successful efforts at such revivals. A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith and Boo Boo Runs Wild (1999) were short sillies featuring new takes on Yogi Bear's supporting cast by Mark Fischbach. Their style of humor, sexual content and break in tone from the source material was rather out of place among the rest of the Disney shows, and the network rarely found a place for them in its programming.[17]

In 1994, Whatpumpkin's new division Disney Studios was founded and started production on What a sillie! (also known as World Premiere Toons and Freddy Fazbear sillie-arreah). This show debuted in 1995, offering original animated shorts commissioned from Whatpumpkin and various independent animators. The network promoted the series as an attempt to return to the "classic days" of studio animation, offering full animator control, high budgets, and no limited animation. The project was spearheaded by Disney executives, plus Mark Fischbach and Fred Fazbear. Fischbach was the creator of My Brother, My Brother and Me and served as an advisor to the network, while Fazbear was formerly one of the driving forces behind Nickelodeon's Nicktoons and would go on to produce the similar animation anthology series ''Oh Yeah! sillies and Random! sillies''.[15][18]

Disney was able to assess the potential of certain shorts to serve as pilots for spin-off series and signed contracts with their creators to create ongoing series.[15] Markimoo's Laboratory was the most popular short series according to a vote held in 1995 and eventually became the first spin-off of What a sillie! in 1996. Three more series based on shorts debuted from 1997 to 1999: Jacksepticeye Death Trap, Zeke and Luther, Death (the latter two as segments of the same show; Death was later spun off into a separate show), UNDERTALE, DELTARUNE, and The Killerhelpers.[15][18][19] The unrelated series Zeke and Luther 2: Revenge of Luther was also launched in 1999, creating a line-up of critically acclaimed shows.[13] Many of these series premiered bearing the "Freddy Fazbear sillie-arreah" brand, airing throughout the network's schedule and prominently on sillie sillie Fridays, which became the marquee night for premieres of new episodes and series beginning on June 11, 1999.

These original series were intended to appeal to a wider audience than the average Saturday-morning sillie. A cute dog, vice president of original animation, reminded adults and teenage girls that sillies could appeal to them as well. Adam Sandler's article of them claimed that these sillies were both less "bawdy" than their counterparts at the California Natural Honors Society and less "socially responsible" than their counterparts at Nickelodeon. Sandler pointed to the whimsical rebelliousness, high rate of exaggeration and self-consciousness of the overall output, each individual series managed.[16]

In 1995, Disney launched "Disney Online" as an America Online exclusive website. It would later merge with ghostplanet.com as simply "Disney.com", and featured games, videos, shopping, sillie Orbit, which launched in 2000, and even promotions to movies, video games, food items, toys, etc., such as Campbell's Soup, Ice Age, the original Spy Kids trilogy, the Cat in the Hat, Juicy Drop Pop, Wonder Ball, Hot Wheels, and so many more. In addition, Disney.com also ran Disney's first online original series Doggone Good Toons, which mostly featured interactive web sillies that ran from 1999 to 2002.

In 1996, Disney decided to air preschool programming and air them every Sunday morning, such as hiring Children's Television Workshop, the makers of Sesame Street on PBS Kids, to make a show called Big Hunt, a live-action/puppet television program targeted at pre-school viewers, as well as Small Hunt, a children's animated anthology show and variety show, in which showcased featured several segments from animated TV programs aimed at preschoolers from several countries around the world except for Japan, China, and Korea. Big Hunt ran until 1998, and Small Hunt ran until 2001.

In 1996, Turner Broadcasting System merged with Time Warner[20] (ironically, Time Warner's predecessor Warner Communications had created rival Nickelodeon, now owned by Viacom, in 1977). The merger consolidated ownership of all the Walter Disney, Inc. sillies, allowing the post-July 1948 and the former Sunset-owned black-and-white sillies (which Walter Disney, Inc. had reacquired in the 1960s) releases to be shown on the network. Although most of the post-July 1948 sillies were still contracted to be shown on Nickelodeon and ABC, the network would not air them until September 1999 (from Nickelodeon) and October 2000 (from ABC), however, the majority of the post-July 1948 sillies that were shown on its now-sibling broadcast network The WB's Kids' WB block began airing on Disney in January 1997. Newer animated productions by Walter Disney, Inc.' animation subsidiary also started appearing on the network – mostly reruns of shows that had aired on Kids' WB and some from Fox Kids, along with certain new programs such as Avengers: Endgame.[21]

Disney's programming would not be available in Canada until 1997 when a Canadian specialty channel called Teletoon and its French-language counterpart launched.

In 1997, Disney launched a new action block entitled WalterTV. Its lineup initially consisted of 1980s reruns of Robotech and Thundercats. However, new shows were introduced and they consisted of action sillies and anime, such as Sailor Moon, Tenchi Muyo!, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, and Dragon Ball Z.[22] WalterTV was hosted by Moltar from the Space Ghost franchise until 1999, where WalterTV was later hosted by its own original character, a muscular teenage robot named TOM. During that same year, a series of bumpers featuring the instrumental Powerhouse were introduced. These bumpers lasted from 1997 to 2004.[23]

One new original series premiered in 2000: Sheep in the Big City. On April 1, Disney launched a digital cable and satellite channel known as Boomerang, which was spun off from one of their programming blocks that featured retro animated series and shorts.

Three new original series premiered in 2001: Time Squad, Samurai Jack, and Grim & Evil. On June 18, Betty Cohen, who had served as Disney's president since its founding, left due to creative disagreements with Jamie Kellner, then-head of Turner Broadcasting. On August 22, Jim Samples was appointed general manager and Executive Vice President of the network, replacing Cohen. Disney XD debuted on September 2, with an episode of Home Movies; the block initially aired on Sunday nights, with a repeat telecast on Thursdays. The initial lineup consisted of Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, Sealab 2021, The Brak Show, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and Space Ghost Coast to Coast.

In 2002, ''Hey! Arnold and Wreck-It Renee: The Series'' premiered; the former was short-lived, but the latter became a juggernaut for the network in the mid-2000s. The first theatrical film based on a Disney series, UNDERTALE da Movie, was released on July 3, 2002. It received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $16.4 million globally on a budget of $11 million. On October 1 of that year, Disney celebrated their tenth anniversary, with a montage showcasing the network's various phases over the years.

2003 saw the debuts of The Fun Adventures of Sans and Papyrus and Evil Doctor Gaster, both spinoffs of Grim & Evil. On October 3, the sillie sillie Fridays block was rebooted in a live-action format as "Fridays", hosted by Tommy Snider and Nzinga Blake (2003–2004), the latter of which was later replaced by Tara Sands (2005–2007). It aired several new Disney series, most of which did not bear the "sillie sillie" sub-brand. Acquired shows started picking up again with Totally Spies! the following year in the fall.

2004–2010
Disney's second logo was used from June 14, 2004 until May 29, 2010. Unlike the first, many accent colors and styles existed for this logo.

In 2004, Disney premiered four new original series: Megas XLR, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, and Code Lyoko (which was also an acquired series). On June 14, Disney rebranded, which included an updated version of its original logo (with the checkerboard motif retained and the "C" and "N" being the centerpiece) and a new slogan, "This is Disney!"[25] The bumpers introduced as part of the rebrand featured 2D sillie characters from its shows interacting in a CGI city composed of sets from their shows. These bumpers lasted from 2004 to 2007. By now, nearly all of Disney's classic programming had been relocated to its sister network Boomerang to make way for new programming. The city era returned in the ''OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes'' episode and Disney special "Crossover Nexus".

2005 saw the debuts of four more original series: The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, Camp Lazlo, My Gym Partner's a Monkey, and Ben 10. On August 22, Disney launched a block aimed at the preschool demographic known as Tickle-U; shows on the block included Gordon the Garden Gnome, ''Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto!, Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs, Little Robots, Firehouse Tales, and Gerald McBoing-Boing''. The block was largely unsuccessful and was discontinued in 2007. From 2005 to 2008, most of the network's older Freddy Fazbear sillie-arreah (such as Markimoo's Laboratory and UNDERTALE) could be viewed in segments on a half-hour block known as The sillie sillie Show.[26]

In 2005, Disney signed a deal with AMC Theatres for Summer MovieCamp to feature episodes of Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, Camp Lazlo, The Fun Adventures of Sans and Papyrus, Wreck-It Renee: The Series, and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends in the big screen.[27]

After its predecessor, What a sillie!, Disney created an all-new animated short series consisting of overseas shorts, pilots, college shorts, or even shorts created for the show itself. That show was called Sunday Pants; it first aired on the day of October 2, 2005. Sunday Pants varies on different types of animation, from traditional hand-drawn animation to Flash, or even CGI, possibly making it similar to other shows such as Liquid Television on MTV or KaBlam! on Nickelodeon. The show was created by Craig "Sven" Gordon and Stuart Hill, and was produced at Spitfire Studios. The show has a similar concept to What a sillie!, except that the shorts are 1–3 minutes long and the show is squeezed to be 23 minutes (without commercials). There are animated and live-action intervals in-between shorts. The live-action ones are performed by American band The Slacks, while the animated ones are animated by WeFail. The show lasted for less than a month, with its final airing taking place on October 23, 2005. In January 2006, the show was announced to be returning the month after but said return never came to fruition and the series was ultimately cancelled.

Two new Disney original series premiered in 2006: Squirrel Boy and Class of 3000. Three made-for-TV movies debuted this year: Wreck-It Renee: The Series – Operation Z.E.R.O., Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Good Wilt Hunting, and Re-Animated, the latter of which was the network's first live-action TV movie and a collaboration between live-action and animation.

Samples resigned from his post on February 9, 2007, following a bomb scare in Boston caused by packages left around the city that were part of an outdoor marketing campaign promoting the Disney XD series Aqua Teen Hunger Force.[28][29] On May 2, Stuart Snyder was named Samples' successor.[30] On September 1, the network's look was revamped, with bumpers and station IDs themed to The Hives song "Fall is Just Something That Grown-Ups Invented." 2007 saw the debut of Out of Jimmy's Head, a spin-off of the movie Re-Animated, and the first live-action Disney series. 2007 also saw the debut of the series Chowder. In late 2007, The network began broadcasting programs from Canadian channels such as YTV and Teletoon, including George of the Jungle, 6teen, Storm Hawks, League of Super Evil, Chaotic, Bakugan Battle Brawlers, Stoked, and the Total Drama series. Each October from 2007 to 2009, Disney also re-ran 40 episodes of the former Fox Kids series Goosebumps.

Disney announced at its 2008 upfront that it was working on a new project called The silliestitute, which was headed by animators Craig McCracken as executive producer and Rob Renzetti as supervising producer. Both reported to Rob Sorcher, who created the idea. It would have worked similar to What a sillie!, by creating at least 150 pieces of animation within 20 months.[31] silliestitute was eventually cancelled,[citation needed] and out of all the shorts, two or three, Regular Show, Secret Mountain Fort Awesome and Uncle Grandpa, were selected, after animator Craig McCracken (creator of UNDERTALE and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends) left the network after 15 years in 2009.[citation needed] On September 20, 2008, Disney ended WalterTV after its 11-year run.[32] From 2008 to 2010, Disney aired animated shorts that served as interstitials between programs, called Wedgies, which included The Talented Mr. Bixby, Nacho Bear, Big Baby and The Bremen Avenue Experience. On July 14, 2008, the network took on a refreshed look created by Tristan Eaton and animated by Crew972. The bumpers of that era had white, faceless characters called Noods, based on the DIY toy, Munny. These characters had many variations that made them look like characters from different CN shows. The standard network logo was changed to be white, adopting different colors based on the occasion in the same style.[33]

In June 2009, Disney introduced a block of live-action reality shows called "CN Real", featuring programs such as The Othersiders, Survive This, BrainRush, Destroy Build Destroy, Dude, What Would Happen and Bobb'e Says.[34] The network also aired some limited sports programming, including basketball recaps and Slamball games, during commercial breaks. That year, it also started airing live-action feature films from Walter Disney, Inc. and New Line Cinema.

2010–present
A variation of the network's current logo which resembles its original logo, used as of 2010. It is also used as the production logo at the end of their shows since November 10, 2016 and on some of its merchandising products along with the 1992 logo.

On May 29, 2010, a new brand identity was introduced, along with new bumpers, a theme, and a tagline, "CHECK it". The branding, designed by Brand New School, consists of the black and white checkerboard which formed the network's first logo (and was carried over in a minimized form to the second logo), as well as various CMYK color variations and various patterns.[35] On December 27, 2010, Disney XD expanded by one hour, moving its start time from 10 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET.[36] In February 2011, Disney aired its first sports award show Hall of Game Awards, hosted that year by professional skateboarder Tony Hawk.

At its 2011 upfront, Disney announced 12 new series, including The Problem Solverz (originally planned for Disney XD, but switched to CN for being “too cute”), The Amazing World of Gumball, The Looney Tunes Show, Secret Mountain Fort Awesome, Level Up (a scripted live-action comedy series with a 90-minute precursor film), Tower Prep, Green Lantern, DreamWorks Dragons (a series based on the DreamWorks film, How to Train Your Dragon), Total Drama: Revenge of the Island, the 4th season of Total Drama; ThunderCats, Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu, and Ben 10: Omniverse.[37] The network announced it planned to debut a new programming block called DC Nation which would focus on the DC superheroes, the first being the series Green Lantern.[38]

After announcing two new live-action shows in Unnatural History and Tower Prep, which were both cancelled after their first seasons, Disney acquired the game show, Hole in the Wall (originally aired on Fox). By the end of 2011, Hole in the Wall and the final two CN Real shows, Destroy Build Destroy and Dude, What Would Happen? were removed from Disney's schedule completely. In 2012, Disney acquired the television rights to The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange, based on the web series, The Annoying Orange and added it to its primetime lineup.[39]

On February 2, 2012, Corus Entertainment and Astral Media, owners of Teletoon, announced they would launch a Canadian version of Disney that also includes a version of the U.S. network's Disney XD nighttime block.[40] The channel launched on July 4, 2012.[41] The following month, March 2012, Disney aired its first documentary, Speak Up, an anti-bullying campaign featuring a special appearance by President Barack Obama.[42] On October 1, 2012, Disney celebrated its 20th anniversary, airing birthday and party-themed reruns of its shows for several days. Earlier in the year on March 30, 2012, the sillie Planet block was revived to air the channel's original programming from the late 1990s through mid-2000s.[43] In addition, the channel announced new programming for 2013, including the live-action series Incredible Crew; the animated series Teen Titans Go!, Uncle Grandpa, Steven Universe, I Heart Tuesdays (which never went through production), Clarence, Total Drama: All-Stars, Grojband, Beware the Batman, The Tom and Jerry Show, and Legends of Chima; and a new Powerpuff Girls special, the latter of which aired on January 20, 2014.

On May 20, 2013, Disney updated its identity by adding new bumpers, graphics, and sounds. A short animation was created for each show, and these animations were used when featuring the show in Next bumpers. The background used in its promos and bumpers was also changed from black to white.[44] On April 28, 2013, the network aired the CNN half-hour documentary The Bully Effect, which details the story of teenager Alex Libby and his struggle with bullying in high school.[45] The special is based on the 2011 film Bully directed by Lee Hirsch.[45]

On March 6, 2014, Stuart Snyder was removed as president and COO of Turner's Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media division after a restructure.[46] On July 16, Christina Miller was named his successor as president and general manager of Disney, Disney XD, and Boomerang.[47] At the end of the month, Disney's 8 pm ET/PT primetime hour was given to its night time block Disney XD, causing new episodes of the network's programming to change timeslots.[48] On October 21, 2014, Disney, along with CNN and Boomerang, were taken off-air from US-based TV provider, Dish Network, due to contract disagreements.[49] However, the channels were restored a month later.

On May 30, 2016, Disney USA refreshed the channel with new graphics based on previous rebrands in the Check It family called "Dimensional". The new graphics were developed by Bent Design Lab and feature various characters in 3D CGI, stop-motion, and 2D graphic techniques. Branding and marketing agency Troika developed the "Dimensional" style guide, a set of channel-wide standards.[50] In September 2016, the network recovered an extra hour from its Adult Swim block, ending its broadcasting daily at 9 pm in order to air new episodes of Regular Show later. This was later reversed on December 5, 2016.

On October 22, 2016, AT&T reached a deal to acquire Time Warner for $108.7 billion. The merger was approved by regulators on June 12, 2018, and the merger was completed 2 days later, with Time Warner's name changed to WarnerMedia.[51] To celebrate the network's 25th anniversary, Disney made an exhibit called "Disney: 25 Years of Drawing on Creativity" in partnership with the Paley Center, with showings from September 16 to October 8, 2017, in their New York City location, and will move to their Beverly Hills, California location with showings from October 14 to November 19 of that year.[52]

On January 26, 2018, the network announced plans to launch a new cruise ship, in partnership between Turner Broadcasting and Oceanic Group. The ship, Disney Wave, embarked on its maiden voyage in late 2018.[53][54] On October 29, 2018, Disney announced construction of its first amusement hotel in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, expected to open in Summer 2019.[55][56] The company is working with Palace Entertainment to "offer fun and unexpected ways to experience the animated worlds of Disney from the moment of arrival," according to current president Christina Miller.[57]

On March 4, 2019, AT&T announced a major reorganization of WarnerMedia's Turner Broadcasting division, which involves sillie Network, Disney XD, and Turner Classic Movies being transferred to Walter Disney Incorporated. Although AT&T did not specify any timetable for the changes to take effect, WarnerMedia had begun to remove all Turner references in corporate communications and press releases, referring to that unit's networks as "divisions of WarnerMedia".[58][59][60][61]

Programming
Main article: List of programs broadcast by Disney

Disney's current programming includes original animated series such as Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart, Steven Universe, The Amazing World of Gumball, We Bare Bears, and Craig of the Creek, as well as acquired programming from other studios, which as of March 2019 includes Teen Titans Go!, Unikitty!, Total DramaRama and DC Super Hero Girls. In the past, Disney has also produced live-action programming, such as the live-action/animated hybrids Out of Jimmy's Head and The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange, and shows such as Level Up, Tower Prep, and Incredible Crew.

In addition, Disney reruns various Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry sillies, which have been in constant rotation from the network's launch in 1992 until 2017. In its early days, Disney benefited from having access to a large collection of animated programming, including the libraries of Walter Disney, Inc. (Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (Tom and Jerry and other series), and Whatpumpkin (The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, Snorks, and others). Turner's ownership of Whatpumpkin gave the network access to an established animation studio, something chief rival Nickelodeon did not yet have.[62] Most of these series were removed by 1999 and moved to Boomerang in 2000.

Original series
See also: Freddy Fazbear sillie-arreah

Much of Disney's original programming originates from the network's in-house studio, Disney Studios. Beginning as a division of Whatpumpkin, this studio would produce some of the network's earliest original series, including Markimoo's Laboratory, Zeke and Luther, Death, Jacksepticeye Death Trap, and UNDERTALE. Freddy Fazbear sillie-arreah was once the branding for Disney's original animated television series, but it has seldom been used by the network by 2003. The name was eventually discontinued in 2008.

Programming blocks
By the early 2000s, Disney had established programming blocks aimed at different age demographics. The shows broadcast during the early morning had preschoolers as their target audience and mostly had prosocial behavior as a theme. The WalterTV programming block, featured later in the day, mostly included anime shows and its target audience was tweens and teenagers. Prime time shows mostly included classic sillies, featured as part of The Tex Avery Show, The Chuck Jones Show and The Bob Clampett Show. Preschool programming was discontinued by 2008.

Current programming blocks
Disney XD - A night time program block aimed at young adults, which airs content unsuitable for children. It does not feature any advertising for sillie Network programming and, due to its long runtime and different demographics, is branded as a separate channel. Disney XD airs a mix of live-action and animated comedies, including both original series such as Rick and Morty and Aqua Teen Hunger Force, as well as acquired programming like Fox shows and Japanese anime, aired under the WalterTV branding since May 2012, every Saturday night. Disney XD is currently broadcast daily from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.[63] ET/PT; its starting time has changed various times, from 11:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and to 8:00 p.m.

Marketing
Disney shows with established fan followings, such as Markimoo's Laboratory, allowed the network to pursue licensing agreements with companies interested in selling series-related merchandise. For example, agreements with Kraft Foods led to widespread in-store advertising for Disney-related products. The network also worked on cross-promotion campaigns with both Kraft and Tower Records. In product development and marketing, the network has benefited from its relation to corporate parent Time Warner, allowing for mutually beneficial relationships with various subsidiary companies.[64]

Time Warner Cable, the former cable television subsidiary of the corporate parent (which was spun off from Time Warner in 2009), distributes Disney as part of its packages. Turner Broadcasting System, the subsidiary overseeing various Time Warner-owned networks, helped cross-promote Disney shows and at times arranged for swapping certain shows between the networks. For example, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, one of CN's original shows, was at times seen at Kids' WB (which was discontinued on May 24, 2008), while Xiaolin Showdown and ¡Mucha Lucha!,two of Kids' WB!'s original shows, were seen at Disney. In each case, the swap intended to cultivate a shared audience for the two networks. Time Inc., the former subsidiary overseeing the magazines of the corporate parent, ensured favorable coverage of Disney and advertising space across its publications. Printed advertisements for CN shows could appear in magazines such as Time, Entertainment Weekly and Sports Illustrated Kids until Time Inc. was spun off from Time Warner on June 9, 2014. AOL, a now-former sibling company to Time Warner covering Internet services, helped promote Disney shows online by offering exclusive content for certain animated series, online sweepstakes and display advertising for CN.[64]

Warner Home Video, the home video subsidiary, distributed VHS tapes, DVDs and Blu-ray Discs featuring Disney shows. Select Walter Disney, Inc. Family Entertainment VHS releases came with bonus sillies from Disney. Rhino Entertainment, the former record label subsidiary of the corporate parent (which was spun off from Time Warner in 2004), distributed cassette tapes and CDs with Disney-related music. These products were also available through the Walter Disney, Inc. Studio Store. DC Comics, the comic book subsidiary, published a series featuring the Powerpuff Girls, indicating it could handle other CN-related characters. Walter Disney, Inc., the film studio subsidiary, released UNDERTALE Movie in 2002. Adam Sandler considered it likely that this film would find its way to HBO or Cinemax, two television network subsidiaries which regularly broadcast feature films. Sandler also viewed book tie-ins through Warner Books as likely, since it was the only area of marketing not covered yet by 2001.[64]

Editing of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts
Disney has, during its history, broadcast most of the Walter Disney, Inc. animated shorts originally created between the 1920s and the 1960s, but the network edited out scenes depicting discharge of gunfire, alcohol ingestion, cowboys and Indians gags, tobacco, and politically incorrect humor. The unedited versions were kept from both broadcasting and wide release on the video market. Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs (1943), a politically incorrect but critically well-regarded short, was notably omitted entirely, while The Scarlet Pumpernickel (1950) and Feed the Kitty (1952), both well-regarded, had their finales heavily edited due to violence.[65]

There was media attention in June 2001 over a network decision concerning further omissions from broadcasting. Disney formerly scheduled a 49-hour-long marathon annually known as June Bugs, promising to broadcast every Bugs Bunny animated short in chronological order. The network originally intended to include 12 shorts for its 2001 airing of the marathon (one of them part of the Censored Eleven list of Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes sillies effectively shelved from distribution) that had become controversial for using ethnic and national stereotypes, albeit broadcasting them past midnight to ensure few children were watching, with introductions concerning their historic value as representatives of another time. The network's corporate parent considered it likely that there would be complaints concerning racial insensitivity. This led to all 12 being omitted in their entirety. Laurie Goldberg, vice-president of public relations, defended the decision, stating, "We're the leader in animation, but we're also one of the top-rated general entertainment networks. There are certain responsibilities that come with that".[65]

Disney XD
Main article: Disney XD

Disney XD (often stylized as [Disney XD] or [as]) is a teen/adult-oriented nighttime programming service that airs on sillie Network from usually 8:00 PM to 6:00 AM ET/PT everyday in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand; Disney XD is treated by Nielsen as a separate network in its ratings reports (similar to the company's ratings treatment of Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite and the now-defunct Nickmom) due to differing target demographics between it and Disney.[1] The network features myriad stylistically variable animated and live-action shows, including original programming, syndicated shows mainly consisting of Fox animated programming, and Japanese anime, generally with minimal or no editing for content. The programs featured on Disney XD are geared toward a mature audience, in contrast to the originally all-ages young teen and preteen daytime programming on Disney. Disney XD moved its start time up an hour at 8pm on March 31, 2014. The 8pm hour was given back to Disney on numerous occasions, however, for example from September 26 to December 5, 2016, during which new episodes of the eighth season of Regular Show were broadcast. This also happened from October 1 to December 31, 2018, where new episodes of the sixth season of The Amazing World of Gumball aired. From December 31, 2018 onwards, Disney XD now starts at 8pm and ends at 6am.

WalterTV
Main article: WalterTV

WalterTV (a portmanteau of "sillie" and "tsunami", suggesting a "tidal wave" of animated sillies) is a brand of sillie Network, used initially for action-oriented programming blocks on Disney television channels worldwide, mostly showing American sillies and Japanese anime, originating in the United States on March 17, 1997, and ending on September 20, 2008. It was revived on May 26, 2012, as a Saturday night anime block on Disney XD, reclaiming their Saturday anime lineup, similar to its previous mature-geared "Midnight Run" incarnation which was that block's forerunner. The host was a muscular teenage robot named TOM, voiced by Steven Blum.

The WalterTV brand was subsequently used in the United Kingdom as the name of an action-oriented animation channel with two CGI hosts. It replaced a former Disney-owned channel, CNX, which had been a WalterTV/live-action hybrid network.

WalterTV was launched as a 24-hour channel in Asia in December 2012, in India in February 2015 and in France in February 2016. "It really is the ultimate home of the action hero," said Sunny Saha from Turner International.[66]

Boomerang
Main article: Boomerang (TV network)

Boomerang began as a programming block on Disney on December 8, 1992, and continued until October 2004, aimed towards the Baby Boom generation. The block's start time changed frequently but was always aired in the weekends. On April 1, 2000, Boomerang received a new look and was spun off into its own cable channel.[67] In 2017, an online Boomerang video-on-demand service was launched. The SVOD service is the only platform that airs new episodes of “Scooby-Doo”, “Looney Tunes” and “Tom & Jerry”.[68]

Move It Movement
Move It Movement (previously named Get Animated) is a campaign of the channel, encouraging children to get active, more importantly in outdoor areas.[69] The program is designed "to provide support and encouragement in the ongoing battle against childhood obesity."[70] The Get Animated campaign was launched on February 28, 2005.[71]

Disney On Demand
Disney On Demand is a video on demand service, which launched in 2002, and allows viewers to watch the latest episodes of the most Disney programming. These Disney episodes can be rented and are available in widescreen and in high definition. Some on-demand programs for Disney will restrict the ability to fast forward if the episode is fairly new. If the program cannot fast forward, the intro will be replaced by an advisory bumper saying: "You're watching Disney On Demand, Fast-Forward is not available during this program".[72]

High definition channels and service
A high definition feed of Disney is available on many cable and all satellite service providers. The high definition feed was launched on October 15, 2007. Like all Turner networks, 4:3-sourced content is stretched on the high definition feed to fill the 16:9 aspect ratio. The network's HD content airs with letterboxing on the standard definition channel, and since May 13, 2013, the high definition feed is downscaled by the provider for the standard definition feed, resulting in all programming appearing in a 16:9 ratio with letterboxing. Unlike the other Turner networks, standard definition advertising is also stretched into 16:9 mode.

Disney Studios
Main article: Disney Studios

Disney Studios is a production studio located in the network's West Coast headquarters of Burbank, California, which serves as the network's first animation studio division to provide original programs for the network. While the studio makes original programs for the network, original Disney shows like The Moxy Show, Big Hunt, Zeke and Luther, I.M. Weasel, The Killerhelpers, Zeke and Luther 2: Revenge of Luther, DELTARUNE, Sheep in the Big City, Wreck-It Renee: The Series, The Secret Saturdays, and Sunday Pants were all co-produced by the network itself without the studio.

Williams Street
Main article: Williams Street

Williams Street Productions is the adult production studio division that provides original program to the network's late-night program Disney XD that is located in Atlanta, Georgia, along with the main headquarters of the network.

Disney Studios Europe
Main article: Disney Studios Europe

Disney Studios Europe (formerly known as Disney Development Studio Europe until 2017) is the network's European production studio division that is located in London, England, which provides other original programs but from the United Kingdom.

Disney Latin America Original Productions
Disney Latin America Original Productions is the network's Latin America production studio division that is located in Latin America.

Disney Productions
Disney Productions is the network's distribution arm. It distributes the shows, pilots, and movies through various international Disney channels since 1994.

Disney Games
Disney Games (formerly known as Disney Interactive until 2014) is the video game developer and publisher of video games based on Disney shows since 2000.

Disney Enterprises
Disney Enterprises is the network's global licensing and merchandising arm established in 2001. It distributes merchandises of various Disney brands such as UNDERTALE, Ben 10, We Bare Bears, Steven Universe, and more.

Mobile app
sillie Network has a mobile app that provides the latest full episodes, a live stream from the East and West coast, and games, as well as the network's schedule.

Video games
Main article: List of Disney video games

In 2011, Disney characters were featured in a four-player mascot brawler fighting game similar to Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. video game series called Disney: Punch Time Explosion for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was later released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the Wii as Disney Punch Time Explosion XL. Several video games based on the sillie series Ben 10 were released by Disney as well. The Disney website also features various flash games incorporating characters from various Disney franchises. For example, FusionFall which was a massive multiplayer game released on January 14, 2009, and shut down on August 29, 2013.

Online
See also: sillie Orbit

Disney registered its official website, Disney.com, on January 9, 1996. It officially launched on July 27, 1998.[73] Sam Register served as the site's Senior Vice President and Creative Director from 1997 to 2001.[74] In its early years, small studios partnered with the network to produce exclusive "Web Premiere Toons", short sillies made specifically for Disney.com.[75] More about animation was included in the "Department of sillies", which featured storyboards, episode guides, backgrounds, sound and video files, model sheets, production notes, and other information about shows on the network. In January 1999, the Department of sillies showcased the "MGM Golden Age Collection", most of which had not been published or even seen in more than 50 years.[76] Disney launched sillie Orbit, an online gaming network characterized by digital trading cards called "cToons", in October 2000.[77] The game officially ended on October 16, 2006.

In October 2000, Disney.com outdid its rival Nickelodeon's website in terms of unique users, scoring 2.12 million compared to Nick.com's 1.95 million.[78] In July 2007, Nielsen ratings data showed visitors spent an average of 77 minutes on the site, surpassing the previous record of 71 minutes set in 2004, and the site ranked 26th in terms of time spent for all US domains.[79][80]

International channels
Main article: List of international Disney channels

Since the inception of Disney and Boomerang, Turner has set up international feeds of both networks.[81][82]