#Disney Branded Television

[disneytva]

Atomic Monster and Disney Branded Television Fly Again With Live-Action Gargoyles Series For Disney+

It is the nature of human kind to fear what they do not understand. Their ways are not our ways -- Goliath

Almost 30 years after first appearing as an animated television series, Gargoyles is taking flight once more, this time in live-action according to The Hollywood Reporter and DEADLINE

The project hails from Annabelle writer Gary Dauberman and James Wan with Atomic Monster (Warner Bros "The Conjuring Universe", Universal Pictures & Blumhouse Studios "M3GAN" Franchise) serving as production studio with Disney Branded Television trought Disney Television Studios. No word yet if original creator Greg Weisman will join the project

A live action adaptation had been discussed by Disney since the beginning of the show's run and went with multiple directors over the years at Walt Disney Studios like Todd Garner, Jim Kouf, David Elliot,Paul Lovett and Jordan Peele.

Gargoyles is the lastest Disney TVA property in getting the live action treatment after Kim Possible as a DCOM on 2019 and Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers as a live-action animation hybrid film on Disney+ in 2022 additionaly Gargoyles joins the lastest trend of Disney Afternoon reboots with DuckTales as a animated reboot for Disney XD, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers a Prime-Time Emmy Award live-action animation hybrid film from Walt Disney Studios,Mandeville Films and The Lonely Island on Disney+, Darkwing Duck and TaleSpin as upcoming animated reboots by Point Grey Pictures & Disney TVA also for Disney+

The only shows on The Disney Afternoon slate left to reboots, having films or live action adaptions are Adventures of The Gummi Bears, Goof Troop, Bonkers, The Shnookums & Meat Funny Cartoon Show and The Mighty Ducks The Animated Series.

[violetganache42]

Be sure to watch the season 2 premiere of Moon girl and Devil Dinosaur because the show is in danger of being cancelled

Yeah, everyone at the Disney Beat server and I saw a couple of nights ago, and we've all been so fucking ANGRY at Disney. 14 episodes getting dropped all at once on Disney+?! What the fuck were they thinking?!

(Rant under the cut.)

It's bad enough they release batches of episodes at once like what Netflix did with Sonic Prime, but they plan to drop around half a season there to where they're making the main channel do two episodes per week?! You seriously couldn't do weekly premieres on TV and have the new episodes get released the next day on streaming, like what HBO Max did with Unicorn: Warriors Eternal and My Adventures with Superman?! The fact they reveal this on the MGDD Crew TikTok and paint it as a good thing does not help either. "How could you not celebrate" HOW COULD YOU NOT REALIZE YOU'RE BEING SO FUCKING DENSE RIGHT NOW?! LOOK AT THIS SHIT!

You cannot make this up! Streaming as a whole has seriously fucked over entertainment. Netflix made the binge format the new norm, and it's not working anymore. If you thought shows getting shorter-lived hype through binging compared to a weekly release was an issue, the quantity is a-whole-nother problem. If it was 5 or 6 episodes getting added at a time, that would be less infuriating, but this is 14 half-hour episodes we're talking about! That's 308 minutes of straight-up binging Disney expects us to do! No one is gonna binge this many episodes in a timeframe like that! And keep in mind, this isn't an earlier season from a finished or ongoing show; this is a whole new season we're talking about. People who haven't watched MGADD yet or don't have Disney+ and/or cable are gonna get exposed to a fuck ton of spoilers. Not to mention Disney Channel is gonna have to spend 7 weeks catching up to Disney+ with the episodes they air on TV. That will do a serious number on the TV views! And don't get me started on the international releases because I was told MGADD has been delayed so much to where S2 of dubbing is done (hence the promos in Japan), but considering the company's crapass handling of international releases, people won't be able to watch it until a much later date. Oh, and there are also countries that don't have the show despite it being dubbed in their language. Right off the bat, that's international views down the drain and the strong possibility of people in the other countries being exposed to spoilers depending on what they come across and who they're following.

You know what the absolute kicker is? They had the fucking audacity to reveal this shortly after they treated The Ghost and Molly McGee like garbage. No joke! The very minimal reruns they gave it throughout its run, its cancellation as season 3 was being drafted, the shitty promotions, them releasing "Jinx vs. the Human World" on iTunes and "The End" on YouTube ahead of their TV and Disney+ releases. I am not kidding about the last part; because Disney didn't temporarily remove them, SpoilerTV reported both episodes received only 63K and 56K TV views! Now compare that to the 375K views "Watching and Dreaming" got; all three TOH specials weren't released on YouTube or Disney+ until after the DC/XD simulcast premiere! And this is the same show that got shortened by the now retired Gary Marsh! The upsetting part is Bill Motz is blaming himself for putting too much pressure on the fans for watching TGAMM and appointing ambassadors to help promote it. No, it's not your fault, Bill. It's the Disney executives and their shitty marketing strategy's fault your show got cancelled. You care about the show you and Bob Roth created, and you wanted it to do well. The higher ups didn't bother to continue promoting the show after it premiered, and that alone just forced you, the ambassadors, and the audience to do their job for them. They're the reason why it underperformed on D+ and DC. Now, it may potentially happen again with MGADD thanks to them!

Why did they pulling any of this shit was a good idea?! The show got ample marketing, from an advertisement outside the Days of Christmas store in Disney Springs and Moon Girl herself appearing in Disney California Adventure to merchandise such as a Moon Girl Funko, a couple of books, and even a graphic novel! It has received nominations and won awards, and the current lead executive Ayo Davis said season 1 performed well in ratings! Yet they turn around and pull all of this bullshit as season 2 approaches! Seriously, what is preventing you from doing next-day weekly releases and continuing your marketing, Disney?! All your other Marvel shows have gotten weekly releases and so much promoting, and regardless of the reception of each show, they all get high ratings! That even includes What If…?, the MCU's first animated show! Just because MGADD is adjacent/not entirely connected to the MCU and is a Disney TVA show doesn't give you the excuse to treat it like crap post-season 1!

I'm sorry for the ranting, but this multi-whammy has been so fucking frustrating. I have been a big fan of MGADD since the beginning, and like I previously said, it helped fill the DuckTales-shaped hole in my heart. I'm glad that it has such a strong start, and I want it to continue doing well, but the upcoming 14-episode release was such a fucking gut punch. The more the active Disney Beat server memebrs and I ranted and vented about it, the more furious we grew to where a few of us—myself included—were in tears; it is such a horrendous decision the Disney executives made! I'm at least glad the past week has gotten people to talk about how shows are getting treated nowadays thanks to streaming, and Disney Beat tweeting about the 14-episode bomb release announcement got deleted. Unfortunately, the higher ups most likely deleted it just to save face and won't reverse the decision in the end. Regardless, more people are catching onto the pitfalls with streaming and are noticing how shows no longer have the opportunities to build audiences over time. They are treated as nothing more as a means of gaining views and instant gratification rather than a medium made for one's enjoyment. With the Animation Guild's contract having been expired for around a few months, I hope one of their demands is to stop the shows' mistreatments and lack of sufficient marketing because streaming left a devastating and worsening impact on the entertainment and animation industries.

[demifiendrsa]

A live-action Gargoyles series is in works at Disney+ from Gary Dauberman and James Wan’s Atomic Monster.

Dauberman will write, executive produce and showrun the series with Atomic Monster, the company run by Wan and Michael Clear, joining the executive producing ranks. The project is described as being in early development at Disney Branded Television.

[vintage1981]

Gary Dauberman, James Wan’s Atomic Monster Tackling Live-Action ‘Gargoyles’ for Disney+

lmost 30 years after first appearing as an animated television series, Gargoyles is taking flight once more, this time in live-action.

Two major names in the creature feature business, Gary Dauberman and James Wan’s Atomic Monster banner, known for their collaborations on the hit Annabelle horror movies, have teamed up to remake the 1990s cartoon as a live-action series for Disney+.

Dauberman will write, executive produce and showrun the series with Atomic Monster, the company run by Wan and Michael Clear, joining the executive producing ranks. The project is described as being in early development at Disney Branded Television.

Gargoyles was made by Walt Disney Television Animation and aired three seasons, from 1994 to 1997. The premise involved gargoyle statues moved from a castle in Scotland to modern-day New York. Once in the Big Apple, the statues awaken from a thousand-year-old spell and take on the mantle of protecting the city, becoming, as the show’s narration gravely said, “stone by day, warriors by night.”

The series, created by Greg Weisman, came during a time of innovation in series animation, with Gargoyles riding a wave of shows with more complex storylines and darker tones that also included Batman: The Animated Series and X-Men. As with those shows, Gargoyles burrowed into the consciousness of a generation of TV watchers who have given it cult status.

[downthetubes]

BBC and Disney Branded Television join forces on Doctor Who - will it mean a change of tie-in comic publisher?

Disney+ is to become new global home for upcoming seasons of Doctor Who outside the UK & Ireland, BBC continues as Doctor Who's exclusive home in the UK

The BBC and Disney Branded Television – two giants of entertainment – have come together to transform Doctor Who into a global franchise for UK audiences and the rest of the world. There is no information yet on how this agreement may the licensing of the show. Disney, for example, also own Marvel Comics. Both Panini UK, publishers of Doctor Who Magazine, and Titan Comics have longstanding…

[geekcavepodcast]

New “King Kong” Film in Development at Disney

Disney Branded Television is in early development on a live-action King Kong series for Disney+. The series is being written by Stephany Folsom. Folsom, Atomic Monster, and World Builder Entertainment are producing.

King Kong (working title) will bring the monster story into the modern age with a return to Skull Island and the dawn of a new Kong. The series will explore King Kong’s origin story and the mysteries of Skull Island based on Merian C. Cooper’s original books and Joe DeVito’s new novelizations.

(King Kong 1933 Movie Poster via Wikipedia)

[circlique]

In all seriousness though---

Korra got a ton---and I mean a TON---of hate, for daring to be a headstrong, non-genderconforming woman of color. So forgive me if I don't react well to "korrasami doesn't deserve it"

Korra already fought through enough misogyny and racism while it was actively airing. She already got enough criticism for not being the "target audience" of 8-12 age males who buy action figures. She already got enough criticism for having flaws as a woman, for not "acting ladylike". She already got enough criticism for not being white or white passing in a show that has ZERO white characters. So when you come at korrasami fans with "they don't deserve it"? Don't be surprised when korrasami fans look at it with a lens of suspicion, because korrasami already fought through the criticism, already fought through being stuck in the "dead slot" air time in nickelodeon (which they were moved to in season three, when the show runners actively started hinting at a wlw ship), already fought through being pulled off air and onto online viewing only, in 2014, for those of you who are a bit young. (Obergefell vs Hodges, the Supreme Court case which legalized gay marriage nationwide in the US, happen on June 26, 2016). "They only held hands in the finale" because that's all they could get away with at the time. They were the FIRST. Bubbeline came later. Rupphire came later. Catradora came later. There are still no notable mlm ships in children's media, so the work ISN'T done. Korrasami fans "screech and yell" at you for not understanding because you accuse them of "queerbaiting" without understanding that they were the FIRST in their time to OPENLY hint at being gay on a a children's television network. In a time, for most intents and purposes in the US, being gay was still ILLEGAL.

And by the way? The Owl House, a recent, animatec children's show on Disney, was recently canceled for not being "the Disney brand". It features a bisexual woman of color (in an EXPLICITLY wlw relationship) as the main character, not unsimilar to Korra. Misogyny is not dead. Homophobia is not dead. Know your history, and know the work isn't done.

[renthony]

Weird trend I've noticed:

When it comes to Disney-owned television shows, people seem much more willing to recognize that Disney just owns it, Disney didn't make it. The creators, writers, and actors are more likely to be credited and celebrated within fandom spaces, and even people who dislike it will acknowledge that it was made by the individual artists.

Disney movies, though? They don't seem to get that as often. The movies are much more likely to be treated as if the vague entity of "Disney" made it. Fans will say "Disney made a great movie," and critics will say that "Disney made a piece of crap." The directors and writers get mentioned much more rarely.

For example, people know that Dana Terrace created The Owl House and Alex Hirsch created Gravity Falls and Matt Braly created Amphibia, but far fewer people seem aware that Turning Red was directed and co-written by Domee Shi, Encanto was directed by Jarded Bush and Byron Howard, and Moana was Musker & Clements.

I'm sure a decent amount of that is due to the way Disney itself markets the films as part of their brand. Show title cards will list the title and the "created by" credit, but you never see that in film title cards (if the film even has a title card). The company wants you to look at the movies and only see the corporate branding. They want the movies to lead to new theme park attractions and merch deals, where they just don't put that level of marketing into their television productions nine times out of ten.

I do often think fandom spaces could be more diligent in learning the names of the artists behind the films, though. Disney didn't make them, the workers did, and it's the workers who get exploited in the process. At least give them the credit instead of the studio.

[diet-comet-soda]

I don't think anyone will be surprised when I say this, but there's a fundamental problem with western "adult" animation and that really sucks. To summarize the obvious: nearly every animated show not "made for kids" is limited to one very specific ~type~ of show (you know the one). And sure, some people like this style of show, but the potential left untapped is infuriating.

What I want from adult animation is shows like The Owl House, but taken further, without the limitations that networks put these shows through to make them "suitable for younger audiences". I don't even think they need to necessarily be completely inappropriate for younger viewers, they just need to prioritize their adult audience more and not get bogged down by "think of the children!!" rhetoric.

Animation targetted at older audiences doesn't all have to be like Family Guy. Even the more well-liked adult shows such as Harley Quinn don't stray nearly far enough off the established model to really meet the potential of the medium. Sometimes I want a sincere story without bathroom humour or gratuitous gore or hypersexualization. Sometimes I want to watch something that doesn't even really have "adult" content, but that's still designed for older audiences first and foremost, instead of held in a creative chokehold by brands like Disney to make sure it's colourful and light-hearted enough for little Timmy.

Maybe what I want would more accurately be called "Young Adult" or "Teen" animation, but I feel like those labels would undervalue these shows to the average viewer, similalry to how "YA" vs. "Adult" novels are treated. Just look at what Infinity Train was able to do when it was allowed to go places "kids'" shows usually aren't allowed to! Look at the beta concepts and imagine what The Owl House could have been if it wasn't on Disney Channel!

Of course, I love what we got with toh and how far they've taken this story, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. But there are admittedly a lot of weird moments and character/lore inconsistencies in the show, especially in season 1, where you can really feel Disney's enforced quota of "haha silly cartoon hijinks" messing with things. And I try to ignore them, but I often look at that one Bat Queen concept art and I get this sense of longing for a world where these shows can exist without having to toe the line of conforming to being "kids" shows.

Really my main point is that no one is hitting this specific niche like serialized non-"adult" cartoons are. But these types of shows have no stable space carved out for them in western media. The only place where they can even exist is on kids television networks, where their content is heavily policed and limited. And being trapped on these networks causes the general public to often lump them in with every other cartoon, dismissing them all as "for kids", no matter how different the story-telling style and intended audiences are. And if any of these networks one day decide that serialized cartoons no longer fit their brand, then we lose like half of the shows we have, out of an already measly selection.

Western animation has so much diverse potential, and yet all we get is the same genre of shows with that horribly bland and low-budget artstyle that makes everything just looks like Family Guy. Why does it have to be this way?

[coolchevistianofficialsite]

The Very Important House pilot got found by the user Derps.

Man the fact that Very Important House now fits on what Disney Channel wants for their animated series (episodic comedies) makes me so sad.

Please Bob Iger it's been 10 years since it got pitched, let Disney Branded Television CEO Ayo Davis to revive it.... the pilot is so funny and wild....

[disneytva]

Disney Television Animation Executive Danyel Mendoza Promoted To Vice President, Programming Strategy & Content Planning For Disney Branded Networks

Disney Television Animation Executive Danyel Mendoza has promoted to Programming Strategy & Content Planning for Disney Channel and Disney Junior.

Mendoza implemented a short-form strategy for Disney TVA Multi-Platform Content (Me & Mickey,

Mendoza implemented a short-form strategy for Disney Television Animation's Multi-Platform Content (Me & Mickey, Mickey's Christmas Tales, Minnie's Bow Toons, Chibi Tiny Tales, Broken Karaoke, Theme Song Takeover, How NOT To Draw, ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series Shorts etc.)

This expands Mendoza’s purview to oversee both linear and nonlinear platforms, and aligns linear and nonlinear planning and strategy teams into one team. She will also work closely with the DTC Programming teams on migrating content from branded networks to Disney+ and Hulu.

She will continue reporting into Christian Drobnyk, executive vice president, Programming FX, National Geographic, Freeform & Disney Branded Television with Disney Entertainment Television’s News Groups & Networks.

[strawberryeuphie]

anybaby wanna go to disney world with me?

imagine… we wake up in our resort room just before sunrise. we cuddle in our blankets with our pacifiers and watch disney cartoons on the television as the sun comes up, then we get ready to have our adventure for the day!

we start by brushing our teeth with our favorite flavored toothpaste, put on plenty of sunscreen, then pick out our cutest, most magical outfits. you can choose to wear mickey ears or a princess tiara! before anything else, though, we need to have breakfast. would you like mickey waffles or oatmeal? what flavor of juice should we get? eggs scrambled or fried? you pick!

after our meal, we pack up our disney-themed backpacks with sippy cups full of water (have to stay hydrated on an adventure!), autograph books, and other must-haves, and then it's time to set out! we head to the monorail and go on our way to magic kingdom. the day is sunny and blue-skied when we arrive. we walk down main street, admiring cinderella's castle and stopping in stores! we each pick out a new plushie to come on our adventure with us. what would your dream disney stuffed animal be?

we ride plenty of baby-friendly rides and attractions — it's a small world, mad tea party, peter pan's flight, dumbo the flying elephant, the many adventures of winnie the pooh, prince charming's regal carousel, the jungle cruise, the journey of the little mermaid, the laugh floor from monster's inc, enchanted tales with belle, and of course, the walt disney world railroad train!

we meet some of our favorite characters along the way — we get plenty of hugs from them, our photos taken with them, and even get their autographs! what character would you most want to meet? we get to watch all the characters in a parade on main street, too, and we get a front row place to stand!

before we know it, it's time for lunch. we're skipping nap time, so we need something really delicious to keep us going... surprise! we have reservations to cinderella's royal table! how exciting is that?! we get to eat in the castle and meet all the princesses, too! we get special cups of juice with glowing buzz lightyear and tinkerbell straws.

after we finish lunch, we decide we're feeling extra brave, and want to go on a roller coaster like the seven dwarves mine train or space mountain. don't worry, we'll hold hands the whole time!

we have all sorts of fun the rest of the day and get plenty of souvenirs from the gift shops. we end the night with a special dessert-before-dinner as we watch the wishes fireworks together. would you like ice cream from the parlor or a pastry from the bakery?

when we get back to the resort, we're super tired. it was a long adventure for little ones, after all. but, we have a bubble bath and get all squeaky clean anyway, brush our teeth, and finish the night being told a disney bedtime story on the television cuddled up with our brand new plushies.

it was a magical day!

[lokiondisneyplus]

Congratulations to the 'Loki' team on once again being nominated for a Hugo Award!

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

Doctor Who: “The Giggle”, written by Russell T. Davies, directed by Chanya Button (Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for The BBC and Disney Branded Television)

Loki: “Glorious Purpose”, screenplay by Eric Martin, Michael Waldron and Katharyn Blair, directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Marvel / Disney+)

The Last of Us: “Long, Long Time”, written by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, directed by Peter Hoar (Naughty Dog / Sony Pictures)

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: “Those Old Scientists”, written by Kathryn Lyn and Bill Wolkoff, directed by Jonathan Frakes (CBS / Paramount+)

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: “Subspace Rhapsody”, written by Dana Horgan and Bill Wolkoff, directed by Dermott Downs (CBS / Paramount+)

Doctor Who: “Wild Blue Yonder”, written by Russell T. Davies, directed by Tom Kingsley (Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for The BBC and Disney Branded Television)

The Hugo Awards will be presented August 11, 2023, at WorldCon in Glasgow.

[psychic-refugee]

Here is a bit of a cheat sheet to The Boys universe without having to watch The Boys, and still get the context of Gen V.

Spoilers under cut

Vought International is a mega corporation on steroids. It’s like if Amazon, Disney, ConAgra, and Pfizer had a baby. They have their hands in everything: movies/television, food, theme parks, any kind of merchandise they can stick a Supe’s brand on, and drugs. They are ultimately a pharmaceutical company, and they are responsible for everything to do with the Superhero “Supes” community.

Compound V is a serum that gives people abilities. Vought produces this serum and runs secret experiments trying to perfect an affordable version of Compound V that works safely on adults, while making billions exploiting their experiments as Superheroes.

The serum has its roots in Nazism and eugenics. Long story short, the Americans got their hands on the creator who defected from the Nazis, Frederick Vought, and created the first Supes. The origin of the powers was kept secret, and Vought sold the idea that the powers were gifts from God, specifically towards Americans.

The current formula only has a 20% survivability rate in adults. The “better” formula is too expensive to produce, so to cut costs they give the serum to babies in utero, infants, and very young children.

Once a Supe, the drug can boost their powers temporarily and gives them a high. If you’ve ever seen The Gifted, it’s the equivalent to Kick for mutants.

The powers are totally random, but durability and super strength appears to be the most common “base” powers.

Vought gives the serum out across America and basically at random. Parents accept dosing their children in order to exploit them for fame and money. Think stage moms, momagers for child stars, dance moms, and family vloggers type of narcissistic, greedy assholes. The children themselves are told that they are special and chosen by God to have these powers.

The powers are strictly only within America.

Supes are basically treated as movie stars/influencers. It’s not enough to have powers, they have to be likable and marketable.

Supes can get contracts to “protect” specific areas. The bigger cities offer the most money, with New York being the top city as it’s protected by The Seven. These are Supes that are at the highest level of Superhero fame. They get their own whole floors as apartments in the Seven Tower, and all the big blockbuster movies and merchandising revolves around them.

Any protection for the city is basically staged, and their whole life is a Truman Show/Reality TV/completely on social media.

By the time Gen V starts, it’s revealed to the public that the powers are not God sent and that Vought created Compound V.

The Red River Institute is a Vought sponsored and monitored orphanage for minor Supes. Some end up there because their child’s parents died when their powers manifested, like Marie, the parents were casualties of Supe’s using their powers in the line of duty, or because the parents choose to dump them there when the child’s powers are weird or not marketable and have no future as a Superhero.

See https://the-boys.fandom.com/wiki/An_Animated_Short_Where_Pissed-Off_Supes_Kill_Their_Parents

[obrienpolycule]

Okay, I said some of this in tags of another post but that post doesn't actually have to do with this issue so I'm making another post.

Disney is not part of the production and writing of the new episodes and season of Doctor Who. Doctor Who is currently being produced by Bad Wolf and BBC Studios Production. Disney+ has exclusive streaming rights to new Doctor Who episodes for audiences outside the UK and Ireland. This is to make the show more accessible to international audiences (whether it's doing that is definitely debatable). They have streaming rights in the same way that Max (formerly HBOMax) has streaming rights to S1-Flux of NuWho. Disney doesn't have control over the content of the show, just what they stream on their platform. (Considering HBO used to have a minority stake of shares in Bad Wolf before their shares got bought by Sony in December of 2021, a year before they started producing the 60th anniversary specials, I don't think they had any influence on the production of the RTD2 episodes.)

I'm clarifying this because a lot of people are complaining that Disney is affecting the show even though both BBC and Disney, in their announcements of the streaming deal have paragraphs where they specify exactly who the producers, studios, and writers are for the new specials and season.

Whether or not you liked the writing and subject matter of the 60th specials, you should know who is actually making the show. (In my personal opinion, I don't think Disney should get credit for RTD genuinely trying to have good trans and bi rep in Doctor Who when they can barely give us crumbs in their media. Whether or not y'all think he's successful at that is your opinion.)

I also want to address Whoniverse. Whoniverse is the BBC giving the overall Doctor Who Franchise an official name and logo. If you access BBC iPlayer, you can now find all the episodes (NuWho and Classic), behind the scenes videos, spin-offs, specials, and commentaries in one place.

That's kind of it. Whoniverse is just the same stuff we've been watching and talking about and interacting with for decades but now they're all on the same page on an official website. And they have a new logo.

TLDR: BBC makes Doctor Who. Disney Branded Television distributes it internationally. Whoniverse is basically a logo.

[thy-spicy-orange]

At long last, my analysis on the down fall of the cartooning industry.

Cartoons have long been a medium of storytelling for all ages. You’ve got things ranging from Dora the Explorer to Family Guy.

And you’ve got all the in between’s that (while not rated for all ages) everyone can watch. Like Miraculous and The Owl House.

Cartoons (or animated series) as a whole have always been made for everyone. The use of beautiful and fluid animation is a great way to draw in viewers and get them engaged. And then in most cases, the plot comes through and gets viewers hook, line, and sinker.

Unfortunately as this form of storytelling gains popularity, the stigma around it continues to grow. That stigma being that Cartoons or animated series are only for children.

The idea surrounding that stigma is false. You wouldn’t let a child watch shows like Family Guy or South Park or even Camp Camp. And those are cartoons.

With the rise of more child friendly cartoons though, the misconception continues to rise as well.

The most prominent example of this in the Modern Animation Era? The Owl House.

Despite the creator, Dana Terrace herself, tweeting about her target audience for this show, many still believe that this show is for kids only.

This was only proven false though when Kids weren’t tuning in though. In fact, a majority of Owl House fans consisted of people ages 13-25. Not the audience Disney expected.

Unfortunately it wasn’t the audience they wanted either. In 2021 Disney announced it would be canceling the show and shortening its third and final season into three, hour-long specials.

A lot of Fans (and even the creator herself) speculate it has to do with Homophobia seeing as the show featured Disneys first WLW/ Sapphic couple in a children’s cartoon. And while I think that definitely contributed to their decision, I think there’s a bit more to it than that.

The Owl House, from the get go, set itself apart from other Disney Series. It jumped in with its darker concepts and art styles. The color pallet was different from Disney’s typical pastels. The character was relatable to audiences and portrayed the struggles of growing up different and weird.

Then, after a good Season 1 A, the second half came in. Here’s when the plot developed. This is where I believe Disney began to have problems with it.

Because of the complicated storyline and development of actual plot they couldn’t just air it on the Disney Channel on cable.

Which means they couldn’t get children to sit still and watch when it was on. Which means less people watched the Disney Cable channel.

Essentially what is happening is Disney as well as other streaming and Cable services are “kidyfying” Animation to make it cable worthy for children.

Hence The Owl House “not fitting their brand” and being cancelled while shows like Big City Greene and The Loud House have been, and traditionally are, aloud to run for multiple seasons one after another.

And shows like Infinity Train and The Owl House get cancelled or shortened.

I believe the act of doing this will truly be the downfall of the cartoon industry.

By reducing cartoons and animation to be kids only your depleting 75% of your audience. The 75% that is able to go out and buy mercy or go to see movies produced about the shows or convince adults to continue paying for services to watch these shows.

They’re killing their biggest sources of revenue and with it killing one of the greatest forms of story telling through television.