Disney Channel keeping the magic alive
By MUMTAJ BEGUMChildren's television has grown from strength to strength and these days there’s a wide variety of entertainment as well as information available on the telly for children. And the TV-viewing generation is getting younger and younger.
In June last year, a second channel was added to complement the Disney Channel called the Playhouse Disney Channel, and it is dedicated to children aged from two to five, their parents and caregivers. It features programmes such as Bear in the Big Blue House, Rollie Pollie Olie, The Book of Pooh, Stanley and JoJo’s Circus.
These programmes are customised to engage and stimulate preschoolers’ imagination and learning in a fun and creative environment, said Raymund Miranda, the managing director for Walt Disney International (South-East Asia) and Walt Disney Television International (South East Asia/Korea), who was in town in March to unveil new programmes for the channel.
Miranda said: “This channel is not only about entertainment and creativity but also about growing up skills.”
All programmes on Playhouse Disney Channel are developed with the help of education experts in the United States and the Asia Pacific region. Each show is a collaborative work between educational advisors and Disney’s producers and writers to ensure that entertainment and education are incorporated.
One of the roles that Miranda hopes Playhouse Disney Channel can play in a child’s life is to encourage them into a world of discovery, creative play and fun learning.
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Brandy and Mr. Whiskers. |
“For example, when Stanley takes out his Great Big Book of Everything in Stanley it is to encourage kids to read. Jojo’s Circus is about coordination. Every show has a specific curriculum it tries to address,” said Miranda. “The programmes are not passive experience but meant to be an interaction between child and parent. They are a springboard for children’s education.”
While using television as an education tool is not a new phenomenon, the television’s role has become more prominent in Malaysia since the Education Ministry proposed that children watch television to improve their English. Some parents, however, believe that television is not healthy for children.
Miranda’s standpoint is clear: “There is no conclusive research television has a direct influence on the children’s development. What is important here is a healthy balance.
“TV is part of today’s society and many of us grew up with TV and we turned out okay. It is a segment of childhood experience.”
Disney Channel is very much aware of the powers of television, especially in today’s age when most countries are no longer made up of homogeneous societies. Of late, more and more movies from Hong Kong and India are doing their rounds in the United States and finding an audience.
In 2003, Disney Channel Asia launched an Asian series titled Legends of the Ring Fire – a cartoon series that uses the Asian folklore as its base. The series has gone on air in Scandinavia, Italy and France.
“It has become a global product and we are looking at a worldwide release for Ring Fire soon.”
One of the newer series to make its way to Disney Channel is American Dragon: Jake Long, and avid TV viewers would already be familiar with. It is about Jake, who is a regular teenager living in New York. No big deal really except that the show has a strong Asian element – Jake’s mother is Chinese and his father is American – and, oh yeah, he is the protector to the sacred magical creatures in New York. But first he must undergo secret dragon training from his grandpa Lao Shi who emigrated to teach him the ways of the ancient dragon.
And it’s serious business these cartoons. Consulting on the series is Prof Yunxiang Yan, who is a faculty member at UCLA’s Department of Anthropology!
Come June, a new animated series is making its debut on Disney Channel titled Brandy & Mr Whiskers which is described as a buddy comedy set in the colourful Amazon rainforest.
As Miranda pointed out, Disney Channel isn’t just about animation. There are many family oriented programmes too – That’s So Raven and the recently-ended Lizzie McGuire are two such series.
“Lizzie McGuire is a popular programme and the star of that show, Hilary Duff, has become a star on her own right. And there is Raven whom we saw growing up on TV since her debut on television as a little child in The Cosby Show. Another popular sitcom is My Wife and Kids (with Damon Wayans).”
And of course, Disney Channel is most famous for its movies, especially the classics.
“We have an amazing library of Disney products shown both in theatre and original movies. There’s more to come,” said Miranda.
According to him, Disney Channel will showcase an animated classic once every seven years. This year it is Aladdin will be showcased, whereas last year, it was Sleeping Beauty.
“Disney’s classics are being restored and it is a way to bridge past to present. There was a generation who grew up watching them, and now a new generation wants to watch them.
“And that is the magic of Disney.”
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