Disney’s Deeper Impact

For the past 19 years of my life, Disney’s spread to platforms such as television and Broadway have without a doubt had a huge role of shaping me into the person I am today. I have never met a fellow child of my generation who does not know the most popular television shows and television movies of the 2000s. Not only have these programs affected the 2000s generation, it has also positively affected and has helped launch the careers of the stars of these shows. The characters that these actors played for years have inspired young girls and boys to be confident and strong. Similarly, television movies such as High School Musical and Camp Rock have encouraged children to embrace their potential and follow their dreams. During this time of television victory for Disney, they also successfully took some of their most popular movies to Broadway, such as Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid. Seeing these beloved characters come to life onstage has been awe-inspiring to this generation. It is interesting to see the behind-the-scenes of this accomplishment, such as how Disney has made its television and Broadway shows a huge success overnight. It is equally as interesting to see what these actors from these memorable shows have to say about the impact it has had on them. Many people from this generation would argue that the Disney shows of today are not as inspirational and life-changing as the shows they watched were. Due to the decline of Disney material, the best step to take would be to introduce today’s generation to the “old” Disney shows and movies. Not only are these classic programs, but watching them would instill the positive messages of confidence and “follow your dreams” that shaped the 2000s generation into the ambitious leaders of today. Disney’s original television shows, television movies, and Broadway shows have had a positive impact on recent generations because the characters have been role models to them and the messages from these programs have been inspirational to them.

Disney’s original television shows gained popularity starting in the early 2000s. One of the first hit shows, Even Stevens, premiered in 2000. Disney wasted no time in creating more over-night sensations, such as Lizzie McGuire,The Proud Family in 2001, Kim Possible in 2002, and That’s So Raven in 2003. It does not end there. Over the next ten years, Disney would create original television shows that the 2000s generation can sing the theme songs of to this day. The 2000s generation is so dedicated to these shows that teens all over the world write articles about the impact it has had on them. Carly Steyer, a writer for the teen section of The Huffington Post, decided to write an article titled, “6 Things Old Disney Channel Shows Taught Me About Being A Strong Young Woman.” And it is exactly what it sounds like. She shares how the strong women in popular shows taught her to be confident in her body and sense of style, that girls can have platonic relationships with boys, and that girls can have healthy, loving relationships with their family. As she closes out the article, she writes, “So thanks, Disney Channel, for keeping my childhood entertaining, and teaching me to be an empowered young woman!” (Steyer). Carly is not the only product of a classic Disney Channel childhood, not by a long shot. Vivi Zhang, a writer for Odyssey, reflects on how these shows taught her life lessons, but were also very entertaining to be immersed in. In her article, “Long Live 2000s Disney Channel TV Shows,” she talks about shows such as The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. She exclaims, “Thank you Zack, Cody, London, Maddie, Dylan, Cole, Brenda, Ashley, and all the characters and actors for coming together and making an amazing story,” (Zhang). She also discusses Hannah Montana in which she summarizes, “The catchphrases were pure quotable, the characters were hilarious and goofy, and the songs had a catchy beat. It was definitely some worthwhile TV,” (Zhang). While it may seem like only girls enjoyed and learned from these shows, Chase Otto discussed the impact these shows had on him. He thought about it for a minute and then confessed, “I definitely think they shaped my sense of humor; also they were a big fashion influence for me. I guess they taught me to love women because a lot of the show’s star girls, like Hannah Montana and Lizzie McGuire,” (Otto). The most interesting part of his response is that it taught him to love women because of the fearlessness and strength they possess. It is definitely seen through the countless articles and positive words of fans that these shows had a huge impact of their character. These messages from these classic shows should be shared with today’s generation for this very reason.

Because of the wild success of Disney’s original television shows, they decided to take it one step further and create original television movies. While Disney was producing films such as Halloweentown, Cadet Kelly, and The Cheetah Girls, it was not until 2006 with the premiere of High School Musical that Disney original movies took off. In the following years, well-known movies like Camp Rock, Minutemen, and movies of already popular television series such as Wizard of Waverly Place were released on Disney Channel. The most popular movies among the 2000s generation is mostly the High School Musical trilogy and Camp Rock 1 & 2. These movies, as well as the television shows, brought children of this generation closer together. Alexandra Scott, another writer for Odyssey, remembers times when, “My friends and I would always run around at recess, and pretend we were the cast of High School Musical. We would sing their songs, we memorized their dances and we would put on concerts for our fellow classmates with tickets and everything,” (Scott). High School Musical inspired Alexandra and her friends to be their inner goofball with each other which ultimately strengthened their relationships with each other. She even confirms this by stating, “One of the most important lessons I learned from those movies was that, we're all in this together." That lesson brought my friends and I so much closer, because we felt invincible with that line in our head,” (Scott). Sam Volante and Capucine Barcellona, writers for Affinity Magazine, both share their experience with Camp Rock in an article titled, “Why Camp Rock Has Young Kids Changing Up Their Ways.” Capucine declares, “…the message it sends out to young people about staying true to yourself is so, so important. Changing to fit in is just going to make you unhappy.” Capucine also shares that Camp Rock was so inspirational because, “The Camp Rock characters are all far from perfect, making them more realistic than the average Disney movie.” For example, Tess, the antagonist, is mean to others to conceal her own personal insecurity. Mitchie, the protagonist, lies to pretty much everyone just to be accepted and wanted. Sam, the other writer of the article, remarks how refreshing it was to see the protagonist and antagonist resolve their differences and become friends. He claims, “The fact that they can overcome their arguing helps young people to see that pitting girls/women against each other, fall outs over romantic interests and even internalized misogyny can be overcome for people in the real world, too,” (Volante). Denise Charlton, a successful, single mom, very much agreed with these writers. She concluded, “I think those kinds of movies made you fearless on how to be a performer. You emulated those girls and you looked at them growing up and said, ‘Well if they can do it, I can do it!’” (Charlton). The fierce women, such as Sharpay and Gabriella, inspired almost every girl growing up in the 2000s to follow their dreams and embrace their talent. Just recently, Millikin University held a dance-off for Greek Week. While the judges decided on a winner, they played music for everyone to dance to while they waited. Suddenly, “We’re All in This Together” from High School Musical came on and, not only did everyone know the words, every single person knew the choreography when the chorus of the song happened. Everyone danced together, some dancing with people they have never met before. The fact that everyone knew the words and the choreography from this movie that is 12 years old and everyone danced together without a care in the world proves that these movies have had a huge positive impact on the 2000s generation and would have an impact on today’s generation.

Disney’s original shows and movies encouraged the kids of the 2000s to believe in themselves and be positive, and similarly, Disney’s representation on Broadway has allowed girls and boys to play their favorite princes and princesses on stage. Disney’s success on the Great White Way began with Beauty and the Beast in 1994. This inspired the stage adaptation of The Lion King in 1997, The Little Mermaid in 2008, and most recently, Frozen which opened earlier this year. In an article by Stagedoor Dish! entitled, “Disney has become ‘Part of Our World’: A Look at Disney’s impact on Broadway,” the author discusses many of Disney’s hit musicals and what they brought to the table that made them a huge success. While discussing Beauty and the Beast, the author shares, “Dancing napkins, a magic mirror and an unbelievable transformation are just some of the stage tricks that delighted audiences,” (Disney has). By bringing the magic of the movies people love to life on stage, Disney secured its reputation of magic and accomplishment. Another Disney classic to make a mark on Broadway was Aladdin, which opened in 2014. The combination of spectacular dance numbers, beautiful costumes, and the famous flying carpet made this musical an immediate triumph. In Time Magazine’s review of Aladdin, writer Richard Zoglin claims, “Even the critics, reviewing the new musical Aladdin, seemed to temper their usual disdain for all things Disney and lavish praise,” (Zoglin). Even serious critics are bending to the magic and wonder Disney is creating live. Disney on Broadway has become even more popular from the recent stage adaptation of Frozen. Because of the popularity from the film, Disney had no doubt that the musical would be sold out every night. They were not wrong. Frozen is the most talked about musical of the season because of the new songs as well as the beloved originals, insane sets, and the two lead actresses, Cassie Levy as Elsa and Patti Murin as Anna. Nothing negative has been said about this revolutionary musical because there is nothing negative. Disney’s Broadway musicals are only getting bigger and better and will no doubt continue to in the future. Disney’s Broadway musicals have been so magical and wonderful to the 2000s generation, not only because they loved all of these movies growing up, but because they now have the opportunity to play Ariel, Elsa, or another other powerful women Disney has created. Maddie Genz, a theater major and Disney lover, touched on the impact Disney musicals have had on her. She concluded, “From a performer aspect, it gives me hope that I’ll get hired. A lot of little girls dream of being their favorite princess and now we can. A lot of Disney musicals also added a lot of new songs along with the iconic ones and it just makes it ten times more magical,” (Genz). It would not be surprising to hear the same from other theater/Disney fans. Even people who are not performers and just fans are overcome with happiness and wonder from these shows. Because these musicals are from movies from the late 1990s and the 2000s, the 2000s generation is especially touched from these musicals. Seeing the movie that was always playing every day as a child come to life is an overwhelming, heart-warming feeling and today’s generation would feel the same.

Disney shows and movies have not only impacted the 2000s generation, it has also impacted the stars of these programs. Stars like Selena Gomez, Nick Jonas, and Vanessa Hudgens are extremely grateful to Disney for launching their careers. When most people think of Disney Channel stars, they think of people such as Miley Cyrus, a Disney sensation that hit a rough patch a few years back. While she did have a bit of a downfall, her music career is stronger than ever, and it is the same for other Disney stars. Nick Jonas, who’s hit singles continue to take over the radio, first got his start through Disney. Nick and his brothers Kevin and Joe started to gain popularity through their band, The Jonas Brothers, which Disney heavily endorsed by playing their music videos on Disney Channel. The Jonas Brothers then acted in Camp Rock 1 & 2, followed by their own Disney television show, JONAS. After Disney, Nick continued to make music and, because of his already well-known name from Disney, he is now extremely popular as a solo artist. In an interview with E!, Nick confessed, “There's a camaraderie there, a sort of unspoken brotherhood and sisterhood. If you want to talk about that graduating class of 2008, I'm really proud—it's a really good group,” (Fisher). These actors from the 2000s generation were a family on and off screen. Nick, and surely other actors from that time, believe that this positive support of each other is what made his time at Disney so fun and what gave his venture into a solo career a push of confidence. Another star who has blown up after his fame from Disney Channel is Zac Efron. After the last High School Musical film, Zac went on to star in 17 Again, Neighbors, and, most recently, The Greatest Showman. In a Huffington Post article written by Cole Delbyck titled, “So Zac Efron Doesn’t Actually Hate High School Musical After All,” shared a picture Zac had posted with some of the cast of High School Musical. Zac lovingly wrote, “With the o.g. crew during one of the most cherished and exciting times of my life. Love you guys forever,” (Delbyck). Like Nick Jonas, Zac is clearly grateful for the lifelong relationships he made on set and, from this caption, is also grateful for the memorable times he had on set growing up. Another star who has expressed her appreciation for Disney is Zac Efron’s fellow High School Musical star, Vanessa Hudgens. After the High School Musical trilogy, she went on to have a short but successful music career, star in a few small films, and ultimately made her way to theater. Vanessa stared as Mimi in Rent at the Hollywood Bowl in 2010 and in Grease Live! as Rizzo in 2016. She just recently stared as Vanessa in In the Heights at the Kennedy Center and no doubt has more plans to star in more musicals. All of this success would not have been possible without the good name she has from Disney. When discussing the old days, Vanessa expressed, “High School Musical was incredible and it was so fun and it gave me so many fans which I'm very, very thankful for. Definitely crossing over and being able to tackle these grittier parts was a challenge, but I feel like I've done it! It's a whole new chapter!” (Fisher). Switching from sweet, innocent Gabriella to sophisticated, tough Rizzo was a challenge, but she succeeded and now she is making a new name for herself in the theater world. Growing up acting on Disney Channel provided support through each other and the success of their movies and television shows and has helped many of these stars launch successful careers through music, movies, television, and Broadway.

In conclusion, Disney’s original television shows, television movies, and Broadway shows have impacted the 2000s generation because the characters have been role models to them and the messages from these programs have been inspirational to them and, thus, have had a positive impact on them. It is clear that Disney has taught children valuable life lessons and positive ideals, but what about today’s generation? The stars of Disney Channel today do not hold a candle to the 2000s generation of stars. The children of today need to be inspired by Raven and Hannah Montana. It is up to the 2000s generation to share these television shows and movies with their children, nieces, nephews, or any child they care about. Luckily, Disney has announced that they are launching a streaming service that will only provide family-friendly content. The streaming service will contain Disney animated and live action films, as well as Disney channel’s programs. All of this is available to anyone for just five dollars. Giving children today and future generations the opportunity to view these wonderful shows and movies has just gotten much easier with this streaming service. Hopefully, the lesson and ideals from these programs will inspire this generation and future ones the way it has for the 2000s generation.

Works Cited

Delbyck, Cole. “So Zac Efron Doesn't Actually Hate 'High School Musical' After All.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 May 2016.

“Disney Has Become 'Part of Our World': A Look at Disney's Impact on Broadway.” Stage Door Dish, 10 Apr. 2013.

Fisher, Kendall. “Here's What 8 Former Disney Stars Had to Say After Leaving the Channel.” E! Online, E! News, 29 Sept. 2016.

Gibson, Kelsie. “These Are the 10 Disney Channel Shows Your Kids Need to See.” POPSUGAR Moms, 18 June 2017.

Hains, Rebecca. “Why Disney Princesses and 'Princess Culture' Are Bad for Girls.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 24 June 2016.

“How Disney Understood Its Target Market And Became Successful – Aggressive Growth Marketing.” Aggressive Growth Marketing.

“How High School Musical Influenced My Life.” The Odyssey Online, 27 Aug. 2017.

“Long Live 2000s Disney Channel TV Shows.” The Odyssey Online, 18 Dec. 2017.

Steyer, Carly. “6 Things Old Disney Channel Shows Taught Me About Being A Strong Young Woman.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 6 Aug. 2015.

Volante, Sam. “Why Camp Rock Has Young Kids 'Changing Up Their Ways'.” Affinity Magazine, 6 Oct. 2016.

Zoglin, Richard. “Aladdin Broadway Musical Review.” Time, Time, 25 Mar. 2014.