| Saturday Disney | |
|---|---|
 Saturday Disney title card used from 31 March 2012 to 24 September 2016 | |
| Genre | Children's show |
| Presented by | List of Presenters |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 27 |
| No. of episodes | 1,366 |
| Production | |
| Production locations | Brisbane,Queensland(1990–1997) Sydney,New South Wales(1997–2016) |
| Running time | 120 minutes(1990–2012) 180 minutes(2012–2016) (incl. commercials) |
| Production company | Buena Vista Television(1990–2000s) |
| Original release | |
| Network | Seven Network (1990–2016) 7TWO (2012–2016) 7flix (2016) |
| Release | 27 January 1990 (1990-01-27) – 24 September 2016 (2016-09-24) |
| Related | |
| Seven's Super Saturday | |
Saturday Disney is a long-running Australian children's television program which aired on theSeven Network in Australia for over 26 years, with the first episode going to air on 27 January 1990.[1][2] The show was atelevision block which aired on Saturday mornings, consisting mainly ofDisney television series dispersed between hosted content. The original presenters were Jeniene Mapp, James Sherry and Sofie Formica,[3] and the final presenters were Nathan Morgan, Candice Dixon and Teigan Nash. Many hosts have gone on to achieve successful careers in Australian television.[4]
On 5 September 2009, the show celebrated its 1,000th episode.[2][5]Saturday Disney aired its final episode on 24 September 2016.[6][7]
Original Replacement Final
| Role | Name | First show | Last show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Host | Sofie Formica | 27 January 1990 | October 1992 |
| Lisa Barry | October 1992 | October 1997 | |
| Melanie Symons | October 1997 | 19 October 2002 | |
| Shae Brewster | 19 October 2002 | 27 July 2013 | |
| Teigan Nash | 27 July 2013 | 24 September 2016 | |
| Host | Jeniene Mapp | 27 January 1990 | October 1996 |
| Shelley Craft | October 1996 | 6 July 2002 | |
| Sara Groen | 6 July 2002 | 28 January 2006 | |
| Sally Stanton | 21 January 2006 | 7 May 2011 | |
| Candice Dixon | 7 May 2011 | 24 September 2016 | |
| Host | James Sherry | 27 January 1990 | 29 January 1994 |
| Marc Buhaj | 5 February 1994 | 27 February 1999 | |
| Tim McDonald | 6 March 1999 | 29 January 2000 | |
| Daniel Widdowson | 5 February 2000 | 27 January 2007 | |
| Jack Yabsley | 20 January 2007 | 26 February 2011 | |
| Nathan Morgan | 26 February 2011 | 24 September 2016 |
Part of theSeven Network's output deal and long-running relationship withDisney in the late 1980s was to adopt a local program to feature new animated series such asDuckTales mixed with local studio segments.[9] This was part of an international franchise of programs in the global market to be namedDisney Club,[2][3] the Australian version being located in Brisbane. The producers of this version convinced Disney to allow them to use theSaturday Disney title to avert confusion withThe Mickey Mouse Club, a title which seemed dated.[2] The original set was designed to reflect Queensland architecture and make the viewers feel like they were visiting a friend's house on a Saturday morning. The set has since changed several times, the most recent set being introduced in February 2007.Saturday Disney was originally filmed atBTQ-7[3] from 1990 until 1997, when it moved to its new production base atATN-7 in Sydney. It was originally produced byBuena Vista Television in conjunction with Seven.
On 5 September 2009, the show celebrated its 1,000th episode. The episode was filmed on location atDisneyland to celebrate.[5][10] A week prior to this, footage of every previous host who had been on the show was aired, looking back at the show's then 19-year history.[2][11]
Shae Brewster hosted her final episode on 27 July 2013, becoming the longest-serving host in the history of the program. She presented the show for three months short of eleven years, first joining in 2002.[8]
The final episodes ofSaturday Disney were filmed on 26 August 2016.[6]TV Tonight reported that the show would be ending before the news was confirmed by a spokesperson for Seven.[7] The final episode aired on 24 September 2016 and featured guest appearances by former presenters Melanie Symons, Daniel Widdowson, Shae Brewster, Sally Stanton and Jack Yabsley. James Sherry also appeared via a video message. David Knox of TV Tonight reported the cancellation of the program was the result of a "change in direction" under a new executive producer in charge of children's programming for Seven.[4]
As a main feature,Saturday Disney originally included threeDisney programs dispersed throughout the course of a two-hour episode. From 2012 to 2016,Saturday Disney featured five programs over the course of a three-hour episode. The programs shown regularly rotated around the schedule, and were a mixture of animated cartoons and live actioncomedies, which were more common after the premiere ofHannah Montana in 2007.[12][13] There were three hosts ofSaturday Disney, who lived in the 'Disney House' and introduced the programs along with performing other activities such as cooking, craft, science segments, interviews and special appearances by guests, usually celebrities, and occasionally live animals. Occasionally, the show was shot entirely on location, where the hosts explored certain cities such asCoffs Harbour[14] or places such asDisneyland for the episode's entirety.[5]
Feature stories produced by and starring the hosts were also included, which were usually articles about places, activities and events, interviews with celebrities or red carpet events.[15] This format has been likened to magazine-style edu-tainment shows.[16] In some stories, the hosts adapted certain characters used as a substitute for themselves presenting the article. Another type of the stories were recurring mini-series with the hosts acting as characters, which air occasionally. Some recurring series from the past includedHazard Man (1990s),[10]The Transfreezers (2000–2001),Tell Tale Trio (2002–2004) and theSecret Agents (2010–2011).[17]A Page in Time (2006),[18] introduced a style of serialised drama, depicting three children returning to 1850s. More recent series such asDanger Island (2009),Race Around the Island (2010) andThe Assistant (2014) took on the reality genre, parodying American seriesSurvivor,The Amazing Race, andThe Apprentice respectively.
ADouble Dog Dare was featured in every episode, where each host took turns (one each week) to complete ridiculous, embarrassing or challenging tasks which upon failure may have resulted in the loser eating unusual foods as punishment. Ingredients were also regularly mixed in a blender.[19] Ideas for dares and punishments were often sent in by viewers. This popular segment was a prominent feature of the show for many years.[20]
Each week there was also a chosenLetter of the Week, which could be letters, drawings, or art sent in by viewers. Winners usually received many prizes, and the artwork was displayed around the set.[21] Throughout the course of the program, emails from viewers were also read out.
The program's time slot since the show's inception in 1990 was always every Saturday from 7:00 am until 9:00 am onSeven unless there were interruptions by sporting or news events. Further Disney programming would continue to air afterSaturday Disney.[22]
From 4 September 1993 to 25 August 2001,Saturday Disney aired for an extra half-hour until 9:30am to include cartoons such asThe New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh andThe Little Mermaid, orC classified programming such asCrash Zone,Squiggle Vision andScience Court. However, the extra programme would be listed separately on TV guides and feature minimal hosted content.
On 4 July 2009, the show moved to the earlier time slot of 6:30 am to 8:30 am.[23] However, the show returned to the previous time of 7:00 am to 9:00 am on 31 October 2009.[24]
It was announced on 8 February 2010, that beginning 13 February 2010, the show would be moved to the later time slot of 9:00 am to 11:00 am, to make way forWeekend Sunrise.[25]
It was announced on 17 March 2012 that, beginning 31 March 2012, the show would be moved to7TWO and return to the original 7:00 am to 9:00 am time slot with a new look and logo, to make way forThe Morning Show.[14][26] On 12 May 2012, the regular length ofSaturday Disney was extended to three hours with a time slot of 7:00 am to 10:00 am.[27]
On 1 September 2012,Saturday Disney moved to the new time slot of 6:00 am to 7:00 am onSeven, then from 7:00 am to 9:00 am on7TWO, the three hours now airing across both channels.[9][28][29]
On 19 March 2016, the program's secondary channel changed from7TWO to7flix, airing from 6:00 am to 7:00 am onSeven, then from 7:00 am to 9:00 am on 7flix.[30] The program remained in this slot until its final episode.
At the time of its final episode,Saturday Disney was the twentieth-longest-running program in Australia, and the fifth-longest-running children's program in Australia.
In 2005,Saturday Disney had an average of 196,000 viewers (in the 0–14 age group alone) and was the number-one-rating children's program on commercial television for people aged 0 to 14.[16][31]
Saturday Disney was the fifth-highest-rating children's program on free television in 2006, averaging 274,425 viewers over 48 broadcasts.[32] In 2008, the program's yearly average viewing audience had ballooned to 395,000 (combining metro and regional audiences), ranking as the eighth-most-watched children's program.[33]Saturday Disney ranked as the fourth-highest-rating children's program in 2009, averaging 368,000 viewers across both metro and regional audiences over 48 weeks.[34]
However, the final episode on 24 September 2016 was comparatively only watched by 41,000 on Seven (6:00 am to 7:00 am) and 24,000 on 7flix (7:00 am to 9:00 am).[35]
On 18 March 2012,Saturday Disney was announced as a nominee for the 2012Most Outstanding Children's ProgramLogie Award. The ceremony took place on 15 April 2012, and the award was presented by formerSaturday Disney hostShelley Craft withSam Moran. The nomination package featured footage from the episode which aired 13 August 2011, in which the hosts visited theNorthern Territory.ABC3'sMy Place won the award.[36]
| Award | Year | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logie Award | 2012 | Saturday Disney | Most Outstanding Children's Program | Nominated | [37] |
| TV Tonight Awards | 2014 | Saturday Disney | Best Kid's Show | Nominated | [38] |
1990s
2000s
2010s
unfortunately the show is coming to an end... Sept 24th is the last episode ...
