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Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel's Tween Empire
The first unauthorized look at the inner workings―and ultimate breakdown―of the Disney Channel machine
For many kids growing up in the 2000s, there was no cultural touchstone more powerful than Disney Channel, the most-watched cable channel in prime time at its peak. Today it might best be known for introducing the world to talents like Hilary Duff, Raven-Symoné, Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, and Zendaya.
It wasn't always destined for greatness: When Disney Channel launched in 1983, it was a forgotten stepchild within the Walt Disney Company, forever in the shadow of Disney’s more profitable movies and theme parks. But after letting the stars of their Mickey Mouse Club revival―among them Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Ryan Gosling―slip through their fingers, Disney Channel reinvented itself as a powerhouse tween network. In the new millennium it churned out billions of dollars in original content and triple-threat stars whose careers were almost entirely controlled by the corporation. Suddenly everyone wanted a piece of the pie―and there were constant clashes between the studio, network, labels, and creatives as Disney Channel became a pressure cooker of perfection for its stars.
From private feuds and on-set disasters, to fanfare that swept the nation and the realities of child stardom, culture journalist Ashley Spencer offers the inside story of the heyday of TV’s House of Mouse, featuring hundreds of exclusive new interviews with former Disney executives, creatives, and celebrities to explore the highs, lows, and everything in between.
For many kids growing up in the 2000s, there was no cultural touchstone more powerful than Disney Channel, the most-watched cable channel in prime time at its peak. Today it might best be known for introducing the world to talents like Hilary Duff, Raven-Symoné, Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, and Zendaya.
It wasn't always destined for greatness: When Disney Channel launched in 1983, it was a forgotten stepchild within the Walt Disney Company, forever in the shadow of Disney’s more profitable movies and theme parks. But after letting the stars of their Mickey Mouse Club revival―among them Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Ryan Gosling―slip through their fingers, Disney Channel reinvented itself as a powerhouse tween network. In the new millennium it churned out billions of dollars in original content and triple-threat stars whose careers were almost entirely controlled by the corporation. Suddenly everyone wanted a piece of the pie―and there were constant clashes between the studio, network, labels, and creatives as Disney Channel became a pressure cooker of perfection for its stars.
From private feuds and on-set disasters, to fanfare that swept the nation and the realities of child stardom, culture journalist Ashley Spencer offers the inside story of the heyday of TV’s House of Mouse, featuring hundreds of exclusive new interviews with former Disney executives, creatives, and celebrities to explore the highs, lows, and everything in between.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published September 24, 2024
About the author
Ashley Spencer
1 book39 followersAshley Spencer is a culture writer and reporter whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Vanity Fair, The Guardian, The Hollywood Reporter, Vice, Vulture, and elsewhere. Disney High is her first book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
October 9, 2024
3.5 stars 🌟
Review:
I was a DisneyGirl growing up (still enjoy it but not like I used to).
I remember falling in love with characters like Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, Simba, Aladdin, Genie...the list goes on.
I looked forward to watching Disney every day when all the Tween shows exploded onto the scene (for some reason our dish network at the time had Disney Channel in east coast and west coast time so I'd often watch the same shows 3 hours apart... I'm sure that drove my parents nuts 😄.
I fell in love with So Weird, Lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff, Demi Lovato... I was fascinated by the network as a whole, especially the Disney Channel original movies 🎬 (Halloween town , Tru Confessions, and The color of Friendship were three favorites). Fanfiction was read,.friends and cousins week roped in to watch and became fans.
It's hard for me to completely convey in words how much these people and shows/movies/music meant/means to me.
As a kid and teen, you don't stop to wonder usually how the Disney Machine worked in all aspects... you watch the behind-the-scenes on DVD and watch videos but not how everything came together, how people were casted, what it was really like when cameras weren't rolling.
Some of this I remember hearing and some was eye opening, others I had only heard snippets of but I did enjoy reading this one for the most part (I did skip parts I had no interest in , full disclosure) .
The author presents everything clearly and in a tone that makes it an easier read (reluctant non fiction readers would probably enjoy this) .
There were times I shook my head, glared and rolled my eyes at certain policies and times when Disney and the people around dropped the ball and could have done better. Even if it meant losing money 💰. The reasoning behind what people said about each different situation... I felt sad and mad that money rules the world 🌎 and that was a reason for plowing ahead.
One thing I hadn't realized also as a younger person was that Disney wasn't always a huge deal in the markets that the book talks about. I assumed (as I'm sure others did) that they had been the top of the pile always.
I would recommend this, interesting and fascinating read even if you didn't grow up during this time.
Review:
I was a DisneyGirl growing up (still enjoy it but not like I used to).
I remember falling in love with characters like Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, Simba, Aladdin, Genie...the list goes on.
I looked forward to watching Disney every day when all the Tween shows exploded onto the scene (for some reason our dish network at the time had Disney Channel in east coast and west coast time so I'd often watch the same shows 3 hours apart... I'm sure that drove my parents nuts 😄.
I fell in love with So Weird, Lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff, Demi Lovato... I was fascinated by the network as a whole, especially the Disney Channel original movies 🎬 (Halloween town , Tru Confessions, and The color of Friendship were three favorites). Fanfiction was read,.friends and cousins week roped in to watch and became fans.
It's hard for me to completely convey in words how much these people and shows/movies/music meant/means to me.
As a kid and teen, you don't stop to wonder usually how the Disney Machine worked in all aspects... you watch the behind-the-scenes on DVD and watch videos but not how everything came together, how people were casted, what it was really like when cameras weren't rolling.
Some of this I remember hearing and some was eye opening, others I had only heard snippets of but I did enjoy reading this one for the most part (I did skip parts I had no interest in , full disclosure) .
The author presents everything clearly and in a tone that makes it an easier read (reluctant non fiction readers would probably enjoy this) .
There were times I shook my head, glared and rolled my eyes at certain policies and times when Disney and the people around dropped the ball and could have done better. Even if it meant losing money 💰. The reasoning behind what people said about each different situation... I felt sad and mad that money rules the world 🌎 and that was a reason for plowing ahead.
One thing I hadn't realized also as a younger person was that Disney wasn't always a huge deal in the markets that the book talks about. I assumed (as I'm sure others did) that they had been the top of the pile always.
I would recommend this, interesting and fascinating read even if you didn't grow up during this time.
September 26, 2024
I would’ve liked for this to be 10,000 pages.
September 26, 2024
Disney High
By: Ashley Spencer
Miley isn’t the only one coming in like a wrecking ball. Ashley didn’t come to mouse around (sorry, I had to). The amount of research and number of interviews Ashley conducted to get this story to her readers is impressive. This book goes behind the scenes of all the glitter and teeny bopper smiles we knew and loved on the Disney Channel. She reports on everything from Miley, Selena, Zac, the Jonas brothers, and Demi Lovato. This book was impressive.
I’d like to request the next book to back it up another decade and write about the Mickey Mouse Club days (Britney, Christina, Justin ... .I want that scoop too!)
By: Ashley Spencer
Miley isn’t the only one coming in like a wrecking ball. Ashley didn’t come to mouse around (sorry, I had to). The amount of research and number of interviews Ashley conducted to get this story to her readers is impressive. This book goes behind the scenes of all the glitter and teeny bopper smiles we knew and loved on the Disney Channel. She reports on everything from Miley, Selena, Zac, the Jonas brothers, and Demi Lovato. This book was impressive.
I’d like to request the next book to back it up another decade and write about the Mickey Mouse Club days (Britney, Christina, Justin ... .I want that scoop too!)
September 27, 2024
hands down my favorite non-fiction i have read this year !!!!!!!!!
as the biggest disney channel kid (especially during the best era) this meant so much to me. i’ve always been interested in the behind the scenes of these movies and shows and the lives of celebrities this actually was the best thing for me. i knew some of the stuff but even for a seasoned pop culture expert there was so much new stuff i didn’t even know. each chapter is focused on a star or movie/tv show that made up this era starting in the 90s and ending in the early 2010s. although i appreciate the mickey mouse club and even steven’s, i didn’t get quite invested until the lizzie mcguire chapter and then after that i was all in and couldn’t stop listening. i was the BIGGEST hannah montana fan and hearing all the things about creating her brand and the show got me to remember so many things from my childhood. like going to see the movie in theater, buying her cds and the clothes. same with the high school musical franchise. hearing all this stuff healed my inner child???? bizarre but true. this era of disney was unmatched and these stars put in the work to make disney channel the most iconic channel of the 2000s. ugh highly recommended. the audio is also FANTASTIC as it’s narrated by lizzie mcguire star Lalaine. such a good book !!!!
as the biggest disney channel kid (especially during the best era) this meant so much to me. i’ve always been interested in the behind the scenes of these movies and shows and the lives of celebrities this actually was the best thing for me. i knew some of the stuff but even for a seasoned pop culture expert there was so much new stuff i didn’t even know. each chapter is focused on a star or movie/tv show that made up this era starting in the 90s and ending in the early 2010s. although i appreciate the mickey mouse club and even steven’s, i didn’t get quite invested until the lizzie mcguire chapter and then after that i was all in and couldn’t stop listening. i was the BIGGEST hannah montana fan and hearing all the things about creating her brand and the show got me to remember so many things from my childhood. like going to see the movie in theater, buying her cds and the clothes. same with the high school musical franchise. hearing all this stuff healed my inner child???? bizarre but true. this era of disney was unmatched and these stars put in the work to make disney channel the most iconic channel of the 2000s. ugh highly recommended. the audio is also FANTASTIC as it’s narrated by lizzie mcguire star Lalaine. such a good book !!!!
October 6, 2024
•Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel’s Tween Empire was an absolutely fantastic audiobook. This book is a detailed account of some of Disney Channel’s biggest shows and movies. Reading this book was like taking a peek behind the curtain on the stars of my childhood.
•Throughout this book, certain scenes or episodes were discussed and I was instantly transported back to my childhood, remembering things so vividly. I enjoyed learning about the casting process for certain shows or movies, learning about the difference in producers and how some Disney stars struggled to live up to the impossible expectations.
•I don’t typically read nonfiction, but I made an exception and I’m thrilled I did. This book hit the shelves on September 24, 2024. Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Ashley Spencer, and St. Martin’s Press for this copy.
•Throughout this book, certain scenes or episodes were discussed and I was instantly transported back to my childhood, remembering things so vividly. I enjoyed learning about the casting process for certain shows or movies, learning about the difference in producers and how some Disney stars struggled to live up to the impossible expectations.
•I don’t typically read nonfiction, but I made an exception and I’m thrilled I did. This book hit the shelves on September 24, 2024. Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Ashley Spencer, and St. Martin’s Press for this copy.
September 26, 2024
I read this over a weekend visiting friends, when I had every excuse NOT to read. On a Sunday, when everyone else was hungover and scrolling their phones, I could not put this book down. Ashley throws you right into the drama with a sobbing Shia LaBeouf and Hilary Duff’s parents not letting her “get away with shit.” Behind the scenes revelations, especially when it comes to That’s So Raven, shocked me, and that’s before you even get to some of the bigger household names like Miley, Selena, Demi, and the Jonas Brothers. Ashley let me relive the magic of my most beloved Disney Channel franchises (High School Musical at the top!), while unveiling what really happened when the cameras were off, while ALSO satisfying my adult hunger for business wheeling and dealing with everything from Miley’s early contracts to executives intimidating executives (like how an animation executive for The Lion King told future Disney Channel president Anne Sweeney on her first day, “I waste more money in a day than you make in a year.”) One minute you’re witnessing a producer rightly get kicked off a show, and the next you’re hoping Disney Channel will finally beat Linda Ellerbee for a Kids’ Choice Award. Don’t think twice about buying this book—it’s a ride as wild as Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, without the waiting in line.
September 24, 2024
3.5 stars. Disney High dives into what made Disney Channel the major network it is today, crediting back to the early 2000s when everything changed. Disney started with its Mickey Mouse Club, housing future stars like Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, Justin Timberlake - but it became so much more with shows like Lizzie McGuire, That’s So Raven, Suite Life of Zack & Cody, and High School Musical. Ashley Spencer brings light to the challenges, on-set tension, and more.
I was absolutely thrilled to receive a copy of this book. I loved Disney Channel and enjoy books about pop culture that was important to me growing up. That said, I will say I definitely went into it with the wrong expectations. I was imagining more behind the scenes, untold drama. What I got was a research paper-esque retelling of how shows were created, intell from already published interviews/podcasts, and info about known feuds. I definitely learned new things and it started picking up as the book progressed, but with each chapter on a show only being 15 pages, it is challenging to really dive in to the depth of what was happening. I think this book will be a great start and I hope to see more people speak out about their time on Disney Channel.
I was absolutely thrilled to receive a copy of this book. I loved Disney Channel and enjoy books about pop culture that was important to me growing up. That said, I will say I definitely went into it with the wrong expectations. I was imagining more behind the scenes, untold drama. What I got was a research paper-esque retelling of how shows were created, intell from already published interviews/podcasts, and info about known feuds. I definitely learned new things and it started picking up as the book progressed, but with each chapter on a show only being 15 pages, it is challenging to really dive in to the depth of what was happening. I think this book will be a great start and I hope to see more people speak out about their time on Disney Channel.
September 28, 2024
Some of my fondest childhood memories center around the Disney channel (or the family channel as it was known here in Canada). From watching Lizzie McGuire and That’s So Raven, impatiently waiting for the holiday episodes, or staying up late at sleepovers to watch the newest Disney Channel Original Movie to performing choreography with friends outside to the cheetah girls and high school musical soundtracks. I grew up with these shows and their characters, their lessons and their actors. I had their clothes, their soundtracks and I remember screaming over my Hilary duff concert ticket Christmas morning and Nanny going what did she get???? Who is that???? It sounds cliche but I fully believe Disney channel and its programming had a huge impact on my childhood and it was so so so fun to pull a curtain and learn more about the behind the scenes.
Not ONCE did this book become dry, boring, or anything else that would have resulted in me putting this down. I was GLUED to the pages and finished cover to cover within hours. The author has an incredible writing style and while she has a journalistic background; this reads truly like a season fiction author but obviously with a true story.
Read this if you want to know:
- spin off shows that never happened
( arwin from the suite life!!!)
- The real reasons why shows ended
(Cory in the house will shock you)
- where did some of our beloved characters go? (Ravens mom, Lizzie’s friend Miranda)
- Behind the scene secrets like Hannah’s wig
- Who didn’t get along with who?!
- they made how much?
- Original titles (can you guess what show was almost the amazing hannigans?)
- Original casting (Alfonso in suite life)
- why there was a 65 episode cutoff and which shows were able to pass that!
Overall, this book was so nostalgic for me and while it is Nonfiction, this will definitely be a top read of the year for me
Not ONCE did this book become dry, boring, or anything else that would have resulted in me putting this down. I was GLUED to the pages and finished cover to cover within hours. The author has an incredible writing style and while she has a journalistic background; this reads truly like a season fiction author but obviously with a true story.
Read this if you want to know:
- spin off shows that never happened
( arwin from the suite life!!!)
- The real reasons why shows ended
(Cory in the house will shock you)
- where did some of our beloved characters go? (Ravens mom, Lizzie’s friend Miranda)
- Behind the scene secrets like Hannah’s wig
- Who didn’t get along with who?!
- they made how much?
- Original titles (can you guess what show was almost the amazing hannigans?)
- Original casting (Alfonso in suite life)
- why there was a 65 episode cutoff and which shows were able to pass that!
Overall, this book was so nostalgic for me and while it is Nonfiction, this will definitely be a top read of the year for me
October 23, 2024
A must read for anyone who came of age watching Disney Channel between 2000 - 2010. The targeted ad that suggested this to me on Instagram absolutely found the right audience. I listened to this as an audiobook, and it's one of the rare instances where I listened at only 1.5x speed to really savor the text. The audiobook is made all the more meta as it's narrated by Lizzie McGuire star Lalaine. It was a bit surreal to hear of Hillary and Lalaine's on set feud when read by the latter. Just one of the many behind the scenes juicy tidbits I learned while reading. Kudos to Ashley though for not making this a complete tabloid tell-all; it is nuanced and mature in its approach throughout.
October 17, 2024
I absolutely LOVED this!
Ashley is an amazing journalist, and I was so excited to read her first book-length work. And as an elder millennial whose adolescence was significantly shaped by Disney Channel, I loved getting a behind-the-curtain look at its inception and growth through the years.
The research is thorough and the writing is engaging. I would have read 1,000 more pages of this! An absolute must-read.
Ashley is an amazing journalist, and I was so excited to read her first book-length work. And as an elder millennial whose adolescence was significantly shaped by Disney Channel, I loved getting a behind-the-curtain look at its inception and growth through the years.
The research is thorough and the writing is engaging. I would have read 1,000 more pages of this! An absolute must-read.
October 1, 2024
Definitely brought back a lot of great childhood memories and may or may not have gone back to watch “That’s So Suite Life of Hannah Montana” and “Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana.” Honestly, could not put the book down. My only gripe is that I wish Ashley had added additional chapters for Jessie, Good Luck Charlie, and Shake It Up!
September 30, 2024
Disney High gives a peak behind the curtain at Disney Channel in its prime. The closing line of the introduction had me eliciting the first of many silent screams, and when I flipped to the next page and saw the timeline of key shows and original movies that would be covered, I damn near lost my mind.
Spencer had so many tightropes to walk with this one and she balanced everything perfectly.
It was a millennial dream, with enough references to help me know I was definitely the intended audience, without being cringe. It was also full of facts, figures and contract information, but didn’t feel boring or business-y for even a second.
The most impressive feat in my opinion was how Spencer was able to highlight the shared experiences of many of the young Disney stars, without the book becoming repetitive. Some chapters touched on themes raised earlier but every one still felt so unique! This helped bring a cohesive feel to the book as a whole, rather than the focus on each show or movie being a standalone reading experience.
Yes, much of what you’ll read here is public knowledge, but there’s nowhere else I know of where you can succinctly read it front to back in such an entertaining manner and I guarantee you’ll learn a bunch that’ll make you gasp too. You’ll also get new perspectives on things you think you know, direct from sources involved.
We didn’t get every scrap of drama that occurred with the Disney Channel cast from that whole period of time, but that wasn’t an issue for me. It would’ve felt hypocritical to highlight the pressure and exploitation these literal kids faced then drag up every scandalous story they’d ever been involved in.
Ashley Spencer is a Disney fan, speaking to Disney fans. She’s able to convey her love for the franchise and reinforce mine as a reader, without glossing over the cracks of the organisation’s crappy behaviour and business practices. From intro to acknowledgments, any Disney fan will have fun with this. Favourite non-fic I’ve read in a long time!
Spencer had so many tightropes to walk with this one and she balanced everything perfectly.
It was a millennial dream, with enough references to help me know I was definitely the intended audience, without being cringe. It was also full of facts, figures and contract information, but didn’t feel boring or business-y for even a second.
The most impressive feat in my opinion was how Spencer was able to highlight the shared experiences of many of the young Disney stars, without the book becoming repetitive. Some chapters touched on themes raised earlier but every one still felt so unique! This helped bring a cohesive feel to the book as a whole, rather than the focus on each show or movie being a standalone reading experience.
Yes, much of what you’ll read here is public knowledge, but there’s nowhere else I know of where you can succinctly read it front to back in such an entertaining manner and I guarantee you’ll learn a bunch that’ll make you gasp too. You’ll also get new perspectives on things you think you know, direct from sources involved.
We didn’t get every scrap of drama that occurred with the Disney Channel cast from that whole period of time, but that wasn’t an issue for me. It would’ve felt hypocritical to highlight the pressure and exploitation these literal kids faced then drag up every scandalous story they’d ever been involved in.
Ashley Spencer is a Disney fan, speaking to Disney fans. She’s able to convey her love for the franchise and reinforce mine as a reader, without glossing over the cracks of the organisation’s crappy behaviour and business practices. From intro to acknowledgments, any Disney fan will have fun with this. Favourite non-fic I’ve read in a long time!
October 3, 2024
I found this book absolutely fascinating as someone who grew up experiencing the heyday of Disney Channel firsthand. It was both intriguing and a little harrowing to hear all about the behind the scenes maneuvering of my favorite shows and movies as a kid. I think anyone in my generation will have the unique experience of reading this story and processing the new information while simultaneously remembering their own feelings and thoughts as a child living through the height of Disney Channel mania. I know I had many moments during this book where I had the intense feelings of nostalgia of hosting a High School Musical 2 watch party or the excitement of sitting down to watch the annual Halloween episodes, but then contrasting those feelings with fascination at behind-the-scenes creative decisions and shock at how much pressure the child actors I adored were feeling because I adored them so much. This book is definitely one of my favorites of the year.
September 29, 2024
This is a spectacularly researched and written book - I didn’t expect to learn anything new but I was pleasantly surprised almost every chapter. I was worried it would skew Disney Adult or be full of millennial catchphrases but it’s decidedly professional while still being really entertaining. Would 100% recommend to anyone who spent any time watching Disney Channel.
October 6, 2024
Thank you MacMillan Audio for my complimentary audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Any millennial will love this book! Sooo many flashbacks to the height of Disney Channel. This went through all of my favorites growing up. My only complaint was I wanted more!! Lizzie McGuire, Even Stevens, and High School Musical were my favorites. I never knew how Hilary Duff got started in music, but all I know is her first album was perfect!
This book also talks about The Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez.
Highly recommend on audio!
Any millennial will love this book! Sooo many flashbacks to the height of Disney Channel. This went through all of my favorites growing up. My only complaint was I wanted more!! Lizzie McGuire, Even Stevens, and High School Musical were my favorites. I never knew how Hilary Duff got started in music, but all I know is her first album was perfect!
This book also talks about The Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez.
Highly recommend on audio!
October 7, 2024
My jaw was on the *floor* throughout this book. Lalaine was a fabulous narrator, which was just icing on the cake.
It's evident that Spencer obviously put a lot of effort into researching and interviewing to tell these untold stories, and she did so in a way that kept my attention from beginning to end.
Highly recommend if you grew up in the Disney era from Even Stevens to Lizzie McGuire to Camp Rock.
It's evident that Spencer obviously put a lot of effort into researching and interviewing to tell these untold stories, and she did so in a way that kept my attention from beginning to end.
Highly recommend if you grew up in the Disney era from Even Stevens to Lizzie McGuire to Camp Rock.
October 29, 2024
Wow this book was so fun!!! Love knowing that the Disney channel I grew up with is the Disney channel everyone considers to be the best! Each chapter details a different show or movie starting with Lizzie McGuire and ending with demi lovato’s stuff. Love getting insider info!! Kept me intrigued the whole way through!
October 3, 2024
The amount of times I teared up. This was such an interesting read but also, just like the child star docs, it makes me want to fight for child actors to have more safeguards when doing this as a career.
The nostalgia does hit during the book though. As a self proclaimed disney channel fan, I very much enjoyed reading this book.
The nostalgia does hit during the book though. As a self proclaimed disney channel fan, I very much enjoyed reading this book.
October 2, 2024
Deeply researched and highly informative chronicle of the Disney channel’s imperial years.
October 27, 2024
Truly so enjoyable! This is a perfect read for millennials who grew up with Disney Channel from around 1998 to 2010. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at the start of Disney Channel and its rise through DCOMs, Even Stevens, Lizzie McGuire, That’s So Raven, HSM, into the shows helmed by Miley/Selena/Demi/the Jonas Brothers. It’s a walk down memory lane, but also taught me new things and provided insightful analysis. It’s fascinating to think how the first stars (Hilary Duffy in particular) created a mold that the later stars were not capable of maintaining. It was also great on audio.
September 30, 2024
Given that I was reading on kindle and still had like 30% to go, I gasped when I saw "Epilogue". I was not ready for this book to end, I needed mooooore.
This book gave me the exact satisfaction that reading Wikipedia articles gives me. I loved every minute. I could not put it down.
This book gave me the exact satisfaction that reading Wikipedia articles gives me. I loved every minute. I could not put it down.
September 28, 2024
I’m listening to the audiobook and it’s great! It’s non-fiction that reads like fiction. Storytelling is superb and I’m wowed at the sheer number of insiders that participated in this project. The author paints a vivid picture of how a network shaped pop culture and affected those involved, either centered on the big stage, lurking behind the curtain or watching from in front of a screen.
October 11, 2024
I LOVED THIS. I feel like this book was what I’ve been wanting for years. It gave good insight about the business side of the channel and the behind the curtain stuff there, but also details what sudden stardom was like for the performers we know and love who were essentially just kids at the time. I need to go rewatch every DCOM and show now.
November 11, 2024
This was FASCINATING!!! And so well written. Every single person I’ve seen in the last week has heard me talk about it.
FYI this is not a book covering the effects of the entertainment industry on child stars. It is a history of the decisions (business, branding, casting, etc.) that made Disney Channel the powerhouse it was in the 2000’s.
So happy to have confirmation that Lizzie McGuire and Hannah Montana did in fact disrupt the entertainment industry forever!!!
FYI this is not a book covering the effects of the entertainment industry on child stars. It is a history of the decisions (business, branding, casting, etc.) that made Disney Channel the powerhouse it was in the 2000’s.
So happy to have confirmation that Lizzie McGuire and Hannah Montana did in fact disrupt the entertainment industry forever!!!
October 15, 2024
In Disney High, journalist Ashley Spencer retrospectively explores the Disney Channel of the 2000s, focusing largely on live action television series (Lizzie McGuire, Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place), a handful of seminal Disney Channel Original Movies (DCOMs), and a few prominent stars who leveraged their Disney platform into an enduring entertainment career (Hilary Duff, Miley Cyrus, Raven-Symoné, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, the Jonas brothers, Zac Efron) vs. those whose post-Disney careers have been less visible (Brenda Song, the Sprouse brothers, various High School Musical alumni) or more complicated (Shia LeBeouf). This book is quite thorough -- Spencer interviewed several hundred people for this book, including many showrunners, producers, directors, performers, choreographers, talent coaches and others in the same ecosystem; many spoke on-the-record and are quoted (either from Spencer's interviews or from other appearances), whereas others only spoke to her on background and aren't identified or quoted. The audiobook, to which I listened, is narrated by Lalaine, who is probably best known for portraying Lizzie's best friend Miranda on Lizzie McGuire (and I imagine it must have been very awkward for her to narrate certain chapters due to the falling-out that she and Hilary Duff had that led to Lalaine's unceremonious exit from the show, as Spencer details).
This was engaging read that will appeal to a lot of younger millennials and older gen Z folks who grew up watching the Disney Channel during the '00s (I'm a middle-millennial who grew up without cable, so the only show that Spencer covered that I watched semi-regularly was Lizzie McGuire during its syndicated run on ABC on Saturday mornings). It's a tricky task, but overall I think Spencer did a good job of not retconning the '00s and the cultural norms at the time vs. the cultural norms of the '20s when she discussed issues like lack of diversity, attitudes toward body image, what constituted being a good role model at the time, etc. I also appreciated Spencer's respectful treatment of the young stars -- as I remember from the time, internet culture and backlash (particularly against many of the female stars) could be quite vicious and unforgiving. There are only a few stars that don't come off very well in the book -- namely LeBeouf and Lovato -- and Spencer does her best to come across as balanced and considerate of their mental health challenges. I was somewhat expecting more of a focus on the "toddler to trainwreck" pipeline (a term fellow Disney Channel alum Alyson Stoner coined and discusses on their platforms), but in this book, this was largely restricted to discussions of the two aforementioned performers and some information about the network-designed curriculum of adjusting to fame.
As an aside, please enjoy this video that's lived in my head rent-free for like a decade of a very over-it Hilary Duff doing take after awkward take of the drawing-mouse-ears channel ID. I'm glad I wasn't a child actor.
Further reading:
The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Bob Iger -- published in 2019 as he was exiting his role at Disney, before doing a heel-face-turn and being reinstated in the role, which he currently still holds. As Spencer mentions, Disney Channel gets a very passing mention.
Toxic: Women, Fame, and the Tabloid 2000s by Sarah Ditum
One in a Millennial: On Friendship, Feelings, Fangirls, and Fitting In by Kate Kennedy
My statistics:
Book 242 for 2024
Book 1845 cumulatively
This was engaging read that will appeal to a lot of younger millennials and older gen Z folks who grew up watching the Disney Channel during the '00s (I'm a middle-millennial who grew up without cable, so the only show that Spencer covered that I watched semi-regularly was Lizzie McGuire during its syndicated run on ABC on Saturday mornings). It's a tricky task, but overall I think Spencer did a good job of not retconning the '00s and the cultural norms at the time vs. the cultural norms of the '20s when she discussed issues like lack of diversity, attitudes toward body image, what constituted being a good role model at the time, etc. I also appreciated Spencer's respectful treatment of the young stars -- as I remember from the time, internet culture and backlash (particularly against many of the female stars) could be quite vicious and unforgiving. There are only a few stars that don't come off very well in the book -- namely LeBeouf and Lovato -- and Spencer does her best to come across as balanced and considerate of their mental health challenges. I was somewhat expecting more of a focus on the "toddler to trainwreck" pipeline (a term fellow Disney Channel alum Alyson Stoner coined and discusses on their platforms), but in this book, this was largely restricted to discussions of the two aforementioned performers and some information about the network-designed curriculum of adjusting to fame.
As an aside, please enjoy this video that's lived in my head rent-free for like a decade of a very over-it Hilary Duff doing take after awkward take of the drawing-mouse-ears channel ID. I'm glad I wasn't a child actor.
Further reading:
The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Bob Iger -- published in 2019 as he was exiting his role at Disney, before doing a heel-face-turn and being reinstated in the role, which he currently still holds. As Spencer mentions, Disney Channel gets a very passing mention.
Toxic: Women, Fame, and the Tabloid 2000s by Sarah Ditum
One in a Millennial: On Friendship, Feelings, Fangirls, and Fitting In by Kate Kennedy
My statistics:
Book 242 for 2024
Book 1845 cumulatively
November 4, 2024
Well, if this isn't the most nostalgic book I've ever read. As a 34 year old woman, Disney Channel was my tween/teen LIFE. Since we didn't have Disney+ and had to rely on reruns to watch every episode of our favorite show, I scoured the Disney's tv guide portion of the website to figure out when I could watch episodes of Lizzie McGuire I hadn't seen (I was Hilary Duff obsessed). I vividly remember the Cowbelles/Hannah Montana double premiere night (I was Aly & AJ obsessed). I recorded all my favorite DCOMs onto VHS tapes which I later transferred to DVDs and still watch (specifically the original Under Wraps which isn't on Disney+). I learned the dance for We're All in This Together along with the HSM cast during the movie's commercials (which I still remember). This book highlighted every happy memory I had and honestly made me feel like I was that age again.
This book was very well researched, the author made it clear that she personally interviewed for all of the information she included (unless otherwise noted) and she put everything together in a very cohesive and chronological way. We got separate chapters for the big stars, but the smaller stars were also mentioned which I thought was great because some of the smaller shows and stars were my favorite (So Weird, Aly & AJ etc).
We start in the late '90s with a quick mention of one of my favorite shows to this day, So Weird. Watching it now, I'm so bummed that the dark storyline with Fi's dad didn't go anywhere and I'm actually really happy that the reasoning was explained in this book (it was TOO dark for Disney Channel). There were even small quotes from the show's 2 main characters Cara DeLizia and Alexz Johnson. We progress through Even Stevens, Lizzie McGuire, That's So Raven and a small mention of Phil of the Future to The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place and Sonny with a Chance with focuses on Shia LeBoeuf, Hilary Duff, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato. DCOMs get interwoven spotlights too, most notably High School Musical.
While we talk about all of these shows, we also talk about the actors/actresses and the internal workings of Disney. These kids had to keep this perfect persona about them all the time to stay "on brand" for Disney. They couldn't swear or even hold red solo cups, no matter what was in them. It does seem that they were generally treated well though. For example when Vanessa Hudgens' nude pictures leaked, they didn't fire her or anything, they just let her know they understood she made a mistake and hoped it was something she learned from. Like everywhere else, they pushed the child labor laws to the limit, calling action on a scene just before their time was up and letting the scene finish shooting which ran over time. It seems there were quite a few supportive parents in the mix as well who really advocated for their children, although it made me sad that Billy Ray Cyrus ended up wishing Hannah Montana had never happened because of what it did to his family and how Miley basically ended up overshadowing him.
One of the most interesting things to me was the behind the scenes aspect of it because it's not something I ever cared about or thought of when I was growing up. With every show and every actor turned singer and every show turned movie, came a lot of risk and a lot of pushback. People were trying to push the boundaries with turning Hilary Duff into a singer because the show's production didn't get along with the record company production even though those initial people knew it would make everyone so much money. Growing up, I just thought every show was perfect, ever actor turned singer was the best thing since sliced bread and shows to movies were just a natural progression. The people behind the scenes really didn't know if anything they did would be a good idea or a bad idea.
Another thing that I never thought about growing up was how channels like Nickelodeon had commercials for outside toys like Barbies and Disney didn't. They only had internal commercials like Movie Surfers and Disney 411. I never even noticed that Disney didn't do commercials for outside things. But I would sometimes be more excited for the commercials than the shows because I wanted to watch a music video from my favorite DCOM. I recorded all of those things and put them on my own DVD of my "favorite stuff."
This book didn't sugar coat the star's lives outside of acting either. Miley's wild child side, Mitchell Musso getting a DUI, Demi getting kicked off her tour because she punched a dancer in the face were all included. The extreme fame and constant exhaustion these teenagers went through is unthinkable for an average person like me. Their schedules were (and probably still are) absolutely insane. Although it was noted that when I think someone from HSM went back to do the HSM show on Disney+ they could really see a difference in how the care of the mental health of the actors had drastically increased.
This book kind of ended in the Camp Rock/Sonny With a Chance era which is basically when I stopped being obsessed with Disney Channel and started being obsessed with other things (Sonny still feels like a "new" show to me) so it really started and ended in accordance with my own love of Disney Channel and it feels like it was written specifically for me. I loved getting behind the scenes peeks at things even though everything wasn't perfect. This book was just overall so enjoyable and nostalgic for me.
Lalaine was the narrator of the book (Miranda on Lizzie McGuire) and she did a fantastic job. I would love to learn her thoughts on narrating a book she was in (since there was a good chunk on her falling out with Hilary Duff) and just her thoughts on how the book was written since I don't think she was quoted at all.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for a copy of this book!
This book was very well researched, the author made it clear that she personally interviewed for all of the information she included (unless otherwise noted) and she put everything together in a very cohesive and chronological way. We got separate chapters for the big stars, but the smaller stars were also mentioned which I thought was great because some of the smaller shows and stars were my favorite (So Weird, Aly & AJ etc).
We start in the late '90s with a quick mention of one of my favorite shows to this day, So Weird. Watching it now, I'm so bummed that the dark storyline with Fi's dad didn't go anywhere and I'm actually really happy that the reasoning was explained in this book (it was TOO dark for Disney Channel). There were even small quotes from the show's 2 main characters Cara DeLizia and Alexz Johnson. We progress through Even Stevens, Lizzie McGuire, That's So Raven and a small mention of Phil of the Future to The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place and Sonny with a Chance with focuses on Shia LeBoeuf, Hilary Duff, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato. DCOMs get interwoven spotlights too, most notably High School Musical.
While we talk about all of these shows, we also talk about the actors/actresses and the internal workings of Disney. These kids had to keep this perfect persona about them all the time to stay "on brand" for Disney. They couldn't swear or even hold red solo cups, no matter what was in them. It does seem that they were generally treated well though. For example when Vanessa Hudgens' nude pictures leaked, they didn't fire her or anything, they just let her know they understood she made a mistake and hoped it was something she learned from. Like everywhere else, they pushed the child labor laws to the limit, calling action on a scene just before their time was up and letting the scene finish shooting which ran over time. It seems there were quite a few supportive parents in the mix as well who really advocated for their children, although it made me sad that Billy Ray Cyrus ended up wishing Hannah Montana had never happened because of what it did to his family and how Miley basically ended up overshadowing him.
One of the most interesting things to me was the behind the scenes aspect of it because it's not something I ever cared about or thought of when I was growing up. With every show and every actor turned singer and every show turned movie, came a lot of risk and a lot of pushback. People were trying to push the boundaries with turning Hilary Duff into a singer because the show's production didn't get along with the record company production even though those initial people knew it would make everyone so much money. Growing up, I just thought every show was perfect, ever actor turned singer was the best thing since sliced bread and shows to movies were just a natural progression. The people behind the scenes really didn't know if anything they did would be a good idea or a bad idea.
Another thing that I never thought about growing up was how channels like Nickelodeon had commercials for outside toys like Barbies and Disney didn't. They only had internal commercials like Movie Surfers and Disney 411. I never even noticed that Disney didn't do commercials for outside things. But I would sometimes be more excited for the commercials than the shows because I wanted to watch a music video from my favorite DCOM. I recorded all of those things and put them on my own DVD of my "favorite stuff."
This book didn't sugar coat the star's lives outside of acting either. Miley's wild child side, Mitchell Musso getting a DUI, Demi getting kicked off her tour because she punched a dancer in the face were all included. The extreme fame and constant exhaustion these teenagers went through is unthinkable for an average person like me. Their schedules were (and probably still are) absolutely insane. Although it was noted that when I think someone from HSM went back to do the HSM show on Disney+ they could really see a difference in how the care of the mental health of the actors had drastically increased.
This book kind of ended in the Camp Rock/Sonny With a Chance era which is basically when I stopped being obsessed with Disney Channel and started being obsessed with other things (Sonny still feels like a "new" show to me) so it really started and ended in accordance with my own love of Disney Channel and it feels like it was written specifically for me. I loved getting behind the scenes peeks at things even though everything wasn't perfect. This book was just overall so enjoyable and nostalgic for me.
Lalaine was the narrator of the book (Miranda on Lizzie McGuire) and she did a fantastic job. I would love to learn her thoughts on narrating a book she was in (since there was a good chunk on her falling out with Hilary Duff) and just her thoughts on how the book was written since I don't think she was quoted at all.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for a copy of this book!
October 2, 2024
“Do you have something related to Disney Channel?”
“No,” she said, as a wistful look crossed her face. “I wish.”
Growing up in the 2000’s, Disney Channel was the juggernaut of entertainment. When I could, I’d spend most of my time going back and forth with Nickelodeon, and when nothing on both channels caught my attention, I would go play outside. Most of the time I didn’t have cable, so whenever I had the chance, I would spend most of my time watching it.
So, for me, it was always huge. It was while reading this book that I found out that The Disney Channel was the stepchild of the Walt Disney Company in the 80’s, through the 90’s and in the very beginning of the 00’s, until Hillary Duff/Lizzie McGuire started to change the scene.
Looking back, I’m also surprised to only now realize how short lived was the reign of the channel, it became a huge phenomenon with High School Musical and its sort-of-slow downfall began after Hannah Montana ended. But it was so huge at the time we all enjoyed every second. (Back to being the awful stepchild!)
To see that Bob Iger only mentioned the channel once in its memoir makes it look like it just wasn’t important at all. He saw High School Musical being born, he saw Hannah Montana generating more than 1 billion dollars for the company but apparently it wasn’t important.
I loved the last lines from the book. Last week I was talking to this girl (who I went to the Jonas Brothers concert in Barcelona - Yes, we Strut!) and she showed me a picture of her on Disney World in 2009 with a poster promoting the JB Concert Movie. I asked her “Did they have a lot of Disney Channel merch on the park?” “Yes!” “I’d love to take a time travel machine to 2009 and see their shop.” Oh, well. Growing up poor didn’t give me a lot of opportunities to have the things I wished for. Never got that Shane and Mitchie Camp Rock dolls I asked my dad for, (never went to any of their concerts at the time), all I had was an original copy of the JB Concert Movie that came with a t-shirt (that has been lost). Then I had to contain myself with illegal DCOM physical copies.
My only complaint about this book is that I wish it was longer, and I wish it talked a little bit more about the Cheetah Girls. But as I was reading this sitting in my bed, I was teleported to all of the sets, to behind the scenes, to the corporate meetings and to the lives of the people who created something magical and the kids of my generation will always be grateful for.
To sum up, I’d like to thank Ashley Spencer for taking all of us, dreamers who once held imaginary wands, closer to what once made us feel very special.
“No,” she said, as a wistful look crossed her face. “I wish.”
Growing up in the 2000’s, Disney Channel was the juggernaut of entertainment. When I could, I’d spend most of my time going back and forth with Nickelodeon, and when nothing on both channels caught my attention, I would go play outside. Most of the time I didn’t have cable, so whenever I had the chance, I would spend most of my time watching it.
So, for me, it was always huge. It was while reading this book that I found out that The Disney Channel was the stepchild of the Walt Disney Company in the 80’s, through the 90’s and in the very beginning of the 00’s, until Hillary Duff/Lizzie McGuire started to change the scene.
Looking back, I’m also surprised to only now realize how short lived was the reign of the channel, it became a huge phenomenon with High School Musical and its sort-of-slow downfall began after Hannah Montana ended. But it was so huge at the time we all enjoyed every second. (Back to being the awful stepchild!)
To see that Bob Iger only mentioned the channel once in its memoir makes it look like it just wasn’t important at all. He saw High School Musical being born, he saw Hannah Montana generating more than 1 billion dollars for the company but apparently it wasn’t important.
I loved the last lines from the book. Last week I was talking to this girl (who I went to the Jonas Brothers concert in Barcelona - Yes, we Strut!) and she showed me a picture of her on Disney World in 2009 with a poster promoting the JB Concert Movie. I asked her “Did they have a lot of Disney Channel merch on the park?” “Yes!” “I’d love to take a time travel machine to 2009 and see their shop.” Oh, well. Growing up poor didn’t give me a lot of opportunities to have the things I wished for. Never got that Shane and Mitchie Camp Rock dolls I asked my dad for, (never went to any of their concerts at the time), all I had was an original copy of the JB Concert Movie that came with a t-shirt (that has been lost). Then I had to contain myself with illegal DCOM physical copies.
My only complaint about this book is that I wish it was longer, and I wish it talked a little bit more about the Cheetah Girls. But as I was reading this sitting in my bed, I was teleported to all of the sets, to behind the scenes, to the corporate meetings and to the lives of the people who created something magical and the kids of my generation will always be grateful for.
To sum up, I’d like to thank Ashley Spencer for taking all of us, dreamers who once held imaginary wands, closer to what once made us feel very special.
November 16, 2024
Having grown up in the 90s, I always thought of myself as more of a Nickelodeon kid (Rugrats, anyone? And we cannot forget the underrated Mystery Files of Shelby Woo!), although I still enjoyed Lizzie McGuire and the occasional Disney Channel Original Movie (or DCOM, for the cool kids 😎). In fact, I have more core memories of the Disney Channel than I realized, something that made me feel very nostalgic as I listened to Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney’s Tween Empire, by Ashley Spencer.
So I was genuinely interested in listening to Spencer’s account of how Disney Channel built its tween empire. My main criticism was that it ended too abruptly, and I would have liked a more expansive reflection of where Disney Channel is headed, and how it’s learned from its successes. But, if you watched Disney Channel in the 00s, remember Even Stevens or The Famous Jett Jackson, know song snippets from High School Musical (🎶getcha, getcha head in the game 🎶), and have a favorite DCOM (Model Behavior - ok, technically not a DCOM, but I watched it on Disney Channel! And Justin Timberlake is in it!), you’ll enjoy this walk down memory lane.
I also recommend the audiobook - it’s narrated by Lalaine, better known as Miranda from Lizzie McGuire!
November 13, 2024
I watched TV very little as a kid and Disney Channel was still the backdrop of my childhood — it’s hard to overstate how much High School Musical, Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers dominated the zeitgeist for a certain generation (“which Jonas brother is your favorite?” was an inescapable question in elementary school, much like Team Jacob/Team Edward several years later). didn’t know that much of the channel’s early success was essentially an accident, and this was a fascinating look behind the curtain. Much ink has been spilled about the dangers of child stardom and this book highlights the fact that children who are paying their family’s bills seem particularly vulnerable. It’s strange to think that today’s Disney Channel has just a fraction of its past cultural capital due, but if that makes young fame less stifling for its stars maybe it’s more for the better in some ways.
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