On September 1st, 2006, Disney made a move that would signal the end of the W.I.T.C.H. animated series. On that day they moved all JETIX shows off of ABC Family to be shown exclusively on Toon Disney. This mid-season move left many fans in the dark, as Toon Disney is in half as many households as ABC Family channel. It's true that this series didn't get super ratings on ABC Family, but reducing the amount of people who can watch it is no way to increase viewership! And now, many months after the last season two episodes have aired, there is still no word on a third season. Most networks renew their shows before the previous season ends, and this extended delay shows that Disney doesn't really want to renew the show. Most people will agree that the second season is a significant improvement over the quality of the first season. There is so much potential for a third season that it truly deserves to be continued.
There is good news, however. Fans of Kim Possible where able to get that show renewed nine months after it "ended production forever." We can do the same for W.I.T.C.H., but only if we can generate the same (or even greater) level of support that KP had. This will be hard, but it is possible! But we need the help of every fan that can possibly help.
In order for this to work, you all need to do three things:
The first is you need to spread the word to other fans. If you're already part of a W.I.T.C.H. forum, or other online group, that's a good place to start promoting the movement. You might also want to post an "Off Topic" post on other online communities you belong to - just make sure you follow the rules in your posts. If you want, we have banner links that you can use.
The second is that you must take the time to actually contact Disney and let them know how you feel. You're their customer, and you have the right to complain, so don't be afraid to. You can call them, write them, fax them and email them. It's best to not just email them, as physical letters must be sorted by real people and phone calls require human operators. Save Disney Shows has compiled all known Disney contact information for us. You can find it in the How to Help section. If Disney hears the same thing from many, many people, they will see how they can still make money from this show.
The third thing is that you need to keep up with the progress of the moment and what events we may plan in the future. In our other campaigns, we've found Yahoo Groups to be the most effective. However, many the current members of this campaign seem to prefer our dedicated W.I.T.C.H. forum. Pick whichever works best for you, or join both. But whatever you choose, we ask you to please join our email newsletter. You can also keep up with general Save Disney Shows news with our podcasts, forum, MySpace, etc. Please check out the contacting the media section as well!
I want to thank our members for your continued support of our movement. With your help, we where able to renew most of our domain names and keep the site online. However, it’s been almost a year and those same domains are up for renewal again!
One of the members of the PotF Island forum once suggested: “For kids it might be easier just to send in small amounts of cash to you, then you could report how much money you’re getting. Then you could use the money for ad space, the website or anything else that would help the movement.”And that’s exactly what we plan to do.
Can you contribute $5, $10, $20? Any donations are appreciated. All proceeds received go right back to Save Disney Shows to keep our campaigns running.
If you’re old enough to have a PayPal account, you can make a donation directly to paypal@savedisneyshows.org. If you want to ensure that your donation helps a specific show, you can add a comment like “donation for KP ” so we know your intent.
You can use the paypal donate button below to donate from a Credit Card without a paypal account.
Or, you can mail a check, money order, or cash to me at this address:
SDS Fundraising
C/O Gregory Isaac
PO Box 893211
Temecula, CA 92589-3211
If you also include your email address in your letter, I’ll let you know when I’ve received it.
Today, Disney has named Carolina Lightcap as the new president of Disney Channel Worldwide. As such, she becomes the most important person that SDS members contact going forward. We don’t know that much about her yet, but it’s important our supporters make a good, strong, and untited impression on her.
We’re working on putting together a special “Welcome to DC” event for her. Please check back for more on that as we work out the details.
Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS) named Carolina Lightcap as the new president of Disney Channels Worldwide, according to an AP report. She is replacing Rich Ross, who will now be the movie studios chairman. Lightcap joined Disney in 2000 and was most recently vice president of programming and creative affairs and CMO of the Latin American operations. According to the company, Lightcap spearheaded the Latin American launch of “High School Musical” and led the creative transition of the Disney Channel from a premium service to a basic service in the region and she will relocate to Burbank, California.
KEVIN GAMBLE JOINS DISNEY TELEVISION ANIMATION
AS VICE PRESIDENT, DEVELOPMENT
Kevin Gamble has been named Vice President, Development, Disney Television Animation, it was announced today by Eric Coleman, Senior Vice President, Original Series, Disney Television Animation, to whom he will report. A top creative executive in CG animation and new media, Gamble joins Disney with 12 years experience, most recently as Vice President, Production & Creative for Classic Media.
In this new role, Gamble will be responsible for the development and production of new animation shorts and series geared towards kids, tweens and families on Disney Channel, Disney XD and multi-platforms reaching hundreds of millions around the world. He will also oversee the recruitment of new artists, directors and writers, and will collaborate with the Talent and Music departments.
Coleman said, “We’re excited to gain the insights of someone as uniquely talented and experienced as Kevin. I know that his creative spirit, production skills and strong relationships in the animation community will help us break new ground and continue the legacy of Disney.”
Gamble has been working in animation since 1997. He spent six years at Canada’s Mainframe Entertainment, working on such groundbreaking projects as “Reboot”, television’s first CG animated series. He was also producer of Mattel’s CG series “Max Steel.” From 2005-06, he was Director of Development for the Canadian animation company Nerd Corps, where he developed the CG animated series “Storm Hawks.” He also produced the latest version of “George of the Jungle,” a modern re-invention of the classic J. Ward series. As Vice President of Production & Creative for Classic Media, Gamble oversaw its TV and DVD projects. While there, he was Producer of the upcoming Flash DTV movie “Kung Fu Magoo,” as well as several upcoming CG series based on Classic Media properties.
Co-creator of Tiki Bar TV, one of the web’s first video podcasts, Gamble has appeared on leading webcasts including “This Week in Tech” and “Diggnation.” He won his first film festival at 13 with the short film “Math Time,” which was made with his creative partner Jeff Macpherson. A native of Vancouver, Canada, Gamble will relocate from New York to Los Angeles and will be based at Disney’s Burbank headquarters.
Disney Television Animation is an industry leader in the production of quality animated properties for television. Its series air seven days a week on both cable and broadcast outlets and new media platforms around the world including Disney Channel, Disney XD, ABC Kids on the ABC Television Network, Disney Online, SVOD and VOD. Disney Television Animation is part of the Disney Channels Worldwide and the Disney ABC Television Group.
One of the members of the PotF Island forum one suggested: “For kids it might be easier just to send in small amounts of cash to you, then you could report how much money you’re getting. Then you could use the money for ad space, the website or anything else that would help the movement.”And that’s exactly what we plan to do.
If you’re old enough to have a PayPal account, you can make a donation directly to paypal@savedisneyshows.org. If you want to ensure that your donation helps a specific show, you can add a comment like “donation for KP ” so we know your intent. (You can use the paypal donate button on SDS Main to donate from a Credit Card without a paypal account.)
Or, you can mail a check, money order, or cash to me at this address:
SDS Fundraising
C/O Gregory Isaac
PO Box 893211
Temecula, CA 92589-3211
If you also include your email address in your letter, I’ll let you know when I’ve received it.
We know times are tough, but please give what you can, we can’t make this work without all of you.
D23, launched earlier this year, is the Official Community for Disney Fans.
The name “D23″ pays homage to the wonder and excitement that began in 1923 when Walt Disney opened his fledgling studio in Hollywood. D23 is the first official community for fans in Disney’s 85-year history. D23 gives its members a greater connection to the entire world of Disney by placing them in the middle of the magic through its quarterly publication Disney twenty-three; a rich website at www.disney.com/D23; a new collectibles line, The Walt Disney Archives Collection; and special events for D23 members throughout the year, highlighted by the D23 EXPO in Anaheim, California, September 10-13, 2009.
The D23 EXPO will give Disney fan unprecedented access to never-before-seen movies, TV shows, park experiences, collectibles and more from Sept. 10 to Sept. 13 at the Anaheim Convention Center. Tickets to the Expo are now available at http://www.D23Expo.com. Admission includes access to all experiences and entertainment at the D23 EXPO and can be purchased for single days or for the full four days of festivities. Admission is discounted for members of D23.
The D23 EXPO spotlight will also shine on Disney Channel’s brightest stars in a can’t miss-special event.
If you are a D23 member, or are planning to attend the expo, please let us know by completing this form.
SDS Webmaster Greg will be in Anaheim and will be coordinating possible meetings for those involved in our movements!
It’s interesting to see the continued assent of power and influance that disney channel shows and Executives have both within and outside of the Walt Disney Company.
Disney Channel executives will make their first-ever full programing presentation to retailers on Monday at the International Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, in a nod of the cable network’s growing earnings power within the Walt Disney Co.
Disney Channel shows produced a greater share of global merchandise sales for the company in 2008 than any single franchise produced by its movie studios, which also presents its slate at the annual licensing show.
Merchandise inspired by Disney Channel TV programs, led by ‘tween phenoms “Hannah Montana” and “High School Musical” and preschooler hits “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” and “Handy Manny,” reached $3.6 billion in merchandise retail sales in 2008.
“Cars,” the best-selling line inspired by the Disney-Pixar film, peaked at annual sales of $2.5 billion last year and is expected to decline this year, Disney officials said.
Global sales of “Hannah Montana” and “High School Musical” merchandise grew faster in 2008 than any other Disney franchise and outstripped growth for the super-popular Disney Princess line, Disney Consumer Products spokesman Gary Foster said.
The cable network also has promising new franchises in “Sonny With a Chance” and “Wizards of Waverly Place”, which is why the company chose to showcase them “in a greater way”, Foster said.
Growth at the 94 Disney channels worldwide last quarter helped Disney’s cable business to 5 percent growth in operating income in the depths of the global recession.
At the same time, Studio Entertainment, whose upcoming slate of family movies usually dominates Disney’s presentation to the show’s 25,000 international retailers, will take a supporting role this year.
Disney’s studios have performed poorly in recent quarters as hits like “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Cars” gave way to duds like “Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” “Prince Caspian” and “Bedtime Stories.” The studios’ operating profit plunged 97 percent last quarter.
Disney Channel’s presentation on Monday night focuses plans to support established hits, build up-and-comers and launch new properties, Disney Channel Worldwide President Rich Ross said.
“Our job is …to show people what we are excited about and … the commitment the company has … to tell stories that are popular,” Ross said. “TV has never done what TV is doing.”
Disney Channel plans to announce a fourth season for “Hannah Montana” and to report on the progress of casting for a fourth film in the “High School Musical” franchise, company officials said.
“Sonny With A Chance”, the top TV series among kids 6-11 and tweens, has been picked up for a second season, Disney said.
The annual meeting of shareholders of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), including remarks by management regarding the Company, will be available live via audio webcast at www.disney.com/investors beginning at 10:00 a.m. PDT / 1:00 p.m. EDT on March 10, 2009. A re-play will be provided through March 24, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. PDT.
It’s important to remember that paper letters are the key to our efforts, and events are spaced out so you have at least a week to prepare as many as you can. Please refer to our how to help section for addresses: http://help.savedisneyshows.org
Then on the day of the event, you can also send faxes, make phone calls, and use our email program at http://sdsmail.org
It’s important to remember that paper letters are the key to our efforts, and events are spaced out so you have at least a week to prepare as many as you can. Please refer to our how to help section for addresses: http://help.savedisneyshows.org
Then on the day of the event, you can also send faxes, make phone calls, and use our email program at http://sdsmail.org
Walt Disney Television Animation has begun production on Kid Knievel, a 2D-animated comedy series about a 12-year-old boy who aspires to become the world’s greatest daredevil. Famed thrill seeker “Kaptain” Robbie Knievel will serve as a stunt consultant on the series, which is slated to premiere in the fall of 2009 on the soon-to-launch Disney XD channel. Kids will be able to catch a sneak peek when five 55-second original animated shorts debut on DisneyXD.com in advance of the television premiere.
Created by Sandro Corsaro, Kid Knievel centers on Francis Little, a boy who overcomes incredible obstacles in his quest to become famous for his death-defying acts. Inspired by the will and determination of daredevil Robbie Knievel, son of the legendary Evel Knievel, Francis pursues his daily dose of danger with his loyal friends Gunther and Sam by his side. His imaginative journey takes him speeding down a river in a rocket-powered kayak, jumping Dead Man’s Drop on a skateboard and riding a unicycle while blindfolded atop a herd of white rhinos.
Animation producer Chris Savino (Johnny Test, The Powerpuff Girls), who has twice been nominated for an Emmy Award, serves as exec producer and director on the series. The voice cast includes Chris Edgerly (Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law) as Francis Little, Matt Jones (Greek) as quirky best friend Gunther, and Danny Cooksey (Xiaolin Showdown, Pepper Ann) as obnoxious older brother Brad.
“As our first animated show for the new Disney XD platform, Kid Knievel sets the tone for the animated series to come,” says Eric Coleman, senior VP of original series at Walt Disney Television Animation. “It has break-out characters, fresh designs, big laughs and great action.”
Disney XD is a re-branding of Toon Disney. The basic cable channel will debut in February with a multi-platform setup that will showcase a mix of live-action and animated programming for kids 6-14, especially boys into discovery, sports, adventure and humor. Offerings will include sports-themed programming developed with ESPN. In the U.S., Disney XD will be a 24-hour, advertiser-supported network reaching 72 million households.
I’m still not sure what I think of this whole Disney XD venture. If it takes off the way they’re hoping it will, then I’ll get behind it, but I have a feeling it’s gonna crash and burn. Especially if this new project is the best they have to offer.
