Disney has been a part of television history since the early 1950s. It gave viewers a chance to see the company's new park, Disneyland, follow the adventures of Davy Crockett, and join the teens of the Mickey Mouse Club. However, other than runs of theatrical shorts featuring Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, the company hadn't delved into the world of first-run animation.
This changed when Michael Eisner became Disney's CEO. In 1984, Walt Disney Television was founded to produce new material. At first, they delved into the Saturday morning cartoon market. However, as syndication became king, they introduced a weekday afternoon block of shows called The Disney Afternoon. From 1990 to 1997, it played new animated material for a range of ages.
10 Adventures Of The Gummi Bears (1985) Was A Saturday Morning Retreat
The first show to premiere on The Disney Afternoon wasn't technically new. In fact, The Adventures of the Gummi Bears was the first animated show to be produced by Walt Disney Television. If anything, its appearance on the syndication block featured a final season of new episodes.
The show, loosely based on the candies of the same name, initially premiered in 1985 as part of NBC's Saturday morning schedule. After four seasons it moved to ABC and was paired with another The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. It finally ended up on The Disney Afternoon in 1990.
9 Duck Tales (1987) Is A Disney Animation Standard Bearer
While Duck Tales is known for its long run on The Disney Afternoon, its initial appearance was as a solo syndicated feature. Nevertheless, it remains one of the package's most popular programs. So much so that Disney XD resurrected it in 2017.
There are a few reasons why Duck Tales remains popular. The main characters of Huey, Duey, Louie, their uncle Scrooge McDuck, and the clumsily adventurous Launchpad McQuack all have a sentimental spot in people's hearts. On the other hand, many fans remember the show thanks to its catchy and singable theme song.
8 Chip N' Dale Rescue Rangers (1989) Changed the Chipmunks' Dynamics
There were two groups of animated anthropomorphic chipmunks on television in 1990, and both were from long-lasting franchises. The first was Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. The other was Disney's Chip n' Dale.
Previously known for their bothersome antics with Donald Duck and Pluto, the brothers became mystery-solving adventurers in Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers. First airing in 1989 on Disney Channel, it moved to The Disney Afternoon one year later. The episodes focused on the duo's detective agency and deducing various situations along with their diminutive friends.
7 Tale Spin (1990) Is Based On Jungle Book Characters
Though it was previewed on the Disney Channel, Tale Spin was actually the first original series to be part of The Disney Afternoon's original lineup. Like the others in the weekday block, the show was based on previously known characters. In this case, it was animals from 1967's The Junge Book.
The main difference between the show and the movie was that the creatures were more anthropomorphic. Taking place in the late 1930s, Tale Spin revolved around the bear Baloo, now a seaplane pilot. He's joined by Kit Cloudkicker, an orphan boy who is his navigator. Joining the giant blue bear from The Jungle Book is Louie the ape and Shere Khan, now the CEO of his own company.
6 Darkwing Duck (1991) Introduces Disney's First Superhero
Before it purchased Marvel Comics, Disney hadn't delved into the superhero genre. This changed in 1991 when Walt Disney Television introduced viewers of The Disney Afternoon to Darkwing Duck. The show is about a mild-mannered father named Drake Mallard who, at night, dons his costume to rescue the citizens of St. Canard.
Most of the time, Darkwing is joined by his young daughter, Gosalyn, and his sidekick Launchpad McQuack, on loan from Duck Tales. As the leader of the Justice Ducks and Friendly Five, Mallard is joined by other superheroes on occasion. One of those prominently featured is the robotic Gizmoduck.
5 Good Troop (1992) Introduced Goofy To Series Television
History was made with the premiere of Goof Troop on The Disney Afternoon. One of the company's animated trinity, Goofy, was presented as a main character. Though Donald appeared on a few episodes of Duck Tales, he wasn't always around.
The premise of Goof Troop is similar to the theme of some of Goofy's 1950s theatrical shorts where he portrayed a father. This time around he's a single dad to his son Max. They relocate to his former hometown of Spoonerville and move next to Pete, Goofy's high school friend. Most of the humor of the show comes from the disparity between Max's normalcy and Goofy's, well, goofiness.
4 Bonkers (1993) Was An Original Creation
Though Gummi Bears was an original concept for Walt Disney Television, it originally premiered outside of The Disney Afternoon. On the other hand, Bonkers was the first animated series on that syndicated series not based on a former Disney character. It's a reason why the show may not be as widely remembered.
The main character is Bonkers D. Bobcat, a former cartoon star who, when his fame falls, decides to become a police officer. He's teamed with a human, Lucky Piquel, who isn't too fond of animated personalities. In a way, the themes of Bonkers are similar to those of Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
3 Aladdin (1994) Continued The Story Of A Boy & His Genie
The success of movies like The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and The Lion King encouraged Disney to create animated television series that continued their adventures. CBS added a Mermaid series in 1992 to its Saturday morning lineup. Two years later, Aladdin made its debut on The Disney Afternoon and CBS.
The series took place before The Return of Jafar movie and featured the voices of many of the successful movie's cast. The only exception was Genie, who is played by Dan Castellaneta instead of Robin Williams. Episodes focus on the cast's adventures within and outside the walls of Agrabah.
2 The Shnookums & Meat Funny Cartoon Show (1995) Went For Edginess
Disney wasn't known for its edginess. Though shows like Gargoyles would eventually change this, the company needed to experiment with the subgenre to get the right results. Its first attempt was in 1995's The Shnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show.
The series is in the vein of the popular Ren & Stimpy. It shows through the animation style along with the title card. Plots involve Shnookums and Meat gaining excessive amounts of weight and quickly losing it and Meat continually getting hit by a baseball during a backyard game. The show also features two additional segments. Pith Possum is a Batman send-off and Tex Tinstar is a parody of Wild West serials.
1 Quack Pack (1996) Featured Teenaged Versions of Donald's Nephews
Before Rugrats: All Grown Up aged their main characters Quack Pack did it for The Disney Afternoon. In this case, it was Huey, Duey, and Louie. Now young adolescents, the trio causes numerous problems for their uncle Donald Duck and his girlfriend Daisy.
Now a famous reporter, Daisy travels around the globe with Donald, her cameraman, and the nephews. Their goal is to get the big scoop. Though they constantly trick their uncle to get away with things, the boys are still good at heart and make sure to help Daisy and Donald whenever possible.