Sunday, July 26

Disney Cartoons in the 90's that were not part of Disney Afternoon

The following cartoons were made by Disney during the 1990's but were not part of the Disney Afternoon, they either aired on CBS or ABC on Saturdays.

The Wuzzles (1985-1986), CBS and (1986-1987), ABC
It aired on CBS in 1985 while the Gummi Bears aired on NBC that same season, but Gummi Bears caught on and The Wuzzles did not. I loved the Wuzzles! I had my four-year birthday themed to that. There was only 13 episodes and there were Wuzzles that didn't appeared on the show from the merchandise.

The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1988-1991), ABC
This is the most famous and popular of the Winnie the Pooh series, Christopher Robin spoke with a distinctly American accent, the first time since the Pooh short Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree. In all other previous shorts, he has a British accent. There was 83 episodes, a usual cartoon series at that time had 65 episodes and it is the only Disney series at that time to remain on ABC and not be syndicated while it first aired. After that, of course it has been on the Disney Channel and Toon Disney.

Raw Toonage (1992)/Marsupilami (1993), CBS
Raw Toonage was a strange creature. There are 12 episodes (a 13th one was in production but was never completed) and aired from September to November 1992. It had different shorts in each episode. Disney's version of Marsupilami first appeared on television in Raw Toonage in 1992, and was then spun off into his own eponymous show on the CBS network. Marsupilami was originally a Belgain comic strip started in 1952. Disney's Marsupilami only lasted 13 episodes itself. Michael Eisner had purchased the rights to the popular Belgian comic strip Marsupilami. At some point, someone had the post-modern idea to actually make the cartoons that Bonkers had starred in before becoming a policeman, and the show that would become Raw Toonage was born. The additional segment, Totally Tasteless Video, was intended as a satire of popular culture, not a proving ground for new stars. The host was added to give the show the familiar feel of the World of Disney show.

The Little Mermaid (1992-1994), CBS
The Little Mermaid, much like Winnie the Pooh, maybe was too 'soft' for the Disney Afternoon or maybe, they could only make so many episodes since it was just weekly. The Little Mermaid premiered in the fall of 1992 with the animated prime time special called "A Whale of a Tale," then moved to Saturday mornings. It lasted 31 episodes and three seasons. The series was set before the first movie, but now the new 2008 prequel The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning contradicts the events in the series.

Disney's House of Mouse (2001-2003), ABC
This cartoon wanted to re-interduce kids to Mickey Mouse and his crew with new shorts and it was surrounded by segments with characters from Disney movies like Aladdin, Snow White, etc.