We’ve been taking a walk down memory lane with Disney+ playlists while we’ve been staying indoors, but the Disney library goes much deeper than what’s on the streaming platform.
We have pretty fond memories of watching the Disney Channel after school, but there are a ton of shows that have slipped through the cracks of nostalgia.
Here are six Disney shows that you might have forgotten even existed.
Dinosaurs
Yes, Disney actually tackled dinosaurs in this sitcom years before they made an entire animated film dedicated to the gigantic reptiles. The show focused on the anthropomorphic dinos of the Sinclair family: Earl, Fran, Robbie, Charlene, Baby, and Ethyl.
All the dinosaurs on the show were puppets created by the Jim Henson Company, and the show was not afraid to shy away from hard-hitting, with episodes focusing on topical issues like environmentalism, censorship, and more.
In a Heartbeat
The series, which focuses on high school students who volunteer as part-time EMTs, sounds like a weird premise at first, but it is actually inspired by real life EMT squads that included high-schoolers in their ranks in Connecticut.
The show only ran for one season, but was praised for its likable characters and smart writing. Plus, it featured Shawn Ashmore who would have another big role in a Disney Channel classic, Cadet Kelly, as well as starring in the X-Men series of films.
The Weekenders
It seems like most people look back on Recess fondly, but The Weekenders doesn’t get talked about nearly as much. The two shows have similar premises, but The Weekenders centers on the lives of four diverse 7th graders: Tino, Lor, Carver, and Tish.
The show has very distinctive animation style compared to most other Disney shows at the time and the characters are given a lot of dimension thanks to solid writing and a talented voice cast that includes Jason Marsden (Max Goof) and Grey DeLisle (Vicky from The Fairly OddParents, Sam Manson in Danny Phantom).
So Weird
Imagine The X-Files with teen angst and you’ve got So Weird. This show has become a cult classic among fans for its darker than normal tone which often comes from the supernatural threats that Fiona Phillips and eventually her friend Annie Thelen would protect the Earth from.
This is also the only show on this list that you can still easily stream online. You can watch all three seasons of the show on Disney+.
Jungle Cubs
Disney was experimenting with spin-off shows throughout the 90s based on their films, like The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Hercules. The Jungle Cubs, rather than being a sequel, is actually a prequel series to The Jungle Book and focuses on the jungle critters before Mowgli showed up.
It’s interesting to see the baby versions of Baloo, Bagheera, Louie, Shere Khan, and Kaa interacting with each other and the relationships they had before the events of the movie.
American Dragon: Jake Long
Dragon up! When the theme song for American Dragon: Jake Long starts playing, we can’t help but air guitar along with the beat. The show is all about Jake Long, a boy who has to balance protecting magical creatures as the American Dragon with the trials of being an adolescent.
The series changed up the animation style a little bit in the second season, but it didn’t detract from the voice acting, which was led by none other than Dante Basco (Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Rufio from Hook) as Jake.
What Disney shows have you been binging lately? Let us know down in the comments!
Click here to learn everything you need to know about Disney+!
Join the AllEars.net Newsletter to stay on top of ALL the breaking Disney News! You'll also get access to AllEars tips, reviews, trivia, and MORE! Click here to Subscribe!
Hoping that should say “high school students“ instead of “ high students” working as EMTs.
That’s generally not an accepted practice for them! 😆
I forgot about Dinosaurs. That was a funny show! “Not the mama”!
I am desperately waiting for the weekenders to hit Disney +. That and pepper Ann