Upfront Update: Disney's Time to Shine - Simon Applebaum

Disney's trio of cable channels--Disney Channel, Disney XD and the network currently formatted as SOAPnet that becomes Disney Junior next winter--declared their "Time To Shine" at the only upfront presentation happening last week in New York. Was it coincidence or Disney executives wishing upon a star that people came to the event in a pouring rain, and walked out to a sunny sky down Broadway? You figure...

Venue:It's been a great while since Gotham Hall, the bank rotunda turned exhibition space, has been used for network Upfronts. The inside reminds you of both the Capitol in Washington, D.C., and the old Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History here in NYC. Like the Hayden, you can project graphics all over the walls. Disney made the max of the scenery, with big blue balloons (some with Mickey Mouse ears) all over the place, and life-sized Phineas & Ferb creatures available for photos with upfront guests. One big screen in front to watch show clips and graphics, and a few on the sides. We won't be waiting long for the next upfront here; Oxygen has booked the place for its April 4 event.Grade: A-plus

Presentation: Count on Disney to be generous with the show clips, and here, generous with the time allotted to showcase each of its three channels. Another smart move: do one musical performance for each net, and highlight a promising Disney-nurtured performer. The sure winner in this crowd was singer/actress China Anne McClain, who lit the place up with her acoustic guitar cover of the Taio Cruz hit "Dynamite." Just her and guitar, no backup singers, dancers or sound amplification. "Trust me, China is a star," Disney Channels Worldwide entertainment president Gary Marsh said before she walked out on stage. Here's a bet plenty more people agree with him when they see China on the upcoming Disney Channel series ANT Farm (she's got an Eve Arden approach delivering punch lines) or hear her upcoming CD. Disney XD's bit was Kickin' It co-star Leo Howard demonstrating his karate skills in sync with the show's opening title and theme, and two members of the Never Land Pirate Band singing for their Disney Junior supper. One drawback: hammering home Jake & The Neverland Pirates is the #1 show on DC's Disney Junior daypart among kids 2-5 over and over and over again. Suspect some attendees reached for the Advil. Grade: A

News Value: Take your pick of what to value, with 13 new series and some made-for films spread among these three channels. Many of them look like sure winners. Upcoming animated GravityFalls on DC has some Twin Peaks-sensibility sans the dense David Lynch environment. Three animated series coming to Disney XD over the next 18 months show promise: Ultimate Spider-Man, the first of a set of Marvel superhero toons with multi-Emmy-winning writer Paul Dini among the talents involved, Motorcity, a mind-bending freedom crusade set in future Detroit, and Tron: Uprising, supervised by many of the people involved with the box-office smash Tron: Legacy. Animation also plays a huge role in the full-time Disney Junior channel, from western Oki's Oasis to fanciful Doc McStuffins. On the live-action front, High School Musical's executive producers are working up Madison High, a DC performance-focused sitcom that looks promising. Grade: A-plus

Host: Disney Channel's Marsh carried most of the load, coming off well. Disney Junior general manager Nancy Kanter did right by her network, and everyone present got their first view of DC Worldwide president Carolina Lightcap in presentation mode. Stayed on message, and did a nice job relating her company's programs to her roles as parent and mother without a big layer of sugar. "Here's our formula--content, talent, see what works, learn our lessons and raise the bar again," Lightcap noted. For some, it might have been nice to have a network personality host a portion or two, as Nickelodeon did at its upfront the week before. Bet you McClain will if her series clicks. Grade: A-minus

Overall Grade: A-plus. Hand it to Disney for a fun, smooth presentation in great surroundings. Not easy to give three channels and 13 new first-run series their due and do so effortlessly. For Disney, it's all in their DNA, and that's what matters.

We've reached the end, at least temporarily, of one NY upfront event and done weeks. Syfy, Hallmark Channel, Cartoon Network and IFC take turns in public events this week, while The Hub stages its first private advertiser-only dinner. May read like a lot, and remember, this is nothing compared to the mid-May barrage of broadcast/cable/Latino network presentations. We'll cover this week's activity in two-by-two fashion over the next few columns.

Until the next time, stay well and stay tuned!

Simon Applebaum is host/producer of Tomorrow Will Be Televised, the Internet radio/podcast-distributed program covering the TV scene. Tomorrow runs live Mondays/Fridays at 3 p.m. Eastern time, noon Pacific time, over www.blogtalkradio.com. Replays are available 24/7 at www.blogtalkradio.com/simonapple04, and on podcast through ITunes.com and other Web sites arranged by Sonibyte. Have a question or reaction? E-mail it to simonapple04@yahoo.com.

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