For Disney Channel executives, the decision seemed a no-brainer: replace vintage Disney television shows that run in the dead of night with newer, hipper fare targeted to a younger, more lucrative audience.
But the seemingly mundane programming change to replace the "Vault Disney" classics with teen and preteen dramas such as "Lizzie McGuire" and "Kim Possible" has created an uproar among older die-hard Disney fans, who see the move as the latest affront to Walt Disney Co.'s heritage. Internet chat rooms devoted to Disney fans are abuzz with the pending demise of "Vault Disney." Some viewers are penning protest letters to management relating their connection to childhood heroes such as "Zorro." One fan has started a petition in hopes of reversing the decision.
"I'm dumbfounded," said Glendale schoolteacher Sue Schuck, 54, who vowed to sell her Disney stock in protest. "We baby boomers pay for the cable, the admission to Disneyland and the Disney products. We watched these shows. They are part of our childhood."
The decision is simply economics, Disney said. Rather than spending money on airing older shows such as "Spin and Marty" and "Davy Crockett," Disney wants to invest in new programs that resonate with younger audiences.
Targeting younger viewers has spurred the Disney Channel's growth over the last decade, as it moved from a mostly premium, subscriber-fee cable service to a much more widely distributed cable network.
The dispute underscores the dilemma the Burbank entertainment giant faces as it tries to shore up its sagging bottom line: how to keep its brand relevant to younger kids without offending the baby boomers who cling to a very different, often nostalgic vision of the Disney of their childhood.
Such tensions have flared up across Disney's businesses in recent years. Fans, for example, loudly protested a few years ago when the company shut down Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Fla., one of the original Walt Disney World attractions.
Baby boomers also complained more recently about the newly redesigned Disney Stores catering too heavily to children. Even as Disney spent millions celebrating what would have been founder Walt Disney's 100th birthday last year, some longtime devotees believed the company didn't pay enough homage to him.
