In February of 2011, the animated series Jake and the Never Land Pirates made its TV debut and Disney Junior was born. Initially launched as a programming block on Disney Channel, Disney Junior—celebrating its fifth anniversary this month—has become the premiere brand in children’s programming through a dedicated 24-hour channel reaching more than 74 million U.S. homes, its continued presence on Disney Channel, the Disney Junior digital platforms and via 35 Disney Junior channels in 27 languages around the world.
“When we launched Disney Junior, our goal was to provide strong, heartfelt storytelling with characters that resonated with our young audience and their parents and caregivers. We also hoped that through our stories we could introduce age appropriate social-emotional concepts and other key learnings relevant to kids age 2–7,” Executive Vice President, Original Programming, and General Manager of Disney Junior Nancy Kanter says.
Disney Junior is often one of the first connections that a child has to Disney, and Kanter has been entrusted with continuing the stories of many of Disney’s most beloved heritage properties and characters including The Lion King, Peter Pan, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, and many of Disney’s classic Princesses.
From characters classic and new, Disney Junior has built a brand parents can count on and kids love, while creating a common bond that unites generations of family members with the magic that only Disney can bring.
“We wanted parents to trust that when they turned on Disney Junior, downloaded one of our apps or appisodes they were getting something worthwhile,” Kanter shares. “Five years later, we have reached that goal and have become one of the best liked and most trusted TV brands for preschoolers.”
