The Disney Afternoon

Overview

The Disney Afternoon was a created-for-syndication two-hour television programming block which aired from September 10, 1990, until August 29, 1997. At that time, Disney decided to retire the name and continued to run a 90-minute syndicated block until 1999. The Disney Afternoon was produced by The Walt Disney Company, with distribution through their syndication subsidiary, Buena Vista Television. Before and after its cancellation, the shows in the block were rerun both on Disney Channel and on Toon Disney. Starting on October 2, 1995, four of the shows were rerun on the Disney Channel as a two-hour programming block called "Block Party" which aired on weekdays in the late-afternoon/early-evening. Currently, the only Disney Afternoon shows that still air in the United States are The Lion King's Timon and Pumbaa which airs on Disney Junior and Gargoyles which airs on Disney XD; however, several of the block's shows are available on DVD in the United States. The Disney Afternoon's two-hour block was broken up into four half-hour segments, each of which contained a cartoon series. As each season ended, the first cartoon shown in the lineup would typically be dropped, and a new one added to the end. The Disney Afternoon itself featured unique animated segments consisting of its own opening and "wrappers" around the cartoon shows shown.