Review: Disney High is a stunning look at the Disney Channel's tween dominance and its dark side

The new book Disney High gives a dark look at what once was a bright time for the Disney Channel!

Before the 2000s, the Disney Channel was an interesting network. Obviously, the focus was on Disney shows, yet it showed more original fare and specials, and the nighttime programming was more skewed toward adult viewers than just the kids. There were bits like a new Mickey Mouse Club that introduced future stars like Ryan Gosling, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and others, yet Disney didn't go for the "Tween" market.

That all changed in the 2000s with a focus on shows targeted at that trend, mostly comedies. It transformed the Disney Channel forever while launching the careers of scores of stars like Selena Gomez, Zendaya, Zac Efron, the Jonas Brothers, and many more. It still continues with new shows as Disney made these teen stars huge. 

However, Hollywood is filled with the horror stories of child stars who have fallen into darkness. Disney Channel is no stranger to that, with Demi Lovato speaking openly on her various problems and some stars coming to harsh fates. Now, this era is getting a fantastic look in the new book, Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel's Tween Empire by Ashley Spencer. Expertly researched with scores of interviews with actors, writers, producers and more, this book offers a balanced yet striking history of this era. 

The origins of the Disney High era

The book has a good start on how Michael Eisner was upset in the early 1990 by how Nickelodeon was outdoing the Disney Channel in terms of viewership. Up until then, the cable channel had been a subscriber-only service like HBO. A big move was changing it to basic cable, which required a change in programming and approach.

So Eisner hired Anne Sweeney, a former Nickelodeon exec who had to undo the "Disney is uncool" mentality teens of the time had. That began with shows like So Weird and The Famous Jett Jackson, along with an emphasis on music videos of rising pop stars. 

Then came Lizzie McGuire. The comedy was a huge hit, boosting Hilary Duff to stardom. That was followed by That's So Raven as a studio comedy, and Disney had a formula of banking on rising stars, mostly female, to gain audience attention and make them marketable for teens. 

The one-two punch of High School Musical and Hannah Montana solidified this, and Disney Channel became home to some of the hottest names around. Ratings were soaring, the merchandise was flying off the shelves, concert tours, the works to gain the company millions. Behind the scenes, however, it was a lot tougher. 

Spencer's excellent work capturing this era

Spencer's tales shine an obvious dark side on things with various stories, many truly shocking. There's the real-life rivalry between Shai Labeouf and Christy Carlson Romano on the Even Stevens set; how Duff and Lalaine had a falling out; Raven-Symone having her curves CGI-ed out to look thinner; the mental health struggles of Lovato including punching a co-star on a private jet; the on-set romance of Efron and Vanessa Hudgens; and how Miley Cyrus adjusted to her unexpected ultra-fame, including her infamous Vanity Fair cover.

The stories can be rough, yet Spencer doesn't openly bash Disney, pointing out how, sadly, this sort of thing is all too common for child stars (and even seeming sedate compared to revelations about the behind-the-scenes horrors at Nickelodeon). If anything, Disney's obsession with looking better to the public meant they would quietly remove those who took advantage of the talent. The stories are gripping, and it is fascinating to see how chaotic some of these seemingly squeaky-clean shows could be.

It's true this is an unofficial look, and while some stars do go on the record, many of the bigger names don't take part. However, Spencer gets what many a good Hollywood writer knows: If you want the real dirt on what happened, talk to the supporting cast and staff members who saw it. The recreations of these events paint a vivid picture of some of the chaos behind the scenes.  

While not bashing Disney, Spencer doesn't sugarcoat how the company could turn this whole thing into a factory. If a star aged up or moved out of Disney to bigger pastures, they'd just move to creating a new one. She nails an aspect of Disney that's become even more striking today: a creatively fertile but corporately sterilized environment. Network executives would throw in endless notes on how to make things "proper," including writers not suited for the show and a case of three Disney shows nominated for Emmys when two showrunners were fired and a third sued the network. 

It's telling that the main book leaves off in 2010, just before the advent of streaming services and new social media robbed Disney of its power. With a few exceptions (perhaps Jenna Ortega), Disney Channel no longer produces the mega stars it once did. No one realized Lovato's departure was the sign the machine was running out of steam and soon faltering.

That's what makes the book such a great read, a time capsule of an era where Disney truly transformed not just itself but an entire generation of viewers. They gave us a score of celebrities and some really fun shows that are still loved. Yet it can also be argued they did some damage to the Disney Channel's legacy as it's now skewered totally toward tweens rather than older viewers. That's not to mention once more the darker side of fame being laid bare. 

However, the book is as much a celebration of this era as Spencer's love for these shows, and Disney is clear, even as she tackles some dark subject matter. It's neither whitewashed nor too sensationalistic but makes for a terrific read. For any fan of the Disney Channel, this era or just juice behind-the-scenes stories of Hollywood, Disney High is a must-read and a stunning look at the rise and fall of a key Disney historical period.