Commentary: Is Disney Jr The Ultimate Genre?

There are so many genres when it comes to storytelling that writers tend to try to specialize in just one. They all have their quirks. Some focus on love and character development while others focus on suspense, tension, and action. Because of this, certain properties might be a better fit for one genre over another. However, there may be one genre that can adapt almost any property, and yet it still doesn’t have the respect of the others. These are animated children’s shows that embody a certain type of tone — specifically those featured on Disney Jr.

These types of shows are hard to define and describe in practice, so it helps to have examples. These are shows such as Jake and the Neverland Pirates or Doc McStuffins. There are certainly other shows geared towards children on Disney Jr, but there’s something about these types of animated programs that make them capable of absorbing other established properties. These characters have been morphed for this genre and went on to be successes. Examples include Spidey and His Amazing Friends and Young Jedi Adventures. In these instances, IPs that are predominantly shown to older audiences are molded in a very specific way for this demographic.

It’s hard to imagine that there is any sort of IP in existence that can’t get this treatment. For instance, there could be Disney Jr show versions of the video game series Assassin’s Creed or Fallout. Hilariously, people can even take horror movie villains and twist them into silly Disney Jr shows. With the right treatment and tone, anything could be really adaptable to this genre. And because of its versatility, it quite possibly could be the ultimate genre that can encompass any type of character or story. And yet, it still doesn’t get the respect as some more mature and adult-oriented genres. This is understandable given its demographic, but from a storytelling standpoint, it should still deserve respect for what it’s capable of.

Disney Jr shows are now streaming on Disney+.