Disney Junior head Nancy Kanter tells Faisal Asyraf what makes the channel tick with the little ones
THE growing popularity of Disney Junior in Malaysia and around the world is attributed to its ability to engage young viewers from 4 to 7 years old.
In the first three months of this year, it has engaged 7.9 million viewers in 3.5 million homes in Southeast Asia with popular series such as Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Jake And The Never Land Pirates, Doc McStuffins, Sofia The First and Sheriff Callie’s Wild West.
Disney Junior Worldwide executive vice president, original programming and general manager, Nancy Kanter tells the New Straits Times more in this exclusive interview at its office in Singapore.
Having been with the Disney brand for almost 13 years, Kanter helped rebrand Disney Junior from its former Playhouse Disney in 2011.
BEING NO. 1
“It feels great to helm Disney Junior. We’re doing so well. We are the No. 1 channel in Southeast Asia and the United States. It’s really nice to be successful and more importantly, to provide children with not only entertainment value, but also learning value which opens up children to the world,” says Kanter with a smile.
She’s dressed in black and her short blonde curls suggests a hint of playfulness. The office is located in Sandcrawler, just a 15-minute drive from busy Orchard Road in Singapore. Sandcrawler also shares the office space with Lucasfilm in a building that resembles the mining vehicle used by the Jawas on Tattooine planet in the original Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope film in 1977.
Disney Junior is one of three Disney channels for Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines) and is available in 33 languages. The other two are Disney Channel and Disney XD.
Kanter says the essence of Disney Junior’s series lies in its strength which, among others, “encourages and engages children with fascinating topics that pique their interest. We take them into a series of emotional journey with our stories”.
She adds: “We speak directly to the children to know what they want and what they like. It’s amazing to see them open up to the Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters, inexplicably. Understanding what the kids feel has always been the core of creating a story.”
METICULOUS PLANNING
The development of each series is done meticulously, with some of them taking between four and five years to complete.
“Two to three years are spent on planning alone while the animation process, from writing to research and getting it ready to be on air, takes another two years,” she says, adding that the shows produce amazing results. “Children admire the characters, and want to be like them, in a good way.”
One of Disney Junior’s hit series Doc McStuffins, for instance, is about a 6-year-old African-American girl who nurses her sick toys back to health in her playhouse clinic (their “illnesses” range from fever to bad breath). She is assisted by her toy friends, Stuffy, Lambie, Hallie, Squeakers and Chilly.
The series imparts to young viewers the importance of taking care of oneself and others, while addressing issues that parents face with their young children when it comes to health, hygiene and medical care.
Kanter relates a story based on an e-mail she received from a viewer. “I received an email from a mum whose little son asked her ‘can boys become doctors too?’. It shows how much the series inspires young viewers. It’s important to us that parents share our goals at Disney, which are what they want for their children too.”
Another example is the fairytale series, Sofia The First, designed to communicate positive messages and life lessons to young children. It’s about Princess Sofia, an adventurous little girl who is learning to adjust to royal life after her mum marries the King and she becomes a princess overnight.
“Sofia The First is doing well around the world. We see the world from a 7-year-old girl’s perspective. Once in a while, Sofia would meet classic Disney princesses such as Mulan who share positive messages such as ‘you’re much stronger than you know’. Kids not only dress like Sofia, but they want to be her — bold, confident and loving,” says the soft-spoken Kanter.
What else is in store for Disney Junior?
We have two new series coming up, 7D and Miles From Tomorrowland. 7D is about seven dwarves who are assigned by the Queen to keep the kingdom in order. Miles From Tomorrowland is set in outer space. We choose a space theme because we understand how important technology and science are to the modern world. Parents would want to equip their children with the idea of the future.
More contemporary characters are fast becoming household names among kids. How do you see the future of classic Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy?
We always look on what else we can potentially do with these classic characters. We kind of go back to an older style of Mickey who is cheeky and mischievous. One special thing about these classic characters are that they are inexplicably unique, and everlasting. The Mickey Hot Dog Song video has garnered more than 20 million views on YouTube. This shows how much the kids love Mickey.
How do you see the changes in the children’s tastes and preferences today?
I don’t think there’s a really huge change. From my observation, kids today are getting more sophisticated because they have much more access to media, and at such early age. But at the core, kids like stories which are well told and have a happy ending. Even when the antagonist character has done something wrong, they want to make sure that this character is okay.
What is the biggest challenge in helming Disney Junior now?
For a few years now, we have been so successful. The biggest challenge at the moment is to continue to be successful and not to be complacent. We have to raise the bar higher. I always tell my staff not to be lazy, as the competition landscape is changing, with market places getting more and more crowded.
Any advice for parents around the world?
Know what your kids are watching and use the series as a stepping stone to start a conversation about things that are important and relevant. Take note of the message in the series and relate them to real life. You don’t just sit down with your kids and ask them to talk about kindness. Be a friend to them, and spend time to watch the series together.