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With the huge buzz surrounding all of Disney+’s recent early releases of anticipated movies like Frozen 2, Onward, and Trolls World Tour, it’s easy to overlook the impressive arsenal of throwback Disney shows available on the platform. If you have taken the time to survey the entire Disney+ landscape, you’ve probably come across some old classics that are just as satisfying to watch now as they were when you were younger. In a lot of ways, beloved childhood shows are even more satisfying to watch now with a fresh perspective.
For many retired tattoo-choker wearers and frosted-tip sporters, Disney’s One Saturday Morning stands out against a backdrop of ’90s cartoons and sitcoms as a special weekly event jam-packed with the best programming around. Back then, Disney shows weren’t just a click away at all times!
If your parents did not pay extra for the Disney Channel (which youngsters these days will never understand), your exposure to the fantastical world of Disney was likely limited to playdates at friends’ houses — if their parents let you watch TV. The only exceptions to that rule were the glorious Saturday mornings from 1997 to 2002 when ABC played a special five-hour lineup featuring Disney hits. (In 2002, the name of the TV block changed to Disney’s ABC Kids).
Every single ’90s kid has a favorite show from One Saturday Morning, one they’d jump out of bed for and race down the stairs to watch before even brushing their teeth. For many, those favorites were Recess and Doug.
Well, ’90s butterfly clippers, Disney+ is here to provide. The streaming platform has three seasons of Recess from the years 1997 to 1999 available, as well as the spin-off movies Recess All Growed Down and Recess Taking the Fifth Grade, which were both released in 2003. Similarly, you can watch three seasons of Doug on Disney+ (1996 to 1998), in addition to the 1999 film Doug’s First Movie.
Unfortunately, there’s no sign of Pepper Ann yet (because she’s probably still hiding under her desk), but if everyone pools together to jack up the number of hours Doug and Recess get consumed, maybe Disney+ will read between the lines and give that too-cool-for-seventh-grade gal her platform back. While Disney+ is at it, those brief, secretly educational segments between shows would also be a gratifying present-day binge — you know, the ones where Robin Williams casually voices the Genie again to remind viewers to think for themselves and Timon and Pumbaa from The Lion King pop in to answer science questions?
How magical to transport back to a time when staying on your couch for five hours straight was a rare weekly highlight…not a daily necessity.
Sign up for a free seven-day trial for Disney+ to recreate your own One Saturday Morning experience. You can either search for the shows on the platform, or click Recess and Doug right here. When your trial ends, Disney+ costs $6.99 a month, or you can opt for the bundle with Hulu and ESPN as well for $12.99 a month. You can also purchase a one-year subscription to Disney+ via digital gift card for $69.99, bringing the monthly expense down to $5.83. Whichever subscription option you go with, the sweet escape into the world of your favorite Disney cartoon will make it well worth the cost.
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