Disney Channel Saturday morning block
Commercial Free Weekend Mornings (formerly called Toonin' Saturdays from 2011 to 2012, Disney Channel Saturday Mornings from 2012 to 2014, Get Animated from 2017 to 2018, and Animation Cram Session from 2018 to 2019) is a weekend program block on the Disney Channel in the United States, consisting of Saturday morning cartoons. The block currently airs original animated programming like Big City Greens, Amphibia, and The Owl House, as well as acquired programming such as Hotel Transylvania: The Series and Miraculous. It occasionally shows new episodes of cartoons on Saturday mornings.
| Commercial Free Weekend Mornings | |
|---|---|
| Launched |
|
| Closed |
|
| Network | Disney Channel |
| Owned by | Walt Disney Television (The Walt Disney Company) |
| Picture format | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Broadcast area | Worldwide |
| Headquarters | Burbank, California |
| Replaced by |
|
| Sister channel(s) | |
| Website | http://www.disneynow.com |
History
The adoption of a block on Disney Channel coincided with the end of the ABC Kids block, which had aired an outdated loop of Disney Channel original series repeats for several years. ABC and Disney Channel are both owned by The Walt Disney Company; beginning in September 2011, ABC outsourced its educational programming responsibilities to Litton Entertainment, which produces the Weekend Adventure, a block that contains no animated programming.
Disney Channel Saturday Mornings debuted June 18, 2011, as "Toonin' Saturdays", and was rebranded as "Disney Channel Saturday Mornings" in 2012. The block aired shows like Fish Hooks, Phineas and Ferb, Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales, Have a Laugh! and Gravity Falls.
As of 2014, the block is no longer airing in this timeslot. It does not currently air any animated series; it now airs reruns of live-action series after the Disney Junior block on weekdays, Wander Over Yonder, Gravity Falls and Phineas and Ferb were transferred from that block to Disney XD on Disney Channel Friday Night animation block, while Fish Hooks was moved to the regular Disney XD schedule.
The block returned in 2017 as "Get Animated" and features reruns of original series from across Disney's platforms: Elena of Avalor from Disney Junior, Gravity Falls from Disney Channel, Star vs. the Forces of Evil from Disney XD, and acquired series The ZhuZhus. Two and a half months later, The ZhuZhus and Gravity Falls were moved out for another Disney XD program, Milo Murphy's Law and another Disney Channel Program, Tangled: The Series.
Unlike ABC Kids and its predecessors, which were required to comply with E/I restrictions, DC Saturday Mornings (being aired on a cable channel) was not subject to those restrictions.
In May 2017, Star vs. the Forces of Evil and Milo Murphy's Law got moved out, marking the return of The ZhuZhus and a new series named Pat the Dog.
In 2018, all of Disney XD's original animated content moved their premieres to the block, marking the returns of Star vs. the Forces of Evil, Gravity Falls and Milo Murphy's Law, as well as the arrival of DuckTales (2017), Big Hero 6: The Series, and Big City Greens.
The block returned in 2018 as “Animation Cram Session” and replaced the Disney Junior weekend morning block. But in the summer of 2019, the block was changed to “Commercial Free Weekend Mornings” in honor of the newest animated series Amphibia and The Owl House.
As of February 16, 2020, reruns of DuckTales and Big Hero 6: The Series have been removed from the block and Disney Channel and were moved back to Disney XD.
Programming
Get Animated!/Animation Cram Session/Commercial Free Weekend Mornings (2017–present)
| Name | Premiere date | End date | Distributor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gravity Falls | January 7, 2017 | present | Walt Disney Television |
| Milo Murphy's Law | March 25, 2017 | ||
| Hotel Transylvania: The Series | July 1, 2017 | Nelvana International | |
| Big City Greens | June 23, 2018 | Walt Disney Television | |
| Amphibia | June 22, 2019 | ||
| Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir | September 2019 | AB International Distribution | |
| The Owl House | January 11, 2020 | Walt Disney Television |
Former Programming
| Name | Premiere date | End date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elena of Avalor | January 7, 2017 | 2017 | Moved to Disney Junior |
| Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure | March 1, 2020 | ||
| Star vs. the Forces of Evil | May 19, 2019 | ||
| The ZhuZhus | 2017 | ||
| Pat the Dog | June 3, 2017 | October 21, 2017 | |
| Lego Friends | September 9, 2017 | 2017 | |
| DuckTales (2017) | September 17, 2017 | February 16, 2020 | |
| Big Hero 6: The Series | June 2, 2018 | ||
| Phineas and Ferb | September 8, 2018 | 2019 |
Toonin Saturdays era (2011–12)
| Name | Premiere date | End date |
|---|---|---|
| Phineas and Ferb | June 18, 2011 | September 7, 2013 |
| Fish Hooks | June 18, 2011 | September 7, 2013 |
| Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil | June 18, 2011 | |
Disney Channel Saturday Mornings era (2012–14)
| Name | Premiere date | End date |
|---|---|---|
| Tron: Uprising | May 18, 2012 | January 28, 2013 |
| Gravity Falls | August 25, 2012 | March 12, 2017 |
| Wander Over Yonder | September 14, 2013 | January 25, 2014 |
Mini-series
| Name | Premiere date | End date |
|---|---|---|
| Cars Toons | October 27, 2008 | March 22, 2013 |
| Have a Laugh! | October 26, 2009 | December 2, 2012 |
| Take Two with Phineas and Ferb | December 3, 2010 | November 25, 2011 |
| Toy Story Toons | June 24, 2011 | 2013 |
| Where's My Water?: Swampy's Underground Adventures | October 18, 2012 | March 1, 2013 |
| Descendants: Wicked World | January 7, 2017 | May 27, 2017 |