“Tween” Disney

In addition to marketing the Princess brand to both younger girls and soon-to-be married women, Disney has also found a highly successful niche in the all-important tween market. Although they have not fully integrated the “Princess” into their tween products yet, “The Disney Channel” has become a staple for tweens, with shows from Lizzie Maguire to That’s So Raven to Hannah Montana, along with “Disney Channel Original Movies” like the ever-more-popular High School Musical, Jump In, and The Cheetah Girls. These shows/movies are much more than just tween-oriented television programming though.

Disney has learned that they can market not just their programs but also their actors and actresses, and has been known for jump-starting the careers of stars like Lindsay Lohan (remember Disney’s 1998 version of Parent Trap?) and Hilary Duff. But just because Disney has succeeded in becoming a tween-’Mecca’ of entertainment does not mean that they are not still trying to inject some “Disney Princess” into their tween-market.

The following videos illustrate Disney’s motivation to do so, combining classic “Disney Princess” scenes, characters, and movies with the “Disney Channel Circle of Stars” and a modern and pop sound to try and entice tweens to hearken back to their girl-hood yearning for that glass slipper.