Disney High, Ashley Spencer
Disney High, Ashley Spencer
List: $26.99 | Sale: $18.89
Club: $13.49

Disney High
The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel's Tween Empire

Author: Ashley Spencer

Narrator: Lalaine

Unabridged: 10 hr 51 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/24/2024


Synopsis

This program is read by actor Lalaine, known for her roles in Disney’s Lizzie McGuire, The Disney Channel original movie You Wish, and her role as Kate in the 1999 remake of Annie. It features a foreword and an epilogue read by the author.

The first unauthorized look at the inner workings—and ultimate breakdown—of the Disney Channel machine

For many kids growing up in the 2000s, there was no cultural touchstone more powerful than Disney Channel, the most-watched cable channel in primetime at its peak. Today, it might best be known for introducing the world to talents like Hilary Duff, Raven-Symoné, Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, and Zendaya.

It wasn't always destined for greatness: when The Disney Channel launched in 1983, it was a forgotten stepchild within the Walt Disney Company, forever in the shadow of Disney’s more profitable movies and theme parks. But after letting the stars of their Mickey Mouse Club revival—among them Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Ryan Gosling—slip through their fingers, Disney Channel reinvented itself as a powerhouse tween network. In the new millennium, it churned out billions of dollars in original content and triple-threat stars whose careers were almost entirely controlled by the corporation. Suddenly, everyone wanted a piece of the pie—and there were constant clashes between the studio, network, labels, and creatives as Disney Channel became a pressure cooker of perfection for its stars.

From private feuds and on-set disasters, to fanfare that swept the nation and the realities of child stardom, culture journalist Ashley Spencer offers the inside story of the heyday of TV’s House of Mouse, featuring hundreds of exclusive new interviews with former Disney executives, creatives, and celebrities to explore the highs, lows, and everything in between.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

About Ashley Spencer

Ashley Spencer is a culture writer and reporter whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Vanity Fair, The Guardian, The Hollywood Reporter, Vice, Vulture, and elsewhere. Disney High is her first book.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Megan on January 14, 2025

reading vlog: [URL not allowed] 10/10 no notes. i would read this 1,000 times over. getting to see behind the scenes of all my favourite shows and movies from my childhood was just SO special and Ashley Spencer did an amazing job putting all the puzzle pieces together......more

Goodreads review by Julianna on September 25, 2024

I would’ve liked for this to be 10,000 pages.......more

Goodreads review by Alanna on September 26, 2024

Disney High By: Ashley Spencer Miley isn’t the only one coming in like a wrecking ball. Ashley didn’t come to mouse around (sorry, I had to). The amount of research and number of interviews Ashley conducted to get this story to her readers is impressive. This book goes behind the scenes of all the gli......more

Goodreads review by Ashley on April 15, 2025

If you were a Disney Channel kid, you should read this! Very well researched and written, and the audiobook is read by LaLaine. Will absolutely be spending this upcoming weekend binging old DCOMs.......more


Quotes

“If you can scrupulously recite the lyrics to ‘The Best of Both Worlds’, then this book is for you. Equal parts sentiment and scoop, Disney High is chock full of details about the child stars of Disney's once-prized asset, and the journey to questioning whether wearing those mouse ears was ever really worth it.” Lynette Rice, New York Times bestselling author of How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey's Anatomy

“An unprecedented level of dish and detail! Spencer pulls back the curtain on one of modern pop culture’s most important (and drama-filled) eras.” —Omid Scobie, New York Times bestselling author of Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family

"An obsessive, loving deep dive into the 2000s-era Disney Channel that launched Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Hilary Duff, the Jonas Brothers, and many other icons. This is the book millennials have been waiting to read since childhood." —Andy Greene, New York Times bestselling author of The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s

“With deep reporting and sharp prose, Spencer takes us inside the stunning rise and fall of Disney Channel. You’ll come for the stories behind Miley and Raven—and, wow, will you get them—but it’s the merciless grinding of the cable TV machine that will stay with you long after you’ve finished." Zac Bissonnette, New York Times bestselling author of The Great Beanie Baby Bubble


Awards

  • Amazon.com Best Books of the Year