Pop culture for the tot demographic gets an upgrade:

I checked the website yesterday, and it's less of a mess than other Disney sites. Here's the cast of characters page. When you mouse over a licensed property - sorry, a beloved character - a voice says the name, and I swear it's the same happy lady who's been doing Disney TV VOs since 2000. There's some continuity with the old channel; they didn't jettison the entire thing, leaving routine-dependent toddlers adrift in a world of new colors and typefaces.

But here's the part I don't get. They have hours and hours to fill. They have hours and hours of old shows that no longer run. Why not put them on during the wee hours, let parents DVR the eps, and introduce the next batch of toddlers to the shows kids had a mere nine years ago? Unless there was a study that proved "Stanley" made kids less likely to read books that didn't transport them to the jungle, but I don't think so. Rolie Polie Olie, for example. One of the best shows they ever made. It's as if Disney wants us to forget they ever aired it.

Here's an example of the new programming: Chuggington. Talking trains with human faces: where did they ever get that idea?