Studio Disney

History

In Asia, the weekend program began as Disney Buzz in May 1999, was renamed Studio Disney in July 2003, and ended on September 25, 2005. It produced 230 episodes from a Singapore studio. In 2004, its hosts toured Singapore, the Philippines, Korea, and Malaysia. In Australia, the show ran from October 4, 1999, until 2006. It featured four distinct blocks of Disney Channel programming. A team of presenters appeared between shows, using jokes and games to engage viewers, who could call in to participate.

Hosts

The Asian version of the show, originally called Disney Buzz, first featured hosts Soo Kui Jien (known on air as Jien) and Azura Zainal. When the program became Studio D for its first season, Jien was replaced by a trio: Michael Lee from South Korea, Nikki Muller from the Philippines, and Miru, a puppet Space Cat performed and voiced by John Kassir. Miru left after season one and was eventually replaced by a character named William. In the interim, Michael, Nikki, and Azura hosted alone until William arrived. Nikki later departed as well. The Asian edition was taped at Ascent Media in Singapore for season one, then moved to Media Corp Studios in Singapore, where it was renamed Studio Disney and given a new set for season two. Ashok Miranda, the Executive Producer for Walt Disney Television International’s Southeast Asia and Korea division, produced the show.

The Indian version, titled Big Bada Boom, was hosted by Shiv Panditt, Zain Khan, Tara Sutaria, and Murtuza Kutianawala. They ran a show-within-the-show and interviewed Bollywood celebrities. This version was filmed in Mumbai, India, and directed by Anirban Bhattacharyya.

In Australia, the original hosts were Dan Mills and Emily Perry. After a year, Perry left and was replaced by Amber Virtue. Dan and Amber hosted together for several more years, then both left at the same time. Their replacements were Scott Cain and Asha Kuerten, and the program’s name changed from Studio D to Studio Disney during this shift.

Scott left after a few months for reasons not disclosed; during his absence, Cartoon Dave and others filled in. Eventually, Nathaniel Buzolic, known as Nat, took over Scott’s role and stayed for the rest of the series. The Australian hosts also appeared in short segments called “shorties,” where they completed specific tasks. Examples included Dare Dan, where viewers dared Dan to do something, and Piper Micoy, where Amber tried different jobs like working at Disneyland or an observatory.

These shorts aired between shows, not typically within Studio D. The block that later included AMTV was dropped because of the popularity of Nickelodeon’s Sarvo.