Over Thanksgiving break, Disney Channel star and teen singing sensation Miley Cyrus turned 18 years old. While age may not affect her endorsement contracts just yet, her reported drug use this past week does well to symbolize how one of Disney’s greatest walking gold mines has shed the Mickey Mouse ears.
One can only speculate as to the fabulous career Cyrus will pursue in B-rated romance films and Playboy spreads, but the larger question here is now that Cyrus has been caught on film with a bong with what she claims in Salvia, can Disney manufacture another perfectly formed idol who’s mere existence will net them as much money as Cyrus’ did?
In 2006 Disney Channel premiered “Hannah Montana,” an average television show about an atypical teenager living a double life as a country rock singer. From the start, Disney had a perfect subject to become the idol of every five- to eleven-year-old girl in America; she was young, pretty, and she could act and sing reasonably well by tween girl standards.
Now marketing desirable movies or shows is difficult, so Disney simply used Cyrus as a brand rather than an actress. Instead of advertising films, music, and television shows, they simply had to sell Cyrus herself to the children watching, and anything she appeared in from then on would automatically be a hit just for her presence.
Plenty of celebrities have come and gone on the Disney Channel, but the real magic is in just how fast the company can let go of one star and replace them with another.
Now that Cyrus’s ties with the happiest company on earth are beginning to sever, Disney will likely pass the superstar mantle to “Wizards of Waverly Place” lead Selena Gomez, whose already growing acting and singing career would be bolstered with a marketing blitz attack to get her face on anything children will buy. Another candidate is “Sonny with a Chance” star Demi Lovato, though her chances may be clouded by a recent tour of a rehab facility.
What isn’t pretty is what happens to these Disney bred creations once they set out on their own. The trilogy of “High School Musical” movies were hugely successful when they were released in 2006, but afterword lead actress Vanessa Hudgens was almost completely dropped by Disney after inappropriate photos appeared on the web.
Cyrus is ahead of the curve in this department, having already been attacked by anti drug critics for her reported use of Salvia, and her Disney contract isn’t even up yet.
The title of Ultimate Marketing Gimmick functions rather like the leadership of the mafia, it gets passed down when the leader’s influence starts to decline. And as with any good mafia, Disney has a rival.
Nickelodeon, though not as large of a movie conglomerate, has an impressive array of children in its arsenal in the war for nine year old girl’s attention spans. Their current boss of bosses is “iCarly” star Miranda Cosgrove, who Nickelodeon has guided though every step of her multimedia career ever since her premier in “School of Rock” in 2003.
Though there could be a power struggle, as one of the underbosses, Victoria Justice, has gained momentum with a singing and TV contract as well as an appearance at the Macy’s Day Parade.
Nickelodeon has also struggled with aging child stars who decide to go supernova, as in the case of “Zoey 101” star Jamie Lynn Spears whose much publicized pregnancy forced her to leave the popular show.
Cyrus may soon join the list of faded child stars, but audiences can rest assured that Disney will quickly move on and proceed to carpet bomb the airwaves with a fresh new young and pretty face.
