For years, Disney has dominated the market on popular kid’s sitcoms: from Lizzie McGuire to Even Stevens, That’s So Raven to Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Wizards of Waverly Place to Jonas…you get the idea. In terms of sitcoms, it seems like everything that Disney touches turns to gold (save for a few exceptions like Phil of the Future and Cory in the House, which didn’t fare so well).

Cartoons, though, have been a different story. In recent years, we have seen Disney turn out dud after dud in the cartoon world. The Replacements, Brandy and Mr. Whiskers, The Buzz on Maggie, the Emperor’s New School, on and on…I mean, does anybody even remember Dave the Barbarian (I actually liked that one, but few others did)? For so long, Disney has struggled to find their own alternative to the massively popular Nickelodeon cartoons like Spongebob Squarepants, The Fairly Odd Parents and Hey, Arnold.

And then one day, completely out of nowhere, we were introduced to a little show called Phineas and Ferb, which follows the adventures of two precocious stepbrothers on summer vacation, who truly show us what it means to make the most out of every day. It didn’t look like much based on early advertisements, but the show has proven to be a massive hit, and the writing is fantastic.

So has the Disney Channel finally found an animated winner? I mean, not since The Proud Family has the network really had a cartoon it could boast about. The show remains a ratings winner with kids in the 6-11 and 9-14 demographics, and has broken several ratings records. When it premiered in Febuary of 2008, it became the #1 most watched cable animated premier by pre-teens.

The appeal is understandable. It never ceases to amaze me how one ten-minute minisode can pack in multiple cohesive story lines which may include the brother’s inventing some remarkable device, sister Candace struggling with boy drama, and Perry the Platypus thwarting the latest evil plot by the sinister Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz.

But what makes the show great? Perhaps Disney has finally gotten the formula right. The show has sibling rivalries (always a winner), an awesome family pet, humor, adventure, espionage, catchy show-stopping numbers and most importantly, it celebrates the limitless possibilities of a child’s imagination.

Today is a huge day for Disney fans, so try and keep up…

Disney’s long awaited digital 3D movie ‘A Christmas Carol’ hits theaters, so be sure to get your tickets! The movie stars Jim Carrey and recreates the classic Dickens tale for a new generation.

Then, starting at 8pm/7pm central, be sure to check out a whole slew of premiers on the Disney channel. Up first is a brand new ‘Wizards of Waverly Place,’ where Justin goes toe to toe with a real life mummy. Then, in a brand new ‘Suite Life on Deck,’ Zack and Cody write a song for American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. Finally at 9pm, Phineas and Ferb travel through time, exploring both the past and the future.

Is if that weren’t enough, Saturday and Sunday night also feature premiers for the hit shows ‘Jonas’ and ‘Sonny with a Chance.’ In other words, this weekend has everything you need to remain stimulated, entertained and unconcerned with silly matters like studying, exercising or experiencing sunlight.

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So the Nielsen ratings are in for the week…and as it turns out, Disney is kicking butt…

Here is the complete list, courtesy of the Associated Press:

1. NFL Football: N.Y. Jets vs. Miami (Monday, 8:30 p.m.), ESPN, 9.65 million homes, 13.13 million viewers.

2. MLB National League Championship Series: Philadelphia vs. L.A. Dodgers, Game 1 (Thursday, 7:59 p.m.), TBS, 4.93 million homes, 6.83 million viewers.

3. “Hannah Montana” (Sunday, 7:30 p.m.), Disney, 3.95 million homes, 5.71 million viewers.

4. MLB Division Series: Philadelphia vs. Colorado, Game 4 (Monday, 6 p.m.), TBS, 3.71 million homes, 5.2 million viewers.

5. “NCIS” (Wednesday, 8 p.m.), USA, 3.56 million homes, 4.87 million viewers.

6. MLB National League Championship Series: L.A. Dodgers vs. Philadelphia, Game 3 (Sunday, 8 p.m.), TBS, 3.45 million homes, 5.03 million viewers.

7. “WWE Raw” (Monday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.41 million homes, 4.84 million viewers.

8. MLB National League Championship Series: Philadelphia vs. L.A. Dodgers, Game 2 (Friday, 4 p.m.), TBS, 3.34 million homes, 4.42 million viewers.

9. “WWE Raw” (Monday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.27 million homes, 4.73 million viewers.

10. College Football: S. Carolina vs. Clemson (Saturday, 7:41 p.m.), ESPN, 3.26 million homes, 4.61 million viewers.

11. “Suite Life on Deck” (Friday, 8:30 p.m.), Disney, 3.18 million homes, 4.65 million viewers.

12. “ICarly” (Saturday, 8 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.11 million homes, 4.67 million viewers.

13. “Wizards of Waverly Place” (Friday, 8 p.m.), Disney, 3.07 million homes, 4.55 million viewers.

14. “NCIS” (Wednesday, 7 p.m.), USA, 2.995 million homes, 3.93 million viewers.

15. “Phineas and Ferb” (Friday, 9 p.m.), Disney, 2.990 million homes, 4.44 million viewers.

Notice that not one, not two, but FOUR shows in the top 15 are Disney Channel originals: Hannah Montana (#3), Suite Life on Deck (#11), Wizards of Waverly Place (#13), and Phineas & Ferb (#15).

There was a time when cable shows couldn’t even reach the Nielsen top 50, and now the Disney Channel is absolutely killing in the ratings.

Now if Hannah Montana could just learn how to throw a football, she would be #1 in a heartbeat.

Image courtesy of Flickr