Have yourself a Disney Christmas

I recall a time when the name Walt Disney meant Mickey Mouse and animated films for kids. That still holds true but Disney has these past 10 years or so also captured a brand new and highly lucrative market. These are the older kids now known as the Tweens. That is short for Between, because the ages of these children are in between the toddlers and the teenagers. They are too old for Winnie the Pooh and Dora but not yet ready for Paris Hilton.

So the Tweens have this exclusive niche, which as any parent will tell you can be a big drain on the budget. Remember, parents give babies what they believe are good for them. Young adults pretty much go their own way. But the Tweens can make outrageous demands and they get what they want most of the time. Take note that Tweens account for much of the popularity and I must add merchandising success of Hilary Duff as Lizzie MaGuire, of the High School Musical series, Miley Cyrus of Hannah Montana and all those other mainstays of the Disney Channel.

 Surely one of the most welcome stocking stuffers of this season is the video of High School Musical 2 (HSM2), which hit the stores last week. I still recall how excited fans kept up with the countdown that the Disney Channel put up before the film’s local premiere a few months ago. I also know that there are already pirated copies around. But nothing beats the original from Viva Video and it is now out in the stores. And for those parents who will be extra generous to their Tweens, let me inform you that I have found the perfect companion to HSM2. It is the Disney Channel Holiday album.

That Holiday in the title means Christmas music and when you say Disney Channel, it means that the CD has all those cute and perky stars of Disney shows doing the songs. Well, almost all of them because Zach Ephron and Vanessa Ann Hudges of HSM are not in the album. They are perhaps now considered too grown-up or too adult for Tweens. No need to feel too sad about this though, because everybody else is pretty much present and you have to agree that this girl Miley packs quite a star wallop and it is big enough to hold the package together.

It is not just the whole blonde looks, the bright eyes and radiant smile. Magic happens when Miley sings. You know instantly that you are listening to no ordinary girl but a star. And she has found the perfect vehicle with the rocking tune Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree which gets the album off on a celebration overload. I believe that this was originally done by Brenda Lee and Miley is up to the standard set by the country music Mighty Mite of the ’60s era. Of course when Miley is around, can dad Billy Ray be far behind? Cyrus of the line-dancing Achy Breaky Heart fame contributes a good version of another rocking Christmas classic, Run Rudolph Run.

The Disney Channel Holiday CD sparkles throughout and Tweens will surely love all the good feelings that the songs evoke. Other standouts are Jingle Bells (A Hip Hop Carol) by Kyle Massey, the boy from the That’s So Raven show; an R ’n B take on Let It Snow by Lucas Grabeel, who was Ryan of HSM; Greatest Time of Year by the Super Sweet 16 duo of Aly & AJ; and a sentimental I’ll Be Home for Christmas by Drew Seeley, who provided Troy’s voice in HSM and later appeared in the touring concert version.

Also included are Girl of My Dreams by the Jonas Brothers, composed of Kevin, Joe and Nick, who are the current heartthrobs of the tween set; Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Adrienne, Sabrina and Kiely, better known as The Cheetah Girls; Last Christmas by Ashley Tisdale, the scheming Sharpay of HSM; This Christmastime by Corbin Bleu, the good-hearted Chad of HSM; Home for the Holidays by Keke Palmer; Best Time of the Year by Christy Carlson Romano; Celebrate Love by Jordan Pruitt; and Christmas Vacation by Monique Coleman who was Taylor of HSM.