Freeform

**Freeform, previously known as ABC Family, is a cable network owned by Disney ABC Cable Networks, featuring programming aimed at teenagers and young adults - In the 14-34 age range. as well as families during its Funday Weekend block and specials such as the 25 Days Until Christmas special.**

**It was originally founded in 1977 as The CBN Cable Network by Evangelical Minister, Pat Robertson, as an extension to his television ministry. Over time, the network started airing less and less “religious” programming and started to air family-focused programming. To reflect this major change in format and purpose, the channel changed its name to The Family Channel in 1988. By the year 1990, CBN spun off the network because it had become too profitable for the ministry. In 1997, News Corporation, owners of the Fox television network, and Saban Entertainment decided to buy the network and changed the name of the network to Fox Family Channel the next year. In 2002, ABC bought the channel and gave it the name ABC Family. Now, it’s rebranded under its current name, Freeform, on January 12, 2016, focusing on teens and young adults where it has experienced the most success**

### **Current**

**Movies:**

* **My Cousin Vinny (1992)**
* **My Little Pony: The Movie (2017)**
* **Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)**
* **Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)**
* **Mr & Mrs Smith (2005)**
* **Lilo & Stitch (2002)**
* **Finding Nemo (2003)**
* **Finding Dory (2016)**
* **Big (1988)**
* **The Goonies (1985)**
* **The Karate Kid (2010)**
* **Twilight Movie Marathon (2008-2012)**
* **Hook (1991)**
* **The Hunger Games Movie Marathon (2012-2015)**
* **A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969)**
* **Snoopy, Come Home (1972)**
* **Pretty Woman (1990)**
* **Beetlejuice (1988)**
* **Jumanji (1995)**
* **Matilda (1996)**
* **Coming to America (1988)**
* **Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)**
* **Aladdin (1992)**
* **Frozen (2013)**
* **The Incredibles (2004)**
* **Incredibles 2 (2018)**
* **Wreck It Ralph (2012)**
* **Ralph Breaks The Internet (2018)**
* **Planes (2013)**
* **Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014)**
* **Monsters Inc (2001)**
* **Rio (2011)**
* **Rio 2 (2014)**
* **Hotel T (2012)**
* **Hotel T 2 (2015)**
* **Hotel T 3 (2018)**
* **Tangled (2010)**
* **Onward (2020)**
* **Beauty And The Beast (2017)**
* **Hercules (1977)**
* **Zootopia (2016)**
* **The Emoji Movie (2017)**
* **The Angry Birds Movie (2016)**
* **The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019)**
* **Inside Out (2015)**
* **There's Something About Mary (1998)**
* **I Feel Pretty (2018)**
* **Clueless (1995)**
* **Pretty in Pink (1986)**
* **Liar Liar (1997)**
* **Shrek (2001)**
* **Shrek 2 (2004)**
* **Shrek the Third (2007)**
* **Shrek Forever After (2010)**
* **Space Jam (1996)**
* **WALL-E (2008)**
* **Ghostbusters (1984)**
* **Ghostbusters 2 (1989)**
* **The Little Mermaid (1989)**
* **The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000)**
* **The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (2008)**
* **Hercules (1997)**
* **Beauty and the Beast (1991)**
* **Hocus Pocus (1993)**
* **The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)**
* **Holes (2003)**
* **Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)**
* **Me, Myself & Irene (2000)**
* **The Aristocats (1970)**
* **Bon Voyage Charlie Brown (1980)**
* **Armageddon (1998)**
* **What Happens in Vegas (2008)**
* **Sweet Home Alabama (2002)**
* **Mr Deeds (2002)**
* **Christmas with the Kranks (2004)**
* **Madagascar 3 Europe's Most Wanted (2012)**
* **Bambi (1942)**
* **Bambi II (2006)**
* **Cars (2006)**
* **Cars 2 (2011)**
* **Cars 3 (2017)**
* **Free Willy (1993)**
* **Easy A (2010)**
* **Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007)**
* **The Parent Trap (1998)**
* **Meet the Robinsons (2007)**
* **Alvin and the Chipmunks The Squeakquel (2009)**
* **Tarzan (1999)**
* **Tarzan II (2005)**
* **Mulan (1998)**
* **Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022)**
* **Luca (2021)**
* **Lightyear (2022)**
* **Turning Red (2022)**
* **Soul (2020)**
* **The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002)**
* **Clifford’s Really Big Movie (2004)**
* **Curious George (2006)**
* **Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey (2010)**
* **Toy Story (1995)**
* **Toy Story 2 (1999)**
* **Toy Story 3 (2010)**
* **Toy Story 4 (2019)**
* **Early Man (2018)**
* **Open Season (2006)**
* **Over The Hedge (2006)**
* **Sonic The Hedgehog (2020)**
* **Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (2022)**
* **Mulan II (2005)**
* **Mary Poppins (1964)**
* **Wonder (2017)**
* **Alice in Wonderland (2010)**
* **National Treasure (2004)**
* **National Treasure 2 Book of Secrets (2007)**
* **The Bourne Identity (2002)**
* **The Bourne Supremacy (2004)**
* **The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)**
* **The Game Plan (2007)**
* **Good Burger (1997)**
* **Alien (1979)**
* **Aliens (1986)**
* **Alien 3 (1992)**
* **Alien Resurrection (1997)**
* **My Science Project (1985) [COMING SOON]**
* **The Black Cauldron (1985) [COMING SOON]**
* **Oliver & Company (1988) [COMING SOON]**
* **The Rescuers Down Under (1990) [COMING SOON]**
* **James and the Giant Peach (1996) [COMING SOON]**
* **The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) [COMING SOON]**
* **Harriet the Spy (1996) [COMING SOON]**
* **The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course (2002) [COMING SOON]**
* **Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985) [COMING SOON]**
* **Pinocchio (1940) [COMING SOON]**
* **Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) [COMING SOON]**
* **Ferngully: The Last Rainforest (1992) [COMING SOON]**
* **Once Upon a Forest (1993) [COMING SOON]**
* **Anastasia (1997) [COMING SOON]**
* **Thumbelina (1994) [COMING SOON]**
* **The Pagemaster (1995) [COMING SOON]**
* **Mouse Hunt (1997) [COMING SOON]**
* **Paulie (1998) [COMING SOON]**
* **Galaxy Quest (1999) [COMING SOON]**
* **Small Soldiers (1998) [COMING SOON]**
* **Forever My Girl (2018) [COMING SOON]**
* **I Can Only Imagine (2018) [COMING SOON]**
* **Antz (1998) [COMING SOON]**
* **Chicken Run (2000) [COMING SOON]**
* **Shark Tale (2004) [COMING SOON]**
* **Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) [COMING SOON]**
* **Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) [COMING SOON]**
* **Stuart Little (1999) [COMING SOON]**
* **Stuart Little 2 (2002) [COMING SOON]**
* **Muppets from Space (1999) [COMING SOON]**
* **The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999) [COMING SOON]**
* **Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000) [COMING SOON]**
* **Barney's Great Adventures! (1998) [COMING SOON]**
* **Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie (2002) [COMING SOON]**
* **Beavis & Butt-Head: Do America (1996) [COMING SOON]**
* **The Simpsons Movie (2007) [COMING SOON]**
* **South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999) [COMING SOON]**
* **Team America: World Police (2004) [COMING SOON]**
* **Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out (1989) [COMING SOON]**
* **Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave (1995) [COMING SOON]**
* **Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers (1993) [COMING SOON]**
* **Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008) [COMING SOON]**
* **Wings (2013) [COMING SOON]**
* **Wings: Sky Force Heroes (2014) [COMING SOON]**
* **Flushed Away (2006) [COMING SOON]**
* **Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003) [COMING SOON]**
* **The Road to El Dorado (2000) [COMING SOON]**
* **The Prince of Egypt (1998) [COMING SOON]**
* **Joesph: King of Dreams (2000) [COMING SOON]**
* **Trolls (2016) [COMING SOON]**
* **Trolls: World Tour (2020) [COMING SOON]**
* **The Boss Baby (2017) [COMING SOON]**
* **The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021) [COMING SOON]**
* **Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) [COMING SOON]**
* **Fantasia (1940) [COMING SOON]**
* **Fantasia 2000 (1999) [COMING SOON]**
* **Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) [COMING SOON]**
* **Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) [COMING SOON]**
* **Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) [COMING SOON]**
* **Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) [COMING SOON]**
* **Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) [COMING SOON]**
* **Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) [COMING SOON]**
* **Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) [COMING SOON]**
* **Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) [COMING SOON]**
* **Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) [COMING SOON]**
* **Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) [COMING SOON]**
* **and more**

#### **Drama**

* ***The Fosters* (2013-present)**
* ***Stitchers* (2015-present)**
* ***Shadowhunters* (2016-present)**
* ***Beyond* (2017-present)**
* ***Famous in Love* (2017-present)**
* ***The Bold Type* (2017-present)**

#### **Reality**

* ***Cheer Squad* (2016-present)**
* ***The Letter* (2016-present)**
* ***The Twins: Happily Ever After?* (2017-present)**
* ***Truth & Iliza* (2017-present)**

### **Upcoming**

1. ***Marvel's Cloak and Dagger* (2018)**
2. ***Siren* (March 29, 2018)**
3. ***Alone Together* (January 10, 2018)**
4. ***Marvel's New Warriors* (2018)**
5. ***Grown-ish* (January 3, 2018)**
6. **The Simpsons (June 3 2018)**
7. **Family Guy (May 5 2019)**
8. ***The Office* (January 29 2022)**
9. **Black-ish (January 31 2022)**
10. **Futurama (April 5 2022)**
11. **Spin City (June 15, 2023)**

## **Criticism**

**Since Freeform is a semi-religious and semi-family-oriented network it has often been criticized for its variety of programming. Many shows on ABC Family have episodes that either deal with teen-drinking (Boy Meets World and Still Standing) or teenage pregnancy (The Secret Life of the American Teenager). Freeform encourages concerned parents to control what their children watch. In fact, Freeform will always put up a Disclaimer on TV-14 programs and movies with disturbing images such as *The Sixth Sense*.**

**During its time as ABC Family, Disney was considering changing the channel's name to *XYZ* to reflect the programming changes. It was long rumored that it could not due to an agreement with Robertson that "Family" should always remain the channel's name. ABC Family president Tom Ascheim debunked this rumor, however, when announcing the channel's rebrand Freeform in October 2015.**

## **Rebrand as Freeform**

**In a December 3, 2014 article in Variety, reports suggested that ABC Family executives were proposing a reboot of the network that would occur in 2015 at the earliest, which included a renaming of the channel, a redesigned graphics package (replacing the one in use since 2006) or an expansion of programming that appeals more toward a millennial-skewing audience – as opposed to families or teenagers – among the options. During the channel's 2015–2016 upfront presentation on April 14, 2015, ABC Family executives announced that it would establish a focus on teenagers and young adults between the ages of 14 and 34 – group representatives termed "becomers", instead of the standard "millennials".**

**On October 6, 2015, Disney–ABC Television Group announced that ABC Family would change its name to Freeform on January 1, 2016, with the rebrand – which kicked off with an extensive branding campaign launched on that date of the announcement and will encompass the network's popular "13 Nights of Halloween" and 25 Days of Christmas" blocks – coinciding with the winter premieres of the network's new and existing original series. Public assumption was that such a name change would be negotiably impossible due to an alleged stipulation enforced by CBN in sale agreements since the initial acquisition by International Family Entertainment that the channel contains the word "Family" in the name permanently, regardless as to who owns the network (as proven by the failed relaunch as XYZ); in the name change announcement, network president Tom Ascheim never made reference to the "Family" brand clause supposedly contained within the sale agreement, leaving it unclear as to whether or not the clause actually existed.**

**The name change – which was chosen among 3,000 proposals, with some initial consideration of retaining the "ABC" name – was necessitated due to audience testing sampling regular viewers of the channel and those who watched ABC Family on an infrequent basis, which revealed that although regular viewers understood the network's youth-skewing concept, non-viewers perceived the channel as being more family-oriented. The channel plans to double the amount of original programming on its schedule through 2020; however, despite firmly focusing on its specified target audience, Freeform will also continue to carry much of the existing programming under the ABC Family brand including family-oriented series and feature films, the 25 Days of Christmas and 13 Nights of Halloween blocks, and its weekday airings of The 700 Club.**