On October 16, 1923, Walt Disney and his brother Roy founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in Hollywood, California. The studio, now known as the Walt Disney Company, had a massive effect on the Entertainment business and is today one of the world's major media corporations.
How massive? Well, are Pixar and Marvel big enough? And these two powerhouse studios are not even Disney’s most prolific studios.
No, that honor belongs to the company itself. With Disney now owning multiple franchises and companies, it is easy to forget how this giant is also the mastermind behind multiple successful TV shows and Movies. And of course, their stars and starlets.
Becoming a Disney star is the goal for many aspiring actors, but their 15 minutes only last for just that. While some Disney star manages to break out of their child star mold, others fade back to obscurity.
Thankfully, we manage to track down some of them. Don’t you feel old looking at these 10 former Disney stars now?
Although Anneliese does not have acting credits in cinema or television, she does have a long history in theater, where she has been working for the past 30 years. She has been in a number of well-known stage productions, including Sleeping Beauty, Grease, Beauty and the Beast, and Evita. Nonetheless, she has been reprising Chelsea in Raven's House, a spin-off of the original series, since 2017.
Post Disney, she has also appeared in films and television shows such as Grey's Anatomy spin-off Station 19, Scandal, Dollface, and Secret Obsession. Quite a steady career in acting. Brenda is now acting on Dollface, a Hulu series.
David married in 2017 and had his first child, Pia Philomena Francesca, a girl named after Pope Francis. He named her after saying a prayer to the Pope. David is now sitting in the director's chair; This Is The Year and Max & Me, his latest films, are now in post-production.
In addition to Hannah Montana, he also appeared in American Pie Presents: Band Camp. Following his role as Jackson, the actor appeared in Kickin' It and Hotel Du Loone. He married his partner, Katie Drysen, in 2017, and now works as an acting coach away from the camera.
Post-Disney, Jake Thomas has appeared in shows such as House, ER, and Cory in the House. He was also seen in the film The Unwilling and in an episode of S.W.A.T. Outside of acting, Jake is a photographer who created the advertising campaign for the previous season of the television show 13 Reasons Why.
Her time at Disney was not what propelled her to popularity, surprisingly. Keke had previously acted in films and television shows, such as ER, Law & Order, Grey's Anatomy, Degrassi, and Scream Queens. In 2007, she published her debut album, So Uncool, and also recorded two EPs. She even has her own talk show.
But the group break up shortly after forming. Since then, she appeared in various dance films and on the television show Dancing with the Stars in 2007 and 2012. She's been married since 2018 and is expecting her first kid.
Nowadays, she works on film production with her current spouse, Dylan Snyder. The pair founded the production company Watch The Footage Productions in 2015. Her most recent appearance as an actress was in the 2020 TV series A.P. Bio as Heather. She also directed a short film called Seek.
Despite his global fame, the Colombian-American actor has lengthy credits as supporting or side characters in films and television shows, the biggest one being the voice of Antonio Pérez in Despicable Me 2. He also works as a photographer when he doesn’t act.
She is currently the mother of two girls, Zetta and Lettie. Stroh is one of the HSM participants who pay tribute to the franchise the most on social media. We get a glimpse of her as Martha Cox at the Disney Family Sing-Along virtual concert, when she performed "We're All in this Together" alongside her former castmates.
How massive? Well, are Pixar and Marvel big enough? And these two powerhouse studios are not even Disney’s most prolific studios.
No, that honor belongs to the company itself. With Disney now owning multiple franchises and companies, it is easy to forget how this giant is also the mastermind behind multiple successful TV shows and Movies. And of course, their stars and starlets.
Becoming a Disney star is the goal for many aspiring actors, but their 15 minutes only last for just that. While some Disney star manages to break out of their child star mold, others fade back to obscurity.
Thankfully, we manage to track down some of them. Don’t you feel old looking at these 10 former Disney stars now?
#1 Anneliese van der Pol — That’s So Raven
Source: © That's So Raven / Disney, © anneliesevanderpol / Instagram
Although Anneliese does not have acting credits in cinema or television, she does have a long history in theater, where she has been working for the past 30 years. She has been in a number of well-known stage productions, including Sleeping Beauty, Grease, Beauty and the Beast, and Evita. Nonetheless, she has been reprising Chelsea in Raven's House, a spin-off of the original series, since 2017.
#2 Brenda Song — The Suite Life of Zack & Cody
Source: © The Suite Life of Zack & Cody / Disney, © brendasong / Instagram
Post Disney, she has also appeared in films and television shows such as Grey's Anatomy spin-off Station 19, Scandal, Dollface, and Secret Obsession. Quite a steady career in acting. Brenda is now acting on Dollface, a Hulu series.
#3 David Henrie — The Wizards of Waverly Place
Source: © Wizards of Waverly Place / Disney, © davidhenrie / Instagram
David married in 2017 and had his first child, Pia Philomena Francesca, a girl named after Pope Francis. He named her after saying a prayer to the Pope. David is now sitting in the director's chair; This Is The Year and Max & Me, his latest films, are now in post-production.
#4 Jason Earles — Hannah Montana
Source: © Hannah Montana / Disney, © realdukeofearles / Instagram
In addition to Hannah Montana, he also appeared in American Pie Presents: Band Camp. Following his role as Jackson, the actor appeared in Kickin' It and Hotel Du Loone. He married his partner, Katie Drysen, in 2017, and now works as an acting coach away from the camera.
#5 Jake Thomas — Lizzie McGuire
Source: © Lizzie McGuire / Disney, © sirjakethomas / Instagram
Post-Disney, Jake Thomas has appeared in shows such as House, ER, and Cory in the House. He was also seen in the film The Unwilling and in an episode of S.W.A.T. Outside of acting, Jake is a photographer who created the advertising campaign for the previous season of the television show 13 Reasons Why.
#6 Keke Palmer — Jump In!
Source: © Jump In! / Disney, © keke / Instagram
Her time at Disney was not what propelled her to popularity, surprisingly. Keke had previously acted in films and television shows, such as ER, Law & Order, Grey's Anatomy, Degrassi, and Scream Queens. In 2007, she published her debut album, So Uncool, and also recorded two EPs. She even has her own talk show.
#7 Sabrina Bryan — The Cheetah Girls
Source: © The Cheetah Girls 2: When In Spain / Disney, © sabrina.bryan / Instagram
But the group break up shortly after forming. Since then, she appeared in various dance films and on the television show Dancing with the Stars in 2007 and 2012. She's been married since 2018 and is expecting her first kid.
#8 Allisyn Ashley Arm — Sonny with a Chance
Source: © Sonny with a Chance / Disney, © alwaysallisyn / Instagram
Nowadays, she works on film production with her current spouse, Dylan Snyder. The pair founded the production company Watch The Footage Productions in 2015. Her most recent appearance as an actress was in the 2020 TV series A.P. Bio as Heather. She also directed a short film called Seek.
#9 Moisés Arias — Hannah Montana
Source: © Hannah Montana / Disney, © 490tx / Instagram
Despite his global fame, the Colombian-American actor has lengthy credits as supporting or side characters in films and television shows, the biggest one being the voice of Antonio Pérez in Despicable Me 2. He also works as a photographer when he doesn’t act.
#10 Kaycee Stroh — High School Musical
Source: © High School Musical / Disney, © kaycstroh / Instagram
She is currently the mother of two girls, Zetta and Lettie. Stroh is one of the HSM participants who pay tribute to the franchise the most on social media. We get a glimpse of her as Martha Cox at the Disney Family Sing-Along virtual concert, when she performed "We're All in this Together" alongside her former castmates.