Top 10 Disney Shows With the Best Casts (& We Didn't Know at the Time)

Tipton Hotel’s cheekiest twins were a huge part of our childhood. Most of the show’s viewers grew up with their puckish antics, alongside the endearingly clueless London and ever-so-sassy Maddie. While Dylan and Cole Sprouse, who played the titular characters, obviously shot to fame, Brenda Song and Ashley Tisdale’s careers also took off in a big way. Song bagged the starring role in “Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior” and Tisdale stole the show as Sharpay Evans in the “High School Musical” franchise. Shortly after spin-off series “The Suite Life on Deck” came to an end, the Sprouse brothers briefly stepped away from acting. They have since returned to the industry but also have other interests. Dylan runs a meadery and Cole is a photographer!

Teddy, played by Bridgit Mendler in this series, is basically Barbie now. She parlayed her Disney success into a music career while simultaneously attending the University of Southern California to study anthropology. If that wasn’t impressive enough, she went on to get her master’s at MIT! Mendler continued studying at the prestigious institution to pursue her PhD, until recently, when she went on a break. Meanwhile, like the genius she is, the “Ready or Not” singer completed her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. Now, she’s the CEO and co-founder of Northwood, a literal space company! Can she get any cooler?

This Disney series spoke to a whole new generation of fans, but neither would have guessed where Paige Olvera and Dirk Mann are today. Olivia Rodrigo, who played Paige, is a pop princess with several Grammys to her name. She’s also acting and took the main role of Nini Salazar-Roberts in “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series”. On the other hand, Jake Paul, who portrayed Dirk, has had a tumultuous career. From controversial YouTube fame to music and finally, professional boxing and beating Mike Tyson, he always manages to stay in the spotlight.

This beloved spin-off of “Boy Meets World” had a charm of its own. Rowan Blanchard played Riley Matthews, our central heroine, and “Espresso” singer Sabrina Carpenter was her bestie, Maya Hart. Today, Sabrina needs no introduction. She’s a Grammy-winning songstress and a Gen Z icon! However, former teen idol Rowan is also making an impressive mark on the entertainment industry. You might spot her in the prestige television series “Snowpiercer” or in sweet rom-coms like 2022’s “Crush”. Not only that, she’s also making a difference in the world with her activism. The girls sure have grown up well.

When Demi Lovato appeared as the resilient and prodigious Mitchie Torres in “Camp Rock”, they inspired young people all over the world. Their X factor was instantly recognizable, and was only amplified with their Disney show “Sonny with a Chance”. So, it comes as no surprise that they’re now regarded as one of the most enduring pop stars to come out of the channel. They have built an incredibly successful and acclaimed music career, with mega-hits like “Heart Attack” and “Sorry Not Sorry” in their discography. At the same time, their candor about their health started important conversations and offered support to those who might be going through difficulties in their own lives. Now, seeing them happy makes fans doubly glad.

Talk about boasting a stacked cast. Fergie, who was in a musical trio with her “Kids Incorporated” co-star Renee Sands and “Great Pretenders” host Stefanie Ridel, later joined the Black Eyed Peas. Her music career continued to soar after she went out on her own, too. Martika popped off with her hit single “Toy Soldiers”. Similarly, Mario Lopez, who was a supporting performer on the show, went on to have a prolific career as an actor and TV presenter. Fun fact: he once revealed that Fergie was his first kiss! Of course, we also can’t forget Jennifer Love Hewitt, who made a name for herself in projects like “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”

This Disney show was a critical and commercial success. Most prominently, it launched Selena Gomez, who played central protagonist Alex Russo, to superstardom. She stepped into the music scene with a solid fanbase, which remains loyal to this day. Over the years, she has continued acting, expanding her filmography with award-winning titles like “Only Murders in the Building” and “Emilia Pérez”. She’s also building an empire with her Rare Beauty brand, and is dedicated to philanthropy and raising lupus awareness. That’s a role model! No wonder she’s the most-followed woman on Instagram. Her “Waverly Place” co-stars David Henrie and Jake T. Austin are successful in their own right too, with the former even starring in a main role in the “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place” reboot.

One of the best young actresses in Hollywood right now was once a Disney star. We’re talking about none other than Zendaya, of “Dune”, “Euphoria,” and “Challengers” fame. While she also had a music career, she’s better known for her Emmy and Golden Globe-winning acting. Her roots are in “Shake It Up”, which she led alongside talented actor, singer, and author Bella Thorne. The latter has maintained her popularity as well, but with a fair share of scandals. She once opened up about feeling restricted by the shadow of her Disney days. Thorne also branched out into adult entertainment, joining OnlyFans in 2020 and directing “Her & Him” the year prior. She writes young adult novels and has been praised for her acting, too.

If anyone’s the poster child of the ‘Disney kid to rebellious renegade’ pipeline, it’s Miley Cyrus. The multi-Grammy-winning songstress had her breakout in “Hannah Montana”, which became so successful that it might as well be called a cultural reset. The series remained relevant years after it ended, and is heavily referenced in pop culture to this day. Cyrus’ music as Hannah Montana is just as beloved now as it was in the aughts, regardless of the controversies the star courted along the way. In her own words, she “used to be young,” and her work now is even more celebrated. Emily Osment, who played Miley’s BFF Lilly, also made music and continued acting, catching her second wind with “Young Sheldon” and its universe.

Deep in the Disney archives from the eighties is a gem that starred superstars before they became so. “MMC” featured the likes of Ryan Gosling, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, JC Chasez, and more. These young and bright-eyed Mouseketeers soon became the faces of La La Land. Gosling is an Oscar-nominated actor, who made waves playing Ken in Greta Gerwig’s history-making “Barbie”. *NSYNC fueled the boy band craze before Timberlake successfully went solo. Similarly, Britney and Christina became unbeatable pop queens. The folks at Disney were really onto something when they brought such a powerful cast together.

Which new Disney kid do you think will be legendary in the future? Tell us in the comments!