Top 10 Mistakes Left in Disney Channel Shows
#10: Changing Phone Color
“Kim Possible” (2002-07)
Telephone companies are constantly coming out with new models and styles, and people do tend to line up to get them. Still, we’re pretty sure nobody in the Possible family ran to replace their old landline in less than a minute. Yet in one instance, Kim is on the phone with her friend Monique, using a device that’s clearly blue. She then briefly switches gears to communicate with Wade on her Kimmunicator. When she pivots back to her first conversation, the telephone she was using has suddenly changed colors. And no, we don’t mean the blue hue looks slightly off. The item now appears yellowish! Wait for it though, because it ultimately reverts back to its original color as she speaks to Ron afterwards.
#9: Poor Lunch Choices
“Lizzie McGuire” (2001-04)
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It’s the series premiere, and Lizzie is trying out for cheerleading. But that’s not the most shocking part – her friend Gordo has a plate full of broccoli even though he hates it! He says he tries to avoid it, but there’s one flaw in his wisdom. It was established early in the episode that the cafeteria is like a buffet - meaning that the students choose their food. This means that the only way Gordo could be stuck with broccoli was if he willingly and knowingly piled it on his plate. Did he really wish to torture himself like this just to prove a point to Lizzie?
#8: Suspension Confusion
“Even Stevens” (2000-03)
Appropriate that this entry’s for “Even Stevens” because it’s a two-for-one deal on mistakes. To set the scene, one of Louis’ schemes to get out of algebra backfires, and he gets a one-week suspension. Surprisingly, they take the time to hose his locker out like a crime scene - that seems a bit more permanent than a week, don’t you think? But that’s not all, after what feels like only a day, Louis is suddenly back in school. There’s no real indication that a whole week has passed. After one pep talk from Ren, his suspension appears to suddenly be a thing of the past. It’s nice we got a heartfelt message at the end, but it feels half-baked with all these continuity errors.
#7: Spontaneous Kipling
“Jessie” (2011-15)
At the end of the episode “Used Karma”, Bertram scares the kids and Jessie away so that he can watch his program in peace…. but he’s not really on his own. Suddenly, Mrs. Kipling, the lizard, reaches for the remote and spooks him into letting her choose the program. It sounds like a fair deal… except, look at the table between shots. When Bertram scares the kids, the table is empty; but when he sits down, Kipling is suddenly on it. Either that lizard can teleport, she’s just that insanely fast, or someone in the editing room got a little sloppy!
#6: Visible Equipment
“Hannah Montana” (2006-11)
Unfortunately, not even “Hannah Montana” is immune to making the usual live-action sitcom production mistakes. That means that sometimes, crew members or their equipment can accidentally be seen in a shot, shattering that TV illusion. That’s exactly what happens in this season 3 moment, when, just above Miley’s head in the subway, a boom mic appears and promptly vanishes. Maybe the operator got caught up in the excitement of the storyline – we get it! Most people probably missed this one when the episode first aired, since it’s pretty much a blink-and-you-miss-it moment. But now, with streaming and Disney+ making the show available to watch, pause, and rewatch, it’s hard to unsee it!
#5: Woodshop Inconsistencies
“The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” (2005-08)
It usually isn’t that hard to tell Zack and Cody apart – the former is the rebellious ladies’ man while the latter’s the more booksmart twin. However, there’s one thing about the brothers that the show can’t seem to keep straight – which of them is passing and failing woodshop. In the season one episode “Smart & Smarterer”, Cody aces the class while Zack is struggling in every subject. However, in the season two episode “Books & Birdhouses”, Zack suddenly has a knack for woodshop, while Cody BARELY passes. We’re not sure what caused these two to suddenly switch carpentry skills in between seasons, but it feels jarring.
#4: The Coin Dive
“DuckTales” (1987-90)
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One of the most iconic moments in the “DuckTales” franchise is seeing Scrooge McDuck dive into a pool full of gold coins and literally swim in his fortune. It’s funny, it’s whimsical… but is it possible to do without hurting yourself? Not really; it’s nowhere near as soft as it looks. If you were to actually attempt it, your bones would shatter like glass. Other cartoons have made fun of this fact, and even Scrooge himself has acknowledged the implausibility of it all. Hopefully, we don’t have to remind you all NOT to try this at home. We’re not sure Scrooge should be doing it anyway.
#3: Cory & Topanga’s Daughter
“Girl Meets World” (2014-17)
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Taking place several years after the original “Boy Meets World”, “Girl Meets World” follows the life and times of Cory and Topanga’s daughter, Riley Matthews. However, many longtime fans will remember that in the original series, in a rather bleak vision of the future, she was named Beverly Glen. You could argue that this moniker was just part of a what-if scenario and couldn’t really be considered canon. Still, bringing it back would’ve been a nice callback to the original show. They had Eric return as Mr. Plays With Squirrels from that same episode, after all. Yet they didn’t think to give Riley her original name, which doesn’t make much sense when you think about it.
#2: The World’s Strongest Taxi Driver
“Jessie” (2011-15)
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It’s Jessie’s first day in New York and she’s already ticked off one person – her taxi driver. He’s so done with her that the next time he stops, he tosses her out of his cab. The only thing is Jessie wasn’t in a spot he’d have access to without moving, and he doesn’t exit the vehicle. On top of that, he also throws out her suitcase, which wasn’t shown next to her. In other words, he magically got it out of the trunk and chucked it. Wow, he must be the world’s best cab driver to defy the laws of physics like this – or you know, it’s an error.
#1: Genie’s Lamp
“Disney's Aladdin: The Series” (1994-95)
As a spin-off to the original movie, the “Aladdin” TV series is bound to make a few mistakes. Things like Genie’s cuffs and earrings disappearing, or color glitches feel inevitable. But there’s one aspect that still baffles us – if Genie really is liberated, why does he still keep his lamp? He was imprisoned in it for over 10,000 years, and now he’s free to come and go as he pleases. There’s a whole new world to explore. But throughout the series, he’s seen returning to it and happily living inside it all over again. Perhaps he just wanted the choice to leave?
