The CRAZY History Of Doctor Who And Disney
2. 2015 - The Tenth Doctor And Disney XD
Between 2009 and 2010, Disney XD screened the unofficial Doctor Who spinoff K9 in the UK.
After their failed attempt in the late 1980s, it was the closest that Disney got to acquiring the rights to anything Doctor Who related – even if the spinoff couldn't mention the Doctor, the TARDIS, or anything else connected to Doctor Who itself.
Five years later, the American branch of Disney XD acquired the rights to the David Tennant era, which was broadcast from June 2015. The arrival of the Tenth Doctor on Disney XD was heralded by several fun promotional videos, including a trailer where the TARDIS appeared in various shows already on the network.
The TARDIS was seen crossing over with (and crashing into) the likes of Gravity Falls and Kirby Buckets, before an epic voiceover guy heralded that Doctor Who was coming to Disney XD! It's unclear why only the Tenth Doctor episodes were included in this deal, though perhaps it was about testing the waters with the most popular Doctor.
This wasn't the first or last time Tennant and Disney would crossover either. With his roles in DuckTales and the Star Wars franchise, Tennant has a long history of working with the Walt Disney Corporation.
It's interesting to ponder whether these 2015 re-runs – plus Tennant's list of Disney credits – played a part in the decision to launch Doctor Who's Disney+ era with David Tennant in 2023.
And speaking of which...