How Disney Buzz empowers kids

Quickly now, what comes to mind upon hearing Disney Buzz?

Is that what you get when Boy Abunda meets Mickey Mouse? Has showbiz slowly invaded the wonderful world of cartoons? Is it a talk show in a cartoon channel?

Well, to be more accurate, think of it as Disney Channel with a more Asian flavor. That is, instead of airing purely cartoons and other kid-oriented programs, Disney Buzz also features live, interactive hosted activity segments geared specially to empower Asian kids and allow their voices to be heard. With three two-hour shows every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Disney Buzz is the weekend destination for kids.

If you’re familiar with how VJs strut their stuff on the music channels, you’ll have an idea of how Disney Buzz operates, although not exactly the same way. Take your regular VJs, shrink them to size, let them dabble in "kiddie stuff" and you’ll get a more accurate idea of what the show’s all about.

It’s all about kid power, and what better way to empower Asian kids than to give them "role models" who look every inch like them. Disney Buzz’s three hosts – Jien, Azura and Karen – do all these and more. But don’t call them VJs. At Disney Channel, they’re better known as "presenters".

The trio recently visited Manila, much to the delight of their "pint-sized" fans. Brimming with wit and good-natured humor, Jien, Azura and Karen were an interviewer’s delight, punctuating their dialogue with occasional barbs and catty one-liners.

When they’re not introducing Disney Channel’s well-loved cartoons, the trio usually goes on location – interviewing boybands, visiting a circus, blazing the trails of Malaysia’s uncharted forests, and (gulp!) eating worms!

"There was this segment when we trekked Malaysia’s uncharted forests and there were these indigenous people who had these big tree worms as their delicacy," Jien recounts. "They cooked it several ways, and guess what? I ate one in front of our camera crew. It was kinda chewy."

Although unsure about the kids’ reactions, Jien was surprised how it turned out to be one of the most talked-about segments. "They would ask, ‘Why didja do it?’ ‘What did it taste like?,’" he looks back in jest.

In their never-ending quest for fresh stories, Jien and company strive to offer something new everytime. "We’re very different from VJs," stressed Azura, 21. "We can be ourselves, run around, introduce cartoons. We’re live animation, we’re music, we’re books – everything!"

Soo Kui Jien, 29, the eldest in the group, summed up the Disney Buzz philosophy when he said, "When I was growing up, I really liked watching TV and loved all those TV personalities, but one thing I didn’t have was a local person to look up to. Now, kids can go like, ‘Hey, Disney Channel is in Asia. Hey, that guy looks like me! Maybe I can be like that and have a great career!’ See, we’ve unwittingly become their role models."

The comic in the group, Jien started out as a child model and worked his way up to degree in Media Studies in Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia. As Disney Buzz’s very first presenter, Jien’s work soon included such chores as production, scriptwriting and conceptualization.

Azura Zainal, also of Malaysian descent, started out as a member of a national choir. Like Jien, she also started out as a child model, and eventually joined the Disney Channel when she was working as a waitress and finishing school.

"When they called me back to meet the executives, my mom dressed me up like a working woman… heels, the works… I hated it!," she recalls with a cringe.

The lone Filipina in the group, Karen Borja, 27, would surely look familiar to most televiewers. She figured in a Jollibee commercial, and also played a bit role in the Hollywood blockbuster, Armaggedon.

"I played the part of a Shanghai woman," she narrates. "That part where they blew up Shanghai. There was this older man, a little boy and myself. It was very quick –just three frames." Karen was also named Miss Philippines Hollywood, Los Angeles in 1997 and also won the Miss Asia-USA title in 1998.

Asked to cite some of their more memorable fan comments, Azura rattled off, "I think it’s one time when this 12-year-old kid asked, ‘Azura, will you marry me?’ and when someone remarked that my nose looked cute."

For her part, Karen says, "I think it’s the fact that we’re reaching out to kids. We read their e-mail and letters everyday, and I realize that what we’re doing really touches them in a very personal way. There was one time I was invited to sleep over at this girl’s place, for a slumber party. It has a tremendous snowball effect. Once a name gets read and that person’s friends hear it, they all tell her about it."

As for Jien, perhaps a remarkable gauge of the show’s pervasive influence on the youngsters can be summed up in his anecdote. He goes, "There was this kid on the set, very articulate kid, who walked up to me and asked, ‘How old are you, Jien? When are you going to quit? Can I take over your job?’"