Miley Cyrus' "Hannah Montana" is winding down, one of the Jonas Brothers got married, and Zac Efron has graduated "High School Musical" for big-screen stardom.
But the Disney Channel's not worried. As one crop grows up and moves on, another one sprouts up right behind.
Jason Dolley, Doc Shaw and Hutch Dano may not be household names yet, but they probably will be. The Disney publicity machine is poised to make them as famous as the stars who preceded them: Dano and Adam Hicks will co-star in the XD series "Zeke and Luther," Shaw will star in the XD series "Pair of Kings" and Dolley will star in the Disney Channel's "Good Luck Charlie."
In a modern-day throwback to the system the studio developed in the original '50s Mickey Mouse Club era, Disney now regularly uses its hit cable channel a breeding ground for new performers they then launch through the media empire's many other divisions. 
It's no secret why. The channel's teen stars have meant big money for the company. Shows like "Hannah Montana" and "The Suite Life on Deck," and original movies such as "Camp Rock" helped make Disney the number-two-rated cable channel. (Pictured at left, the "Wizards of Waverly Place" cast.)
Last year also stands as the channel's most-watched on record. In primetime, Disney was TV's top network in kids 6 to 11 and tweens 9 to 14.
Plus, network stars such as Cyrus and the Jonases have headlined movies and albums that further add to Disney's coffers.
"Hannah Montana: The Movie" brought in $155 million at the box office this year, 2008's "High School Musical 3" grossed $252 million, Cyrus' 2009 album "The Time of Our Lives" sold 1.6 million copies, and even the under-performng Jonas Brothers album "Lines, Vines and Trying Times" moved 247,000 copies.
The Jonases still have a little Disney life left in them -- a new season of their sitcom "JONAS" will premiere next summer and "Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam," the sequel to the group's Disney Channel film, will air this year. And "Hannah Montana" is contracted through 2011.
But the channel's starmaking factory isn't resting. In fact, it's amping up production to churn out a bumper crop of interchangeable fresh-faced boys and girls to take up the mantle. (Meet them in our slideshow: "The Next Generation of Disney Stars.")
As the channel is quick to note, it's been in this position before. Shia LaBeouf and Hilary Duff also climbed up the channel's rungs before taking off for bigger and better things.
Beginning under the stewardship of Rich Ross, who has since moved from the channel to head the company's feature film division, Disney began an unprecedented run of scouting young actors and matching them with projects that perfectly appealed to a pre-teen fan base.
"We look for diversity in every sense of word," Judy Taylor, the channel's vice president of casting and talent relations, said. "We're always searching for that less traditional face, all across the country, even globally."
