Happy 4th everyone! As you can see, this is a LONG episode. Originally a two-parter, I decided to combine it into one long video, so we'll see how that goes over. The production value in this episode is thanks to all of my wonderful Patrons! Thanks to them, we were able to do some really cool things with this video. If you want to support the channel and hang out on our Discord, consider throwing us a dollar at patreon.com/defunctland. Also, thank you to all of my wonderful RUclips friends for helping me out with this video! Check out their channels below! Alicia Stella - ruclips.net/user/AliciaStella Disney Dan - ruclips.net/channel/UCeqwjbVfwiPVg75sNPZvxmw Jack from Park Ride History - ruclips.net/channel/UCWPa4aE_b2OfhW7oA87wT2Q Jake Williams of Bright Sun Films - ruclips.net/user/BrightSunGaming Jason, Mike, and Scott from Podcast: The Ride - twitter.com/podcasttheride Lindsay Ellis - ruclips.net/user/chezapoctube Mark from Yesterworld - ruclips.net/channel/UCmOy2-vrvwDh6O1bTUB5m_g Quinton Reviews - ruclips.net/channel/UCM0V8r4kuIWIl6Sy-NHj2lg RobPlays - ruclips.net/user/robplaysthatgame We'll see you soon with another episode of DefunctTV and podcast episode before our next Season Two episode. Have a great week!
I knew I recognized all of these voices!! This was amazing!! I love how you were able to work with all of these wonderful people. Keep up the excellent work!
Do you think the park would fare better somewhere less saturated with historical cites and theme parks? Or in a different state like Pennsylvania, New York, or maybe even Maine, somewhere with a lot of history and plenty of people, but with fewer parks and reenactment places to compete with.
last2live I've only been to NY once so I can't really say much about it other than there's nothing much there at all. I think the immigration focused parts would go down really well in Pennsylvania though due to the large immigrant and black communities, but I'm not so sure about the slavery part. Pennsylvanians are proud of their history, I know because my mom is one. I don't think they'd be as opposed to the park as the Virginians were, but if the park was way off base they'd let them know.
Defunctland this is a great video I love these videos you've been doing I love the hard work u put in these videos with very interesting facts that even I didn't even know about keep up the good work Kevin
See I'd like to think Mickey'd be a yankee, with all the pro-American propaganda from the WW2 era, but I think the real answer is that it depends where you ask the question. If they were to set up a park in Alabama they'd almost certainly depict him as a confederate. Disney is basically a mercenary willing to fight for any and all sides in any conflict as long as they come out of it making a profit.
Oh, and to add, the Senator who made that remark was extremely homophobic but in 2007, was caught trying to have gay sex in a bathroom at Minneapolis Intl. Airport.
There’s a leisure centre near where I live called The Time Capsule. It’s a time travel-themed leisure centre. It has an ice age ice rink (with a woolly mammoth centre display) and the pool has an evolution of man water side. But the pun-de-resistance is the Industrial Revolution water rapids, where you are blasted in a circle around some iron girders. It’s top-notch leisure for the Scottish central belt!
Only in American politics can you have a debate about whether Disney is allowed to build a theme park practically on top of the site of two of the most consequential battles in American history and have somebody turn it into a debate about whether Mickey Mouse is pro or anti slavery.
I think Disney should instead have gotten the permit to build the park on top of the graves of confederate soldiers, allowing millions of americans to step on them.
A battlefield is just a field. Americana is progress built upon hard work, what type of work could be harder than standing up for what you believe in with your life?
"Alright this hearing is to decide if the Walt Disney Company can build their park here." "That's cool and all, but what side of the war was Mickey on? 🤔"
I mean, Mickey owns Pluto like property despite having befriended another member of Pluto's species. If that doesn't scream "Confederate shill" I dunno what would.
I am far from a fan of Disney, but this is just one statement which doesn't define the whole concept. Spiny does in this comment the same as people who opposed the park by using snippets instead of looking at the whole picture. If anyone who has watched Defunctland they would know that Disney floats ideas or tries concepts and when they don't work they stop. I remember when this debate took place and the back then the most galling thing I remember was that it was going to be built on the battlefield. Now, watching this I realize that was an outright lie by the opposition as it was 30 miles away. And something that would have improved the area now is nothing but houses. So you can't build a Disney theme park near a battlefield, but houses, that's OK. How much revenue did that bring in?
Dearest Martha, the wait for the Escape Slavery ride is over 90 minutes. Supplies are running low and the long trudge to the Dole Whip stand bring weariness to my bones. I fear help will not arrive with Fastpasses before winter. Yours forever, Patrick.
Dearest Patrick, Our hearts ache knowing the danger you are in. Everyday we pray that these trying times may end. Yet, with the recent news of the Fall of the Lewis & Clark River Expedition, I fear it may never end. We pray to The Almighty that you return safely. Yours faithfully, Martha
Walt, for all his virtues, and vices- would have gaslit the hell out of the American people on to how this was a brilliant idea. And would have somehow gotten away with it too. That is if he didn't intrinsically understand it's a bad idea to have a theme park anywhere that there's an agressive seasonal cycle- he understood that with the placement of the EPCOT project. Regardless if you like him or dislike him, Walt had something late career Eisner didn't: intelligence.
@@TheGreyTurtleEntertainmentwhat walt had was charisma, laser beam focus and was incredibly stubborn. If Walt wanted something, only death could stop him. This led to him being narrow minded and a lack of short term thinking as he only saw the end of the rainbow and not how he was going to cross it. And while no fool, he was more so savvy than smart. Certainly he wasn’t practical. He was a dreamer who luckily was surrounded by more practical people who could make most of his dreams a reality. Eisner wasn’t stupid, he lacked confidence. He was also flippant and easily distractible. It’s why so many projects were green-lit and then immediately canned. He had one bad gamble and it forever shook his confidence in future projects. But Eisner was smart. He realized the only way to get Disney back on top was to make those risks. Do something to bring people’s attention to the company and it’s products. He was in many ways Walt’s exact opposite. He was only thinking short term and never really had an ultimate big picture. But he had enough a mind for business that he pulled Disney as a company out of the gutters and away from bankruptcy. He saved Disney for all the trouble he caused during his time there. And despite everything he seemed to genuinely care about what the company was doing enough that when he finally did commit to a project, you could tell it was something he cared for. He wasn’t the savvy dreamer Walt was, but he was practical and to completely ignore the good he did do would be foolish.
I love that the African American historian’s defense for working with Disney was basically *”Look they are gonna do it anyway, I might as well be there to damage control”*
@@ew275x Not that great of an idea either, considering the company's leadership. I mean, Coco still ended up with literal border patrol in the Mexican afterlife who tf thought that was okay?
@@Jose04537 Necessary? It was an original plot, they could've just written something else to create tension. Revolving the story around dodging deportation was a choice. A very strange choice considering the afterlife already has a marigold bridge that the dead without ofrendas can't cross anyway...
"African American"? What the f u c k are you talking about? I imagine you say "white" for a person with white skin as a feature. Can you stop being a racist and treating another ethnicity differently?
Why wouldn't parents want their children to learn about the horrors of slavery and the price that was paid to free them? What do they want NO ONE to talk about slavery or what happened or how many lives were lost to free them?! It's best to educate children early on slavery and the price of the freedoms they all now enjoy. People are ALWAYS far too sensitive. We can't let people forget about slavery or how evil and wrong it was! Schools arent doing a good job teaching it and parents arent teaching it to their children either and then people are surprised when we have such an uninformed population of adults. Besides, learning about something on paper in history class or reading about it in a book isn't enough to drive home just how horrifying slavery actually was. By allowing kids to "experience" it or learn by a visual medium such as the one Disney would have provided through their park is a way to really get through to them about it.
Whitney Dahlin very true, would be great for learning the history and horrors of what we’ve done, but The Disney ppl care more about money than history, the backlash from today would not allow it neither
If Disney's America ever came to successful fruition, I'd like to think that once a year, every Halloween, they'd do a Salem Witch Trials reenactment to reflect on Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Disney World.
"We want to make you feel what it was like to be a slave." - Bob Weiss, Imagineer I hear that Disney has pretty much done this with their Florida employees.
"we want to make you feel what it was like to be a slave" I'm sure there was a sincere history lesson behind that, rather than just a ride based on human rights abuse for shits-and-giggles, but they REALLY could've (and should've) phrased that better
@@PeruvianPotato right. Disney majors in fiction, and so is the wrong company to tell the stories of atrocities like slavery. The fact that it's Disney Co putting it in a *theme park* automatically disqualifies them from being the right one to make any kind of immersion exhibit about real history.
Yeah if he had just said something like "We want everyone to learn about the different perspectives of various individuals in American History" then it would've been fine
Yeah. Living history is a good way to teach, but Disneyland is a fucking theme park and you're not supposed to go from serious and sad history lesson to Dumbo. Its like the changes they've made recently to the pirates of the carribean ride. Yeah it's whitewashing bad things, but pirates of the carribean isn't supposed to be a history lecture about the Golden age of piracy on a boat with anamatronic visual aids. I think Disney should stay away from all history stuff in the parks for that reason, because you can't just show the good stuff. And people go to Disneyland to have fun, not to think
I respect that they were gonna show the bad side of American heritage along with the good- the Native American village shows similar dedication- but _boy_ did they sell the idea poorly.
Considering what Disney does now to their themed sections, focusing more on their franchises and characters over their initial theming, Disney's America, had it succeeded, would have become Captain America Land in 2018
nah, Newsies-land is over at at new york street at universal studios's backlot, if anything is left of it since they've changed it and rebuilt it over the years since filming.
"If Disney were a country, it'd be Israel. Their reputation is almost a burden. There are things they cannot do with impunity that other companies can." Hoo boy, this got spicy
@@fossfox Oh yeah no doubt about it. Though being able to avoid criticism because they're rich just makes them even more American if you think about it
As a person who grew up less then 5 miles from where this was supposed to be built let me say that it was very popular in the local area. People from prince William county are still mad at Ken burns because he made these people from half way across the country famous enough to block what the local people wanted. I went to a county council meeting on this and for over 3 hours everyone just said that they wanted Disney there. We saw what had happened to Orlando where a small city that no one want to live at became a thriving city. Instead that area turned into housing that almost no one can afford (most cost over $500k-1.5M) and a golf course for the super rich.
If Disney managed to make the park, your taxes would have been so high, most people would have yo leave because they would not be able to pay for anything. Look at all yhe small towns near Disney Orlando, everything is expensive and no one can afford it. Your town would thrive, but rich citizens would move and poor citizens would leave.
The idea of Disney describing parts of their own park as "painful, disturbing, and agonizing" sounds like something from an Onion headline, not the official press release. Good comedic timing too with the "In hindsight, this was the wrong thing to say." Once again, excellent job!
I just LOVE how you structured this exactly like a history documentary... the cut ins with quotes, the voice acting, the way they credit quotes with the same voice actor... I LOVE IT!!
My favorite thing about Larry Craig’s absolute bonkers “blue or gray” argument, aside from it being Larry “bathroom stall” Craig saying it, is like… imagine if Disney stuck Mickey in a confederate uniform? Like just truly imagine that. I, too, would love to watch Disney try to tell that story.
I don't doubt Disney and Eisner meant well, but there is NO WAY an entire park based on American history would have worked. No matter how it had been depicted, there would have been two camps: One side would be angry that the park was too critical of America, and another would be angry that it was not critical enough. Ask 100 people what America means to them, and you will receive 100 different answers. Make a park about America and put 100 people in it, and 100 people will tell you that you did it wrong. Disney's brand is based on selling dreams. Dreams are where Disney needs to stay.
Yep, pretty much. I wonder if that’s why the America pavilion in Epcot is the most boring one there. They had to put a small amphitheater there to take up space.. (though, I guess the argument is that you’re already in America...)
Spoiler alert, but the opposition to Disney never cared about the historical significance of the site. They just wanted Disney to lose. The site could become a landfill covered in garbage and they wouldn't care.
I believe this can be summed up with an old Monkey Island quote "Your heart's in the right place dear, but your mind is somewhere cold and dark and covered in spiders."
After watching all of these video's about Eisner, He truly seems like the modern CEO, in that, There soulless, profit driven people who Rot everything they touch.
@@ViolenVaymire ??? you clearly haven't been paying attention then, eisner is like the complete opposite, he took risks whether or not it would financially benefit the company in the name of creativity whereas iger did the exact opposite. sure he made it a bigger monoply company but there's a reason why everyone hates disney now.
@@dankerbell Er, i forgot which episode it was but it was mentioned that in the beginning M.Eisner _did_ stress the need for creativity, but for multiple reasons, later on, M.Eisner took the easier and safer options rather than take risks and that his view of creativity got skewed
I don't know why the images of Disney characters photoshopped into old American war pictures were so goddamn hilarious but I literally had to pause the video to compose myself from laughing too hard
Laughing? They were great in that they portrayed the idea of Disney intruding into American history as arrogant, disrespectful and gross. The truth they pointed out made me sick.
@@enthusiasticgrog465 Unfortunately, painting over the battlefields with housing developments destroyed any victory they may have achieved over Disney. At least a theme park would have celebrated America, who needs another housing project?
@Scott Billingsley, I agree with you. I looked up that area to see what had happened to the land and saw they had planted a bunch of McMansions on it. Disheartening.
As someone who lives in DC, we dodged a flipping missile Also it's funny that Disney was trying to make history "interesting" cause DC has several museums and events that do the same thing and then some FOR FREE
This probably would've been Disney's downfall even if they went through with opening. How many tourists coming in to Regan or BWI, and staying in DC or Arlington hotels, will really make the effort to find transportation and pay for something that they could get at the Smithsonian? Minus the roller coasters I suppose Hell Udvar Hazy Center is a free attraction and I doubt it would even reach half capacity if it wasn't for local suburban day trip folk
@@Blutwind Not necessarily. I'm part of a huge group of coaster fanatics, almost all of us are equally interested in history and usually spend equal time at local museums and amusement parks.
@@ducatisti can testify the same. My girlfriend and I love museums, we also love theme parks and amusement parks. I feel like Disney could have done something here, but it obviously was not created in any good way.
32:51 So, instead of an homage to American history in a historical setting, we get suburban sprawl in a historical setting. A great W for the historian community, I’ll say.
@kwarra-an right exactly, but they had a chance to sign off on, and consult about the Disney park, which they shortsightedly chose to resist and drive out. The land was going to be used for something, and while I'm all for more housing being built, suburban sprawl right next to an historic battlefield is NOT the way. I would have rather Disney built the park than some real estate developer made low density housing. It's an eyesore and it's bad for the environment AND it probably was built on land with historical artifacts. Loss all the way around.
Yes, but this way developers paid the local authorities many times to ruin the sacred historical sites in small chunks rather than Disney paying them all at once to ruin their heritage in one fell swoop. /s
The only problem with this park and the idea behind it is that it's DISNEY'S America. I completely agree with the lady saying that Disney's reputation is almost a burden. They could have funded and built something educational and interesting and real that sparked interest in Virginian and American history without being held back by Disney's reputation and expectations, but they HAD to slap the Disney name on there because ultimately this was all an exercise in bolstering or adding to the Disney brand. It's such a fumbling, predictable 90s rampant capitalism move that the Disney of today is too savvy to make. They don't call it Disney's Star Wars or Disney's Marvel's The Avengers because at some point they realized the burden of their name and reputation. Without the Disney name and reputation this sounds scarcely different to any other historical reenactment experience of which there are thousands across the country that have been built and operate mostly without a hitch. Truthfully I don't even know if this is really on brand for Disney anyway. I always saw Disney as being more about magic and fantasy and escapism into fiction rather than about reality let alone the extremely gritty reality of early America. Just one more reason why it was completely unnecessary to make it Disney's America. If Disney had just funded it or done it without making reference to Disney or its intellectual properties I think the whole thing would've been fine.
@@MichaelMiller-tm2os Not only was that statement not anti-semitic, it wasn't even an inherently negative statement. She likened Disney to Israel in the sense that their reputation subjects them to scrutiny not levelled against those of a lesser reputation. If anything the comparison gives praise to both, but I guess we all hear what we want to hear. Please do not discredit someone because of your own misinterpretation of their words.
@@JM-wx5nm The point is that the "Disney" name comes with certain connotations. It's associated with being child-friendly, sanitized, and phony. If they want something to sound cool, mature, or serious, they don't make the Disney name too prominent.
This series is a masterpiece that continues to intrigue people who otherwise never would have realized how much goes into amusement parks and the history within.
@@tximistarissolei read that book years ago when I was interested in true crime, and didn’t pay much attention to the parts about the fair itself, but now that I’ve distanced myself from true crime as a genre, I’m actually very interested in reading the book again solely for the fair. I remember thinking that the book was mostly about the fair and not Holmes anyway, tbh.
Didn't want to build it due to the destruction of historic battlefield sites and town. Using the map at 13:02 as reference, the areas in present day are now 2 country cubs and large housing district
19:10 “Building a park about American history on top of historic ground was akin to building a theme park based on California in California.” OH, THE IRONY!!! THE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE IRONY!!!
So interesting to see how the ideas for this park were used in California Adventure, which felt like so random when it opened. Like Soarin' is a great ride, shocking to think that it came out of the idea of celebrating americas armed forces.
I live really close to the WW1 museum and the Harry Truman museum and you PERFECTLY captured the "i am a historical person saying a historical thing" voice lmao
I feel like this would have been a major disaster if had come to fruition. There is no way Disney could have kept the park child-friendly while being historically accurate.
Maybe Disney could've taken a whack at a park aimed much more at adults. You know, since more people are choosing to have kids later or to not have children at all, it could've been pretty damn profitable now and in the future.
I think if they did try to keep it child friendly they'd have probably given a very vague or watered down version of history to keep it more appropriate. Personally I think kids are a lot smarter than we give them credit for, and I think they could have handled certain things as long as they were accompanied by a parent or had someone to answer all the questions they had.
kissofshadows21, the Disney company should remember that part of Walt's original vision for animation was to tell hard, painful and sad stories too in a way that live-action could never capture. Remember, the early films don't leave all children smiling. My first Disney film, "Pinocchio" at age 5, had me bawling all the way from our seats to the car. The portrayal of separation from parents was frightening and scary to me. It really would take a vision and commitment to authentically portray history. Obviously, it would not always be an "feel good" experience, and it would not necessarily be a park for everyone. This, however, would be perhaps too far and radical a departure for Disney as well as financially risky. Walt, sitting on a bench watching his daughters on a park ride envisioned from its very inception making parks "for the whole family" so that neither child nor adult was left on the sidelines sitting on a bench. It would take something unique indeed to tell the American story in its glory and horror that could draw in the whole family.
@@inkyguy Everyone would complain these days. Like some folks say Zootopia is part of some eebil SJDub PC agenda to promote feminism and others say Zootopia is part of some eebil fascist pro-police agenda to promote assimilation and respectability politics. And of course the porn. Lots and lots of porn. Disney's already controversial enough with Star Wars. They'd piss off everyone when trying to do Didney's Murica. Let's just say if Didney produced Coco without Pixar, there wouldn't be any scenes with the most feared weapon in all of Latin America, La Chancla. Moana was made by focus groups while Coco was made by an actual Mexican. Wondering how Didney would do the Book of Esther. Finally a Jewish Disney Princess.
I wish it was Williamsburg so I-64 would have been fixed. They are slowly expanding I-64, they are finally up to Fort Eustis (soon to be done up to Busch Gardens) but it is still slow going.
Not that we'd ever know for sure, but there's a ton of research that shows that wider highways do nothing to fix congestion. Traffic is caused by inefficient movement, not car volume. This is why trains and subways are so important as well as intelligent planned highways.
I always wondered why they didn't bother to bring the Metro at least Manassas.... I remember in 1998 I would drive up to Arlington for work - straight up 66 to my exit - and once I was past the beltway exit it was home free. A few months ago I had to drive into DC (Capitol Hill area) during rush hour on the evening of a home Nats game. I almost blew my brains out. Took me 2.5 hours to get to Falls Church and then 3 more hours to get to Capitol Hill.
I know there is a lot of insensitivity to issues surrounding early America, but the idea of a battle reenactment with the ironclads sounds awesome. If I ever went to D.C. I probably would've visited this park if I had the chance. I love history in general, so I was probably their sucker target audience.
I can see both sides. I would be worried about a watered-down, trivialized version of history... but then, at least it might spark interest into deeper historical study with some guests, and the revenue could be used to promote/maintain historical artifacts, etc. In the end, the area ended up a McMansion Suburb... which is possibly worse. Ugh. Having said all that -- this was a very well-done, balanced look at the issues. I've been binge-watching the first two seasons of Defunctland over the past week and I'm amazed at the increased production values throughout. Great work!
its better to not slap people in the face with hard to look at history. its better to ease people into it. Makes for more interested people and debates and less radicalized people thinking that said bad history is still going on today.
@@CRAM079 No it's not better to keep people ignorant. This has to be the most ridiculous comment I have ever read. Really? Radicals? From learning fking history? Do you see what you wrote?
@@robinhay43 telling children that they should hate themselves and their country because mistakes were made in the past is not the way to teach history. And in no way did I say they shouldn't teach history. They should stimulate peoples desire to look deeper into history. I love history my father has a masters in US and Military history. Yet people seem to focus on all the mistakes that were made in US history and conveniently ignore all the great things the US has done is why we have so much uneducated people in the country.
@@CRAM079 I tell you now, yous a bitch. Give it to em raw and real I say. You historians, always up your own ass. I'm glad I never became one of you despite my love of WW1 history. "its better to not slap people in the face with hard to look at history" What a load of bullshit! The Great War channel didn't sugar coat history for me! And the history was better for it! If not for that channel I would never have learned of the collapse of the Ottoman empire or that Joseph Joffre was unfairly maligned for his assaults on the trenches! He was a bad general besides that, BUT! He had to attack those trenches, or Russia would fold. My History class left that part out. I would never have learned of the heroic champion of Serbia Milunka Savic! "hate myself". BAH! The sins of the father or not the sins of the son! And frankly, you lot like like white supremacists! Take your propaganda elsewhere you coward! I don't want my teachers to tip toe around the truth! I'm tired of liars! I get enough of that from politics!
History is a complicated subject, but it's incorporated into all theme parks. In fact it's relevant to everything we do. I think maybe they made the reference to history too literal with this park. That's why people were bound to get caught up in the slavery and collonial aspects rather than just viewing it like one of the World Showcase pavillions in Epcot or Frontierland and Magic Kingdom, which are essentially celebrations of historical eras which wlould have been full of controversial subjects. They should have been less in your face about it, mentioning slavery at all is incredibly stupid. They needed to remember that it's a theme park first and foremost, not a history lesson.
"The company that brought you Mickey Mouse and friends promises 'painful, disturbing and agonizing' exhibits at its new theme park." That quote is pure gold, I love the subtle snark. It made me laugh more than it really should have lol. Thank you Washington Post.
So I actually live in the area that was to be Disney's America, a small area called Bristow. The area has since boomed in population, and has entered the bid for Amazon's new campus. Right now, they are in the final running under the "Northern Virginia" Bid, and since most of the population of PWC, Manassass, and Bristow weren't around for the Disney's America fight, ironically everyone is rooting for Amazon to come here, since home costs would skyrocket.
@Ricky Shiffer Speak for yourself, read the signs of protesters many people were protesting for preservation and environmental causes, and they lost this "war".
This seems like such a good and such a terrible idea all at once. Given how properties-heavy the parks have become, the park would probably get remade into something involving Star Wars and Marvel at this point.
Seeing as how the Norwegian themed ride Maelstrom at Epcot became a ride based on Frozen, they would probably rebrand the World War II section into Captain America Land and the Native American section into Pocahantas Land had this park been built.
Give this man an Oscar, an Emmy, a Tony fucking anything! This dude needs to be commended for his work if it has reached this level of quality! Give him everything! Perfect video! Can't wait to see what you will do next!
kamalindsey I’m assuming you mean Action Park. That Wikipedia page is very in depth, but I did not copy it and I extended the research and found much more information. I assume you haven’t created anything such as this yourself and don’t understand the process. I’m more interested in why when someone compliments the work my team and I do you feel the need to jump in and knock it down. Why not just move on or stop watching?
@Lamont Ya Boy Disney’s film division was doing very well in the 90’s. Movies like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and Toy Story made sure of that, but Disney made a lot of bad decision’s with it’s theme park division, and their acquisition of ABC was ultimately a bit of a waste of money seeing as they struggled to produce quality content for the network. And things really started to go bad for Disney after Frank Wells’ death and Jeffrey Katzenberg’s subsequent departure from the company, as it seems Eisner was not capable of running the company effectively by himself.
this is such a loaded topic. on one hand I agree that bringing history into the forefront of people’s thoughts and creating scenarios where people can truly empathize with history is a good thing. it allows us to connect to these real people on a level that reading excerpts from a textbook just cannot do. I really appreciated the fact disney genuinely tried to bring in historians to keep this accurate. however, I just know that no dream or idea is left uncorrupted. let enough time pass and disney would’ve totally screwed up everything in favor of “what sells”. and it’s somewhat frightening to think about handing over history to one of the most wealthy and influential corporations of the 20th century. they could easily “soften” it or change important details which could effectively alter the perception of history for many (considering the reach that disney has). but at the same time, the very intellectual endeavor of “historicism” feels gatekept. it almost feels like they purposely keep it mundane to keep the public ignorant about it. giving history a compelling medium doesn’t necessarily mean it transitions into the inaccurate. when we ignore history, we forget it, and when we forget it, we repeat it. I agree with many other commenters here that disney could’ve easily funded a project like this if they really cared about history, but their incessant need to brand it with their logo and include their little characters trivializes it greatly. and their crappy attempt to bribe lawmakers with early private showings of their films reeeeeally just comes off as underhanded and manipulative.
I believe that Walt Disney’s idealized version of America, there was no room for slavery. While he may have disputed like many people at the time and even today that this was the cause of the war, I think overall he would have supported the reunification of the country with the free side over the independence of the south. Also mans was obsessed with Abe Lincoln so that right there should tell you which side he would have played for.
Im from haymarket va and ive lived in dominion valley just around the area that was discussed for breaking ground. Locals talk about it and they all sound like they regret not having the park there. The local business would BOOM
“Give a farmer seeds and he’ll create food. Musician a melody and he’ll create music. Give a soldier an enemy and he’ll create nothing. He only destroys, kills... I wonder if God watches the events that unfurl when men take up arms against men, and I’m afraid that when I die, God will care about the things I’ve done. But I think that I’m more afraid that he won’t. That he’ll sit there, picking his nails, barely able to summon the energy to judge me. Because what then? What if bad men aren’t judged fairly? People tell me to fear hell, but there comes a point where you’ve done such awful things that you have to wonder if the devil will welcome you as a friend when you arrive. The truth is... I don’t believe in anything anymore.” *- Mickey Mouse, 1969*
Honestly, unlike a lot of Defunct Disney stuff, I’m not sure that I’m too upset that this was never made. It sounds sort of dull for most kids (a lot of “helping the guests understand what it was like to be in war”) and I love America’s history, but more under a context of gritty cause and effect. I’m not sure if it works as a giant thrillridey park. Sounds like you get more out of Mount Vernon or the Smithsonian. This honestly really reminds me of the weak elements of Disney’s California. Anyways, thanks for having me on!
i actually live in the area and have been to many of the battlefields of the war. Disney's America was a bad idea from the start and i'm very happy it was never built
Sad that now it's just more homes in that spot instead though. Problematic as Disney's America was, at least it wasn't uninspired and even more wasteful of the land, land which was confirmed as old battlefields.
@@DiamondAxolotl There’s a pretty solid jump between not liking Jewish people and organising a series of murder factories to kill them all. Hell, anti-semitism wasn’t even that frowned upon until people found out how far Germany was taking it.
Wait wait wait! The area now has tons of homes on it? What happened to the destroying of landmarks and battlefield argument? Perhaps some of these historians that were opposed had investments in real estate? I think Alan was right. Some deep pursed people pushed disney out.
@Aspiring Marauder are you kidding? so because the people who threw up housing and a business park dont care about the history of the location because the people destroying it are local? give your head a shake, if these historians truly cared these houses wouldnt have gone up. While Disney is no good imo it still would have done a lot more justice to the area historically then new houses and grocery stores ever will
@Alex Chipman I honestly called them out as possibly having gotten LOTS of cash in exchange for the real estate but just a 'historical experience' from Disney!
@Aspiring Marauder To be fair, there is an old family grave yard that was preserved in a grass island in the parking lot of a supermarket in the area now, so .... lol !
I just find it ridiculous that people opposed Disney developing the land, but then did nothing when it was paved over for housing developments. Maybe it was just one of the arguments, but it was a stupid one.
As a child growing up in the Bronx, I flew a kite in a city park called Ferry Point Park. A public asset that was, to use a phrase anti-socialist shriek when poor people benefit, that land was " stolen and redistributed" to Donald Trump for $1. Needless to say, a visit to that Park, whoops, Golf Course is far beyond my budget.. But yeah public land for public purposes? What a stupid idea! Some Disney maven said so
@Crow No, but they certainly like overcrowding, lack of jobs, and failing infrastructure it seems. You seem to think all there was here was a company while ignoring the impact media the company creates has on our lives. You must be one of those people that thinks all media is "stupid" I bet....you know...while watching a video on YT that influenced 500,000 people in some way.
@@tygonmaster Metro Washington does not suffer from an employment problem. As for the infrastructure issues, take a look at I-4. Disney isn't going to help when it comes to highways being obnoxiously overcrowded; if anything it would have worsened the crowding.
My thoughts as a history buff on “Kevin Burns: Disney America” First: “Would Mickey wear blue or grey?” No he would most likely wear an Uncle Sam get up Second: If a history based theme park is a bad idea, then Williamsburg should not exist, I’ve been to Williamsburg (and thoroughly enjoyed it) and it’s about as close to a History Themed Park as you can get. Third: I enjoy going to the state park battlefields and...yeah building this park so close to the ground where our brothers first shed each other’s blood...not a good idea. Honestly there is just too much historical ground in the “13 colony” states to build in them. The only realistic idea would be to build outward from the Virginia coastline and even that would be WAY too expensive at the time. Fourth: I really would have wanted to go to this place
I think the fact that Disney wanted to build the park was the biggest issue. They cared about their reputation too much, and many thought they would have a park filled with watered down history so as to avoid anything too controversial being associated with the Disney name.
@@Aster_Risk If the actual Walt Disney had been alive to do it, they might have been able to do it, and the company may have gone in a different direction in regards to what is "family friendly." Based on Disney's early animated films, the company initially had no problem scaring kids.
Having watched many civil war documentaries I have to say I love how you did the narration on this, mimicking the style of letters or speeches. Bravo dude.
Man, I could be wrong, but it seems pretty stupid to fight Disney about this. What good did it do? In the end the land ended up bulldozed and turned into a housing development. How is that any better? At least Disney was trying to make a celebration of America, instead of another suburb.
there used to be an opposition bumper sticker on cars back then that said "I-66 ... Disney's new parking lot?" Well since all of those houses got built the traffic on I-66 has gotten horrific. It was already bad but now it's gridlock and it smells like the New Jersey Turnpike just before Manhattan where all of those oil tanks are.
I think where your prowess in making these videos really shines through is in the homages you make to other works. It takes a VERY deft hand to tread the line between parody and homage, and you've nailed it spectacularly. Great production value, great content--you've got yourself a subscriber in me! :)
Your homage to Ken's documentary with your style truly made me happy to watch. You did such an awesome job using his structure to get the story across. Well done. Well done.
"as the American Indians once found out, just because you got there first does not mean you get to make all the decisions" my jaw actually dropped, I can't believe a human person let that sentence out of their mouth
Absolutely fantastic episode! Glad I was able to be a part of things and do the courtoom sketches!! I think you handled this beautifully, and the very end was something I really needed to hear today.
This idea reminds me of Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford museum in Michigan-a big museum that explores some of the darker events of American history while still featuring a large walk around village-it’s very cool!
Disney’s America would’ve worked really well back in the 1990’s and 2000’s if everyone used their words properly, but it would’ve been absolutely *terrible* by the 2010’s onwards. Their whole theme park division has been crashed straight into a concrete hill ever since Bob Iger took over, and it’s only getting worse and worse now with Bob Chapek, but it’s still all Iger’s fault for spilling the domino chain in the first place. So in retrospect, even though the outcome we got was bad, it still could’ve been worse.
Yeah, I was eating lunch while watching this and actually choked on my sandwich when I heard that line. It’s insane to me that someone actually said that and thought it was a great idea.
as a native virginian, the idea of a disney park in my area is throwing me off, lol. i don't think it would have been as popular as disney would hope, as virginia literally has something for pretty much every era of american history, as well as some pretty cool amusement parks. (seriously, we have jamestown and henricus for early america, williamsburg for the pre-revolution/early revolution, yorktown for the late revolution, washington dc is close by for the early american republic, richmond has industrial revolution, civil war, and reconstruction stuff, the d-day memorial is over in beford, and there are many historical sites that discuss the civil rights movement.)
@@failedathlete9642 quite a lot! the richmond slave trail, fort monroe, the booker t. washington national monument, the black soldiers memorial and the black history museum and cultural center of virginia are a few :)
I find it funny that Knott's didn't want to sell to Disney because they though Disney would change too much, when Cedar Fair has tried to turn it into another Six Flags. The park has only begun returning to its roots these past few years, with the classic ride restorations, Ghost Town Alive, and the Boysenberry Festival. Still, I really wonder what that park would be like if Disney bought it.
Them sticking that brightly colored post right in front of the entryway of the park made me mad as a kid! I don't mind new coasters but what an eyesore.
As someone who had to drive on I66 during rush hour in the evening twice a week for a semester of community, I can say for certain that the traffic SUCKS. It takes 3x as long as it normally would to get to Manassas.
@@bbolin5626 Induced demand. More lanes brings more traffic. In the end it's the same but with more cars cramming into less space when they get where the need to go.
Happy 4th everyone! As you can see, this is a LONG episode. Originally a two-parter, I decided to combine it into one long video, so we'll see how that goes over.
The production value in this episode is thanks to all of my wonderful Patrons! Thanks to them, we were able to do some really cool things with this video. If you want to support the channel and hang out on our Discord, consider throwing us a dollar at patreon.com/defunctland.
Also, thank you to all of my wonderful RUclips friends for helping me out with this video! Check out their channels below!
Alicia Stella - ruclips.net/user/AliciaStella
Disney Dan - ruclips.net/channel/UCeqwjbVfwiPVg75sNPZvxmw
Jack from Park Ride History - ruclips.net/channel/UCWPa4aE_b2OfhW7oA87wT2Q
Jake Williams of Bright Sun Films - ruclips.net/user/BrightSunGaming
Jason, Mike, and Scott from Podcast: The Ride - twitter.com/podcasttheride
Lindsay Ellis - ruclips.net/user/chezapoctube
Mark from Yesterworld - ruclips.net/channel/UCmOy2-vrvwDh6O1bTUB5m_g
Quinton Reviews - ruclips.net/channel/UCM0V8r4kuIWIl6Sy-NHj2lg
RobPlays - ruclips.net/user/robplaysthatgame
We'll see you soon with another episode of DefunctTV and podcast episode before our next Season Two episode. Have a great week!
I knew I recognized all of these voices!! This was amazing!! I love how you were able to work with all of these wonderful people. Keep up the excellent work!
Do you think the park would fare better somewhere less saturated with historical cites and theme parks? Or in a different state like Pennsylvania, New York, or maybe even Maine, somewhere with a lot of history and plenty of people, but with fewer parks and reenactment places to compete with.
The little red haired girl from across the street
PA probably wouldn't work
NY would be good tho
last2live I've only been to NY once so I can't really say much about it other than there's nothing much there at all. I think the immigration focused parts would go down really well in Pennsylvania though due to the large immigrant and black communities, but I'm not so sure about the slavery part. Pennsylvanians are proud of their history, I know because my mom is one. I don't think they'd be as opposed to the park as the Virginians were, but if the park was way off base they'd let them know.
Defunctland this is a great video I love these videos you've been doing I love the hard work u put in these videos with very interesting facts that even I didn't even know about keep up the good work Kevin
“Would Mickey have worn blue or gray” isn’t something I was expecting but GOD is it a thought
See I'd like to think Mickey'd be a yankee, with all the pro-American propaganda from the WW2 era, but I think the real answer is that it depends where you ask the question. If they were to set up a park in Alabama they'd almost certainly depict him as a confederate. Disney is basically a mercenary willing to fight for any and all sides in any conflict as long as they come out of it making a profit.
Oh, and to add, the Senator who made that remark was extremely homophobic but in 2007, was caught trying to have gay sex in a bathroom at Minneapolis Intl. Airport.
Thank God he was born in the late 1920's!
Like... He probably would have worn union colors but if the south somehow won, he'd probably wear confederate colors
Given Walt Disney's views, I think we unfortunately know the answer to that.
I will say, "Industrial Revolution," is a pretty sick roller coaster name.
I like it. And maybe a flat ride called "Planned Obsolescence."
Out of context, "The Underground Railroad" sounds like a cool ride name too.
It sounds all well and good until you end up with your arm getting ripped off by a decorative loom or whatever.
There’s a leisure centre near where I live called The Time Capsule. It’s a time travel-themed leisure centre.
It has an ice age ice rink (with a woolly mammoth centre display) and the pool has an evolution of man water side.
But the pun-de-resistance is the Industrial Revolution water rapids, where you are blasted in a circle around some iron girders.
It’s top-notch leisure for the Scottish central belt!
The Industrial Revolution was one sick ride
Only in American politics can you have a debate about whether Disney is allowed to build a theme park practically on top of the site of two of the most consequential battles in American history and have somebody turn it into a debate about whether Mickey Mouse is pro or anti slavery.
Imagine Mickey saying "Ha-ha! The south shall rise again!"
Near, not on.
I think Disney should instead have gotten the permit to build the park on top of the graves of confederate soldiers, allowing millions of americans to step on them.
A battlefield is just a field. Americana is progress built upon hard work, what type of work could be harder than standing up for what you believe in with your life?
This is absolutely the most notable thing related to Larry Craig.
"Alright this hearing is to decide if the Walt Disney Company can build their park here."
"That's cool and all, but what side of the war was Mickey on? 🤔"
I mean, Mickey owns Pluto like property despite having befriended another member of Pluto's species. If that doesn't scream "Confederate shill" I dunno what would.
expert trolling
His point was, as I understand it, "Let them build it so I get to see which side they choose to dress Mickey as"
It's like in Days of Thunder, when Tom Cruise says that Californian's aren't Yankees
I'm reminded of the scene in The Perfect American where Walt is being strangled by an Abraham Lincoln animatronic for being racist
"We want to make you feel what it was like to be a slave." - Bob Weiss, Imagineer
"You *WHAT?!* " - Tom, Krusty Krab patron
If you wanna feel like a slave at a Disney theme park, just get a job at one.
I think this was the first recorded incident of a senator replying with 'Bruh'.
How do you get to a point where you think you can say that as a marketing tool and expect it to go over well????
I could hear that line and feel it in my bones
I am far from a fan of Disney, but this is just one statement which doesn't define the whole concept. Spiny does in this comment the same as people who opposed the park by using snippets instead of looking at the whole picture. If anyone who has watched Defunctland they would know that Disney floats ideas or tries concepts and when they don't work they stop. I remember when this debate took place and the back then the most galling thing I remember was that it was going to be built on the battlefield. Now, watching this I realize that was an outright lie by the opposition as it was 30 miles away. And something that would have improved the area now is nothing but houses. So you can't build a Disney theme park near a battlefield, but houses, that's OK. How much revenue did that bring in?
Dearest Martha, the wait for the Escape Slavery ride is over 90 minutes. Supplies are running low and the long trudge to the Dole Whip stand bring weariness to my bones. I fear help will not arrive with Fastpasses before winter. Yours forever, Patrick.
mdr48371 very clever!
Dearest Patrick,
Our hearts ache knowing the danger you are in. Everyday we pray that these trying times may end. Yet, with the recent news of the Fall of the Lewis & Clark River Expedition, I fear it may never end. We pray to The Almighty that you return safely.
Yours faithfully,
Martha
WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME
Can the escape slavery ride be named Harriet Tubman's Wild Ride?
...I'll show myself out.
Hi
"walt wouldnt have just asked us to trust him" -historian
*walt furious at the thought of people being able to vote in his epcot town*
Walt, for all his virtues, and vices- would have gaslit the hell out of the American people on to how this was a brilliant idea.
And would have somehow gotten away with it too.
That is if he didn't intrinsically understand it's a bad idea to have a theme park anywhere that there's an agressive seasonal cycle- he understood that with the placement of the EPCOT project.
Regardless if you like him or dislike him, Walt had something late career Eisner didn't: intelligence.
@@TheGreyTurtleEntertainmentwhat
@@TheGreyTurtleEntertainmentwhat walt had was charisma, laser beam focus and was incredibly stubborn. If Walt wanted something, only death could stop him. This led to him being narrow minded and a lack of short term thinking as he only saw the end of the rainbow and not how he was going to cross it. And while no fool, he was more so savvy than smart. Certainly he wasn’t practical. He was a dreamer who luckily was surrounded by more practical people who could make most of his dreams a reality.
Eisner wasn’t stupid, he lacked confidence. He was also flippant and easily distractible. It’s why so many projects were green-lit and then immediately canned. He had one bad gamble and it forever shook his confidence in future projects. But Eisner was smart. He realized the only way to get Disney back on top was to make those risks. Do something to bring people’s attention to the company and it’s products. He was in many ways Walt’s exact opposite. He was only thinking short term and never really had an ultimate big picture. But he had enough a mind for business that he pulled Disney as a company out of the gutters and away from bankruptcy. He saved Disney for all the trouble he caused during his time there. And despite everything he seemed to genuinely care about what the company was doing enough that when he finally did commit to a project, you could tell it was something he cared for. He wasn’t the savvy dreamer Walt was, but he was practical and to completely ignore the good he did do would be foolish.
I love that the African American historian’s defense for working with Disney was basically
*”Look they are gonna do it anyway, I might as well be there to damage control”*
They did that with Coco, they hired a critic of the project, honestly it's not a bad idea.
@@ew275x Not that great of an idea either, considering the company's leadership. I mean, Coco still ended up with literal border patrol in the Mexican afterlife who tf thought that was okay?
@@guy-sl3kr That was necessary for the plot.
@@Jose04537 Necessary? It was an original plot, they could've just written something else to create tension. Revolving the story around dodging deportation was a choice. A very strange choice considering the afterlife already has a marigold bridge that the dead without ofrendas can't cross anyway...
"African American"? What the f u c k are you talking about?
I imagine you say "white" for a person with white skin as a feature. Can you stop being a racist and treating another ethnicity differently?
NOVELIST
Hey you made a similar video. Yours is excellent as well.
Yeah wtf was that
Hi Jake
The way you pronounced that killed me 😂
Is it possible to pin more than one comment? This one needs to be pinned.
"We want to make you feel like a slave."
-Bob Weiss, 1993.
Why wouldn't parents want their children to learn about the horrors of slavery and the price that was paid to free them? What do they want NO ONE to talk about slavery or what happened or how many lives were lost to free them?! It's best to educate children early on slavery and the price of the freedoms they all now enjoy. People are ALWAYS far too sensitive. We can't let people forget about slavery or how evil and wrong it was! Schools arent doing a good job teaching it and parents arent teaching it to their children either and then people are surprised when we have such an uninformed population of adults. Besides, learning about something on paper in history class or reading about it in a book isn't enough to drive home just how horrifying slavery actually was. By allowing kids to "experience" it or learn by a visual medium such as the one Disney would have provided through their park is a way to really get through to them about it.
Whitney Dahlin very true, would be great for learning the history and horrors of what we’ve done, but The Disney ppl care more about money than history, the backlash from today would not allow it neither
Sounds like something you’d hear during an E3 presentation
icantthinkofaname fallout 76?
@@DustyTheKitty As a black person, I shouldn't laugh, but I unfortunately gave a chuckle. Damnit, you won this round 😂
If Disney's America ever came to successful fruition, I'd like to think that once a year, every Halloween, they'd do a Salem Witch Trials reenactment to reflect on Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Disney World.
That honestly sounds amazing but that's because I'm a huge history buff
In VA we put witches in water to see if they float like ducks 😆 no burning at the stake here
@@teal_panda_8434 there was a lot of that thing where they crushed them with giant rocks too
@@dharmallars yeah…. If you lived with 50lbs of rocks on your chest then you were a witch…too bad all of these methods killed the innocent 🧐😂
maybe they can do a show based on hocus pocus
"We want to make you feel what it was like to be a slave." - Bob Weiss, Imagineer
I hear that Disney has pretty much done this with their Florida employees.
They’re called “CaSt MeMbErS”!! 😂
Wait until you hear about the Chinese kids who make their merch.
@@twotailedavenger It's peonage all the way down!
Human Traffickers.
@KENTOPIA Defunctland actually did make an episode about Disneyland Paris, so I can see why they would call it that.
"we want to make you feel what it was like to be a slave"
I'm sure there was a sincere history lesson behind that, rather than just a ride based on human rights abuse for shits-and-giggles, but they REALLY could've (and should've) phrased that better
I really like their intentions but the execution was just terrible
@@PeruvianPotato right. Disney majors in fiction, and so is the wrong company to tell the stories of atrocities like slavery. The fact that it's Disney Co putting it in a *theme park* automatically disqualifies them from being the right one to make any kind of immersion exhibit about real history.
Yeah if he had just said something like "We want everyone to learn about the different perspectives of various individuals in American History" then it would've been fine
Yeah. Living history is a good way to teach, but Disneyland is a fucking theme park and you're not supposed to go from serious and sad history lesson to Dumbo. Its like the changes they've made recently to the pirates of the carribean ride. Yeah it's whitewashing bad things, but pirates of the carribean isn't supposed to be a history lecture about the Golden age of piracy on a boat with anamatronic visual aids. I think Disney should stay away from all history stuff in the parks for that reason, because you can't just show the good stuff. And people go to Disneyland to have fun, not to think
I respect that they were gonna show the bad side of American heritage along with the good- the Native American village shows similar dedication- but _boy_ did they sell the idea poorly.
Considering what Disney does now to their themed sections, focusing more on their franchises and characters over their initial theming, Disney's America, had it succeeded, would have become Captain America Land in 2018
Nazrat84 might as well add a dash of Newsies while they're at it.
nah, Newsies-land is over at at new york street at universal studios's backlot, if anything is left of it since they've changed it and rebuilt it over the years since filming.
No, Disney would never dedicate a land to Captain America. They'd dedicate to all of the Avengers to get the most money out of it.
+last2live Hey Captain Obvious, with that attitude, Disney might also dedicate a theme to you
Nazrat84 well i would be honored
"If Disney were a country, it'd be Israel. Their reputation is almost a burden. There are things they cannot do with impunity that other companies can."
Hoo boy, this got spicy
She really is a despicable wretch, but are we really surprised?
@@Dre2Dee2 No, I'm not surprised that some moronic RUclipsr would think that.
If Disney were a country, it'd be the USA let's be real. Colonizing land in the name of profits is like, the most American thing there is.
@@guy-sl3kr
That's true, but Disney's impunity to scandals because of how rich they are being compared to Israel is still really god damn funny
@@fossfox Oh yeah no doubt about it. Though being able to avoid criticism because they're rich just makes them even more American if you think about it
As a person who grew up less then 5 miles from where this was supposed to be built let me say that it was very popular in the local area. People from prince William county are still mad at Ken burns because he made these people from half way across the country famous enough to block what the local people wanted. I went to a county council meeting on this and for over 3 hours everyone just said that they wanted Disney there. We saw what had happened to Orlando where a small city that no one want to live at became a thriving city. Instead that area turned into housing that almost no one can afford (most cost over $500k-1.5M) and a golf course for the super rich.
It’s already happening to Haymarket. Small city that isn’t ready to expand this fast, at the current rate
If Disney managed to make the park, your taxes would have been so high, most people would have yo leave because they would not be able to pay for anything. Look at all yhe small towns near Disney Orlando, everything is expensive and no one can afford it.
Your town would thrive, but rich citizens would move and poor citizens would leave.
This is basically a massively scaled up (and parkified) Greenfield Village
It took me a bit to realize that the quotes were read out by other theme park RUclipsrs. Easily the most well made episode to date. Prop Kev.
Who did the voice for Eisner?
Also, reviewers like Lindsay Ellis and Quinton Reviews.
Samantha Port Even better!
Took me longer than it should have (I realized it when I heard Jake WIlliams' voice)
It was? Didn't even realize.
The idea of Disney describing parts of their own park as "painful, disturbing, and agonizing" sounds like something from an Onion headline, not the official press release. Good comedic timing too with the "In hindsight, this was the wrong thing to say."
Once again, excellent job!
I just LOVE how you structured this exactly like a history documentary... the cut ins with quotes, the voice acting, the way they credit quotes with the same voice actor... I LOVE IT!!
specifically, it's structured off of Ken Burns' Civil War doc
@@Karniveron Reminds me of the documentary about the Battle of Schrute Farms
It isn't just like a documentary. It _is_ a documentary.
@@laurenhorner6963 Which was also modeled after Ken Burns' The Civil War
Honestly it was super cool that he did that, very unique.
My favorite thing about Larry Craig’s absolute bonkers “blue or gray” argument, aside from it being Larry “bathroom stall” Craig saying it, is like… imagine if Disney stuck Mickey in a confederate uniform? Like just truly imagine that. I, too, would love to watch Disney try to tell that story.
I mean, they made Donald a Nazi that one time...
It wouldn't need to be sold because that wasn't going to happen. It was a dumb, anti Disney/progress comment.
I'm so happy that RUclips is producing Ken Burn style programming to attract PBS viewers like me.
Brentsfriend Defunctland is actually brought to you in part by viewers like you!
Thank you. *PBS voice.
If PBS started a channel that specialized in short, 15 minute documentaries that would be dope. Check out the Mauritania mini-doc on youtube.
Thank you
Never forget the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation.
I don't doubt Disney and Eisner meant well, but there is NO WAY an entire park based on American history would have worked. No matter how it had been depicted, there would have been two camps: One side would be angry that the park was too critical of America, and another would be angry that it was not critical enough. Ask 100 people what America means to them, and you will receive 100 different answers. Make a park about America and put 100 people in it, and 100 people will tell you that you did it wrong. Disney's brand is based on selling dreams. Dreams are where Disney needs to stay.
Well put.
Yep, pretty much. I wonder if that’s why the America pavilion in Epcot is the most boring one there. They had to put a small amphitheater there to take up space.. (though, I guess the argument is that you’re already in America...)
All you would have to do is simply ignore both.
The money from the tourism would speak volumes to how much people wouldve ACTUALLY loved the park
What about the American dream? That’s like... the most popular dream
Eloquently stated
Gotta love how both sides lost in the end and the area was developed anyways.
Spoiler alert, but the opposition to Disney never cared about the historical significance of the site. They just wanted Disney to lose. The site could become a landfill covered in garbage and they wouldn't care.
Haha
I believe this can be summed up with an old Monkey Island quote
"Your heart's in the right place dear, but your mind is somewhere cold and dark and covered in spiders."
"We want to make you feel what it was like to be a slave" --how could such a concept fail?
I feel like a slave when I see my W-2.
@@urbosasfurry2126 Okay Libertarian
Dino Saurio w a g e s l a v e r y
To be fair, this is what Black Lives Matter is doing today so
@@Dre2Dee2uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh y
love the way defunctland disney edition is basically just "and now on the mikey eisner fucked up show"
After watching all of these video's about Eisner, He truly seems like the modern CEO, in that, There soulless, profit driven people who Rot everything they touch.
I always love how and which way Eisner will be brought up.
@@ViolenVaymire ??? you clearly haven't been paying attention then, eisner is like the complete opposite, he took risks whether or not it would financially benefit the company in the name of creativity whereas iger did the exact opposite. sure he made it a bigger monoply company but there's a reason why everyone hates disney now.
@@dankerbell Er, i forgot which episode it was but it was mentioned that in the beginning M.Eisner _did_ stress the need for creativity, but for multiple reasons, later on, M.Eisner took the easier and safer options rather than take risks and that his view of creativity got skewed
@@ViolenVaymire You mean like Bob Paycheck?
The fact that this is edited like a Ken Burns documentary is so hilarious to me. Incredible attention to detail.
“We want to make you feel like slaves”
Why not send us to where you make the toys then
This comment is funnier than people gave it credit for
It sends a strong message for blacks..smh.
The dedication to Ken Burns theming makes me happy and I don’t even know why.
I might just be a nerd.
Same!!
I noticed it in like 4 seconds lmao
The commitment to the Ken Burns style is truly astonishing.
This is one of the best parodies I've ever seen, AND it's a documentary. It's just the perfect vehicle for the topic
I was just going to comment on this. I’m a huge fan of Ken Burns and this is a glorious homage!
I don't know why the images of Disney characters photoshopped into old American war pictures were so goddamn hilarious but I literally had to pause the video to compose myself from laughing too hard
Laughing? They were great in that they portrayed the idea of Disney intruding into American history as arrogant, disrespectful and gross. The truth they pointed out made me sick.
Enthusiastic Grog it’s like laughing when you see someone fall... It’s terrible but somehow that just makes it funnier.
@@enthusiasticgrog465 Unfortunately, painting over the battlefields with housing developments destroyed any victory they may have achieved over Disney. At least a theme park would have celebrated America, who needs another housing project?
Photoshopped? Goofy was ESSENTIAL to victory at the battle of Bull Run.
@Scott Billingsley, I agree with you. I looked up that area to see what had happened to the land and saw they had planted a bunch of McMansions on it. Disheartening.
As someone who lives in DC, we dodged a flipping missile
Also it's funny that Disney was trying to make history "interesting" cause DC has several museums and events that do the same thing and then some FOR FREE
THIS
This probably would've been Disney's downfall even if they went through with opening. How many tourists coming in to Regan or BWI, and staying in DC or Arlington hotels, will really make the effort to find transportation and pay for something that they could get at the Smithsonian? Minus the roller coasters I suppose
Hell Udvar Hazy Center is a free attraction and I doubt it would even reach half capacity if it wasn't for local suburban day trip folk
@@kevinxu3892 I realy realy doubt that people who would be interested in a Themepark are those that normaly go to visit a Museum though...
@@Blutwind Not necessarily. I'm part of a huge group of coaster fanatics, almost all of us are equally interested in history and usually spend equal time at local museums and amusement parks.
@@ducatisti can testify the same. My girlfriend and I love museums, we also love theme parks and amusement parks.
I feel like Disney could have done something here, but it obviously was not created in any good way.
32:51 So, instead of an homage to American history in a historical setting, we get suburban sprawl in a historical setting. A great W for the historian community, I’ll say.
Yeah they really shot themselves in the foot
unreal hahaha
Suburban sprawl is a fucking plague.
Do you think the historians got to sign off on it? I doubt they were consulted at all. It's not their fault the land was developed.
@kwarra-an right exactly, but they had a chance to sign off on, and consult about the Disney park, which they shortsightedly chose to resist and drive out. The land was going to be used for something, and while I'm all for more housing being built, suburban sprawl right next to an historic battlefield is NOT the way. I would have rather Disney built the park than some real estate developer made low density housing. It's an eyesore and it's bad for the environment AND it probably was built on land with historical artifacts. Loss all the way around.
"There stands General Goofy, like I stone wall." -Unknown Union Soldier.
So when does Disney do a Stonewall film and piss off everyone even more than Roland Emmerich did?
I look forward to the drama.
And the great general was heard to say "Gwarsh, fellas."
ChiefAnimal *Gunshots Ensue*
The tomb of the unknown cartoon character.
Don't get me started on Commander Donald
Oh, wow. Didn't expect to see my old history professor (James Horton) in this video. I never knew he was involved in some way with Disney.
Not only that, but he was given Morgan Freeman's voice!
Ann Adams Yeah. I don’t remember Professor Horton having a Morgan Freeman-esk voice, lol.
David McCullough delivered the commencement speech at my college graduation. It was BRUTALLY boring and overlong
Nothing ages a newspaper like the headline: “DELOREAN: The New, Improved”
It is crazy how hallowed they talked about that land and then they just built a bunch of houses over it.
Yes, but this way developers paid the local authorities many times to ruin the sacred historical sites in small chunks rather than Disney paying them all at once to ruin their heritage in one fell swoop. /s
The fact that you just deadass made a Ken Burns' Civil War spoof documentary and then played it completely straight is why I love this channel.
Hahaha so true!
"No one wants a Coney Island in their backyard!"
I do...
Same, but then again i live near Coney Island
I had it! It was cool
Even the Giant Elephant Brothel?
ESPECIALLY The Elephant brothel.
@@onelividguardsman5681 Thank you for that laugh everyone.
James Horton’s a true G for his views on helping Disney try to achieve their vision in a correct way.
Completely agree. I love his mindset and actually trying to help ensure history is handled properly, without coming off as antagonistic or dismissive.
The only problem with this park and the idea behind it is that it's DISNEY'S America. I completely agree with the lady saying that Disney's reputation is almost a burden. They could have funded and built something educational and interesting and real that sparked interest in Virginian and American history without being held back by Disney's reputation and expectations, but they HAD to slap the Disney name on there because ultimately this was all an exercise in bolstering or adding to the Disney brand. It's such a fumbling, predictable 90s rampant capitalism move that the Disney of today is too savvy to make. They don't call it Disney's Star Wars or Disney's Marvel's The Avengers because at some point they realized the burden of their name and reputation.
Without the Disney name and reputation this sounds scarcely different to any other historical reenactment experience of which there are thousands across the country that have been built and operate mostly without a hitch. Truthfully I don't even know if this is really on brand for Disney anyway. I always saw Disney as being more about magic and fantasy and escapism into fiction rather than about reality let alone the extremely gritty reality of early America. Just one more reason why it was completely unnecessary to make it Disney's America. If Disney had just funded it or done it without making reference to Disney or its intellectual properties I think the whole thing would've been fine.
They own all of those companies, so what's the difference?
She didn't need to make an anti-semitic comment about Israel, though. That immediately discredited her to me.
@@MichaelMiller-tm2os Not only was that statement not anti-semitic, it wasn't even an inherently negative statement. She likened Disney to Israel in the sense that their reputation subjects them to scrutiny not levelled against those of a lesser reputation. If anything the comparison gives praise to both, but I guess we all hear what we want to hear. Please do not discredit someone because of your own misinterpretation of their words.
@@JM-wx5nm The point is that the "Disney" name comes with certain connotations. It's associated with being child-friendly, sanitized, and phony. If they want something to sound cool, mature, or serious, they don't make the Disney name too prominent.
@@MichaelMiller-tm2os Come back here and admit to being wrong like the b$tch you are!
Your commitment to Ken Burns' documentary style is admirable. Well done!
I swear I thought I had a different video highlighted when I clicked the app.
I was like "Ken Burns did a documentary on this, too?"
This series is a masterpiece that continues to intrigue people who otherwise never would have realized how much goes into amusement parks and the history within.
I think what did it for me was a combination of playing the shit out of rollercoaster tycoon and reading The Devil in the White City. Good shit!!
@@tximistarissolei read that book years ago when I was interested in true crime, and didn’t pay much attention to the parts about the fair itself, but now that I’ve distanced myself from true crime as a genre, I’m actually very interested in reading the book again solely for the fair. I remember thinking that the book was mostly about the fair and not Holmes anyway, tbh.
In hindsight, the company that needed to be sued to let gay teens dance are probably not the people to fly the flag for freedom.
Didn't want to build it due to the destruction of historic battlefield sites and town. Using the map at 13:02 as reference, the areas in present day are now 2 country cubs and large housing district
From land preservation to lucrative real estate property 🙃
Williamsburg didn't have the population to hold a theme park. Busch Gardens: "Hold my beer."
Colonial Williamsburg is already a historical themepark in all but name tbh.
More like, "Hold my Oktoberfest"
19:10 “Building a park about American history on top of historic ground was akin to building a theme park based on California in California.”
OH, THE IRONY!!! THE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE IRONY!!!
Imagine if California adventure was built where Disney’s America would’ve been
So interesting to see how the ideas for this park were used in California Adventure, which felt like so random when it opened. Like Soarin' is a great ride, shocking to think that it came out of the idea of celebrating americas armed forces.
Kevin, have I mentioned that this is my favorite episode? The Disney walkaround characters photoshopped into Civil War photos haunts me.
I live really close to the WW1 museum and the Harry Truman museum and you PERFECTLY captured the "i am a historical person saying a historical thing" voice lmao
*in the quotes. Not your regular voice
I feel like this would have been a major disaster if had come to fruition. There is no way Disney could have kept the park child-friendly while being historically accurate.
Maybe Disney could've taken a whack at a park aimed much more at adults. You know, since more people are choosing to have kids later or to not have children at all, it could've been pretty damn profitable now and in the future.
I think if they did try to keep it child friendly they'd have probably given a very vague or watered down version of history to keep it more appropriate. Personally I think kids are a lot smarter than we give them credit for, and I think they could have handled certain things as long as they were accompanied by a parent or had someone to answer all the questions they had.
-___-
kissofshadows21, the Disney company should remember that part of Walt's original vision for animation was to tell hard, painful and sad stories too in a way that live-action could never capture. Remember, the early films don't leave all children smiling. My first Disney film, "Pinocchio" at age 5, had me bawling all the way from our seats to the car. The portrayal of separation from parents was frightening and scary to me.
It really would take a vision and commitment to authentically portray history. Obviously, it would not always be an "feel good" experience, and it would not necessarily be a park for everyone.
This, however, would be perhaps too far and radical a departure for Disney as well as financially risky. Walt, sitting on a bench watching his daughters on a park ride envisioned from its very inception making parks "for the whole family" so that neither child nor adult was left on the sidelines sitting on a bench. It would take something unique indeed to tell the American story in its glory and horror that could draw in the whole family.
@@inkyguy Everyone would complain these days. Like some folks say Zootopia is part of some eebil SJDub PC agenda to promote feminism and others say Zootopia is part of some eebil fascist pro-police agenda to promote assimilation and respectability politics. And of course the porn. Lots and lots of porn.
Disney's already controversial enough with Star Wars. They'd piss off everyone when trying to do Didney's Murica.
Let's just say if Didney produced Coco without Pixar, there wouldn't be any scenes with the most feared weapon in all of Latin America, La Chancla.
Moana was made by focus groups while Coco was made by an actual Mexican. Wondering how Didney would do the Book of Esther. Finally a Jewish Disney Princess.
It's true: the traffic on I-66 has never improved. I retroactively wish this park was up the freeway from me just so 66 wouldn't be so awful.
I wish it was Williamsburg so I-64 would have been fixed. They are slowly expanding I-64, they are finally up to Fort Eustis (soon to be done up to Busch Gardens) but it is still slow going.
I-66 is a nightmare
Not that we'd ever know for sure, but there's a ton of research that shows that wider highways do nothing to fix congestion. Traffic is caused by inefficient movement, not car volume.
This is why trains and subways are so important as well as intelligent planned highways.
+Eric L I honestly can't wait 'till they finish expanding I-64.
I always wondered why they didn't bother to bring the Metro at least Manassas.... I remember in 1998 I would drive up to Arlington for work - straight up 66 to my exit - and once I was past the beltway exit it was home free.
A few months ago I had to drive into DC (Capitol Hill area) during rush hour on the evening of a home Nats game. I almost blew my brains out. Took me 2.5 hours to get to Falls Church and then 3 more hours to get to Capitol Hill.
"We want to make you feel like a slave."
That's gonna be a "Yikes" from me, dawg. I think I'll stay my ass at home, thanks.
I think QuintonReviews had a little TOO much fun reading that crazy gem of a quote. 😂
thats what they do to their cAsT mEmBeRs
@@arseneamulet1882 Still better than 99% of jobs in America.
27:43 "If Disney was a country, it would be Isreal."
Holy _F*CK_ that quote aged like a fine wine. 😂
This video shows exactly why I love the channel. Well written, well researched, and perfect in it's execution. Thank you!
Don't forget funny!
Knott Family worried that Disney would change too much of their park.
Cedar Fair: "Hold my beer."
Patrick Gilbert Cedar Fair really just added more rides which inevitably changed the atmosphere.
They weren't responsible for removing many of the classic rides.
Patrick Gilbert It still has that old feel.
The Civil War/Ken Burns documentary spoof is such a deep cut, I'm in hysterics. Well done!
I know there is a lot of insensitivity to issues surrounding early America, but the idea of a battle reenactment with the ironclads sounds awesome. If I ever went to D.C. I probably would've visited this park if I had the chance. I love history in general, so I was probably their sucker target audience.
I can see both sides. I would be worried about a watered-down, trivialized version of history... but then, at least it might spark interest into deeper historical study with some guests, and the revenue could be used to promote/maintain historical artifacts, etc. In the end, the area ended up a McMansion Suburb... which is possibly worse. Ugh.
Having said all that -- this was a very well-done, balanced look at the issues. I've been binge-watching the first two seasons of Defunctland over the past week and I'm amazed at the increased production values throughout. Great work!
its better to not slap people in the face with hard to look at history. its better to ease people into it. Makes for more interested people and debates and less radicalized people thinking that said bad history is still going on today.
@@CRAM079 No it's not better to keep people ignorant. This has to be the most ridiculous comment I have ever read. Really? Radicals? From learning fking history? Do you see what you wrote?
@@robinhay43 telling children that they should hate themselves and their country because mistakes were made in the past is not the way to teach history. And in no way did I say they shouldn't teach history. They should stimulate peoples desire to look deeper into history. I love history my father has a masters in US and Military history. Yet people seem to focus on all the mistakes that were made in US history and conveniently ignore all the great things the US has done is why we have so much uneducated people in the country.
@@CRAM079 I tell you now, yous a bitch. Give it to em raw and real I say. You historians, always up your own ass. I'm glad I never became one of you despite my love of WW1 history.
"its better to not slap people in the face with hard to look at history"
What a load of bullshit! The Great War channel didn't sugar coat history for me! And the history was better for it! If not for that channel I would never have learned of the collapse of the Ottoman empire or that Joseph Joffre was unfairly maligned for his assaults on the trenches! He was a bad general besides that, BUT! He had to attack those trenches, or Russia would fold. My History class left that part out. I would never have learned of the heroic champion of Serbia Milunka Savic! "hate myself". BAH! The sins of the father or not the sins of the son! And frankly, you lot like like white supremacists!
Take your propaganda elsewhere you coward! I don't want my teachers to tip toe around the truth! I'm tired of liars! I get enough of that from politics!
History is a complicated subject, but it's incorporated into all theme parks. In fact it's relevant to everything we do. I think maybe they made the reference to history too literal with this park. That's why people were bound to get caught up in the slavery and collonial aspects rather than just viewing it like one of the World Showcase pavillions in Epcot or Frontierland and Magic Kingdom, which are essentially celebrations of historical eras which wlould have been full of controversial subjects. They should have been less in your face about it, mentioning slavery at all is incredibly stupid. They needed to remember that it's a theme park first and foremost, not a history lesson.
"The company that brought you Mickey Mouse and friends promises 'painful, disturbing and agonizing' exhibits at its new theme park."
That quote is pure gold, I love the subtle snark. It made me laugh more than it really should have lol. Thank you Washington Post.
“If disney was a country it’d be Israel” Damn that aged like five wine
Stimulate your senses
@@treehousegames7903 lmfao
"Let's think about it, what side would Mickey Mouse be on in the Civil War?"
"Sir, this is a senate hearing."
So I actually live in the area that was to be Disney's America, a small area called Bristow. The area has since boomed in population, and has entered the bid for Amazon's new campus. Right now, they are in the final running under the "Northern Virginia" Bid, and since most of the population of PWC, Manassass, and Bristow weren't around for the Disney's America fight, ironically everyone is rooting for Amazon to come here, since home costs would skyrocket.
Unrelated, but I lived in Bristow too...
Oklahoma’s Bristow though!
@Ricky Shiffer idiot, that was their point, they were like “hOw cOuLd YoU dEsEcRaTe HiStOrIcAl LaNdMaRkS”
@Ricky Shiffer
Speak for yourself, read the signs of protesters many people were protesting for preservation and environmental causes, and they lost this "war".
This seems like such a good and such a terrible idea all at once. Given how properties-heavy the parks have become, the park would probably get remade into something involving Star Wars and Marvel at this point.
xingcat marvel land. Captain America in the middle
Probably needing sponsorship out the wahoo for attractions like the farming area.
Seeing as how the Norwegian themed ride Maelstrom at Epcot became a ride based on Frozen, they would probably rebrand the World War II section into Captain America Land and the Native American section into Pocahantas Land had this park been built.
xingcat
Oh dang, your right!
"Introducing AVENGERS MEET STAR WARS AND ELSA LAND!(previously Disney American, cough.)"
The Civil War Fort would now feature a recreation of the main battle from captain America: Civil War
29:39
the way he says “Novelist” 😂
“We want to make you feel like you were a slave” is by far my favorite Disney executive quote
I didn't realize how obsessed I am with these videos until I saw the notification and silently cheered
Give this man an Oscar, an Emmy, a Tony fucking anything! This dude needs to be commended for his work if it has reached this level of quality! Give him everything!
Perfect video! Can't wait to see what you will do next!
Garjo I cannot like this comment enough!
Trina B. Thank you for your kindness!
You do realize this is a parody of Ken Burns the Civil War documentary right?
Lol. Go look at the Wikipedia page, which can be read in about two minutes versus my script which took thirty-seven minutes to read.
kamalindsey I’m assuming you mean Action Park. That Wikipedia page is very in depth, but I did not copy it and I extended the research and found much more information. I assume you haven’t created anything such as this yourself and don’t understand the process. I’m more interested in why when someone compliments the work my team and I do you feel the need to jump in and knock it down. Why not just move on or stop watching?
This is the best of the Disney episodes so far. You've really captured the feel of a Civil War documentary in it. Great work.
I love how you create an overall artistic theme for each video. You really nailed the Ken Burns feel.
"...would be like building a california themed park, in california"
*glares suspiciously at Disneys California Adventure*
Really the 90's was just a rough time for Disney
I also sometimes think that Kevin Perjurer is Michel Eisner
The plot thickens...
But it couldn't have been too rough. They did have all those hit movies like Lion King and Toy Story.
Wait he isn’t?
Kevin is micheal
Perjurer would seem to translate literally to "Liar". How can we trust anything he says?
@Lamont Ya Boy Disney’s film division was doing very well in the 90’s. Movies like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and Toy Story made sure of that, but Disney made a lot of bad decision’s with it’s theme park division, and their acquisition of ABC was ultimately a bit of a waste of money seeing as they struggled to produce quality content for the network. And things really started to go bad for Disney after Frank Wells’ death and Jeffrey Katzenberg’s subsequent departure from the company, as it seems Eisner was not capable of running the company effectively by himself.
this is such a loaded topic. on one hand I agree that bringing history into the forefront of people’s thoughts and creating scenarios where people can truly empathize with history is a good thing. it allows us to connect to these real people on a level that reading excerpts from a textbook just cannot do. I really appreciated the fact disney genuinely tried to bring in historians to keep this accurate.
however, I just know that no dream or idea is left uncorrupted. let enough time pass and disney would’ve totally screwed up everything in favor of “what sells”. and it’s somewhat frightening to think about handing over history to one of the most wealthy and influential corporations of the 20th century. they could easily “soften” it or change important details which could effectively alter the perception of history for many (considering the reach that disney has).
but at the same time, the very intellectual endeavor of “historicism” feels gatekept. it almost feels like they purposely keep it mundane to keep the public ignorant about it. giving history a compelling medium doesn’t necessarily mean it transitions into the inaccurate. when we ignore history, we forget it, and when we forget it, we repeat it.
I agree with many other commenters here that disney could’ve easily funded a project like this if they really cared about history, but their incessant need to brand it with their logo and include their little characters trivializes it greatly. and their crappy attempt to bribe lawmakers with early private showings of their films reeeeeally just comes off as underhanded and manipulative.
i came for mickey yelling "OVER THE TOP" to his troops but stayed for simulated slavery
Mickey was made in California, so he would likely be Union.
According to the Presidents song, the Warner siblings fought for the Confederacy.
I have trouble believing that any creation of Walt’s would be pro-union. In any sense of the word.
I believe that Walt Disney’s idealized version of America, there was no room for slavery. While he may have disputed like many people at the time and even today that this was the cause of the war, I think overall he would have supported the reunification of the country with the free side over the independence of the south. Also mans was obsessed with Abe Lincoln so that right there should tell you which side he would have played for.
It wasn't even a state during the war
The "Dirty Rat" LOL
Im from haymarket va and ive lived in dominion valley just around the area that was discussed for breaking ground. Locals talk about it and they all sound like they regret not having the park there. The local business would BOOM
“Give a farmer seeds and he’ll create food. Musician a melody and he’ll create music. Give a soldier an enemy and he’ll create nothing. He only destroys, kills...
I wonder if God watches the events that unfurl when men take up arms against men, and I’m afraid that when I die, God will care about the things I’ve done.
But I think that I’m more afraid that he won’t. That he’ll sit there, picking his nails, barely able to summon the energy to judge me. Because what then? What if bad men aren’t judged fairly?
People tell me to fear hell, but there comes a point where you’ve done such awful things that you have to wonder if the devil will welcome you as a friend when you arrive.
The truth is...
I don’t believe in anything anymore.”
*- Mickey Mouse, 1969*
Honestly, unlike a lot of Defunct Disney stuff, I’m not sure that I’m too upset that this was never made. It sounds sort of dull for most kids (a lot of “helping the guests understand what it was like to be in war”) and I love America’s history, but more under a context of gritty cause and effect. I’m not sure if it works as a giant thrillridey park. Sounds like you get more out of Mount Vernon or the Smithsonian.
This honestly really reminds me of the weak elements of Disney’s California. Anyways, thanks for having me on!
i actually live in the area and have been to many of the battlefields of the war.
Disney's America was a bad idea from the start and i'm very happy it was never built
Quinton Reviews Maybe it's just cuz I'm a history buff but this seems awesome to me. To each their own.
Sad that now it's just more homes in that spot instead though. Problematic as Disney's America was, at least it wasn't uninspired and even more wasteful of the land, land which was confirmed as old battlefields.
Imagine how badly they’d have ruined it if they had built it. It would all be captain America now.
Quinton Reviews You know America's history wasn't completely gritty, right?
"It is a Blitzkrieg by the Panzer Division of......"
Walt in his grave dreaming about the glory of the US: WHAT?!
Well what do you know? People were comparing each other to Hitler even before the internet.
Dude would probably punch out of his grave to wage a one-man war
@@themaninabucket8365 Given how much he loved America, he'd at least rise as a zombie to unleash the zombie plague.
I mean Disney was extremely anti-semetic
@@DiamondAxolotl
There’s a pretty solid jump between not liking Jewish people and organising a series of murder factories to kill them all.
Hell, anti-semitism wasn’t even that frowned upon until people found out how far Germany was taking it.
The voice acting for the excerpts here are genuinely phenomenal.
The way this was structured like the Ken Burns Civil War docuseries that was referenced...Perfection
Wait wait wait! The area now has tons of homes on it? What happened to the destroying of landmarks and battlefield argument? Perhaps some of these historians that were opposed had investments in real estate? I think Alan was right. Some deep pursed people pushed disney out.
Alex Chipman, agreed at least Disney tried to make it somewhat like merica
Because I hate my fellow historians
@Aspiring Marauder are you kidding? so because the people who threw up housing and a business park dont care about the history of the location because the people destroying it are local? give your head a shake, if these historians truly cared these houses wouldnt have gone up. While Disney is no good imo it still would have done a lot more justice to the area historically then new houses and grocery stores ever will
@Alex Chipman I honestly called them out as possibly having gotten LOTS of cash in exchange for the real estate but just a 'historical experience' from Disney!
@Aspiring Marauder To be fair, there is an old family grave yard that was preserved in a grass island in the parking lot of a supermarket in the area now, so .... lol !
I just find it ridiculous that people opposed Disney developing the land, but then did nothing when it was paved over for housing developments. Maybe it was just one of the arguments, but it was a stupid one.
Well Disney is a big target.
japzone maybe they did and it was not mentioned. Also land development wasn’t the only issue
As a child growing up in the Bronx, I flew a kite in a city park called Ferry Point Park. A public asset that was, to use a phrase anti-socialist shriek when poor people benefit, that land was " stolen and redistributed" to Donald Trump for $1. Needless to say, a visit to that Park, whoops, Golf Course is far beyond my budget.. But yeah public land for public purposes? What a stupid idea! Some Disney maven said so
@Crow No, but they certainly like overcrowding, lack of jobs, and failing infrastructure it seems. You seem to think all there was here was a company while ignoring the impact media the company creates has on our lives. You must be one of those people that thinks all media is "stupid" I bet....you know...while watching a video on YT that influenced 500,000 people in some way.
@@tygonmaster Metro Washington does not suffer from an employment problem. As for the infrastructure issues, take a look at I-4. Disney isn't going to help when it comes to highways being obnoxiously overcrowded; if anything it would have worsened the crowding.
My thoughts as a history buff on
“Kevin Burns: Disney America”
First:
“Would Mickey wear blue or grey?”
No he would most likely wear an Uncle Sam get up
Second:
If a history based theme park is a bad idea, then Williamsburg should not exist, I’ve been to Williamsburg (and thoroughly enjoyed it) and it’s about as close to a History Themed Park as you can get.
Third:
I enjoy going to the state park battlefields and...yeah building this park so close to the ground where our brothers first shed each other’s blood...not a good idea. Honestly there is just too much historical ground in the “13 colony” states to build in them. The only realistic idea would be to build outward from the Virginia coastline and even that would be WAY too expensive at the time.
Fourth:
I really would have wanted to go to this place
I think the fact that Disney wanted to build the park was the biggest issue. They cared about their reputation too much, and many thought they would have a park filled with watered down history so as to avoid anything too controversial being associated with the Disney name.
@@Aster_Risk If the actual Walt Disney had been alive to do it, they might have been able to do it, and the company may have gone in a different direction in regards to what is "family friendly." Based on Disney's early animated films, the company initially had no problem scaring kids.
Having watched many civil war documentaries I have to say I love how you did the narration on this, mimicking the style of letters or speeches. Bravo dude.
Man, I could be wrong, but it seems pretty stupid to fight Disney about this. What good did it do? In the end the land ended up bulldozed and turned into a housing development. How is that any better? At least Disney was trying to make a celebration of America, instead of another suburb.
ZTO Sad the way people never think of the big picture in all this.
ZTO you forget, land development wasn’t the only concern. Disney’s ability to teach history was also a major concern
@Matthew Chenault Still better than mansions made for people that have way too much money
there used to be an opposition bumper sticker on cars back then that said "I-66 ... Disney's new parking lot?" Well since all of those houses got built the traffic on I-66 has gotten horrific. It was already bad but now it's gridlock and it smells like the New Jersey Turnpike just before Manhattan where all of those oil tanks are.
I think where your prowess in making these videos really shines through is in the homages you make to other works. It takes a VERY deft hand to tread the line between parody and homage, and you've nailed it spectacularly. Great production value, great content--you've got yourself a subscriber in me! :)
Your homage to Ken's documentary with your style truly made me happy to watch. You did such an awesome job using his structure to get the story across. Well done. Well done.
That goof doofus "We wanna let you know what it feels like to be a slave" I cringed so hard I have my own gravitational field.
"as the American Indians once found out, just because you got there first does not mean you get to make all the decisions" my jaw actually dropped, I can't believe a human person let that sentence out of their mouth
My draw dropped too but then I heard that the senator was a member of a Native American tribe.
@Astro Colter I think the point is that, had it been anyone else, it would have been in incredibly poor taste.
Thats literally what happened with EVERY civilization in history. I was more surprise an native indian said it. more the what was said.
Grow up
The man who said it was native american, so it doesn't matter what you think
Absolutely fantastic episode! Glad I was able to be a part of things and do the courtoom sketches!! I think you handled this beautifully, and the very end was something I really needed to hear today.
Karyn Peterson your sketches are beautiful!!
Brilliant work Karyn!
Amazing sketching! Love them
This idea reminds me of Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford museum in Michigan-a big museum that explores some of the darker events of American history while still featuring a large walk around village-it’s very cool!
Disney’s America would’ve worked really well back in the 1990’s and 2000’s if everyone used their words properly, but it would’ve been absolutely *terrible* by the 2010’s onwards. Their whole theme park division has been crashed straight into a concrete hill ever since Bob Iger took over, and it’s only getting worse and worse now with Bob Chapek, but it’s still all Iger’s fault for spilling the domino chain in the first place. So in retrospect, even though the outcome we got was bad, it still could’ve been worse.
"We want to make you feel what it was like to be a slave..." All they have to do that is to hire them as a cast member...
yeah, a cast member that is supposed to be a slave in the park.
other than that, no.
Oh ...that's freaking awesome! So true!
Astonishing. Still my favorite Defunctland vid. Also a spot-on tribute to Ken Burns Civil War. Superb as always.
"We want to make you feel like a slave"
*CONTINOUSLY SPITS OUT DRINK FOR SECONDS*
and with Disney's history of racism in their older movies... yikes..
Yeah, I was eating lunch while watching this and actually choked on my sandwich when I heard that line. It’s insane to me that someone actually said that and thought it was a great idea.
as a native virginian, the idea of a disney park in my area is throwing me off, lol. i don't think it would have been as popular as disney would hope, as virginia literally has something for pretty much every era of american history, as well as some pretty cool amusement parks. (seriously, we have jamestown and henricus for early america, williamsburg for the pre-revolution/early revolution, yorktown for the late revolution, washington dc is close by for the early american republic, richmond has industrial revolution, civil war, and reconstruction stuff, the d-day memorial is over in beford, and there are many historical sites that discuss the civil rights movement.)
What y’all got out there highlighting the contribution of black slaves ?
@@failedathlete9642 quite a lot! the richmond slave trail, fort monroe, the booker t. washington national monument, the black soldiers memorial and the black history museum and cultural center of virginia are a few :)
@@vbsenthusiast appreciate the feedback!
I find it funny that Knott's didn't want to sell to Disney because they though Disney would change too much, when Cedar Fair has tried to turn it into another Six Flags. The park has only begun returning to its roots these past few years, with the classic ride restorations, Ghost Town Alive, and the Boysenberry Festival. Still, I really wonder what that park would be like if Disney bought it.
Them sticking that brightly colored post right in front of the entryway of the park made me mad as a kid! I don't mind new coasters but what an eyesore.
As someone who had to drive on I66 during rush hour in the evening twice a week for a semester of community, I can say for certain that the traffic SUCKS. It takes 3x as long as it normally would to get to Manassas.
Catherine McClain Widening the Highway wouldn’t work though.
Exactly, especially when I want to go to Richmond, the traffic on I66 makes me want to kill myself
@@bbolin5626 Induced demand. More lanes brings more traffic. In the end it's the same but with more cars cramming into less space when they get where the need to go.
That’s a long drive for man asses.
Ken Burns style titles were great on this one, I love that each episode has its own unique intro :)
edit: my god you went all the way with it
The Ken Burns style really makes this work--brilliant.