I think the 2008 economy crisis was probably a factor why we have less thematic entertainment. People had less money to spend and companies cut costs. Theming was most likely the first thing to spend less money on.
Yes but it was already down sizing a lot by this point. It didn't help things but the rise of online shopping also killed a lot of the places where the themed resteraunts or stores were.
As a long term Disney AP holder who doesn’t plan on renewing this year due to their parks decline’s, Universal’s also been catching my eye especially with their upcoming Epic Adventure park. I genuinely believe if Universal keeps at this projection they 100% could revamp the game and possibly take a majority of Disney’s once loyal fan base. This series has been wonderful and so educational. I’ve learned so much and have enjoyed each episode and want to thank you for the quality you put into your videos. I also agree with what you said “Culturally the United States is crawling to a point where their citizens are realizing just how much they’ve taken advantage of, something which I think will rectify itself.” This statement becomes more true with each passing moment. Once again thank you for the wonderful work!
Completely agree with you. I was a disney pass holder for nearly a decade and my last 3 years in Florida I switched to Universal and had a blast with so much more value. Disney completely relies on nostalgia and loyal fans and abuses that loyalty to cut corners and gouge every penny from you. Universal on the other hand has truly listened to the fans for years and the parks have only gotten better. I still argue that harry potter world is better themed than anything thats ever been done at a theme park.
This 4 part series has been absolutly wonderful. A great example of top notch youtube. The section about the destruction of the nuclear family and stagnent wages hit hard out of nowhere.
90s were historically quiet. No great war or great depression. But a good time to be alive. I always figured ppl of my generation clung to the 80s instead cause we were the youngest generation who was still taught to fear nuclear war! Now we need a nuclear Pearl Harbor to take nuclear threats seriously again
This era was also the final flourish for independent and small chain arcades and family fun centers. Some straggled on past that but all but a few are no more than hazy childhood memories. Like all arms races, it had to end at some point...
There are still a few left like Dave & Busters or new ones that are trying. I hope they are successful. Massive arcades that are doing their best to appeal to kids. I think the problem is you can find graphics that good or better on home consoles. That's not how it was in the 80s or 90s with us. Those games seemed like Magic and nowadays it feels like they have to combine motion simulator elements to be as exciting.
The 90s was when the four biggest media conglomerates all were involved in theme parks, Disney, Universal, Warner (Six Flags), and Paramount! I remember Paramount not only had their theme parks, they even had their own short lived Nickelodeon stores like Warner Bros Studio store and Disney store. I remember Nickelodeon store in the mall, had Rugrats, Blues Clues, Double Dare, and even Goosebumps merchandise.
Themed restaurants, stores and entertainment complexes like these of this 90's scale of storytelling and detail need to make a major comeback one day, thanks for uploading this new exciting chapter of your latest series!
It is so expensive... no one likes when its poorly done and especially for restaurants that operate on extremely thin margins it is a massive risk. The only real space for restaurants at least are in entertainment/tourist areas like vegas.
I know its unrelated to the video (which is great as always) but I have loved that you add in those quite black screen transitions as a nice page break for the algorithm to put ads, it makes for much smoother content. I wish other creators would do something similar, though I get that it doesn’t work for everyone’s style.
I agree, I choose to structure it that way because there's nothing I dislike more than watching a video and having a random ad interrupt an interesting segment. At the very least, separating the segments with the fade-out also allows people to digest and think about the information briefly before moving on to something new.
Joe’s Crab Shack mentioned!!!! That place was so fun when I was a kid. Went to one a few years ago and it was like an upscale fancy seafood restaurant now. When I was a kid, they really leaned into the “shack” theming and would have you stand on the tables and stuff and it was like a roadhouse for seafood. The march of time I guess haha. Enjoy stuff while it’s around, and then if it's gone one day, start making cool stuff yourself to fill the void ~.
There's one close by, maybe I'll have to go and see how different it is. There is one a few hours away that I still think has the bayou shack theming though. I also feel like I should have mentioned Margaritaville and that was probably a missed opportunity. Unlike Rainforest Cafe or Bubba Gumps, I've actually enjoyed the food there too
I absolutely LOVE this series! I know that this may be a small detail, but I LOVE that you've mentioned how much malls influenced culture in the 90's. I don't live there currently (although I'm definitely thinking about moving back.) but, I grew up literally 5 minutes away from Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg. I considered it my stomping grounds, and it's one of the reasons why I loved being a suburbanite. 🛍️ (it always felt magical almost when my family went shopping 😍) This series introduced me to quite a few things that either I didn't know existed about it, or things that I only remember from childhood that I saw there! Thank you for the happy memories! ☺️
As I have watched this series - especially this part - with all its glowing thoughts about the Disney conglomerate - I kept thinking - at some point - he's GOT to mention what a shallow, money-grubbing corporation they have become. Disney, much more than Universal (as you mentioned) has completely lost sight of what made them great in the 90's. I suspect, that when Epic Universe opens next year - Disney attendance will plummet even more than it already has. I'm very glad you made this series - and your observations as to how the 'audience' has changed are very perceptive. thanks !
Yeah, I'm curious to see the impact that Epic has on everything. People seem to be under the impression that expanding UOR will only bring more visitors to Disney too, but I really think this could be the right storm of conditions to seriously impact Disney's attendance. Their parks still do fine, but with all the ill-will they've built up with consumers, Epic could be the catalyst that makes people realize how poorly the Disney parks are run. I don't think it's hyperbolic to say that Epic will be a gamechanger of a park. Nintendo alone will be really popular, but it seems like this will be the "Tokyo DisneySea" of the United States, only even more ambitious if the rumors are true.
The Warner Brothers store, omg. The specific location I went to as a kid was at The Burlington Mall in Massachusetts. It's one of my earliest memories, but I remember this little tunnel ( I think it was in a spaceship) , and inside Marvin, the Martian cartoons were playing. God, I loved that store.
Your monologue at the end of the video perfectly recaps this 4-part series. I genuinely enjoyed hearing how some of my lest favorite experiences (Rainforest Cafe) came to life in the first place, and I wholeheartedly approve of a video discussing the difference between Disney and Universal in the current era.
I think I've done too many Disney vs Universal videos lol. You might enjoy this if you haven't seen it though: ruclips.net/video/glmi6VDaLUM/видео.html
@@PoseidonEntertainment Thanks. 😃 I guess what I really meant was I would love seeing a video on how The Disney Difference has declined, though I thought that was also covered through the videos concerning Bob Chapek and Genie+.
Just so you know, Libby Lu was more than just a clothing/accessory store. They also offered activites in which kids could make their own lip gloss and lotion. My cousin had like her 7th or 8th birthday party in LIbby Lu.
This series was awesome. As an anthropologist I saw it as a thesis on the anthropology of tourism concerning a correlation between themed entertainment and the state of a society. Truly fascinating and nostalgic for me because I was a kid in the 90s going to Disney world and Times Square every year on vacation. I was in Vegas when MGM had the wizard of oz stuff and saw the pirate show. I also grew up and graduated from high school in Myrtle beach so I saw all of that too. I used to work across from Hard Rock Cafe nascar cafe and planet Hollywood. Shout out to rocky and bullwinkle’s!!!
Cultural retrospectives and themed entertainment are two of my absolute favourite subjects, so this series has been an instant classic for me as someone with super fond memories of the Florida parks in the 90s. You must have put so much work into these videos and I want you to know it’s much appreciated!!! Bravo! I hope that one day, the trend for themed spaces and entertainment will come back around.
As someone who first visited WDW in 1987, was a teenager thru most of the 1990’s and had many trips over the pond from the UK in that period, this was an excellent retrospective series that brought back so many memories. Fantastic work, thank you. Your channel is great.
I believe something EXTREMELY important you noted around the 55 minute mark or so is that all this newer themed experiences are geared towards adults because all the kids who grew up with theme are now adults. Some weird way tap into nostalgia, if that makes any sense
Just a suggestion, but you should make a video that has all 4 in 1 video that is like 4 hours long because people may not watch each one but if it’s all there, people I feel like would sit thru the whole thing, I see it all the time, the collection together does really well!
This was a great series. As a kid of the 80’s and 90’s I feel so incredibly lucky to have experienced a lot of this. On the other hand, it is a bit depressing that my own kids will likely never get to experience the level of immersive theming that I did. I’m glad we got to go to Walt Disney World last year, and my kids got to ride Splash Mountain before it closed. It was my son’s favorite ride; maybe the replacement will be ok, but I still grieve the loss of all those classic animatronics. EPCOT was the most depressing though. It really felt like a shell of its former self, theming-wise. I hope Disney brings back the “Disney Difference,” because it matters and is, I think, a big reason there are so many “Disney Adults” today: Nostalgia.
I have to say, these videos have made me wish I could have visited Las Vegas and a lot of novel restaurants in the '90s to enjoy the all of the many unique experiences they had to offer.
Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge has to be the biggest summation of everything wrong with our tastes nowadays. Imagine telling someone 20 years ago that Disney, after acquiring Lucasfilm, would spend billions on a land based off of their sequel trilogy, which bastardizes and misunderstands the original six films, that feels more like a town square in Morroco than a galaxy far away, with rides that are easily passed up in quality by rides made by Universal. Imagine the disappointment they’d have in our collective culture. Just imagine what Disney would have made 20 years ago with that kind of budget, it’d likely still hold up.
Amazing series, and I truly appreciate all the effort and work you had to put into these videos! I am surprised you never mentioned Hershey Park at any point, though.
@@PoseidonEntertainment I liked it enough... but that's because the park changed a lot over 10 years. lol The "scrapper bike" out front was cool and I saw a couple cool items to buy. Was just another Star Wars shop so I was just lost in the vibe. lol
The videos made on this channel perfectly represent the feelings that I have towards themeing and entertainment in a way that I could never put into words. These videos are perfect, keep it up!
I think that a lot of people are not satisfied with the way things are currently, but obviously, engaging with something as complex as themed entertainment is not easy. Part of why I enjoy making videos is because it gives me an excuse to think about what does and does not work, and why and how it could be better.
I’ve made it this far and I’m hooked! What a great time capsule. Really brought back so many memories and contextualized and articulated so many things I only had a vague recollection of. Really shows just how and why certain things were better in that era and how much we have lost, which we are probably in some way grieving but don’t have the specific things to point to until now. I can see so much more clearly just how this zeitgeist had influenced me in so many ways some people may not “get.” The fun postmodernness, transgressiveness, absurdity of it all but in a way that was done with a lot of love, passion, creativity, and artistry such as fully immersive theming as compared to the sanitized corporatized deadened and diluted fragments we have now.
I had fun making this video, but I also think it's really important to provide perspective too. I'm really excited to see a lot of what the industry is going to offer in the future, but so much of it was definitely better a few decades ago.
Thank you so much for this series, Planet Hollywood came to our town of Melbourne Australia in the late 90s. It was super expensive and I think that’s why it failed. I used to love putting my hands in the cement hands out the front. We would visit the Hard Rock Cafe in surfers Paradise QLD Australia every year and it has now closed down. We stayed at the Hard Rock hotel in Malaysia with my kids and I enjoyed the theming, it wasn’t ’too’ much, although I also liked the over the top theming in the Legoland hotel! Every time you caught a lift, the lights went out, a laser show began and the lift/elevator would play Dancing Queen by ABBA! All this theming hits differently as an adult, I think themed places would do well now, cashing in on the nostalgia of millennials who are now parents.
I worked at Disneyland in the trams during the summer after the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney closed. I remember giving a family directions on how to walk from the park entrance to the parking lot and I would always say “Make a right where Rainforest Cafe used to be.” I’ll never forget how many people got sad learning it closed, especially when they were planning on eating there as part of their annual Disneyland trip. :(
Just wanted to say thanks for making this series ❤ On another note, I also want to thank you for the pacing of your videos. Unlike so many others that just rattle stuff off as fast as possible, like we all did a kilo of crack. Your videos and narration have great pacing. Thank you.
Ah, I hate when I open a video with an interesting idea and you're instantly bombarded with excessive cuts and loud, annoying narration. I don't like the idea that too many people on RUclips don't trust their audience to not click away if it's not just constant stimulation and noise.
Five things I unironically love were talked about in this video: 1. Paul McCartney & Wings 2. Hard Rock Cafe 3. World Championship Wrestling 4. MGM Studios 5. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Ye did good, Poseidon.
I’ve really enjoyed your channel. I’m a fan of quality theming that successfully creates the illusion of the world the theming is attempting to recreate. It’s sad that good theming seems to be on the decline in favor of cost cutting / revenue maximizing measures that ultimately destroys the experience. Good theming in conjunction with all the other service elements the business in question is offering takes the experience to another level. Done right, the experience will entice you to return. It’s sad that so few businesses don’t care enough to create a quality experience over quick profits.
This was a super compelling and interesting series you made here! I'd love to see more on all the subjects you discussed and mentioned could be their own videos! Can't wait to see more from you! You deserve a lot more followers, here's hoping you get a lot of success here!
The Disney Gallery in Santa Ana was wonderful. Just a fabulous place to nerd out over beautiful Disney artwork. It also makes me miss the Disney Gallery atop Pirates.
Thanks for the time you put into this. It was really fascinating and delightfully nostalgic. It’s so fitting you ended the series at around the same time that universal released a fabulous video on the new epic universe that hopefully does herald a great new era! With epic and the ongoing attention to its other theme parks and the introduction of a meow wolf franchise in Orlando I really think that for awhile disney may be the place people stay at while guests are venturing out to attractions at other places. I think the Covid period may have made us appreciate when we have the option of venturing out into other environments. Hopefully when the epic builders are freed up to concentrate on Disney expansions, the parks will create some exciting and ambitious attractions heralding a great new era. At 76 I’m not sure how much of it I’ll get to enjoy but I certainly wish it for the rest of you “youngsters” like my daughter and grandkids!
I'm actually quite positive that there won't be a Meow Wolf exhibit in Orlando. It's supposed to open this year, but absolutely no construction has been done, which is really quite disappointing, because this seems like the perfect place to put one.
Wow, that’s disappointing. My granddaughter was excited about meow wolf and I had Covid flight credits so we did a two night vegas trip to basically just visit the mega mall. That meow wolf exhibit was fantastic! Sorry to hear it won’t come to Orlando but hope it shows up somewhere on east coast. @@PoseidonEntertainment
Whenever themed 90’s restaurants are mentioned there is always a caviet that the food is usually bad. This was the super size me era. As we moved into wanting better quality food they didn’t move with the times as the higher running costs and expensive maintenance of theming.
I think my favorite part is how you rounded the video out; told us your predictions for the future and how they echo the aging child’s past! Thank you again for an amazing ride!
Part 4?! You’ve really had your work cut out for you with this topic you absolute madlad 🔥 it really is such an entertaining and interesting subject imo 👍
This video series was quite the project, it turned out great, well done! I grew up in the Twin Cities in the 90s with regular trips to Mall of America, and yearly trips to Disney World, I appreciate this retrospective as it captures so many of the places and things I enjoyed in those years! It's sad to see how Disney has shied away from the identity that made them so successful in the 90s, perhaps the growth and strength of Universals parks will help them rediscover the Disney Difference!
If Epic Universe causes attendance issues for Disney, and I think it will, then I really doubt that they are going to respond well. I don't trust Disney not to ruin everything that they touch and very few of the attractions from the Iger era have been interesting. If anything, their strategy might be to double down on shoving "brands" into the parks, which I think will ultimately cause a lot of expensive, long term damage to how people perceive them.
I’m so glad you mentioned the Yosemite Sam dark ride, Growing up as a kid in the 2000’s, that was one of the first rides I ever rode and made it a priority to ride every time I went..And when the floods happened I believe in 2019, could be wrong about that date. I was heartbroken about the ride being damaged to due to the flooding and not being brought back.
There was a really well themed indoor entertainment complex in the UK that I visited many times growing up, though there isn’t much information about it other than what I could find on their old website through wayback machine. It was called “CITY LIMITS” themed to New Orleans, with a big riverboat and building facades to make it feel like you were outside. Had painted ceilings too, was a full 360 feeling of immersion. No idea who was the brains behind it, but it certainly was something that was close to things like rainforest cafe in level of immersion. Their site said there was a few locations in the UK and one in Spain I believe…
Probably one of the best video series on this website. The way you were able to gonect all these areas of entertainment is amazing and I am excited to see the next video that you upload
The only time I’ve eaten at a Rainforest Cafe was at Disneyland Resort, but every time the animatronics started up, my poor young niece would shriek with fear. They sat us right under a particularly active monkey that she just didn’t seem to like lol
Amazing series, I really enjoyed this deep dive. It was filled with nostalgia for me and I'm sure other people that grew up in the 90s, it also gave alot of perspective on what is happening today. I look forward to any future videos as always.
Wow I loved those 4 videos! Thank you! I think that me and most people that grew up in the 90's miss is that everything themed has more colors and life and happiness. The minimalism and boring colors today are just sad and makes you wanna go back to the 90's. We are a nostalgic generation but for a reason 😢
I grew up in SoCal in the 90's on or under the poverty line. We went to Disneyland the most, and I think I went to Knotts every year of elementary school for a field trip (they only let us ride the mining and log rides) but I remember being a lil thrill-seeker and taking my coke can in for a discounted ticket. The Montclair Plaza was my mall. I did go to The Rainforest Cafe one time with a wealthy relative, it was transformative.
this video series was super cool! it was very fun to look back at old theme parks and restaurants and entertainment and relive some of it. every time an episode was uploaded i was excited! thanks for the amazing series :)))
Excellent work. Gonna rewatch the whole series to get a better handle on the points made but from what i recall at present moment the whole series was surprisingly well connected despite such apparent disjointed subject matter. It could have easily turned into a listacle of themed entertainment circa the 90's but the segways were smooth and at no point was the subject matter lost so kudos are definitely in order.
Yeah, it's certainly not perfectly connected, but I at least tried to tie everything together in a way that I thought made sense. I recognize that a lot of these were tangents of personal interest, especially covering a lot of non-90s history for Vegas, but I do think it makes sense in explaining how things got to where they were.
@@PoseidonEntertainment Totally. And you're spot on that the Disney Difference fueled so much of the rise. I'd take eisner at his worst over Iger at his best, talk about a downgrade
Another theory i have is that cheaper flights to Europe and Asia made it easier for people to justify more "authentic" trips and vacations that harmed the market for domestic themed entertainment
The Fry's Electronics in Washington State closed in 2021. While I know they were struggling I really loved having a place that actually had computer hardware for sale. I built my first gaming PC with parts I bought there and it really was a special experience
Thank you for this series! It was so amazing to watch as a kid who was born just a smidge too late to experience but 90s. I, too, have hope for Universal to lead the way into the themed future!
For themed stores look into Country Junction The World's Largest General Store. It was built in the 80s originally but the themed aspects entered the picture I want to say in the 90s. MASSIVE store with a ton of animatronics within it activated by buttons. The pathway to navigate the store is painted like the yellow brick road, and adds static statues of characters and famous people that could be purchased usually never are just standing there as part of the decor. It even has an interesting story in that it burnt down in the 00s but was rebuilt retaining that same 90s themed aesthetic, adding some newer animatronics like a set of velociraptors that roar at you in the pet area.
Poseidon, I really enjoyed this series, but I think you should maybe add an addendum to it detailing examples of how Disney and Universal have lapsed in their themeing in their parks. You gave plenty of history examples, but as someone who hasn’t been to Disney in a long time, it would help to see an illustration of how much they’ve fallen off.
What happened is that in the early 2000s we shifted from the theme per say to the authenticity (or at least presumption of authenticity), today we see store with wood decor and apparently recycled materials (allegedly), this could be because of larger political/global trends like the rise of environmentalism, resulting in people wanting a more “natural” experience. IMO this results in a search for what’s there and not the theming of it. However as we approach a new decade we could see a shift, in my personal experience the current minimalism will not last very long, all that’s keeping it alive is our care for the environment. Also theming can be cheap too btw, specifically considering the money they spent making creations more open, it seems most decisions are creative ones as opposed to just money.
I see what you're saying, especially since the WDW McDonald's is probably a really good example of that "sustainability" aesthetic, although there is something quite inherently disingenuous about that in itself.
I commented this on the old part 3 video but I highly encourage you to take a look at Casa Bonita in Denver! As a native, I just recently got to go to the newly reopened Casa Bonita and it is def bringing back this heightened dining theming!
Fantastic video, thank you so much for sharing it! It reminded me of watching something like Modern Marvels or A&E specials which was a nostalgic experience itself aside from the obvious theme of the video
If you wanted to continue this series, I think Wannado City is absolutely worth looking into! A multi level kid-oriented themed park was really something special, especially with the brands they chose to integrate (Wonka & Coke in particular)
i wish we could go back to the 90's. it seemed like a more adventurous and fun time to live compared to now---me and my family were theme park visitors and we reminiscence about it fondly
I think the 2008 economy crisis was probably a factor why we have less thematic entertainment. People had less money to spend and companies cut costs. Theming was most likely the first thing to spend less money on.
Yeah, that's a pretty good point. I do think that aesthetics and tastes had already kind of moved on past 2005 though.
I think the allure of minimalism was too much to pass up for too many corporations - we can spend less but look hip and cool? Hey it worked for Apple.
@@PoseidonEntertainment It's possibly also that many companies are playing it more safe too
Yes but it was already down sizing a lot by this point. It didn't help things but the rise of online shopping also killed a lot of the places where the themed resteraunts or stores were.
And now costs in general have become so crazy years later regardless of the financial crisis that making anything “overly” detailed is just too costly
I, as a 90s theme park kid have THOROUGHLY enjoyed this series.
As a long term Disney AP holder who doesn’t plan on renewing this year due to their parks decline’s, Universal’s also been catching my eye especially with their upcoming Epic Adventure park. I genuinely believe if Universal keeps at this projection they 100% could revamp the game and possibly take a majority of Disney’s once loyal fan base. This series has been wonderful and so educational. I’ve learned so much and have enjoyed each episode and want to thank you for the quality you put into your videos. I also agree with what you said “Culturally the United States is crawling to a point where their citizens are realizing just how much they’ve taken advantage of, something which I think will rectify itself.” This statement becomes more true with each passing moment. Once again thank you for the wonderful work!
Completely agree with you. I was a disney pass holder for nearly a decade and my last 3 years in Florida I switched to Universal and had a blast with so much more value. Disney completely relies on nostalgia and loyal fans and abuses that loyalty to cut corners and gouge every penny from you. Universal on the other hand has truly listened to the fans for years and the parks have only gotten better. I still argue that harry potter world is better themed than anything thats ever been done at a theme park.
Iger doesn't care. He wants to cut costs and increase profits at the expense of park attendee's experience.
This 4 part series has been absolutly wonderful. A great example of top notch youtube. The section about the destruction of the nuclear family and stagnent wages hit hard out of nowhere.
I wondered if it was a little too much of a downer, but I think I'm certain that it's a large factor in why things changed.
as a person who did NOT grow up near the 90’s i still find this series extremely interesting and is a great history piece for theme parks and whatnot.
90s were historically quiet. No great war or great depression. But a good time to be alive. I always figured ppl of my generation clung to the 80s instead cause we were the youngest generation who was still taught to fear nuclear war! Now we need a nuclear Pearl Harbor to take nuclear threats seriously again
This era was also the final flourish for independent and small chain arcades and family fun centers. Some straggled on past that but all but a few are no more than hazy childhood memories.
Like all arms races, it had to end at some point...
There are still a few left like Dave & Busters or new ones that are trying. I hope they are successful. Massive arcades that are doing their best to appeal to kids. I think the problem is you can find graphics that good or better on home consoles. That's not how it was in the 80s or 90s with us. Those games seemed like Magic and nowadays it feels like they have to combine motion simulator elements to be as exciting.
The 90s was when the four biggest media conglomerates all were involved in theme parks, Disney, Universal, Warner (Six Flags), and Paramount! I remember Paramount not only had their theme parks, they even had their own short lived Nickelodeon stores like Warner Bros Studio store and Disney store. I remember Nickelodeon store in the mall, had Rugrats, Blues Clues, Double Dare, and even Goosebumps merchandise.
Themed restaurants, stores and entertainment complexes like these of this 90's scale of storytelling and detail need to make a major comeback one day, thanks for uploading this new exciting chapter of your latest series!
It is so expensive... no one likes when its poorly done and especially for restaurants that operate on extremely thin margins it is a massive risk. The only real space for restaurants at least are in entertainment/tourist areas like vegas.
@@DrGodzirra Exactly, what belongs in Vegas STAYS in Vegas
Been bedridden with migraines all week, this series is keeping me sane
I know its unrelated to the video (which is great as always) but I have loved that you add in those quite black screen transitions as a nice page break for the algorithm to put ads, it makes for much smoother content. I wish other creators would do something similar, though I get that it doesn’t work for everyone’s style.
I agree, I choose to structure it that way because there's nothing I dislike more than watching a video and having a random ad interrupt an interesting segment. At the very least, separating the segments with the fade-out also allows people to digest and think about the information briefly before moving on to something new.
Joe’s Crab Shack mentioned!!!! That place was so fun when I was a kid. Went to one a few years ago and it was like an upscale fancy seafood restaurant now. When I was a kid, they really leaned into the “shack” theming and would have you stand on the tables and stuff and it was like a roadhouse for seafood. The march of time I guess haha. Enjoy stuff while it’s around, and then if it's gone one day, start making cool stuff yourself to fill the void ~.
There's one close by, maybe I'll have to go and see how different it is. There is one a few hours away that I still think has the bayou shack theming though.
I also feel like I should have mentioned Margaritaville and that was probably a missed opportunity. Unlike Rainforest Cafe or Bubba Gumps, I've actually enjoyed the food there too
My son turned me on to your videos. This was a great series. I’ve learned a lot from the series. Well done!
I absolutely LOVE this series! I know that this may be a small detail, but I LOVE that you've mentioned how much malls influenced culture in the 90's. I don't live there currently (although I'm definitely thinking about moving back.) but, I grew up literally 5 minutes away from Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg. I considered it my stomping grounds, and it's one of the reasons why I loved being a suburbanite. 🛍️ (it always felt magical almost when my family went shopping 😍) This series introduced me to quite a few things that either I didn't know existed about it, or things that I only remember from childhood that I saw there! Thank you for the happy memories! ☺️
As I have watched this series - especially this part - with all its glowing thoughts about the Disney conglomerate - I kept thinking - at some point - he's GOT to mention what a shallow, money-grubbing corporation they have become. Disney, much more than Universal (as you mentioned) has completely lost sight of what made them great in the 90's. I suspect, that when Epic Universe opens next year - Disney attendance will plummet even more than it already has. I'm very glad you made this series - and your observations as to how the 'audience' has changed are very perceptive. thanks !
Yeah, I'm curious to see the impact that Epic has on everything. People seem to be under the impression that expanding UOR will only bring more visitors to Disney too, but I really think this could be the right storm of conditions to seriously impact Disney's attendance. Their parks still do fine, but with all the ill-will they've built up with consumers, Epic could be the catalyst that makes people realize how poorly the Disney parks are run.
I don't think it's hyperbolic to say that Epic will be a gamechanger of a park. Nintendo alone will be really popular, but it seems like this will be the "Tokyo DisneySea" of the United States, only even more ambitious if the rumors are true.
The Warner Brothers store, omg. The specific location I went to as a kid was at The Burlington Mall in Massachusetts. It's one of my earliest memories, but I remember this little tunnel ( I think it was in a spaceship) , and inside Marvin, the Martian cartoons were playing. God, I loved that store.
Your monologue at the end of the video perfectly recaps this 4-part series. I genuinely enjoyed hearing how some of my lest favorite experiences (Rainforest Cafe) came to life in the first place, and I wholeheartedly approve of a video discussing the difference between Disney and Universal in the current era.
I think I've done too many Disney vs Universal videos lol. You might enjoy this if you haven't seen it though: ruclips.net/video/glmi6VDaLUM/видео.html
@@PoseidonEntertainment Thanks. 😃 I guess what I really meant was I would love seeing a video on how The Disney Difference has declined, though I thought that was also covered through the videos concerning Bob Chapek and Genie+.
Just so you know, Libby Lu was more than just a clothing/accessory store. They also offered activites in which kids could make their own lip gloss and lotion. My cousin had like her 7th or 8th birthday party in LIbby Lu.
Yeah, I probably should have elaborated on that
Watched all four parts and I very much appreciated the retrospective trip down memory lane. Classic nostalgia hit for me.
love this series. As an elder millennial who grew up in southern California this series hits hard. well done.
This series was awesome. As an anthropologist I saw it as a thesis on the anthropology of tourism concerning a correlation between themed entertainment and the state of a society. Truly fascinating and nostalgic for me because I was a kid in the 90s going to Disney world and Times Square every year on vacation. I was in Vegas when MGM had the wizard of oz stuff and saw the pirate show. I also grew up and graduated from high school in Myrtle beach so I saw all of that too. I used to work across from Hard Rock Cafe nascar cafe and planet Hollywood. Shout out to rocky and bullwinkle’s!!!
Cultural retrospectives and themed entertainment are two of my absolute favourite subjects, so this series has been an instant classic for me as someone with super fond memories of the Florida parks in the 90s. You must have put so much work into these videos and I want you to know it’s much appreciated!!! Bravo! I hope that one day, the trend for themed spaces and entertainment will come back around.
As someone who first visited WDW in 1987, was a teenager thru most of the 1990’s and had many trips over the pond from the UK in that period, this was an excellent retrospective series that brought back so many memories. Fantastic work, thank you. Your channel is great.
I believe something EXTREMELY important you noted around the 55 minute mark or so is that all this newer themed experiences are geared towards adults because all the kids who grew up with theme are now adults. Some weird way tap into nostalgia, if that makes any sense
Just a suggestion, but you should make a video that has all 4 in 1 video that is like 4 hours long because people may not watch each one but if it’s all there, people I feel like would sit thru the whole thing, I see it all the time, the collection together does really well!
Dude, you nailed this series. This is awesome
This was a great series. As a kid of the 80’s and 90’s I feel so incredibly lucky to have experienced a lot of this. On the other hand, it is a bit depressing that my own kids will likely never get to experience the level of immersive theming that I did. I’m glad we got to go to Walt Disney World last year, and my kids got to ride Splash Mountain before it closed. It was my son’s favorite ride; maybe the replacement will be ok, but I still grieve the loss of all those classic animatronics. EPCOT was the most depressing though. It really felt like a shell of its former self, theming-wise. I hope Disney brings back the “Disney Difference,” because it matters and is, I think, a big reason there are so many “Disney Adults” today: Nostalgia.
Oh man. As an American living right near the Niagara Falls border, I spent many nights at Clifton Hill when I was 19.
I have to say, these videos have made me wish I could have visited Las Vegas and a lot of novel restaurants in the '90s to enjoy the all of the many unique experiences they had to offer.
17:17 odd little cut there where it seems to skip over something about another WCW restaurant
Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge has to be the biggest summation of everything wrong with our tastes nowadays.
Imagine telling someone 20 years ago that Disney, after acquiring Lucasfilm, would spend billions on a land based off of their sequel trilogy, which bastardizes and misunderstands the original six films, that feels more like a town square in Morroco than a galaxy far away, with rides that are easily passed up in quality by rides made by Universal.
Imagine the disappointment they’d have in our collective culture.
Just imagine what Disney would have made 20 years ago with that kind of budget, it’d likely still hold up.
Amazing series, and I truly appreciate all the effort and work you had to put into these videos! I am surprised you never mentioned Hershey Park at any point, though.
Now I know why I remember something about the Star Wars Outpost store. I went back this year after 10+ years of not going to Disneyland. Lol
Yeah, it's weird. Definitely not a fan of the way that Downtown Disney panned out.
@@PoseidonEntertainment I liked it enough... but that's because the park changed a lot over 10 years. lol The "scrapper bike" out front was cool and I saw a couple cool items to buy. Was just another Star Wars shop so I was just lost in the vibe. lol
When this series is done please do a supercut of all of them edited together for ultimate 90's binging.
Yup, that's the plan
The videos made on this channel perfectly represent the feelings that I have towards themeing and entertainment in a way that I could never put into words. These videos are perfect, keep it up!
I think that a lot of people are not satisfied with the way things are currently, but obviously, engaging with something as complex as themed entertainment is not easy. Part of why I enjoy making videos is because it gives me an excuse to think about what does and does not work, and why and how it could be better.
I’ve made it this far and I’m hooked! What a great time capsule. Really brought back so many memories and contextualized and articulated so many things I only had a vague recollection of. Really shows just how and why certain things were better in that era and how much we have lost, which we are probably in some way grieving but don’t have the specific things to point to until now. I can see so much more clearly just how this zeitgeist had influenced me in so many ways some people may not “get.” The fun postmodernness, transgressiveness, absurdity of it all but in a way that was done with a lot of love, passion, creativity, and artistry such as fully immersive theming as compared to the sanitized corporatized deadened and diluted fragments we have now.
I had fun making this video, but I also think it's really important to provide perspective too. I'm really excited to see a lot of what the industry is going to offer in the future, but so much of it was definitely better a few decades ago.
I love this series. Keep up the great work
Thank you so much for this series, Planet Hollywood came to our town of Melbourne Australia in the late 90s. It was super expensive and I think that’s why it failed. I used to love putting my hands in the cement hands out the front. We would visit the Hard Rock Cafe in surfers Paradise QLD Australia every year and it has now closed down.
We stayed at the Hard Rock hotel in Malaysia with my kids and I enjoyed the theming, it wasn’t ’too’ much, although I also liked the over the top theming in the Legoland hotel! Every time you caught a lift, the lights went out, a laser show began and the lift/elevator would play Dancing Queen by ABBA!
All this theming hits differently as an adult, I think themed places would do well now, cashing in on the nostalgia of millennials who are now parents.
I worked at Disneyland in the trams during the summer after the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney closed. I remember giving a family directions on how to walk from the park entrance to the parking lot and I would always say “Make a right where Rainforest Cafe used to be.” I’ll never forget how many people got sad learning it closed, especially when they were planning on eating there as part of their annual Disneyland trip. :(
Just wanted to say thanks for making this series ❤ On another note, I also want to thank you for the pacing of your videos. Unlike so many others that just rattle stuff off as fast as possible, like we all did a kilo of crack. Your videos and narration have great pacing. Thank you.
Ah, I hate when I open a video with an interesting idea and you're instantly bombarded with excessive cuts and loud, annoying narration. I don't like the idea that too many people on RUclips don't trust their audience to not click away if it's not just constant stimulation and noise.
Appreciate this series. This series was by far one of my favorite watches on your you tube in the last few years. Keep it up.
Soo pumped! Haven’t even started the video but I’m excited!
Despite his flaws Eisner was a true visionary
Five things I unironically love were talked about in this video:
1. Paul McCartney & Wings
2. Hard Rock Cafe
3. World Championship Wrestling
4. MGM Studios
5. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
Ye did good, Poseidon.
I do like to jump around to different things quite a lot. I think it keeps things interesting
I was left wanting more. This was such an awesome retrospective series. More of this please!!!
I'm pretty burned out on this, but maybe there could be spin-off videos in the future, looking at more specific elements.
I’ve really enjoyed your channel. I’m a fan of quality theming that successfully creates the illusion of the world the theming is attempting to recreate. It’s sad that good theming seems to be on the decline in favor of cost cutting / revenue maximizing measures that ultimately destroys the experience. Good theming in conjunction with all the other service elements the business in question is offering takes the experience to another level. Done right, the experience will entice you to return. It’s sad that so few businesses don’t care enough to create a quality experience over quick profits.
Such a wonderful time. Great job covering it 👏
This was a super compelling and interesting series you made here! I'd love to see more on all the subjects you discussed and mentioned could be their own videos! Can't wait to see more from you!
You deserve a lot more followers, here's hoping you get a lot of success here!
The Disney Gallery in Santa Ana was wonderful. Just a fabulous place to nerd out over beautiful Disney artwork.
It also makes me miss the Disney Gallery atop Pirates.
Thanks for the time you put into this. It was really fascinating and delightfully nostalgic. It’s so fitting you ended the series at around the same time that universal released a fabulous video on the new epic universe that hopefully does herald a great new era! With epic and the ongoing attention to its other theme parks and the introduction of a meow wolf franchise in Orlando I really think that for awhile disney may be the place people stay at while guests are venturing out to attractions at other places. I think the Covid period may have made us appreciate when we have the option of venturing out into other environments. Hopefully when the epic builders are freed up to concentrate on Disney expansions, the parks will create some exciting and ambitious attractions heralding a great new era. At 76 I’m not sure how much of it I’ll get to enjoy but I certainly wish it for the rest of you “youngsters” like my daughter and grandkids!
I'm actually quite positive that there won't be a Meow Wolf exhibit in Orlando. It's supposed to open this year, but absolutely no construction has been done, which is really quite disappointing, because this seems like the perfect place to put one.
Wow, that’s disappointing. My granddaughter was excited about meow wolf and I had Covid flight credits so we did a two night vegas trip to basically just visit the mega mall. That meow wolf exhibit was fantastic! Sorry to hear it won’t come to Orlando but hope it shows up somewhere on east coast. @@PoseidonEntertainment
Whenever themed 90’s restaurants are mentioned there is always a caviet that the food is usually bad. This was the super size me era. As we moved into wanting better quality food they didn’t move with the times as the higher running costs and expensive maintenance of theming.
I actually found that food at Margaritaville to be surprisingly acceptable in terms of quality. I should have probably included that in the video lol
These were excellent videos, very well-made. I was able to relive my 90s childhood through the series. Thank you.
Please make this an ongoing series I loved it ❤
What an incredible series! Thank you for your hard work!
I think my favorite part is how you rounded the video out; told us your predictions for the future and how they echo the aging child’s past! Thank you again for an amazing ride!
Part 4?! You’ve really had your work cut out for you with this topic you absolute madlad 🔥 it really is such an entertaining and interesting subject imo 👍
This was too much, never again lol
Yes they were brother! The 90s were peak theme park! PREACH! Spread the word of the last decade with originality, the extreme decade, the 90s.
This video series was quite the project, it turned out great, well done! I grew up in the Twin Cities in the 90s with regular trips to Mall of America, and yearly trips to Disney World, I appreciate this retrospective as it captures so many of the places and things I enjoyed in those years! It's sad to see how Disney has shied away from the identity that made them so successful in the 90s, perhaps the growth and strength of Universals parks will help them rediscover the Disney Difference!
If Epic Universe causes attendance issues for Disney, and I think it will, then I really doubt that they are going to respond well. I don't trust Disney not to ruin everything that they touch and very few of the attractions from the Iger era have been interesting. If anything, their strategy might be to double down on shoving "brands" into the parks, which I think will ultimately cause a lot of expensive, long term damage to how people perceive them.
I’m so glad you mentioned the Yosemite Sam dark ride, Growing up as a kid in the 2000’s, that was one of the first rides I ever rode and made it a priority to ride every time I went..And when the floods happened I believe in 2019, could be wrong about that date. I was heartbroken about the ride being damaged to due to the flooding and not being brought back.
There was a really well themed indoor entertainment complex in the UK that I visited many times growing up, though there isn’t much information about it other than what I could find on their old website through wayback machine. It was called “CITY LIMITS” themed to New Orleans, with a big riverboat and building facades to make it feel like you were outside. Had painted ceilings too, was a full 360 feeling of immersion. No idea who was the brains behind it, but it certainly was something that was close to things like rainforest cafe in level of immersion. Their site said there was a few locations in the UK and one in Spain I believe…
this series seemed like such a huge project for you! Can't wait to see what you do in the future with big ideas like this.
Probably one of the best video series on this website. The way you were able to gonect all these areas of entertainment is amazing and I am excited to see the next video that you upload
The only time I’ve eaten at a Rainforest Cafe was at Disneyland Resort, but every time the animatronics started up, my poor young niece would shriek with fear. They sat us right under a particularly active monkey that she just didn’t seem to like lol
I can certainly understand. I was fortunate to witness a child screaming and running out of T-Rex Cafe lol
That power plant is quite a story!
Omg I miss jungle Jim’s!! we use to go to the one outside downtown Disney in the 90s/early 2000s!
Amazing series, I really enjoyed this deep dive. It was filled with nostalgia for me and I'm sure other people that grew up in the 90s, it also gave alot of perspective on what is happening today. I look forward to any future videos as always.
honestly i'm obliged to like this for the sole reason that i have watched and enjoyed every other part of this series
Wow I loved those 4 videos! Thank you! I think that me and most people that grew up in the 90's miss is that everything themed has more colors and life and happiness. The minimalism and boring colors today are just sad and makes you wanna go back to the 90's. We are a nostalgic generation but for a reason 😢
Rainforest Cafe seemed SO cool at Downtown Disney in 2001. Then I realized the food was terrible and never ate there again.
What a truly incredible series, as someone obsessed with anything 90s genuinely thank you for these!
Man I miss Fry's Electronics. My local one in Anaheim, CA was themed after space shuttles for some reason
I grew up in SoCal in the 90's on or under the poverty line. We went to Disneyland the most, and I think I went to Knotts every year of elementary school for a field trip (they only let us ride the mining and log rides) but I remember being a lil thrill-seeker and taking my coke can in for a discounted ticket. The Montclair Plaza was my mall. I did go to The Rainforest Cafe one time with a wealthy relative, it was transformative.
this video series was super cool! it was very fun to look back at old theme parks and restaurants and entertainment and relive some of it. every time an episode was uploaded i was excited! thanks for the amazing series :)))
Excellent work. Gonna rewatch the whole series to get a better handle on the points made but from what i recall at present moment the whole series was surprisingly well connected despite such apparent disjointed subject matter. It could have easily turned into a listacle of themed entertainment circa the 90's but the segways were smooth and at no point was the subject matter lost so kudos are definitely in order.
Yeah, it's certainly not perfectly connected, but I at least tried to tie everything together in a way that I thought made sense. I recognize that a lot of these were tangents of personal interest, especially covering a lot of non-90s history for Vegas, but I do think it makes sense in explaining how things got to where they were.
@@PoseidonEntertainment Totally. And you're spot on that the Disney Difference fueled so much of the rise. I'd take eisner at his worst over Iger at his best, talk about a downgrade
Thank you for this wonderful series. Really appreciated it.
Another theory i have is that cheaper flights to Europe and Asia made it easier for people to justify more "authentic" trips and vacations that harmed the market for domestic themed entertainment
The Fry's Electronics in Washington State closed in 2021. While I know they were struggling I really loved having a place that actually had computer hardware for sale. I built my first gaming PC with parts I bought there and it really was a special experience
OH MY GAWD A PART 4 !!!
Thank you for this series! It was so amazing to watch as a kid who was born just a smidge too late to experience but 90s. I, too, have hope for Universal to lead the way into the themed future!
Thank you, thank you. This was perfect nostalgia bait for me. I loved every single part.
Great series. Really amazing detail and history. Thank you!
Thank you for this series, well made!
I would have liked to see 'Casa Bonita' somewhere in your story
😉
I looked into it, but it's much older. I did briefly show The Mayan, a 90s rip-off of it though.
Great series. This is really well executed and some of your best writing.
For themed stores look into Country Junction The World's Largest General Store. It was built in the 80s originally but the themed aspects entered the picture I want to say in the 90s.
MASSIVE store with a ton of animatronics within it activated by buttons. The pathway to navigate the store is painted like the yellow brick road, and adds static statues of characters and famous people that could be purchased usually never are just standing there as part of the decor. It even has an interesting story in that it burnt down in the 00s but was rebuilt retaining that same 90s themed aesthetic, adding some newer animatronics like a set of velociraptors that roar at you in the pet area.
Looks really cool, I wish I had known about it for the video
Happy 30th Birthday Rainforest Cafe! Also, You mentioned Mall of America again
Poseidon, I really enjoyed this series, but I think you should maybe add an addendum to it detailing examples of how Disney and Universal have lapsed in their themeing in their parks. You gave plenty of history examples, but as someone who hasn’t been to Disney in a long time, it would help to see an illustration of how much they’ve fallen off.
I saw that jab at Galaxies edge! 😂
Loved this series!! 👏
Yeah, it's not bad... just very surface level
Thanks for this series! It’s great
This video series is so incredible
What happened is that in the early 2000s we shifted from the theme per say to the authenticity (or at least presumption of authenticity), today we see store with wood decor and apparently recycled materials (allegedly), this could be because of larger political/global trends like the rise of environmentalism, resulting in people wanting a more “natural” experience. IMO this results in a search for what’s there and not the theming of it. However as we approach a new decade we could see a shift, in my personal experience the current minimalism will not last very long, all that’s keeping it alive is our care for the environment. Also theming can be cheap too btw, specifically considering the money they spent making creations more open, it seems most decisions are creative ones as opposed to just money.
I see what you're saying, especially since the WDW McDonald's is probably a really good example of that "sustainability" aesthetic, although there is something quite inherently disingenuous about that in itself.
@@PoseidonEntertainment It’s not just an aesthetic anymore it’s basically an obligation, kinda
I commented this on the old part 3 video but I highly encourage you to take a look at Casa Bonita in Denver! As a native, I just recently got to go to the newly reopened Casa Bonita and it is def bringing back this heightened dining theming!
Casa Bonita is an outlier as a product of the 70s (I believe if I recall correctly).
Fantastic video, thank you so much for sharing it! It reminded me of watching something like Modern Marvels or A&E specials which was a nostalgic experience itself aside from the obvious theme of the video
Wonderful series.
The thought of Terry Dougall thinking Vegas shopping theming was in any way related to what Disneyland was doing is appalling.
That was the impression I got from Vegas. Everything is so superficial, even the "luxury". Still, it's a fascinating city.
If you wanted to continue this series, I think Wannado City is absolutely worth looking into! A multi level kid-oriented themed park was really something special, especially with the brands they chose to integrate (Wonka & Coke in particular)
i wish we could go back to the 90's. it seemed like a more adventurous and fun time to live compared to now---me and my family were theme park visitors and we reminiscence about it fondly
Excellent work on this series
Excellent series, my guy. Have loved every minute of it!
Man I love themed restaurants
loved this series, thank you
Love these videos, I get my theme park fix without going into debt
38:15 nice touch using the Magic Castle for this shot while speaking on this subject. Fits perfect. Adam the Woo would be proud. Those who know, know.
Know what? The Florida Project?