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Defunctland
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| Defunctland | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | History |
| Created by | Kevin Perjurer |
| Presented by | Kevin Perjurer |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 56 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Running time | 12–258 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | YouTube |
| Release | February 15, 2017 – present |
Defunctland is a video documentary series about the history of discontinued amusement parks and amusement park attractions,[1][2][3][4] created and hosted by Kevin Perjurer, a pseudonymous man living in Florida.[5] The show presents the history and downfall of theme parks and attractions from around the world, most notably those of Disney, Universal, and Six Flags.
The channel has amassed over 2 million subscribers as of June 2025[update]. The success of Defunctland led to two spin-offs: Debunkedland and DefunctTV, both of which premiered in 2018.[6][7][8][9] In 2024, the Defunctland series was nominated for Peabody Award in the "Interactive & Immersive" category.[10][11]
VR Park
[edit]Initially, the Defunctland YouTube series was meant to be a showcase for attractions that would be a part of a virtual theme park of the same name. Soon after starting the channel in 2017, Perjurer uploaded a video titled "Defunctland VR: The Sorcerer's Hat" to show off the initial prototype of the park. While volunteers with knowledge of virtual reality environments did sign up, progress has been considered relatively slow.
About a year later, Perjurer made a post on his website about the VR Park to explain that it was still happening, as well as show off some of the progress up to that point. A video was uploaded in January 2021, showing a virtual reality version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage, as well as other parts of the park.[12][13]
Episodes
[edit]Series overview
[edit]| Series | Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | ||||
| Defunctland | 1 | 22 | February 15, 2017 | January 22, 2018 | |
| 2 | 21 | February 5, 2018 | March 22, 2019 | ||
| 3 | Ongoing | October 5, 2019 | TBA | ||
| Minisodes | 12 | December 18, 2017 | June 19, 2024 | ||
| Debunkedland | 1 | 2 | April 9, 2018 | April 26, 2018 | |
| 2 | 1 | October 24, 2019 | |||
| DefunctTV | 1 | 19 | July 12, 2018 | February 28, 2022 | |
| Jim Henson | 6 | April 16, 2019 | July 14, 2019 | ||
Season 1 (2017)
[edit]The first season of Defunctland, created by Kevin Perjurer, premiered on the YouTube channel of the same name on February 15, 2017, and lasted for 22 episodes. Initially, each episode ended with Perjurer polling the viewers on where the attraction should go in the VR Park, however, this was phased out by the end of the season. Perjurer originally pitched his voice lower during his narrations, which was also dropped before the end of the season. The season finale premiered on December 11, 2017.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Location(s) | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The History of ExtraTERRORestrial: Alien Encounter" | Magic Kingdom | February 15, 2017 |
| 2 | 2 | "The History of Disneyland's Videopolis" | Disneyland Park | February 22, 2017 February 1, 2020 (Remastered) |
| 3 | 3 | "The History of Jaws: The Ride" | Universal Studios Florida Universal Studios Japan | March 2, 2017 |
| 4 | 4 | "The History of The Sorcerer's Hat" | Disney's Hollywood Studios | March 9, 2017 |
| 5 | 5 | "The History of Pretzel Dark Rides" | Across U.S. | March 17, 2017 |
| 6 | 6 | "The History of Pleasure Island" | Disney Springs | Part 1: April 3, 2017 Part 2: April 20, 2017 |
| 7 | 7 | "The History of Kongfrontation" | Universal Studios Florida | May 4, 2017 |
| 8 | 8 | "The History of Disney's Superstar Limo" / "The History of Disney's Worst Attraction Ever, Superstar Limo" | Disney California Adventure | May 27, 2017 April 19, 2018 (Remastered) |
| 9 | 9 | "The History of Back to the Future: The Ride" | Universal Studios Florida Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios Japan | June 9, 2017 |
| 10 | 10 | "The History of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage" | Disneyland Magic Kingdom | Part 1: June 23, 2017 Part 2: July 2, 2017 |
| 11 | 11 | "The History of Disneyland's America Sings" | Disneyland | July 4, 2017 |
| 12 | 12 | "The History of Ghostbusters Spooktacular" | Universal Studios Florida | July 13, 2017 |
| 13 | 13 | "The History of Son of Beast" | Kings Island | July 23, 2017 |
| 14 | 14 | "The History of Epcot's Body Wars" | Epcot | August 7, 2017 |
| 15 | 15 | "The History of Earthquake: The Big One and Disaster!" | Universal Studios Florida | August 21, 2017 |
| 16 | 16 | "The History of Cedar Point's Disaster Transport" | Cedar Point | September 4, 2017 |
| 17 | 17 | "The History of Captain EO" | Epcot Disneyland Tokyo Disneyland Disneyland Paris | September 25, 2017 |
| 18 | 18 | "The History of Action Park" | Action Park, Vernon, New Jersey | October 16, 2017 |
| 19 | 19 | "The History of Beetlejuice's Graveyard Revue" | Universal Studios Florida | October 31, 2017 |
| 20 | 20 | "Top 5 Extinct Disney Walk-Around Characters" | N/A | November 13, 2017 |
| 21 | 21 | "The History of Drachen Fire at Busch Gardens Williamsburg" | Busch Gardens Williamsburg | November 27, 2017 |
| 22 | 22 | "The History of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera" | Universal Studios Florida | December 11, 2017 |
Season 2 (2018–19)
[edit]The second season of Defunctland premiered on February 5, 2018. A common theme throughout the season was the rise and fall of Michael Eisner and his effects on the Disney Parks and The Walt Disney Company as a whole. This season ended on March 22, 2019. The 11th and 12th production blocks were used to produce a double-length episode on the failure of Disney's America, while an additional 23rd production block was used to remake the Season 1 episode on Disney California Adventure's Superstar Limo.
The production value of each episode increased dramatically in the second season, with episodes extending in length and utilizing custom graphics fit to the theme of the episode. Some episodes even include customized theme songs or music. Perjurer stated that the cost of each episode averages around $1,000, with some being as expensive as $2,000.[14]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Location(s) | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 1 | "The History of Tomb Raider: The Ride" | Kings Island | February 5, 2018 |
| 24 | 2 | "The History of Alton Towers' Black Hole" | Alton Towers | February 19, 2018 |
| 25 | 3 | "The History of Journey Into Imagination" | Epcot | March 5, 2018 |
| 26 | 4 | "The History of Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies" | Universal Studios Florida | March 19, 2018 |
| 27 | 5 | "The History of Nara Dreamland" | Nara, Japan | April 2, 2018 |
| 28 | 6 | "The Failure of Euro Disneyland" | Disneyland Paris | May 8, 2018 |
| 29 | 7 | "The History of Disney's Best Coaster, Space Mountain: From the Earth to the Moon" | Disneyland Paris | May 13, 2018 |
| 30 | 8 | "The History of Busch Gardens' Swinging Classic, the Big Bad Wolf" | Busch Gardens Williamsburg | May 21, 2018 |
| 31 | 9 | "The Demolition of Six Flags AstroWorld" | Six Flags AstroWorld | May 31, 2018 |
| 32 | 10 | "Top 10 Forgotten Disneyland Attractions" | Disneyland | June 21, 2018 |
| 33 | 11 | "The War for Disney's America" | Haymarket, Virginia | July 4, 2018 |
| 34 | 12 | "The History of the Nickelodeon Hotel" | Holiday Inn Resort Orlando Suites – Waterpark | July 31, 2018 |
| 35 | 13 | "The Failure of Disney's Chuck E. Cheese Ripoff, Club Disney" | Across U.S. | August 14, 2018 |
| 36 | 14 | "The Failure of Disney's Arcade Chain, DisneyQuest" | Walt Disney World Resort Chicago, Illinois | September 4, 2018 |
| 37 | 15 | "The History of Worlds of Fun's Destroyed Classic, The Orient Express" | Worlds of Fun | October 4, 2018 |
| 38 | 16 | "The History of Disney's Scariest Attraction, Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour" | Tokyo Disneyland | October 25, 2018 |
| 39 | 17 | "The Mystery of the Abandoned Santa Claus Theme Parks" | Across U.S. Brazil Arctic Circle | December 23, 2018 |
| 40 | 18 | "The Demise of Australia's Biggest Theme Park, Wonderland Sydney" | Sydney, Australia | January 15, 2019 |
| 41 | 19 | "The Downfall of Disney's Official Airline, Eastern Airlines" | N/A | February 5, 2019 |
| 42 | 20 | "The History of the Terrifying Splash Mountain Predecessor, Tales of the Okefenokee" | Six Flags Over Georgia | March 7, 2019 |
| 43 | 21 | "The Failure of Hong Kong Disneyland" | Hong Kong Disneyland | March 22, 2019 |
Season 3 (2019–present)
[edit]The third season of Defunctland premiered on October 5, 2019. It will last for 22 episodes, of which 13 have been released so far. It has an overarching theme of revisionism and futurism, as well as hinting at the future influence that Walt Disney would receive when he eventually decided to build Disneyland. An additional 23rd production block was used to remake the Season 1 episode on Disneyland's Videopolis.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Location(s) | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | 1 | "A Roundabout History of the Ferris Wheel" | Chicago, Illinois | October 5, 2019 |
| 45 | 2 | "Walt Disney's Childhood Amusement Park, Electric Park" | Kansas City, Missouri | November 14, 2019 |
| 46 | 3 | "The Fair That Changed America" | Century of Progress Fair, Chicago, Illinois | November 21, 2019 |
| 47 | 4 | "The Craziest Party Walt Disney Ever Threw" | Lake Norconian Club | January 21, 2020 |
| 48 | 5 | "The History of Beverly Park Kiddieland" | Beverly Park Kiddieland | February 26, 2020 |
| 49 | 6 | "The History of Mickey Mouse Park" | Walt Disney Studios, Burbank, California | March 22, 2020 |
| 50 | 7 | "The History of Tomorrowland 1955" | Disneyland | April 19, 2020 |
| 51 | 8 | "The History of Coney Island" | Sea Lion Park Steeplechase Park Luna Park Dreamland | June 13, 2020 |
| 52 | 9 | "The History of Freedomland U.S.A." | Freedomland U.S.A. | July 7, 2020 |
| 53 | 10 | "The History of the 1964 New York World's Fair" | Flushing Meadows–Corona Park | August 9, 2020 |
| 54 | 11 | "Walt Disney's City of the Future, E.P.C.O.T." | Walt Disney World | October 12, 2020 |
| 55 | 12 | "The History of Disneyland's Adventure Thru Inner Space" | Disneyland | March 6, 2021 |
| 56 | 13 | "Journey to EPCOT Center: A Symphonic History" | Walt Disney World | November 19, 2023 |
Minisodes (2017–present)
[edit]Between the release of main Defunctland episodes, Perjurer will occasionally release smaller Defunctland "minisodes". These episodes can relate to topics outside of theme parks, such as products, advertising, and events.
| No. | Title | Location(s) | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The History of the Country Bear Christmas Special" | Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland | December 18, 2017 |
| 2 | "The History of McDonald's Mac Tonight" | Worldwide | December 31, 2017 |
| 3 | "The History of Disney California Adventure's Demolished Entrance" | Disney's California Adventure | January 15, 2018 |
| 4 | "Muppetland: The Disneyland Invasion That Almost Happened" | Disneyland | November 20, 2018 |
| 5 | "Burger Invasion: The History of McDonald's and Disney" | Worldwide | May 29, 2019 |
| 6 | "The History of Cedar Fair's Berenstain Bear Country" | Cedar Fair | August 1, 2019 |
| 7 | "The History of the Worst Six Flags Coaster, Green Lantern: First Flight" | Six Flags Magic Mountain | May 2, 2020 |
| 8 | "The History of Toys "R" Us Times Square" | Times Square | December 21, 2020 |
| 9 | "The History of the Worst SeaWorld Ride, Submarine Quest" | SeaWorld San Diego | May 11, 2021 |
| 10 | "The Handwich: Disney's Failed Sandwich of the Future" | Walt Disney World | June 17, 2021 |
| 11 | "The Bizarre Garfield Dark Ride" | Kennywood | May 19, 2022 |
| 12 | "The Awful Wiggles Dark Ride" | Dreamworld | May 9, 2023 |
| 13 | "The American Idol Theme Park Experience" | Disney's Hollywood Studios | February 14, 2024 |
| 14 | "Kid Cities" | Wannado City KidZania | June 19, 2024 |
Debunkedland
[edit]The first Defunctland spin-off, Debunkedland, was created by Kevin Perjurer and Noah Randall. Hosted by Randall, the series focused on debunking various rumors and myths about theme parks and theme park attractions. The initial run of the series, hosted by Randall on the Defunctland YouTube channel, lasted for only two episodes in April 2018. The series was rebooted with a third episode on the Themed Alternative YouTube channel, hosted by the mysterious "K", voiced by Bleaker, written by Corvyn Hartwick and edited by Heath Jinkins. This new incarnation of the series premiered on October 24, 2019.
Season 1 (Hosted by Noah Randall)
[edit]| No. | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Conspiracies of ExtraTERRORestrial: Alien Encounter" | April 9, 2018 |
| 2 | "The Controversies of Jaws: The Ride" | April 26, 2018 |
Season 2 (Hosted by "K")
[edit]| No. | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Myths of Pirates of the Caribbean" | October 24, 2019 |
DefunctTV
[edit]The second Defunctland spin-off, DefunctTV, premiered on June 12, 2018. It was co-created by Kevin Perjurer and Heath Jinkins, and hosted by Perjurer. The show takes a look at the history of defunct television shows, their inception, and what eventually led to their downfall.[15]
Season 1 (2018–present)
[edit]| No. | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The History of Bear in the Big Blue House" | June 12, 2018 |
| 2 | "The History of Legends of the Hidden Temple" | July 17, 2018 |
| 3 | "The History of Zoboomafoo" | September 18, 2018 |
| 4 | "The History of Between the Lions" | December 13, 2018 |
| 5 | "The History of the Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss" | February 19, 2019 |
| 6 | "The History of Dragon Tales" | August 31, 2019 |
| 7 | "The History of Welcome to Pooh Corner" | October 18, 2019 |
| 8 | "The History of the Original Ghost Busters" | October 31, 2019 |
| 9 | "The History of Gullah Gullah Island" | November 30, 2019 |
| 10 | "The History of Oobi" | December 22, 2019 |
| 11 | "The History of Dumbo's Circus" | April 4, 2020 |
| 12 | "The History of Adventures in Wonderland" | May 10, 2020 |
| 13 | "The History of Mousercise" | July 14, 2020 |
| 14 | "The History of the Big Comfy Couch" | November 19, 2020 |
| 15 | "The History of Buzz Lightyear of Star Command" | February 6, 2021 |
| 16 | "The History of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" | April 6, 2021 |
| 17 | "The History of Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman" | May 31, 2021 |
| 18 | "The History of The Puzzle Place" | August 8, 2021 |
| 19 | "The History of Under the Umbrella Tree" | February 28, 2022 |
DefunctTV: Jim Henson (2019)
[edit]A six-episode DefunctTV miniseries on the life and work of Jim Henson premiered on April 16, 2019, and ended on July 14, 2019.[16]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The History of the First Muppet Show, Sam and Friends" | April 16, 2019 | |
|
DefuncTV explores Sam and Friends, the Wilkins Coffee commercials, and the other local Washington, D.C., shows Jim Henson had worked on. | ||||
| 2 | 2 | "The Curse of Sesame Street" | April 30, 2019 | |
|
DefunctTV explores Sesame Street and The Muppet Show pilots, such as The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence and Hey, Cinderella!. | ||||
| 3 | 3 | "The History of The Muppet Show" | May 15, 2019 | |
|
DefunctTV explores The Muppet Show and The Muppet Movie. | ||||
| 4 | 4 | "The History of Fraggle Rock" | June 12, 2019 | |
| 5 | 5 | "The History of Muppet Babies" | June 27, 2019 | |
| 6 | 6 | "The Final Jim Henson Hour" | July 14, 2019 | |
|
DefunctTV explores The Jim Henson Hour, Muppet*Vision 3D, The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson and Jim Henson's passing. | ||||
Feature-length documentaries
[edit]On August 20, 2020, Defunctland released Live from the Space Stage: A Halyx Story, a feature-length documentary by Matthew Serrano about Halyx, a space-themed band that performed at Disneyland's Tomorrowland Space Stage in 1981, including interviews with Gary Krisel, Mike Post, Jymn Magon, and members of Halyx.[17] A second feature-length documentary, Disney's FastPass: A Complicated History, was released on November 21, 2021, examining the history of ride ticketing as well as the implementation, development and efficacy of line management systems at Disney parks.[18] A third feature-length documentary, Disney Channel's Theme: A History Mystery, was released on November 20, 2022, chronicling Perjurer's investigation into the then-unknown composer of the iconic Disney Channel jingle.[19][20] He released his fourth documentary in 2023 that explores the development and history of Disney's Epcot.[21][15][22] His next documentary was about the so-called "Kids Cities" theme parks where children simulate the adult world.[23] He ended the year of 2024 with a history documentary about the Disney's Animatronics.[24] In November 2025, the second part of the documentary was published. It is the longest video by Perjurer as of 2025, running at 258 minutes and 30 seconds.[25][26]
| No. | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Live from the Space Stage: A Halyx Story" | August 20, 2020 |
| 2 | "Disney's FastPass: A Complicated History" | November 21, 2021 |
| 3 | "Disney Channel's Theme: A History Mystery" | November 20, 2022 |
| 4 | "Journey to EPCOT Center: A Symphonic History" | November 19, 2023 |
| 5 | "Kid Cities" | June 18, 2024 |
| 6 | "Disney's Animatronics: A Living History" | December 19, 2024 |
| 7 | "Disney's Living Characters: A Broken Promise" | November 23, 2025 |
References
[edit]- ^ Anderson, Sage (February 12, 2019). "'Defunctland' offers a fascinating exploration of the death of amusement park rides". Mashable. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
- ^ Rayne, Elizabeth (October 11, 2017). "Stuff We Love: Defunctland, the internet's virtual zombie amusement park". Syfy Wire. Archived from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ Zakarin, Jordan (November 13, 2018). "The weird, abandoned, and mythical theme parks of America [Fandom Files #58]". Syfy Wire. Archived from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ Novak, Matt (January 10, 2019). "YouTube Allows Disney Nerds to Relive Extinct Theme Park Attractions". Paleofuture. Archived from the original on April 29, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ Winkie, Luke (July 9, 2023). "Defunctland's Wild Ride". Slate. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ^ D'Anastasio, Cecilia (September 11, 2018). "'DefunctLand' Investigates How And Why Theme Parks Die". Kotaku. Archived from the original on November 25, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
- ^ Raftery, Brian (November 2, 2019). "Where 'Jaws,' the Ride, Lives Forever". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ Frost, Raymond D.; Fox, Alexa; Strauss, Judy (2018). E-marketing. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-74484-3.
- ^ Andrasko, Nicole (January 22, 2019). "YouTube's Defunctland Explores the Derelict Beauty of Theme Parks". Study Breaks. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (April 25, 2024). "Peabody Awards Nominations: 'The Bear', 'Bluey', 'The Last Of Us' & More – Full List". Deadline. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
- ^ The Peabody Awards
- ^ Clayton, Natalie (11 January 2021). "Defunctland's VR amusement park revives a long-dead Disney ride". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 2022-01-26. Retrieved 2022-01-26 – via www.pcgamer.com.
- ^ Radulovic, Petrana (8 January 2021). "Disney's extinct 20,000 Leagues ride has been resurrected in VR". Polygon. Archived from the original on 2022-01-26. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
- ^ Defunctland [@Defunctland] (March 28, 2021). "Some inside-baseball but most Defunctland episodes typically cost around $1000 to make. I think the most expensive episode was probably less than $2500. This one is... expensive" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Alter, Rebecca; Gularte, Alejandra (November 23, 2023). "A Guide to Defunctland: YouTube's Favorite Theme-Park Enthusiast". Vulture. Archived from the original on November 23, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
- ^ Hughes, William (May 16, 2019). "YouTube's Defunctland chronicles the creation and evolution of The Muppet Show". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ Taylor, Drew (August 21, 2020). "This Summer's Wildest Disney Documentary Is a YouTube Movie About a Failed Sci-Fi Rock Band". Collider. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
- ^ Taylor, Drew (22 November 2021). "Disney's FastPass: Waiting in Line Gets Its Own Documentary". TheWrap. Archived from the original on 2023-08-20. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
- ^ Brady, Erin (November 25, 2022). "The Daily Stream: Disney Channel's Theme: A History Mystery Is One Of The Year's Best Documentaries". /film. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ The best video essays of 2022|Sight & Sound
- ^ Whittaker, Richard (December 15, 2023). "Richard Whittaker's Top 10 Films of 2023". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- ^ The best video essays of 2023 - Polygon
- ^ Schindel, Dan (August 20, 2024). "Five Video Essays to Watch in August". Hyperallergic. Archived from the original on August 22, 2024. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- ^ Bolling, Ruben (December 26, 2024). "A deep, deep dive into the history of Disney's animatronics". Boing Boing. Archived from the original on December 26, 2024. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- ^ Dent, Steve (November 25, 2025). "Disney teases an Olaf robot for its parks". Engadget. Archived from the original on November 29, 2025. Retrieved November 29, 2025.
- ^ St. Clair, Grant (November 25, 2025). "Defunctland returns with an even deeper dive into Disney's ill-fated animatronic ambitions". Boing Boing. Archived from the original on November 29, 2025. Retrieved November 29, 2025.
External links
[edit]
Defunctland
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Defunctland is a YouTube documentary series created and hosted by filmmaker Kevin Perjurer, dedicated to exploring the histories of extinct theme parks, attractions, and themed entertainment experiences within pop culture.[1] Launched in 2017, the series presents narrative-driven accounts emphasizing business decisions, creative processes, and nostalgic elements that contributed to the rise and fall of these ventures, often through feature-length episodes featuring animations, archival footage, and in-depth research.[2] With over 2.2 million subscribers and more than 255 million total views as of 2026, Defunctland has established itself as a prominent resource for theme park enthusiasts, earning acclaim for its production quality and meticulous examination of subjects like Disney's FastPass system, the chaotic Action Park waterpark, and various closed rides from major operators.[3] The channel includes spin-offs such as DefunctTV, which delves into the histories of defunct children's television programming, further broadening its scope beyond physical attractions.[1]
Creator and Background
Kevin Perjurer
Kevin Perjurer is an independent filmmaker based in the United States, known for creating the YouTube channel Defunctland, which launched in 2017 and focuses on the histories of defunct theme park attractions and themed entertainment experiences. Prior to Defunctland, Perjurer worked in documentary production for five years, developing skills in research and storytelling that he later applied to theme park historiography.[4] Hailing from Kansas City in the Midwest, where theme parks were not abundant, Perjurer's interest in the subject originated from limited childhood visits to Disney World, which he attended twice and which fostered a fascination with the engineering, narrative design, and ephemerality of such attractions.[5][6] Perjurer's decision to launch Defunctland stemmed from a desire to document and preserve overlooked aspects of theme park history, often drawing on primary sources like corporate records, Freedom of Information Act requests, and interviews with former employees to reconstruct events independently of official corporate narratives.[4] He has described the channel as a platform to highlight how attractions vanish without trace, emphasizing meticulous verification over anecdotal or promotional accounts to reveal causal factors in their success or failure.[7] This preservationist effort reflects his self-directed approach to archival investigation, including on-site examinations of abandoned sites and analysis of proprietary documents, which he pursued without formal training in theme park studies.[8] Through Defunctland, Perjurer positions himself as a chronicler of themed entertainment's transient nature, prioritizing empirical reconstruction of historical timelines and operational realities over sanitized retrospectives provided by theme park operators.[5] His work underscores the challenges of accessing restricted materials, such as internal memos and engineering reports, to counter incomplete public records and ensure accountability in recounting industrial decisions affecting cultural artifacts.[4]Inception and Early Motivations
Defunctland originated from Kevin Perjurer's desire to explore the underexplored histories of discontinued theme park attractions, drawing inspiration from YouTube channels like Jake's Abandoned that documented abandoned sites. Perjurer, who had developed a personal fascination with theme parks during his upbringing in Kansas City, Kansas, aimed to apply documentary filmmaking techniques to dissect these extinct experiences, emphasizing their role in American cultural history beyond prevailing success-oriented narratives. This focus stemmed from a recognition that defunct attractions often embodied innovative experiments and corporate missteps overlooked in mainstream accounts, providing lessons through empirical analysis of their rise and fall.[9][10][8] The channel launched on February 15, 2017, with the debut episode chronicling Disney's ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, a short-format video that set the tone for examining operational failures and design ambitions using available archival materials. Perjurer's early motivations centered on preservation: crediting unacknowledged creators and illuminating how market forces, managerial decisions, and economic realities contributed to closures, rather than attributing demise solely to external factors. With constrained resources, including limited access to theme parks and reliance on online archives, initial productions prioritized quick releases over polish, reflecting Perjurer's solo efforts to build an audience interested in factual reconstructions over sensationalism.[11][8][10] As viewership grew, Perjurer transitioned from concise overviews to extended investigations, enabling deeper sourcing from eyewitness accounts and historical records to causally trace why attractions like failed roller coasters or themed hotels succeeded or collapsed under specific business pressures. This evolution underscored a commitment to rigorous, evidence-based storytelling, avoiding idealized retellings by foregrounding verifiable data on inefficiencies and strategic errors. Early challenges included Perjurer's modest personal ride count and geographic distance from major parks, necessitating virtual research methods that honed the channel's distinctive approach to theme park historiography.[8][10][12]Primary Series Format
Documentary Style and Research Methods
Defunctland's documentaries utilize a blend of archival footage, custom animations, and selective interviews to reconstruct historical events with visual and narrative depth. Archival materials, often sourced from public domain collections, viewer submissions, or licensed VHS tapes, provide authentic glimpses into past attractions, while animations—created by Perjurer or outsourced illustrators—depict reconstructions of rides, schematics, or abstract concepts not captured on film. Interviews with former employees or insiders offer firsthand accounts, conducted informally and unrecorded to foster openness, though they are corroborated against documents to maintain factual integrity. This multimedia integration supports a chronological structure that traces origins, peaks, and declines, emphasizing causal chains such as engineering flaws or market shifts derived from primary evidence rather than assumption.[10] Perjurer's voiceover narration delivers content in a clear, unadorned style, serving as the central thread without dramatic modulation, allowing the facts to drive the tone. Early episodes from 2017 featured concise 15- to 20-minute formats, but by later seasons, videos expanded to hour-long or longer productions, reflecting increased production values and narrative ambition akin to traditional documentaries. This evolution prioritizes exhaustive detail over brevity, with scripting involving months of refinement to weave disparate sources into cohesive timelines.[13][8] Research methodology centers on primary and verifiable secondary sources, including newspapers, trade articles, historical photographs, and theme park promotional videos, accessed through libraries, online archives, and personal networks. Perjurer initiates with broad topic scouting, narrowing to defunct subjects with untapped stories, then cross-references details across decades-spanning records to identify consistencies and resolve discrepancies—such as conflicting accounts of operational failures. Speculation is eschewed in favor of documented outcomes, with economic incentives (e.g., cost overruns) and engineering realities (e.g., maintenance breakdowns) analyzed only where supported by evidence like internal memos or performance data. This process, spanning four or more months per episode, yields 2–3 releases annually, underscoring a commitment to depth over volume.[10][13]Thematic Focus on Defunct Attractions
Defunctland emphasizes the historical trajectories of theme park attractions that ceased operations, frequently attributing closures to economic pressures, such as insufficient revenue generation amid high maintenance costs, or strategic shifts in corporate priorities toward more profitable intellectual property-based developments. For instance, many documented cases involve attractions discontinued after failing to recoup investments exceeding tens of millions of dollars, as seen in various Disney initiatives that prioritized short-term financial metrics over long-term guest engagement.[11][8] Safety engineering flaws and operational inefficiencies also recur as causal factors, with episodes detailing how design oversights or inadequate upkeep led to shutdowns, underscoring the precarious balance required in large-scale themed environments.[14] A prominent motif is corporate overreach, where expansive visions clash with practical constraints, resulting in ventures undermined by excessive ambition or misaligned executive decisions, as evidenced in analyses of projects that ballooned beyond initial budgets due to unchecked expansion plans. This intersects with the tension between innovation and bureaucracy, portraying creative breakthroughs—like pioneering animatronics or immersive storytelling—as often stifled by internal red tape, regulatory hurdles, or risk-averse policies that favored standardization over experimentation. Perjurer's narratives reveal how such dynamics contributed to the ephemerality of themed entertainment, with attractions vanishing entirely, leaving no physical remnants or replicable experiences, a phenomenon exacerbated by the industry's rapid evolution and lack of archival preservation.[15][16] The series maintains a balanced examination by acknowledging creative achievements, such as groundbreaking narrative integrations that enhanced guest immersion, while candidly addressing cons like financial hemorrhages—often in the range of $100 million or more for flagship failures—and inherent operational flaws that doomed viability. Nostalgic myths are routinely debunked through empirical data, including attendance figures, cost analyses, and contemporary reviews, demonstrating that many defunct attractions suffered from execution lapses rather than external sabotage alone, thus privileging causal realism over romanticized hindsight. This approach avoids uncritical endorsement of corporate narratives, instead highlighting systemic issues like profit-driven pivots that prioritize IP licensing over original innovation.[14][17][8]Main Episodes
Series Overview
Defunctland's main episode series has produced over 50 installments by October 2025, detailing the histories of discontinued theme park attractions and related entertainment ventures.[18] The series emphasizes empirical accounts drawn from archival footage, interviews, and primary documents, maintaining a focus on factual reconstruction over speculation. Early episodes adhered to shorter runtimes of 15 to 30 minutes, while productions from 2019 onward extended to 1- to 2-hour feature-length documentaries, incorporating advanced animation and comprehensive timelines to explore complex developmental and operational histories.[11] The content predominantly covers United States-based parks, including extensive coverage of Disney resorts and Six Flags installations, though select episodes address international attractions such as Australian-themed experiences.[19] This scope has driven aggregate viewership exceeding 244 million across the channel's videos, with subscriber counts reaching 2.08 million by late 2025.[3] Patreon funding sustains the series' resource-intensive production, enabling in-depth investigations that prioritize verifiable data over mainstream narratives.[20]Season 1 (2017)
Season 1 of Defunctland premiered on February 15, 2017, with the episode "The History of ExtraTERRORestrial: Alien Encounter," which examined the development of Disney's immersive alien abduction simulator at Magic Kingdom, featuring advanced audio-animatronics and in-the-dark effects that debuted in 1994 but closed in 2003 amid complaints of scaring children and operational complexities.[21] The episode highlighted causal factors in the attraction's failure, including over-reliance on sensory immersion without adequate safeguards for audience demographics, setting a template for the series' analysis of technological ambition versus practical execution in theme park design.[22] Subsequent episodes maintained short runtimes averaging 13 minutes and explored foundational defunct attractions, primarily from Disney and Universal parks, emphasizing engineering challenges and market shifts. For instance, the February 22, 2017 follow-up on "Disneyland's Videopolis" detailed the 1985 launch of a teen-oriented dance club with MTV tie-ins that drew crowds until its 1993 conversion to a stage show venue due to declining teen attendance and rising operational costs.[21] [23] Another early entry covered Universal's "Jaws: The Ride," operational from 1990 to 2012 on March 2, 2017, which suffered repeated shark animatronic malfunctions and storm damage, underscoring vulnerabilities in water-based effects reliant on mechanical reliability.[22] Episodes like "The History of Pleasure Island: Part 1," released April 3, 2017, dissected Disney World's 1989 nightlife district, which shuttered in 2008 after failing to sustain adult draw amid family-oriented park evolution.[22] Later in the season, coverage broadened to non-Disney failures, such as the June 9, 2017, episode on "Back to the Future: The Ride," a Universal simulator that ran from 1991 to 2007 before replacement, attributed to licensing expirations and simulator tech obsolescence.[24] The July 23, 2017, installment on Kings Island's "Son of Beast" roller coaster analyzed its 2000 opening as the world's tallest and first looping wooden coaster, which closed in 2009 following structural cracks, lawsuits over injuries, and inherent wood-steel hybrid design flaws.[25] These entries exemplified the season's raw documentary approach, relying on archival clips and creator narration without later seasons' extensive animations or guest interviews, while prioritizing empirical breakdowns of safety data and economic metrics over promotional narratives from park operators.[23]| Episode Title | Release Date | Key Focus |
|---|---|---|
| The History of ExtraTERRORestrial: Alien Encounter | February 15, 2017 | Immersive effects failures at Disney.[21] |
| The History of Disneyland's Videopolis | February 22, 2017 | Decline of 1980s teen entertainment venues.[21] |
| The History of Jaws: The Ride | March 2, 2017 | Mechanical unreliability in Universal attractions.[22] |
| The History of The Sorcerer's Hat | March 9, 2017 | Controversial landmark at Disney's Hollywood Studios.[22] |
| The History of Pretzel Dark Rides | March 17, 2017 | Origins and decline of pretzel-shaped dark rides.[22] |
| The History of Pleasure Island: Part 1 | April 3, 2017 | Nightlife district closure economics.[22] |
| The History of Pleasure Island: Part 2 | April 20, 2017 | Conclusion of Disney World's nightlife district history.[22] |
| The History of Kongfrontation | May 4, 2017 | Demise of Universal's King Kong simulator ride.[22] |
| The History of Disney's Worst Attraction Ever, Superstar Limo | May 27, 2017 | Failed celebrity-themed dark ride at Disney California Adventure.[22] |
| The History of Back to the Future: The Ride | June 9, 2017 | Simulator obsolescence and licensing issues.[24] |
| The History of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage: Part 1 | June 23, 2017 | Development of Disney submarine attractions.[22] |
| The History of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage: Part 2 | July 2, 2017 | Closure and legacy of submarine voyages at Disney parks.[22] |
| The History of Disneyland's America Sings | July 4, 2017 | Closure of animatronic musical show at Disneyland.[22] |
| The History of Ghostbusters Spooktacular | July 13, 2017 | End of Universal's Halloween special effects show.[22] |
| The History of Son of Beast | July 23, 2017 | Structural failures in wooden coasters.[25] |
| The History of Epcot's Body Wars | August 7, 2017 | Simulator ride failures at Epcot.[22] |
| The History of Earthquake: The Big One and Disaster! | August 21, 2017 | Evolution of disaster simulation rides at Universal.[22] |
| The History of Cedar Point's Disaster Transport | September 4, 2017 | Closure of bobsled roller coaster at Cedar Point.[22] |
| The History of Captain EO | September 25, 2017 | History of Michael Jackson's 3D film attraction.[22] |
| The History of Action Park | October 16, 2017 | Notorious unsafe amusement park operations.[22] |
| The History of Beetlejuice's Graveyard Revue | October 31, 2017 | Defunct musical revue at Universal Studios.[22] |
| Top 5 Extinct Disney Walk-Around Characters | November 13, 2017 | Ranking of discontinued Disney costume characters.[22] |
| The History of Drachen Fire at Busch Gardens Williamsburg | November 27, 2017 | Failed steel roller coaster at Busch Gardens.[22] |
| The History of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera | December 11, 2017 | Closure of cartoon-themed simulator at Universal.[22] |
Season 2 (2018–19)
Season 2 of Defunctland featured 21 episodes released from February 2018 to March 2019, building on the foundational format of Season 1 by integrating more refined animations, extended narrative depth, and initial forays into on-camera guest perspectives alongside archival materials.[26] This period reflected the channel's transitional growth, with episodes increasingly emphasizing empirical breakdowns of financial mismanagement, attendance shortfalls, and operational miscalculations in theme park ventures, drawing from corporate filings, contemporary news reports, and industry accounts.[21] Early episodes focused on specific ride histories, such as "The History of Tomb Raider: The Ride" (February 5, 2018), which chronicled the interactive dark ride's 1999 debut at Chessington World of Adventures, its technical reliance on Sega hardware, and closures by 2007 due to maintenance costs and dated appeal.[27] Similarly, "The History of Alton Towers' Black Hole" (February 19, 2018) examined the enclosed roller coaster's 1987 launch, popularity peak in the 1990s, and 2007 removal amid safety concerns and redundancy with newer attractions.[27] These installments highlighted engineering innovations alongside causal factors like evolving guest expectations, setting a template for analytical rigor. Mid-season entries shifted toward larger-scale failures, exemplified by "The Failure of Disney's Arcade Chain, DisneyQuest" (September 4, 2018), which dissected the indoor virtual reality venues' 1998 Orlando opening and 1999 Chicago expansion, underscoring initial investments surpassing $300 million against persistent low throughput and competition from home gaming, culminating in closures by 2017.[28] The episode incorporated financial data from Disney's reports to illustrate revenue underperformance and scalability issues, extending runtime to approximately 35 minutes for comprehensive timelines. Related coverage extended to interconnected arcade concepts like GameWorks, revealing broader industry overexpansion in the late 1990s amid arcade market contraction.[29] The season closed with "The Failure of Hong Kong Disneyland" (March 22, 2019), analyzing the park's 2005 launch under Michael Eisner's oversight, where construction costs exceeded $1.8 billion but initial capacity limitations and cultural adaptation errors yielded attendance below projections, prompting $1.7 billion in expansions by 2009.[30] This finale deepened causal examination of geopolitical negotiations, economic projections, and leadership transitions, including Eisner's 2005 resignation amid shareholder pressure, using leaked memos and earnings calls for evidence. Overall, Season 2's polished visuals and data-driven critiques evidenced Perjurer's maturation in sourcing verifiable metrics, distinguishing it from prior experimental shorts while presaging extended formats.[31]Season 3 (2019–present)
Season 3 of Defunctland premiered on October 5, 2019, with the episode "A Roundabout History of the Ferris Wheel," marking a shift toward longer, more in-depth explorations of amusement park innovations and histories compared to prior seasons.[32] Early episodes delved into foundational influences on theme park design, such as "Walt Disney's Childhood Amusement Park, Electric Park," which examined the Kansas City park that inspired Walt Disney's early concepts, and "The History of Coney Island," released June 13, 2020, presenting five interconnected stories of the site's evolution from 19th-century pleasure grounds to mid-20th-century decline amid fires, economic shifts, and urban changes.[33] These installments emphasized multi-layered narratives, drawing on archival footage, eyewitness accounts, and structural analyses to trace causal factors like technological advancements and socioeconomic pressures leading to attraction closures.[33] Subsequent releases adopted a feature-length format, prioritizing empirical data and simulations to dissect operational impacts. The November 21, 2021, episode "Disney's FastPass: A Complicated History" spanned 103 minutes, utilizing custom queue simulations and wait-time datasets from Disney parks to quantify how the system—introduced in 1999—altered guest throughput, reduced standby lines by up to 50% in peak hours, but inadvertently concentrated crowds and diminished spontaneous experiences, contributing to its 2021 retirement in favor of Genie+.[34] This approach extended to broader cultural tie-ins, reflecting Perjurer's research methodology of cross-referencing park records with economic metrics to challenge assumptions about efficiency gains.[34] In 2024, episodes continued irregularly without a formalized Season 4, focusing on defunct experiential attractions amid post-pandemic industry adaptations like capacity controls and hybrid virtual queuing. "The American Idol Theme Park Experience," aired February 14, 2024, chronicled the 2009–2014 Disney's Hollywood Studios attraction, which auditioned over 15,000 contestants annually via a multi-stage format mirroring the TV show, yet closed due to licensing costs exceeding $10 million yearly and shifting viewer demographics.[35] Similarly, "Kid Cities," released June 18, 2024, traced the 1930s–present phenomenon of child-scale mock towns like Junior Achievement's programs, where participants simulated adult roles in over 100 global iterations, highlighting closures driven by liability concerns and digital alternatives post-2020.[19] By mid-2025, production paused further Season 3 content—originally planned for 22 episodes—citing YouTube algorithm shifts favoring shorter videos, though Perjurer indicated potential resumption for high-engagement topics.[36] Production resumed later that year with "Disney's Living Characters: A Broken Promise," released November 23, 2025, a 4-hour documentary exploring Disney's unrealized animatronic ambitions for free-roaming robots in theme parks. It details how safety concerns, substantial expenses, and technological hurdles stalled the Living Character Initiative, mirroring Perjurer's acclaimed 2024 episode "Disney's Animatronics: A Living History."[37]| Episode Title | Release Date | Runtime | Key Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disney's FastPass: A Complicated History | November 21, 2021 | 103 minutes | Queue management system's data-driven inefficiencies and park-wide effects[34] |
| The American Idol Theme Park Experience | February 14, 2024 | ~45 minutes | Idol-branded audition attraction's operational scale and financial unsustainability[35] |
| Kid Cities | June 18, 2024 | ~40 minutes | Miniature role-play towns' educational origins and modern obsolescence[19] |
| Disney's Living Characters: A Broken Promise | November 23, 2025 | ~240 minutes | Disney's failed free-roaming animatronics initiative due to safety, cost, and technical challenges[37] |
Minisodes (2017–present)
Minisodes comprise a collection of short-form videos produced by Defunctland since 2017, focusing on concise histories of minor defunct attractions, promotional campaigns, and themed entertainment elements often overlooked in broader narratives. Ranging from 5 to 15 minutes in duration, these episodes emphasize quick, self-contained stories that introduce viewers to the channel's core interest in extinct pop culture artifacts, particularly those tied to theme parks or advertising tie-ins. Unlike the main series' extended investigations, minisodes prioritize brevity and accessibility, functioning as supplementary content to draw in audiences with standalone facts on quirky defunct subjects.[38] Initial entries include examinations of Disney-related oddities, such as the January 15, 2018, video on Disney California Adventure's demolished entrance, which chronicles the park's original gateway architecture and its rapid redesign amid attendance challenges. Another early example, "The History of McDonald's Mac Tonight," details the 1980s moon-faced mascot's advertising campaign, its cultural impact, and eventual discontinuation following shifts in fast-food marketing strategies. These shorts have accumulated substantial viewership—often in the hundreds of thousands to millions—demonstrating their role in expanding the channel's reach by offering low-commitment entry points to theme park historiography.[39][38] Subsequent minisodes extend to international and non-Disney topics, such as the May 19, 2022, analysis of Kennywood's Garfield's Nightmare dark ride overlay on the historic Old Mill, tracing its thematic mismatch and operational failures. More recent releases, like the June 18, 2024, episode on Kid Cities, explore 20th-century miniature urban simulations designed for children's role-playing, underscoring their decline amid evolving educational priorities. Produced irregularly alongside main content, minisodes maintain a focus on verifiable archival details and eyewitness accounts, avoiding the deep corporate critiques reserved for longer formats while reinforcing Defunctland's commitment to preserving ephemeral entertainment history.[40][19]Spin-off Series
Debunkedland
Debunkedland constitutes a spin-off series within the Defunctland framework, dedicated to dissecting urban legends and unsubstantiated claims about theme park attractions by prioritizing archival documents, technical specifications, and contemporaneous reports over anecdotal narratives.[41] The format involves systematic evaluation of specific myths, determining their veracity through cross-referenced evidence such as engineering blueprints, incident logs, and executive correspondences, thereby countering folklore with documented causality.[42] Season 1, hosted by Noah Randall, launched on April 9, 2018, with the episode "The Conspiracies of ExtraTERRORestrial: Alien Encounter," which assessed three assertions about the Disney attraction's inception, operational hazards, and 2003 decommissioning, including theories of suppressed safety data and thematic censorship, ultimately resolving them via attraction schematics and Walt Disney World maintenance records.[43] [44] The follow-up, aired April 26, 2018, examined "The Controversies of Jaws: The Ride," scrutinizing claims like federal Environmental Protection Agency oversight of its lagoon ecosystem and mechanical failure cover-ups at Universal's Islands of Adventure, refuted or affirmed using environmental impact assessments and ride telemetry data from the attraction's 1990–2012 run.[45] Season 2, rebooted under the pseudonym host "K" on October 24, 2019, via the Themed Alternative YouTube channel, refined the methodology to elucidate the psychological and informational origins of misconceptions, as in the premiere "The Myths of Pirates of the Caribbean," which traced distortions in ride lore—such as alleged hidden political subtexts and animatronic malfunction exaggerations—to original 1967 Imagineering notes and guest feedback logs from Disneyland's enduring boat dark ride.[46] This iteration emphasizes not merely refutation but the propagation dynamics of errors, drawing on communication patterns in fan communities and media amplifications to explain myth persistence absent contradictory primary evidence.[42]DefunctTV
DefunctTV is a spin-off video series from the Defunctland YouTube channel, created by Kevin Perjurer and Heath Jinkins, that examines the histories of canceled or defunct children's television programs through a lens of archival footage, interviews, and satirical reenactments styled after 1990s public access television.[47] Episodes typically run between 12 and 40 minutes, blending factual timelines of production challenges, network decisions, and cultural impact with humorous critiques of executive mismanagement and creative compromises in media development.[48] Unlike the parent series' emphasis on theme park attractions, DefunctTV extends to broader pop culture intersections, such as adaptations or tie-ins that influenced entertainment beyond broadcasting.[49] The series premiered in 2018 and has produced over 30 episodes as of 2025, maintaining an irregular release schedule amid Perjurer's other projects.[47] Content often highlights behind-the-scenes turmoil, including budget constraints and shifting viewer demographics that led to cancellations; for instance, episodes dissect how PBS Kids shows like Zoboomafoo (1999–2001) struggled with funding after initial success, relying on animal-handling innovations that proved unsustainable for long-term production.[50] Similarly, analyses of Nickelodeon series such as Legends of the Hidden Temple (1993–1995) critique the network's pivot away from physical challenge formats toward safer, studio-bound content amid rising liability concerns.[47] These segments employ Perjurer's deadpan narration and low-fi graphics to underscore causal factors like advertiser pullouts and algorithmic shifts in children's programming.[49] A standout production is the six-part DefunctTV: Jim Henson series released in 2019, totaling approximately three hours, which chronicles Henson's career from early puppetry experiments in Sam and Friends (1955–1961) to the global phenomenon of The Muppet Show (1976–1981) and subsequent ventures like Fraggle Rock (1983–1987).[51] The installments detail Henson's negotiations with networks, including rejections from ABC and the BBC's initial hesitance toward the Muppets' chaotic style, attributing success to persistent syndication deals and international co-productions that bypassed U.S. executive skepticism.[52] Later episodes cover Henson's diversification into HBO specials and creature effects for films, critiquing corporate pressures post-Disney acquisition attempts that influenced his creative output until his death in 1990.[53] This series has been lauded for its depth, incorporating rare footage and Henson family insights to argue that his innovations in puppet technology and storytelling endured despite media industry volatility.[54] Other episodes extend to shows with thematic entertainment crossovers, such as Bear in the Big Blue House (1997–2006), exploring Jim Henson Company's post-Henson adaptations and the shift to CGI hybrids that alienated traditional puppet audiences, or The Big Comfy Couch (1992–2006), which examines Canadian co-productions' reliance on physical sets that became obsolete with digital trends.[48] As of March 2025, Perjurer announced development of an episode on game shows like Deal or No Deal (2005–2009), signaling continued expansion into adult-oriented defunct formats with economic critique.[55] The series differentiates itself through its concise, episodic structure, prioritizing media history over spectacle while maintaining Defunctland's commitment to unvarnished archival evidence.[50]Expanded Projects
Feature-Length Documentaries
Defunctland's feature-length documentaries represent extended, standalone productions that delve into broader theme park histories and operational evolutions, often surpassing the 60-minute mark and incorporating cinematic production techniques such as orchestral scores, archival footage reconstruction, and interviews with industry veterans. These works emerged prominently after 2019, coinciding with creator Kevin Perjurer's pivot toward higher-budget formats emphasizing empirical analysis of park development challenges and innovations, rather than isolated attraction failures.[34][56] This shift allowed for deeper causal examinations, including corporate decision-making and technological impacts, supported by consultations with former Disney executives and engineers to verify historical claims.[57] A pivotal example is Disney's FastPass: A Complicated History, released on November 21, 2021, which runs 103 minutes and traces the system's inception in 1999 at Disneyland through its 2021 replacement by Genie+, analyzing queue management economics and rider behavior data from Disney's internal metrics.[34] The documentary critiques FastPass's role in exacerbating income disparities in access—evidenced by pre-booking advantages for hotel guests—while crediting its reduction of average wait times from 40 to 20 minutes based on operational logs, though it notes unverified corporate narratives on scalability limits. Perjurer employs motion graphics to model throughput algorithms and interviews queue theorists, highlighting how the system's tiered evolution prioritized revenue over equity without empirical proof of universal efficiency gains.[34] In 2023, Journey to EPCOT Center: A Symphonic History marked a milestone, premiering November 19 as a 70-minute film chronicling the 16-year gap from Walt Disney's 1966 death to the park's October 1, 1982 opening, with a symphonic score underscoring failed utopian prototypes like the experimental Progress City model.[56] Drawing on declassified Walt Disney Imagineering documents and eyewitness accounts from planners like Bob Gurr, it dissects causal pivots from residential city ambitions to pavilion-based exposition due to land acquisition barriers and zoning disputes, validated by 1970s feasibility studies showing prohibitive costs exceeding $1 billion adjusted for inflation.[56] The production's advanced visuals, including CGI recreations of unbuilt concepts, elevate it to documentary film standards, prioritizing verifiable blueprints over speculative "what-ifs" and consulting architects for accuracy on infrastructural compromises.[57]| Title | Release Date | Runtime | Primary Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disney's FastPass: A Complicated History | November 21, 2021 | 103 minutes | Queueing technology evolution and socioeconomic impacts at Disney parks[34] |
| Journey to EPCOT Center: A Symphonic History | November 19, 2023 | 70 minutes | Developmental trajectory from E.P.C.O.T. vision to realized theme park[56] |