Genuinely a stunning piece of videowork and one of my favorite things Kevin has ever done. I think his Fastpass video is tighter and thus better, but this one goes so many different places while still remaining cohesive and entertaining throughout.
There's so much to tackle with this topic, and I love how well it bridges everything together. From the Abraham Lincoln animatronic we left off on with Kevin's last video and the finale of Season 3, to the intricacies of Disney's entertainment and meet & greet offerings, the development of Pixar, the way that the Eisner and Iger eras led into each other and differed in notable ways, and countless other subjects. It's a topic that lives in the weaved threads of the unified Entertainment industry, and thus it has to acknowledge countless plot and lore beats to make everything come together in a way that makes sense from start to finish. This video feels like it should be Required Reading for anyone looking to engage with theme park discussions on a deeper level.
It was really interesting seeing Kevin tell the story of Universal Orlando Resort. It's a subject that he hasn't really dug into much, and even though it's a relatively brief aspect of a larger whole here, it can be treated as a mini-doc in itself. I love that they point out the ways that Islands was ahead of its' time as a park full of IP-focused immersive lands, even well before Potter showed up. As well as a subtle nod to how the designers behind the Universal parks had a firm knowledge of the limitations of the era, and knew how to bring their worlds to life in feasible ways like with the E.T. passports, the Talking Fountain, and an actual working "Big Dino"! All the way up to the Wand and Power-Up Band effects and Dragon animatronics with Epic. The doc really showed how the story doesn't begin and end with Disney; it showed that a number of developments were made by the rival parks as well, and just how fluid the industry is where the head designer for Potter can end up working for Disney on their primary Potter-killer land Galaxy's Edge.
Galaxy's Edge feels like the final stop for a number of these theme park essay channels. Between this and Jenny's Star Wars Hotel video, it feels like the theme park community is aware of how much Disney outwardly and completely lied about what they were offering with that expansion, but there hasn't really been that one big takedown of the project yet. That story has always been told through adjacent subjects, or in the background of smaller and more pointed stories. Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge was an utter disappointment upon opening, with countless issues from all different stages of development, and those poor design decisions reverberate to this day. I'm simply waiting for that story to be the main focus.
Speaking of that story weaving, I love the perfectly natural way that the story of George Lucas and the release of Star Wars, a technical marvel for the time, leads into the development of Pixar and the Turtle Talk living character; coinciding with partner Spielberg working with Universal, eventually leading into Potter, and finishing with Galaxy's Edge as a response to the Wizarding World's success. Such an incredible narrative. Losing any element would make the story incomplete, but I can't imagine how complicated it must've been to communicate a history so dense and reactive in an understandable and satisfying way.
He also just has a stellar way of tone-switching between serious documentarian and some real impressive comedy chops. This video has so many great lines and gags. His delivery made me laugh out loud multiple times across the 4 hours. The Wall-E neck snap, Iron Lung Nemo opener, and my personal favorite, the horrifiying entrance of Big Dino. I legitimately love this giant robotic beast. They are genuinely cute, while also being a terrifying and towering metal contraption that sent Imagineers and share-holders running away from their seats. I honestly want to commission some art of this big guy. My love for our very flawed and extinct Dino-Land only deepens haha.
As a fan of his work, this felt like a culmination. Like an MCU-style event film, where having seen Kevin's previous documentary videos on Hong Kong Disneyland, the end of the Eisner era, FastPass and MyMagic+, Walt's proposed city of EPCOT, the 1964 World's Fair, and many more meant having a fuller picture of the events winding through these 4 hours. On top of bringing up smaller subjects like My Pal Mickey or the Fantasyland Dragon that would never get big videos like this of their own.
It also felt like a celebration of humanity, and everything that means. Acknowledgment of the bad, but also rejoicing in the good, and showcasing purposeful design that elevates that good nature. This video says yeah, we're in a bad spot right now, but despite fierce competition, the human connection remains superior. Incredibly entertaining, engaging, granular, and well-researched. One of my favorite pieces of media I've experienced all year.