I'm from NOVA, and the fact that people were worried about the urbanization of the area is hilarious. The area is becoming filled to the brim with cookie cutter houses
Not only that, but disney was going to expand the highway to alleviate traffic. When they pulled out the highway never got expanded and now traffic is 10 times worse!
Sounds a lot like the rhetoric from the left. They object to the very same things they stand for and go so far as to accuse Trump of causing socialist like problems. Still waiting for that hope and change we were promised 10 years ago... At least we're getting it now with the Trumpmeister.
@@pantherplatform as i loved to say during the last administration...i like the country I have so save your hope and keep the change. Government just gets in the way my friend. Seems like you see it too.
@@FriendlyNeighborhoodSnyderMan you know it. We the people are more than capable of governing ourselves. If we weren't, we'd be under martial law 24/7.
The short sightedness of the public is amazing. Today, Northern Virginia is a nothing but a plethora of strip malls, burbs and heavy traffic and no benefits to residents unless you enjoy that type of chaos.
@John Edwards Well first off, going out and calling him an asshole was really dickish and just really unscary. In general, I will say from being a local, a lot of northern VA is burbs, traffic, and malls (Tysons corner, DCA, and IAD). The parts of VA that you are referring to are pretty much historical monuments and other than that there isn't shit to do (unless going to a mall or arcade is your thing). As far as the bustling metropolis, I think that there are two kinds of people. People who like the suburbs and concrete jungles and then there are ones who don't. I'm in the middle I couldn't really care less. I instead care about what there is to do in the vicinity. There's nothing to do and it's not the greatest place to live ngl. Sorry people just don't get all gitty about the METRO and city infrastructure like you. Now... Don't be an asshole...
@John Edwards FYI: I would move out of here if I could. My parents work in Washington and are both politicians. I'm only 16. Can't go to nightclubs or bars for obvious reasons. I don't really think a 16-year-old should be having sex either (but hey that's just me :). I have a pretty decent social life in high school and have an okay job (but I don't personally want to be working at McDonald's forever). Once I turn 18 I will be moving. I don't like it here. There is seriously nothing to do here. I don't really see the draw in nightclubs or in bars. I see the draw in attractions that I can go to and experience. Having sex isn't an attraction for me, I see it as a commitment (sorry). Something is seriously wrong with you. I don't know why you would go so far off the deep end because people don't like a city. Speaks numbers about your character.
The place they were planning to build it was 5 mins away from my house. I will never forgive Northern Virginia. I could've had a kick ass job at Disney.
@@GiordanDiodato Anheuser-Busch has a theme park 7 miles from Yorktown Battlefield and Jamestown Settlement, and 4 miles from Colonial Williamsburg. Paramount has a Theme Park 20 miles Richmond and the battlefields there
I live in the area and was closely following the debate surrounding Disney's America at the time. The loudest complaints were that this was right around a major historical site, and, rightly or wrongly, few people trusted Disney to handle that with the appropriate respect. *That's* where the concern about increased traffic came into play. Very few people were complaining that the park would lead to too much urbanization. It's not like the area was especially rural to begin with. What they were worried about, and, I would argue, with some justification, is that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to build a major theme park in the area without a corresponding growth in the surrounding area. That's precisely what happened in Anaheim and especially Orlando, which were relative backwaters until Disney rolled in. The growth in those places was less to do with Disney's own plans, at least initially, but with the various hotels and shopping that grew up in response to the increased traffic Disney attracted. And, simply put, that's not something that Manassas could have supported. As I said, it wasn't undeveloped by any means, but it wasn't developed for the tourist business that Disney had in mind. The amount of actual undeveloped land was fairly small, and what remained was complicated by things like historic preservation concerns. And there were more mundane concerns, as well, like adding to traffic congestion in what was already one of the two most congested areas in the country, the affect on property values, and so on. And as for the park itself, while the concept was intriguing, it's also hard to imagine how Disney's ambitions wouldn't have ultimately given way to exactly the same kind of experience all of their other parks became. Both Disney Studios and Animal Kingdom started out with a similarly high-concept "not your typical amusement park" premise, and both eventually abandoned much of that in favor of essentially Magic Kingdom with slightly different theming. And that's something that deeply worried both historians and locals, to whom the historical significance of Manassas was a deeply serious thing, and not something anyone was keen to seen devolve into commerical kitsch. Simply put, Disney's entire plan showcased an almost _stunning_ lack of familiarity with both the practical and cultural issues inherent to developing in the region, and the company seemed to lose interest when it became clear that they might have to make certain compromises to win over their opposition. And, more than anything else, that's why it's probably the best for all involved that Disney's America never happened. In the end, the concept just wasn't compatible with the region, like trying to build the world's largest water park in the middle of the Sahara.
This comment is a good comment; I appreciate the addition of more insight. I feel like, as an outsider looking in, the placement was one of the larger issues. Anyone who knows anything about the South-Eastern United States knows that they hold their history in very high regard, and the idea of just expecting them to accept a massive theme-park being built so close to where many of them had ancestors die was naive and very wishful thinking on Disney's end.
the ironic part is Disney was actually planning to help expand the roads to four-lanes to help alleviate the traffic problems, but after the park got cancelled that never happened and that place apparently still has major traffic congestion problems.
@@jadedheartsz The DC area already has a *lot* of four-plus lane roads. Every time they've been proposed with the promise that they'd reduce congestion, they've pretty much failed to do that. The number of cars always seems to increase to fill the added lanes. Adding more lanes would have been extremely unlikely to offset the number of added cars a Disney park would've brought to the region.
Someone's going to build something near your house on that open parcel of land. You get to choose one of the following: 1) Prison 2) City dump 3) Factory 4) Disney park People would have to be pretty messed up to miss having the Disney park nearby, and with their income there's a high liklihood of sufficient revenue for them to uphold the infrastructure of traffic and utilities improvements as a result of their construction. If the land near the historical battlefield was so sacred, why build houses? It's still building, right?
A prison would be ok. Living next to a prison is the safest place in the whole country. Sure, once in a while someone breaks out, but the basic idea of a prison break is to get the hell away from the prison as far as possible, so they would not hang around next to it for long. And even when some criminals come to your house, it would still be better than a hundred busloads of fat-fuck-families with fanny packs wearing hats that look like the ears of Mickey Mouse.
@Fifthrider - …why stop at 4 choices? 5) University 6) Research park 7) Community college 8) Ecological preserve 9) Family farms 10) Agricultural tech center …or a well-planned combination of all six of the above. Such developments exist all over the world. Expand your imagination a little!
japotak99 The only things they would have in common are "Asian mountain". Japan has a completely different culture and design esthetic from Nepal or any other country the Himalayas go through
There is still rumors that Disney was thinking about reviving the idea, which I definitely hope and pray that it will be because it would be reasonably close to me.
I think Disney is pretty much done building in the US. There are many more opportunities overseas right now but even those are starting to dry up. There was a thought they would build a park in Brazil but good thing that never happened. Though there are a lot of old Olympics venues I'm sure they could get for pretty cheap. ;)
The site is only around 15 minutes from my house. A very unfortunate shame it never came to fruition. Today it's become a large housing development and a country club. I-66 already brings in a lot of traffic from around the country, so I don't see how this park would change a lot. I asked my uncle about it, and he's been working at Disney for over 20 years as a waiter at the Italian restaurant on Main Street in WDW, and he really did not know a lot more than I and the public did, so I can presume that in the company itself, it was not a very public matter.
Well, let's just throw in more traffic than I-66 already deals with, so that delays and congestion are even more widespread than they already are. Not to mention that Kissimmee is hardly a gem to look at (where WDW is located). Most residents of the Orlando area avoid it like the plague for much of the year.
InuKun2008 true but it would have saved people from around the DMV the $200 airfare just to even get to Orlando or L.A. or the 14 hour drive in the automobile.
VD Peruvian True. Like when I was 6, me and my family traveled down by car too Orlando to go to Disneyworld and then later on stay with relatives. Well one of the reasons why we drove was cause it was like only 3 1/2 months after 9/11.
Danny Boy I’ve always loved concept art, especially Disney’s Imagineers’ concept art. I always look for the concept art photos in books about the Disney projects. I want books only of their concept art. The renderings make me feel excited & happy!
I’m a History major and love this park idea. This would have been so great for introducing children to American History. It’s like a warm up for the real history in dc.
Tbh building anything in Virginia is hard. People out here see everything as historical. Like thus old falling apart house that has no historic value hasn't been taken down. For people think it's important when it's really not. Virginia is just a very Historic area where a lot of battles and history has happened. Though I wish that this park opened for I would have loved it. History is one of my favorite things.
Yeah I live thirty minutes away from Fredricksburg Virginia and we go there every weekend. I also live in like a mine full of battle fields my dad takes us to them all the time.
I imagine it would have turned out more or less exactly like Animal Kingdom. A lot of high-concept ideas for a large-scale zoo or animal preserve that eventually get scaled back considerably in favor of a more traditional theme park. Certainly, that was what critics of the park at the time were concerned about. For all of Disney's plans for a different kind of park, with a greater focus on genuine history, Disney never quite managed to convince enough people that they wouldn't modify their plans down the road.
I know people hate on Eisner and he wasn’t perfect but he was one of my favorites because like Walt, he was passionate, bold and imaginative. All things Disney seems to lack today.
California Adventure may have been lackluster in the beginning, it certainly has become very popular since. I went about a year after it opened and it just seemed empty. Now its more crowded than Disneyland.
I live in Los Angeles and used to love DCA because it was pretty empty and I could enjoy the rides throughly. A few years ago, they revamped the park and is even better but, just like Disneyland, not it's overcrowded.
It's been about 5 years or so since I've been there. Haven't been since they added the Cars land or whatever though, so not so sure if anything is incredibly different or if it's still the same. Either way, I didn't find it to be so bad even back then.
Sterling is already flooded and shit on, all of Northern Virginia is. What would have been better? A Disney theme park with resorts and hotels and all the tax revenue and jobs that come with it, but the state and county has to pay for road improvements. Or single family homes, townhouses, and apartment buildings where the state and county need to pay for road improvements along with other infrastructure? There is so much sprawl now there is a hospital in Haymarket for fucks sake.
Besides, why worry about urbanization so much? Kings Dominion is right down the way in the middle of nowhere, all these years it's existed it's still in the middle of nowhere. 🙄
Out of all the different planned and abandoned park/attraction concepts, this is one of the most disappointing ones to see fail. I love history and having this park would have been very cool. What is your biggest disappointment Jake? I would be cool to know your opinion.
Sorry this is late but what makes it even worse is the fact that most of the people who were so up in arms about the park said nothing as the same land was urbanized years later.
I lived 30 min away as a kid, when we moved there I was excited to hear about it coming, and disappointed when it was cancelled a few years later. The story was heavily covered in the local tv stations and newspaper, one of the biggest arguments against it as I remember was people wanted to preserve the rural nature of the area in the county north of rt 29. I thought it was ironic 10 years later the area was filled with mcmansions lol.
i lived in Haymarket (Rt55/Antioch Rd) and coincidently we had just moved away from California (lived about an hour away from Disneyland) and was super excited to hear that i wasn’t going to be missing Disney after all. So, with all the people up in arms about desecrating a Battlefield, i urge you all to take a look at the Map of the proposed park and overlay that over Google maps today. Hmmmm interesting!!! where were all those “angry historians” when they put in 50,000+ or so homes and businesses???? Curiously absent. Makes me wonder and believe that there was more behind this than they said. I know in the same area, a few years before, there was supposed to be a Horse Racing track which got shot down then Disney swooped in and bought the land. Might be more like some angry gamblers. But total BS... Locals here were drinking the cool-aid believing #1, Disney was going to pave over the actual battlefield #2, that traffic would be hell. However living around Disneyland and visiting Disneyworld a million times, you know Disney makes things right and would have upgraded all the roads to handle the increased traffic and anything else necessary so as not to negatively impact the area. And REALLY??, having Disney around would kill local businesses and attractions? If that were the case, Universal, etc would have stayed away from Orlando.. Orlando would still be the nothing blip on the map as they were before Disney came along. It was all a hoax to convince the masses to protest and get Disney out for reasons that has never come to light. Maybe it was that builder who really wanted them out, possibly getting the land for cheaper than it started... It is an expensive area now.. someone made out big time which may have been the plan all along.. Criminal!!!! We still need a few more US based parks, hate traveling to Orlando or California. Be nice if there were a few more parks closer. Hope Disney decides to revisit coming back to VA
I appreciate someone on youtube finally giving Eisner the credit he deserves. Not all of his ideas worked out, but he had ideas and he had a vision- something that can't be said of Iger
I'm guessing that you don't live in NoVA though, as the answer is rather obvious if you've ever seen I-66 traffic in Fairfax or Prince William (which is the county that would have been the host) counties.
Even now, a Mount Fuji ride would be almost impossible. Back when the concept was first tossed around, Kodak was a major sponsor of the Disney parks and felt uncomfortable with the idea of an attraction named after a mountain that shares its name with one of Kodak's biggest competitors: Fujifilm.
Yeah, Epcot is pretty lame. It needs something new. I say disney should use it's successful properties and turn Innoventions into a Marvel/ Star Wars themed area. It could be all about the technology of these universes and have a ton of interactivity.
Epcot is definitely my least favorite park, but I don't think it's boring. Especially not with the new version of Test Track. But I do agree that they should build some type of Rollercoaster there.
I hate the fact that they never made this park happen. I love just an hour away from the original location and it would have been such an amazing thing to happen in our area. We get so many tourist anyway, this park would have made everything even better. Loudoun Country prides its self on being the richest country in country and a Disney park would have made it even richer.
Small tidbit, but this had me laughing a bit (sorry). 300,000 soldiers didn't die at Manassas (6:00 into the video). That'd be about 3/5 the total casualties in the Civil War in one battle lol.
+mattsme13 I honestly don't know how that got into the script, that's a mistake on my part, however I do believe it was published in an article and I took it from there without thinking.
Bright Sun Films Hahaha! No problem! Awesome work on the series! I binge watch all the episodes every few months so I can tell my friends lol. Keep it up!
I've actually seen a resort & golf club built near a tiny California town close off once-public areas into snooty gated communities, turn camping spots & public beaches into homes with private beaches, buy out, shut down, or drive away small locally owned businesses, pollute, use up, or drain the local lakes, ponds, & rivers, & if they hired the locals at all, the wages were pitiful. Hell, the town's population is now so pitifully small that my highschool had more graduates than the town has residents, & the last grocery store just shut down, forcing people to have to drive to the next town for goods.
HAHAHA...HAHAHAHAH! sorry to revive a dead comment but that was a pretty good joke. (ps not trying to hate on your favorite park but that place kinda bored me, i guess i went on a slow day or something but it was pretty expensive and empty. not that disney isnt expensive)
literally so sad that this park never occurred. every time i go to D.C. i always say why isn’t there anything Disney? (i’d even take a Disney store) I would go to this park yearly if it happened. such a lost great idea.
Are there any temperate areas in Canada though? I know the West Coast is warmer, but isn't still kind of rainy and cloudy over there? I don't know. I'm asking.
This theme park should have happened! I went to DC a few years ago, and this would have blown anything I saw there out of the water. I love the idea of going through the history of America in a theme park. And the civil war battle field reenactments would have been awesome. I don't know why those people were against it, it would have brought so much money to the surrounding area.
The ways if you're going north to Disney America it wouldn't have been easy trust me I go up there once every few months and traffic already sucks around Richmond Williamsburg in the summer
The idea of Disney taking over the entire country reminds me of that one joke Some Jerk with a Camera made about the Bolivian mice- TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES
You mean the Bolivian mice that can crawl inside the human brain-- TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES - CRANIAL REMODULOCATION IN PROGRESS --Duuuhhhh, if the brain was candy, it would be strawberry! Duh-huhuhuhuh!
Dani McD You thank Bob Iger and Roy Disney Jr. for making Disney the fucked up company that it is now since they got rid of all the good people with ideas and imagination including setting up Michael Eisner in order to get rid of him and the great team of people who supported him and Walt Disney's vision for the direction of the company. Bob Iger runs the company as his personal moneybank and toy with all his 'yes men'. All ideas stem from Bob Iger and no one else. His is strictly money and how much he can put into his personal back pocket at the expense of the company and everyone else.
Yeah, euro disney was such a great success....along with dozen other failed projects (Hello! Disney California inside of California??). Yeah the Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, etc... saved Disney...but as far as new parks, I dont think so...
this far from the truth michael eisner last few years at disney were terrible.. bob iger had to save disney with the purchase of marvel, pixar, disney+ and so much more
I'm excited for all the "minor" stuff Disney has planned with expanding their already made parks. But I'd love for them to build a new park here in the States. Whether it's in Disneyland Resort, Disney World, or just a single park somewhere else, I don't care. Just like to see that happen.
He was referring to the park when it initially opened. What it is now is nothing what it was initially like, which was rushed, built on a tight budget, and opened to very rough criticism and attendance. Disney has spent a TON of money over the past ten or so years and DCA is awesome now.
It amuses me now (in a good way) that people are confused as to why DCA was lackluster. It shows they made a lot of progress. My 'favorite' example of DCA 1.0 is Superstar Limo. Look that up. It pretty much sums up the whole park when it opened. Also, try Some Jerk with a Camera's video about DCA's first 10 years.
The difference between what Disney wanted to do, and what is actually there now - Disney would have put the infrastructure to support the "urbanized" area. Now it's just more DC suburban traffic and a bunch of McMansions.
ASMR Squad Well Virginia Was A Huge Part Of American History. For Example It Was Going To Be Capital. You Can Get Mad Because You Don't Like History, But Its Not Boring. You Just Seem To Be One Of Those People Who Have To Complain. Plus If You Don't Want To Go See Historical Stuff, Why Go To A Historical Park.?
You know, capitalizing every word doesn't actually make you seem smart. It has the opposite effect. Please fucking stop, I'm actually embarrassed for you.
IKnowWhereFranceIs Okay, when you live somewhere and historical things are the majority of what you're able to do, would you be happy? Living somewhere and going for tourist reasons are two different things. Second of all, you're making a lot of assumptions. Squad may very well like history, they might just not want to go see battle fields all the time or would rather something more immersive. Take into account this is also a park with rides and stuff to do that isn't directly related to history.
I've always sort of figured that "Westcot" was one of the working titles only. It never quite got far enough long to get a proper name change, but I imagine it would have ultimately ended up with something more mundane, like "Epcot West."
I can tell you. $1.00 per rental given to handgun control inc . you see we americans don't like being forced to give money to support an anti American agenda.
It was mostly community opposition that sank it. Somehow people imagined that if Disney wasn't built, that land and the nearby areas would remain sparsely developed. They were dead wrong, and today the area is all built up with suburban sprawl.
When David McCullough, Shelby Foote, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., James McPherson, Barbara Fields, C. Vann Woodward, and John Hope Franklin all think your park about "history" is a fucking terrible idea then it's definitely a fucking terrible idea.
I'm from Fairfax and have spent a lot of time in the area this would've been in, and I can tell you this would've been an absolute failure. For starters, unless they did charter buses, visitors would've been forced to rent cars as Haymarket was technically the middle of nowhere in the 90s and 22 miles from Dulles airport (Reagan Airport was even farther). Traffic would've also been miserable. At the time it would've opened, 66 would've still been two lanes going each way through Prince William County. The expansion was not completed through Haymarket until a couple years ago, and even mid-expansion in the late 2000s, the exit Disney's America would've had was always backed up and wasn't fixed until the expansion was completed. There was also the idea that schools could do field trips, and while this may have been more convenient for NOVA schools and rural districts out in that area, Virginia has rich history that allows for less expensive and more focused tour group spots regardless of where you live within the state (I can't tell you how many history field trips I had in the 2000s). On the contrary, Disney had HUGE potential with that National Harbor location. There's a convention center right there and now MGM is nearby, so they lost out on having a family friendly alternative and convention business.
Can you imagine being a worker during Universal’s Studio site, and just seeing the CEO of Disney, EVERY DAY!!!, just watching you? Someone has to know someone, cause I really want that story to be true.
The white roller-coaster from Disney's Americana was actually build in California Adventure. That park used to be lackluster but now they completely revamped and expanded it so it's really awesome now.
Who wants a war park at Disney? That's pretty sad that that's the only history they could find. I guess the other history wouldn't have been much better.
> "Who wants a war park at Disney? " Me! They didn't plan for it to be just about war but wars were part of it. The U.S. adopted fireworks very early on as how we celebrate our national holidays, especially Independence Day and this was selected from the start as representing the rockets and bombs from our War for Independence.
Hey I just wanna say I sent one of these videos to my mom and she ended up forwarding it to my entire family now every time we meet up we all talk about the last episode of abandoned XD it's ridiculous but amazing
Um... yeaaaa... no. This is what people probably think they wanted, but you really wouldn't. This would have placed Disney in a really tricky and uncomfortable spot of either pinning down historical facts and aspects that are still disputed and/or controversial, or they would have had to gloss over history and go an abstract route. Clearly they opted for the latter at some point. That would have been the safest bet because no one wants to see how Disney might have incorporated the MASSIVE elephant in the room when dealing with American History: Slavery, Antebellum South, Segregation, Civil Rights, and Jim Crow era. Yikes. You can't discuss or talk American History and skim around those very ugly truths and periods, as it's literally THEE story of America. Nooootttt something you want at a Disney/amusement park. A more abstract approach, however, probably would have come off very odd/forced/awkward when placed next to the cynicism, warmongering, and hostile partisan politics of DC, plus you have a lot of people that would likely be turned off with Disneywashing history, something we've seen tried and terribly executed in Song of the South.
Why are you assuming Disney would avoid talking about real history? The whole point of this park was supposed to be about bringing history alive. I can see them including a museum and/or talking points in the guided tours. They already did something similar before. "By the norms of the mid-20th century, Disneyland’s Indian Village was authentic and respectful. Interpretive signs described how the parts of the village represented different Indian Nations and how the structures would have been used. The Native American cast members were encouraged to share their cultures with park guests. The ceremonial dances and craft demonstrations were genuine. Disneyland’s 'Chief White Horse'-Truman Washington Dailey (1898-1996)-was not just someone who looked the part. As the last fluent speaker of the Otoe-Missouria language, he did much to preserve and pass along his knowledge, history, traditions, and language."
Disney actually said back in the day that they were in fact planning on covering all of the ugly aspects of history as well, got to admit i'm impressed they were ballsy enough to say that.
As someone who’s always been disappointed by the fact that most Disney parks are just the basic Magic Kingdom area, hearing about stuff like this is fascinating. I loved visiting Disney world and the California Adventure zone in California was really cool, I wish more of the locations where unique, or each location had more stuff in.
*This concept actually sounds really cool. It shows that Disney had an idea for wanting to appreciate American history. Unlike how they are today ^^" Though the location should have been really noticed. I can understand the locals not happy.
Well... Here's to hoping we eventually get Disney's America... Because it does seem like something Walt would have loved himself. It invites a lot of room for locomotives and displays of human progress of the past and Walt would have loved that. Especially the trains.
Honestly, it doesn't surprise me that this was abandoned in Northern Virginia. Gotta remember it was 20 miles away from Manassas Junction, where the two battles of Bull Run took place, so it would be kind of disrespectful. I'm thinking maybe somewhere closer to either Boston or Philadelphia?
Why would people protest a Disney park? Because their scared of traffic? Lmao that's the most stupid idea I've ever heard. I used to live in Maryland (about a half hour from Virginia) and it was boring as hell. I wish we had that park...
because there are a lot of people in this world that are opposed to change and progression. Why? Because they are too lazy to change with their surroundings, even though that is the reason we are still alive today as a species. Also, for some reason they see new things as a threat, no matter what they are.
A huge field trip for elementary/middle school students in VA consists of the historical triangle + a trip to Busch Gardens Williamsburg. I wonder if Disney’s America would have been the new thing.
I would not call DCA lackluster, as a annual pass holder I spend about 85% of my time in DCA, better ambiance, better rides, better food, more spacious, more adult friendly, the list goes on. :) Going next weekend!
Yeah, Ive always been a DCA fan, but the recent remodel and rebrand has really amped it up a lot! :) I've just always loved the open space in DCA and Disneyland Paris, Disneyland is just so tightly packed, I haven't been to Florida yet so no opinion on that.
Florida does not have any tight issues, infant you will walk allot more about 14 miles if your there the whole day, however florida theme parks do not have as many rides per park like disneyland or DCA, they spread the rides thought the 4 parks
I lived and worked in the area at the time and remember this brouhaha. The development came anyway, just in different forms. The public was manipulated by environmentalists and other groups focused on the impact to the Manassas Battlefield. In the end it didn’t matter. The developers always win.
I like many aspects of the concept, but it's also fundamentally problematic. A lot of the most important events in history are complex, dark and controversial. Disney, being a mainstream, family-friendly (and kid-oriented) entertainment company would have a hard time tackling these subjects with the accuracy and nuance they deserve. On top of that, most of the people who'd be drawn to an America-themed theme park would likely be very nationalistic, so they'd have to really whitewash American history to cater to that base.
It would have been a problem to balance, however, the problems in these times weren't always head of center issues. Much like the problems we experience today, people of the future will wonder the same way how it was even possible we lived "peaceful lives" with our current issues in society. Having a window into a person's average life set in these time periods can really help with understanding American history.
bright sun... can you tell the story of when Walt bought 1000's of acres around Marceline, Mo to build Disney Midwest? there have been several books written about it. :-)
I just came back from the Defunctland episode to appreciate this episode of Abandoned again. Also, you showing up in that Defunctland episode gave me a heart attack from surprise. But a good surprise. Here's to hoping you're also in the DisneyQuest episode
Yeah, because one thing about living in the Washington, DC area is that American and international tourists never come in the Fall and Winter months - I'm being sarcastic - travel to DC is huge, including during winter. There's a whole part of the world not afraid of winter.
Back in the day, long before Cedar Fair took it over, I thought the old Geauga Lake/Sea World set would have made for a nice Disney North, then Six Flags didn't do much and the community didn't really like the park nearby anyhow.. so up went that dream. Now the whole Geauga Lake side is being split up for a variety of things, though if somebody builds a movie stage on part of it, I guess that would be sort of cool (last I heard the tax credit got passed, but never news on the sound stage there).
a lot of tourists from other countries come to WDW every year and make up a large amount of the annual visitors, but I wonder if they would even want go to an American themed park? I can't imagine families flying to Virginia from other countries to learn about American history.
Well, Think about it this way, some people in the U.S would love to go to Great Britain or Japan or France if there were a park like that there. People like to go to see different things about a country or place they're visiting.
Niki Phenom you can already go to Epcot and get a small concise dose of that in the World Showcase. I can't imagine an entire theme park based on historical things. It may have gotten some visitors but I doubt enough to keep it afloat.
I think that would be solved by the idea of it being a smaller park. Also, I think the idea for a smaller American park could be done with lower risk if it was run seasonally.
Very sad the Disney's America never came to fruition. Would've been a GREAT place to take tweens and teens to actually learn about America's history outside of books. Think it would've been a very big success.
The gated community on the former Disney property is called Piedmont. An ex-girlfriend of mine owned a ridiculously expensive McMansion there. It's the kind of neighborhood you'd like if getting robbed by strangers bothers you so much that you'd rather be robbed and vandalized by your neighbors' teenaged kids (which is what happens in most gated communities).
we honestly don't need a disney park in the northern part of the us, we already have multiple 6Flags themeparks, cedar point, and the remains of the Wisconsin Dells, not to mention lots of other smaller theme parks and county fairs :P
Curti Burm listen I’m from the north and all I have are small board walk piers and stupid ass 6 flags this shit sucks I’m obsessed with Disney and I’d love to lace one close to where I live bc everything else is ass and I’m fascinated by animatronics
i live 40 min away from that spot in virginia and my mind is blown. after looking up that neighborhood, i noticed most of the people don’t even realize that was going to be a disney park..
I'm from NOVA, and the fact that people were worried about the urbanization of the area is hilarious. The area is becoming filled to the brim with cookie cutter houses
Spaser15 damn man too bad! That park would have been cool.
Spaser15 As a resident of Manassas, I can confirm
It would help the economy here too, I will say the traffic is pretty bad so that would be a real downside.
yeah.....shame.... it would have been great
Spaser15 I’m from nova too...
"We don't want Disney to move in because it might urbanize the area"
*Builds a subdivision instead*
Not only that, but disney was going to expand the highway to alleviate traffic. When they pulled out the highway never got expanded and now traffic is 10 times worse!
Sounds a lot like the rhetoric from the left. They object to the very same things they stand for and go so far as to accuse Trump of causing socialist like problems. Still waiting for that hope and change we were promised 10 years ago... At least we're getting it now with the Trumpmeister.
@@pantherplatform as i loved to say during the last administration...i like the country I have so save your hope and keep the change. Government just gets in the way my friend. Seems like you see it too.
@@FriendlyNeighborhoodSnyderMan you know it. We the people are more than capable of governing ourselves. If we weren't, we'd be under martial law 24/7.
Just make out already.
The short sightedness of the public is amazing. Today, Northern Virginia is a nothing but a plethora of strip malls, burbs and heavy traffic and no benefits to residents unless you enjoy that type of chaos.
@John Edwards Well first off, going out and calling him an asshole was really dickish and just really unscary.
In general, I will say from being a local, a lot of northern VA is burbs, traffic, and malls (Tysons corner, DCA, and IAD). The parts of VA that you are referring to are pretty much historical monuments and other than that there isn't shit to do (unless going to a mall or arcade is your thing).
As far as the bustling metropolis, I think that there are two kinds of people. People who like the suburbs and concrete jungles and then there are ones who don't. I'm in the middle I couldn't really care less. I instead care about what there is to do in the vicinity. There's nothing to do and it's not the greatest place to live ngl. Sorry people just don't get all gitty about the METRO and city infrastructure like you.
Now... Don't be an asshole...
@John Edwards FYI: I would move out of here if I could. My parents work in Washington and are both politicians. I'm only 16. Can't go to nightclubs or bars for obvious reasons. I don't really think a 16-year-old should be having sex either (but hey that's just me :). I have a pretty decent social life in high school and have an okay job (but I don't personally want to be working at McDonald's forever).
Once I turn 18 I will be moving. I don't like it here. There is seriously nothing to do here. I don't really see the draw in nightclubs or in bars. I see the draw in attractions that I can go to and experience. Having sex isn't an attraction for me, I see it as a commitment (sorry).
Something is seriously wrong with you. I don't know why you would go so far off the deep end because people don't like a city. Speaks numbers about your character.
@John Edwards Don't forget the traffic, lol.
@@mcdisneybuilders7173 Well, there a couple of large theme parks. They are a bit far, but great parks. Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Kings Dominion.
@@mcdisneybuilders7173 Don't apologize. Having a high view on commitment is a good thing that, in my opinion, should be more widespread.
The place they were planning to build it was 5 mins away from my house. I will never forgive Northern Virginia. I could've had a kick ass job at Disney.
I seriously saw my town on the map
you really want them to put a theme park 20 miles from a battlefield?
Honestly, better than just bulldozing the place into housing estates. Like what happened.
Giordan Diodato How will that effect the area??? That makes no sense. People will put parks by graveyards and no one will bat a eye.
@@GiordanDiodato Anheuser-Busch has a theme park 7 miles from Yorktown Battlefield and Jamestown Settlement, and 4 miles from Colonial Williamsburg. Paramount has a Theme Park 20 miles Richmond and the battlefields there
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Please like so Jake can see 🙂
I mean Bulgarian Communist Party Building 🙃
Wonderful suggestions 😉
Suggestion: Abandoned Sega World
I live in the area and was closely following the debate surrounding Disney's America at the time. The loudest complaints were that this was right around a major historical site, and, rightly or wrongly, few people trusted Disney to handle that with the appropriate respect. *That's* where the concern about increased traffic came into play. Very few people were complaining that the park would lead to too much urbanization. It's not like the area was especially rural to begin with.
What they were worried about, and, I would argue, with some justification, is that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to build a major theme park in the area without a corresponding growth in the surrounding area. That's precisely what happened in Anaheim and especially Orlando, which were relative backwaters until Disney rolled in. The growth in those places was less to do with Disney's own plans, at least initially, but with the various hotels and shopping that grew up in response to the increased traffic Disney attracted. And, simply put, that's not something that Manassas could have supported. As I said, it wasn't undeveloped by any means, but it wasn't developed for the tourist business that Disney had in mind. The amount of actual undeveloped land was fairly small, and what remained was complicated by things like historic preservation concerns. And there were more mundane concerns, as well, like adding to traffic congestion in what was already one of the two most congested areas in the country, the affect on property values, and so on.
And as for the park itself, while the concept was intriguing, it's also hard to imagine how Disney's ambitions wouldn't have ultimately given way to exactly the same kind of experience all of their other parks became. Both Disney Studios and Animal Kingdom started out with a similarly high-concept "not your typical amusement park" premise, and both eventually abandoned much of that in favor of essentially Magic Kingdom with slightly different theming. And that's something that deeply worried both historians and locals, to whom the historical significance of Manassas was a deeply serious thing, and not something anyone was keen to seen devolve into commerical kitsch.
Simply put, Disney's entire plan showcased an almost _stunning_ lack of familiarity with both the practical and cultural issues inherent to developing in the region, and the company seemed to lose interest when it became clear that they might have to make certain compromises to win over their opposition. And, more than anything else, that's why it's probably the best for all involved that Disney's America never happened. In the end, the concept just wasn't compatible with the region, like trying to build the world's largest water park in the middle of the Sahara.
This comment is a good comment; I appreciate the addition of more insight.
I feel like, as an outsider looking in, the placement was one of the larger issues. Anyone who knows anything about the South-Eastern United States knows that they hold their history in very high regard, and the idea of just expecting them to accept a massive theme-park being built so close to where many of them had ancestors die was naive and very wishful thinking on Disney's end.
@@thevideoistheking8834 A long comment doesn't mean someone is upset.
the ironic part is Disney was actually planning to help expand the roads to four-lanes to help alleviate the traffic problems, but after the park got cancelled that never happened and that place apparently still has major traffic congestion problems.
@@jadedheartsz The DC area already has a *lot* of four-plus lane roads. Every time they've been proposed with the promise that they'd reduce congestion, they've pretty much failed to do that. The number of cars always seems to increase to fill the added lanes. Adding more lanes would have been extremely unlikely to offset the number of added cars a Disney park would've brought to the region.
@@seancdaug my bad, I meant to say eight-lane.
Someone's going to build something near your house on that open parcel of land. You get to choose one of the following:
1) Prison
2) City dump
3) Factory
4) Disney park
People would have to be pretty messed up to miss having the Disney park nearby, and with their income there's a high liklihood of sufficient revenue for them to uphold the infrastructure of traffic and utilities improvements as a result of their construction.
If the land near the historical battlefield was so sacred, why build houses? It's still building, right?
but it wasn't for the entertainment industry
@@GiordanDiodato Right, just a sea of crappy overpriced houses instead that don't create jobs.
A prison would be ok. Living next to a prison is the safest place in the whole country. Sure, once in a while someone breaks out, but the basic idea of a prison break is to get the hell away from the prison as far as possible, so they would not hang around next to it for long. And even when some criminals come to your house, it would still be better than a hundred busloads of fat-fuck-families with fanny packs wearing hats that look like the ears of Mickey Mouse.
@Matthew Taylor You're talking about houses that are worth close to 1.5 mill each!
@Fifthrider - …why stop at 4 choices?
5) University
6) Research park
7) Community college
8) Ecological preserve
9) Family farms
10) Agricultural tech center
…or a well-planned combination of all six of the above. Such developments exist all over the world.
Expand your imagination a little!
The Mount Fuji ride in the Japan theme park would had been dope
yep
Blvckkeef isn't it basically Expedition Everest?
japotak99 The only things they would have in common are "Asian mountain". Japan has a completely different culture and design esthetic from Nepal or any other country the Himalayas go through
but... the area around it would be a weeaboo pest zone that would be practically impossible to remove
It actually would've been a Godzilla coaster.
There is still rumors that Disney was thinking about reviving the idea, which I definitely hope and pray that it will be because it would be reasonably close to me.
I think Disney is pretty much done building in the US. There are many more opportunities overseas right now but even those are starting to dry up.
There was a thought they would build a park in Brazil but good thing that never happened. Though there are a lot of old Olympics venues I'm sure they could get for pretty cheap. ;)
Maybe at Disney World.
Nah Disney has room to expand Floridas park to the size of four Manhattans. Massive massive amount of land.
yes! I could even see my town at 5:06
it would also have reasonable traffic. i do not feel like dealing with that with me living 10 minutes away.
The site is only around 15 minutes from my house. A very unfortunate shame it never came to fruition. Today it's become a large housing development and a country club. I-66 already brings in a lot of traffic from around the country, so I don't see how this park would change a lot. I asked my uncle about it, and he's been working at Disney for over 20 years as a waiter at the Italian restaurant on Main Street in WDW, and he really did not know a lot more than I and the public did, so I can presume that in the company itself, it was not a very public matter.
Well, let's just throw in more traffic than I-66 already deals with, so that delays and congestion are even more widespread than they already are. Not to mention that Kissimmee is hardly a gem to look at (where WDW is located). Most residents of the Orlando area avoid it like the plague for much of the year.
Country club?! EWWWWWWWWWW.
And btw, I live in Fairfax County and I myself would love if the park happened.
PinkCircleO8 I live right near Manassas. My cousins only live around 5-6 minutes from the plot of land that was going to be the park.
InuKun2008 true but it would have saved people from around the DMV the $200 airfare just to even get to Orlando or L.A. or the 14 hour drive in the automobile.
VD Peruvian True. Like when I was 6, me and my family traveled down by car too Orlando to go to Disneyworld and then later on stay with relatives. Well one of the reasons why we drove was cause it was like only 3 1/2 months after 9/11.
That concept art got me hyped and now I really want that Park to be real. Also I LOVE American history so I would have died!
Danny Boy SAME
Michael Jones yes, yes there Is loads of history. Such as: The Civil War, Vietnam war, All sorts of stuff
@Michael Jones lol you are black.
Danny Boy I’ve always loved concept art, especially Disney’s Imagineers’ concept art. I always look for the concept art photos in books about the Disney projects. I want books only of their concept art. The renderings make me feel excited & happy!
I’m a History major and love this park idea. This would have been so great for introducing children to American History. It’s like a warm up for the real history in dc.
but it would have been 20 miles from Manassas Junction. Kinda disrespectful...
@@GiordanDiodato so let's make it 21 miles.
@@GiordanDiodato And building a golf course is better?
THAT IDEA SEEMS SO COOL! Just walking into different American eras and learning about them is beyond amazing 😍
Tbh building anything in Virginia is hard. People out here see everything as historical. Like thus old falling apart house that has no historic value hasn't been taken down. For people think it's important when it's really not. Virginia is just a very Historic area where a lot of battles and history has happened. Though I wish that this park opened for I would have loved it. History is one of my favorite things.
Yea I love history im thankful I live 5 mins from the Manassas battlefields
Yeah I live thirty minutes away from Fredricksburg Virginia and we go there every weekend. I also live in like a mine full of battle fields my dad takes us to them all the time.
im between fredericksburg and culpeper
why did you write "tbh" ?? It added nothing to your point.
I live down in Southwest Va. The people in charge here seem to refuse to build anything new for fear of "tarnishing the small town appeal".
As some one who is taking classes for a History degree..... I WANT THAT CIVIL WAR PARK
Go to a museum or a library. They're cheaper.
I agree it would be a fun amusement park that would be educational as well
KCatcher 38
Exactly but only takes one person that would say racist even if depicted history exactly as was.
AS ANOTHER PERSON GOING FOR THEIR HISTORY DEGREE I FREAKING AGREE!
I imagine it would have turned out more or less exactly like Animal Kingdom. A lot of high-concept ideas for a large-scale zoo or animal preserve that eventually get scaled back considerably in favor of a more traditional theme park. Certainly, that was what critics of the park at the time were concerned about. For all of Disney's plans for a different kind of park, with a greater focus on genuine history, Disney never quite managed to convince enough people that they wouldn't modify their plans down the road.
I know people hate on Eisner and he wasn’t perfect but he was one of my favorites because like Walt, he was passionate, bold and imaginative. All things Disney seems to lack today.
In my eyes eisner was perfect
Eisner revived the company. He’s the center of the Disney Renaissance.
DAMN WISH THEY WOULDVE BUILT THIS TBH
I know I'm so freakin close I would've died of happiness
Right!! I live right next to Virginia so this would have been way better to go to vs the one in Florida :P
I'm guessing you don't live in NoVA.
exactly, I am in Ohio, and this would have been an easy 7-hour drive, VS a 15-hour drive To Walt Disney World.
Tai Lan I'm in Virginia I was gonna be close to the park
Disney has abandoned so many projects
Since they got rid of Eisner, they've been screwing up left and right.
They have worse commitment issue than a hooker
Including the traditional family.
@@heru-deshet359 their books would say otherwise. robert iger took it to a whole different level
Every multi billion dollar corporation has. Better to cut losses early than lose waaaay more money after construction, staffing, etc etc
I live in Va and I can attest to this state being against anything fun.... its horrible for entertainment as a state
you haven't lived in Pennsylvania...
airricksreloaded I’ll have to disagree with this one
airricksreloaded I live hear too. Bush Gardens Dude
I live in northern Virginia and it sucks that I have to go all the way to Florida or California for Disney. Thanks alot older generations 😑
neighboring state west virginia says hi
6:06 - "300,000 soldiers died" at Manassas?! No - 1st Bull Run= 800 dead, and 2nd Bull Run = 2,800... So, maybe 3,600 in total.
300,000 would of been the end of the country as we know it. Or even a quarter of that for that matter.
I live in the neighborhood they built where Disney was supposed to be and it makes me sad the plans never went through
Jayden Butler
That's awesome! So live in one of the million dollar houses on golf course! Single? Lmao jkjkjkjk
@@rnintn6442 Million Dollar house with vinyl siding. Cheap Toll Brothers building.
California Adventure may have been lackluster in the beginning, it certainly has become very popular since. I went about a year after it opened and it just seemed empty. Now its more crowded than Disneyland.
I live in Los Angeles and used to love DCA because it was pretty empty and I could enjoy the rides throughly. A few years ago, they revamped the park and is even better but, just like Disneyland, not it's overcrowded.
It's been about 5 years or so since I've been there. Haven't been since they added the Cars land or whatever though, so not so sure if anything is incredibly different or if it's still the same. Either way, I didn't find it to be so bad even back then.
Dear People in VA: You realize that it could have brought revenue to your area, right?
Regressive assholes.
Sterling is already flooded and shit on, all of Northern Virginia is. What would have been better? A Disney theme park with resorts and hotels and all the tax revenue and jobs that come with it, but the state and county has to pay for road improvements. Or single family homes, townhouses, and apartment buildings where the state and county need to pay for road improvements along with other infrastructure? There is so much sprawl now there is a hospital in Haymarket for fucks sake.
Yes. We are dumbassed tbh.
Northern VA = richest and fastest growing region in the country. I think we're okay.
Besides, why worry about urbanization so much? Kings Dominion is right down the way in the middle of nowhere, all these years it's existed it's still in the middle of nowhere. 🙄
Out of all the different planned and abandoned park/attraction concepts, this is one of the most disappointing ones to see fail. I love history and having this park would have been very cool. What is your biggest disappointment Jake? I would be cool to know your opinion.
Sorry this is late but what makes it even worse is the fact that most of the people who were so up in arms about the park said nothing as the same land was urbanized years later.
@@mills2639
I understand the place where their grievances were coming from, it's a shame nonetheless.
@@danielflanard8274 yes
10/10 would watch again
Thanks for watching!
+Bright Sun Films Dreamland Japan
Just wondering does Universal or any other theme parks have as much abandoned stuff as disney? If so would you do videos on it?
+Corky Dude there's universal studios Dubai i don't know if they broke grown
And again...
I lived 30 min away as a kid, when we moved there I was excited to hear about it coming, and disappointed when it was cancelled a few years later. The story was heavily covered in the local tv stations and newspaper, one of the biggest arguments against it as I remember was people wanted to preserve the rural nature of the area in the county north of rt 29. I thought it was ironic 10 years later the area was filled with mcmansions lol.
😦
i lived in Haymarket (Rt55/Antioch Rd) and coincidently we had just moved away from California (lived about an hour away from Disneyland) and was super excited to hear that i wasn’t going to be missing Disney after all. So, with all the people up in arms about desecrating a Battlefield, i urge you all to take a look at the Map of the proposed park and overlay that over Google maps today. Hmmmm interesting!!! where were all those “angry historians” when they put in 50,000+ or so homes and businesses???? Curiously absent. Makes me wonder and believe that there was more behind this than they said. I know in the same area, a few years before, there was supposed to be a Horse Racing track which got shot down then Disney swooped in and bought the land. Might be more like some angry gamblers. But total BS... Locals here were drinking the cool-aid believing #1, Disney was going to pave over the actual battlefield #2, that traffic would be hell. However living around Disneyland and visiting Disneyworld a million times, you know Disney makes things right and would have upgraded all the roads to handle the increased traffic and anything else necessary so as not to negatively impact the area. And REALLY??, having Disney around would kill local businesses and attractions? If that were the case, Universal, etc would have stayed away from Orlando.. Orlando would still be the nothing blip on the map as they were before Disney came along. It was all a hoax to convince the masses to protest and get Disney out for reasons that has never come to light. Maybe it was that builder who really wanted them out, possibly getting the land for cheaper than it started... It is an expensive area now.. someone made out big time which may have been the plan all along.. Criminal!!!! We still need a few more US based parks, hate traveling to Orlando or California. Be nice if there were a few more parks closer. Hope Disney decides to revisit coming back to VA
I appreciate someone on youtube finally giving Eisner the credit he deserves. Not all of his ideas worked out, but he had ideas and he had a vision- something that can't be said of Iger
I do wish this had happened, I live in VA and it'd be cool to have more parks in the state
Well, maybe not this exact theme, but I'd love a traditional Disney Park here
Samme I live in Virginia and it's to bad this never happened. Now I have to go all the way to Florida!?
same here I live in Maryland I was hoping for Disney at the National Harbor
Same, it sucks!! now i have to move to Orlando, FL in a month to be near disney lol
I'm guessing that you don't live in NoVA though, as the answer is rather obvious if you've ever seen I-66 traffic in Fairfax or Prince William (which is the county that would have been the host) counties.
I WANT THAT MT. FUJI RIDE. Seriously, Epcot is easily the most boring park, and a roller coaster would be great.
Even now, a Mount Fuji ride would be almost impossible. Back when the concept was first tossed around, Kodak was a major sponsor of the Disney parks and felt uncomfortable with the idea of an attraction named after a mountain that shares its name with one of Kodak's biggest competitors: Fujifilm.
EPCOT is the best park. Wait until you turn 21 and you'll understand why.
Yeah, Epcot is pretty lame. It needs something new. I say disney should use it's successful properties and turn Innoventions into a Marvel/ Star Wars themed area. It could be all about the technology of these universes and have a ton of interactivity.
+teehee Obviously the drinks, but imagine that AND a giant mountain roller coaster. Yeah, pretty amazing.
Epcot is definitely my least favorite park, but I don't think it's boring. Especially not with the new version of Test Track. But I do agree that they should build some type of Rollercoaster there.
I hate the fact that they never made this park happen. I love just an hour away from the original location and it would have been such an amazing thing to happen in our area. We get so many tourist anyway, this park would have made everything even better. Loudoun Country prides its self on being the richest country in country and a Disney park would have made it even richer.
Small tidbit, but this had me laughing a bit (sorry). 300,000 soldiers didn't die at Manassas (6:00 into the video). That'd be about 3/5 the total casualties in the Civil War in one battle lol.
+mattsme13 I honestly don't know how that got into the script, that's a mistake on my part, however I do believe it was published in an article and I took it from there without thinking.
Bright Sun Films Hahaha! No problem! Awesome work on the series! I binge watch all the episodes every few months so I can tell my friends lol. Keep it up!
so... 1/5 the total number of casualties died at Gettysburg?
Damn
Disneys problem is their imagination is too big for their pockets
That's my problem too
There's a dick joke to be made here, and I just can't quite get it up.
killerkirbydude what a dick, not even thinking of a joke
thats the same way i feel when i poop
Are you stupid? they have a lot of money.
That's a shame, I love theme parks that live Americana. :D
Considering it was 20 miles from a battlefield, it would have gotten a LOT of criticism.
Larry Bundy Jr M.
I swear, you always show up in the least expected places
Chiara Offreduccio ya or Bush Gardens. That would be fun idea. Better that the idea
Livin la vida locAmericana
why the hell would they just decide to stop a good idea like this all because of some whiny people?
people can be sensitive
The area is one of the most affluent in the country. Rich people dont want crowds of common people in their neighborhood.
I've actually seen a resort & golf club built near a tiny California town close off once-public areas into snooty gated communities, turn camping spots & public beaches into homes with private beaches, buy out, shut down, or drive away small locally owned businesses, pollute, use up, or drain the local lakes, ponds, & rivers, & if they hired the locals at all, the wages were pitiful. Hell, the town's population is now so pitifully small that my highschool had more graduates than the town has residents, & the last grocery store just shut down, forcing people to have to drive to the next town for goods.
We have plenty of room up here in PA. Although, Disney is probably scurred of having to compete with Hershey Park.
HAHAHA...HAHAHAHAH! sorry to revive a dead comment but that was a pretty good joke. (ps not trying to hate on your favorite park but that place kinda bored me, i guess i went on a slow day or something but it was pretty expensive and empty. not that disney isnt expensive)
literally so sad that this park never occurred. every time i go to D.C. i always say why isn’t there anything Disney? (i’d even take a Disney store) I would go to this park yearly if it happened. such a lost great idea.
im from the DMV area and knowing there could of been a disney attraction within an hour from my houses would of been great
“No dont build a theme park, it’ll urbanize the damn place! Here, build a shit ton of houses instead.”
Preventing urbanization by urbanizing, but slightly different. Surely Einstein envies those people.
The problem with this for me is: It’s not Disney.
How about a Disneyland Canada instead? Instead of the teacup ride we can have spinning buttertarts 😛
literally dieing right now XD
Disney would sell Kraft Dinner for $9 a bowl.
+Duke Coughlin let alone the cost of a poutine
that only can operate for three months a year kinda kills tht
Are there any temperate areas in Canada though? I know the West Coast is warmer, but isn't still kind of rainy and cloudy over there? I don't know. I'm asking.
This theme park should have happened! I went to DC a few years ago, and this would have blown anything I saw there out of the water. I love the idea of going through the history of America in a theme park. And the civil war battle field reenactments would have been awesome. I don't know why those people were against it, it would have brought so much money to the surrounding area.
Make Disney's America great again
think about the people near by, like me! imagine the traffic! god
The ways if you're going north to Disney America it wouldn't have been easy trust me I go up there once every few months and traffic already sucks around Richmond Williamsburg in the summer
Hell take the I-70 east from Friedrick, MD to Baltimore during both rush hours
savage
AGREED! (Sorry, I want Walt’s Disney. I’ll even take Eisner’s Disney. Not this “Disney” we have today.)
Man a Disney theme park in Virginia? That's so much closer than Florida!
Come on Disney! Build it!
You should do a video on the Dixie Square Mall in Harvey, Illinois. Many would recognize it from the Blues Brother's Movie.
Yesss
Yes that be coo
Don't forget woodvile mall.
YES! Please do Dixie Square!
Thanks
The idea of Disney taking over the entire country reminds me of that one joke Some Jerk with a Camera made about the Bolivian mice-
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES
You mean the Bolivian mice that can crawl inside the human brain--
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES - CRANIAL REMODULOCATION IN PROGRESS
--Duuuhhhh, if the brain was candy, it would be strawberry! Duh-huhuhuhuh!
You should do abandoned "Indian Ridge condos" at Branson Missouri. They're so creepy!
Or pruitt igoe in st louis
Michael eisner saved Disney. ever since he left it's been crap
Dani McD You thank Bob Iger and Roy Disney Jr. for making Disney the fucked up company that it is now since they got rid of all the good people with ideas and imagination including setting up Michael Eisner in order to get rid of him and the great team of people who supported him and Walt Disney's vision for the direction of the company. Bob Iger runs the company as his personal moneybank and toy with all his 'yes men'. All ideas stem from Bob Iger and no one else. His is strictly money and how much he can put into his personal back pocket at the expense of the company and everyone else.
Yeah, euro disney was such a great success....along with dozen other failed projects (Hello! Disney California inside of California??). Yeah the Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, etc... saved Disney...but as far as new parks, I dont think so...
Agreed. Funny i actually met Eisner thru a friend of mine and he even said himself that its been turned to crap.
this far from the truth michael eisner last few years at disney were terrible.. bob iger had to save disney with the purchase of marvel, pixar, disney+ and so much more
They should just build this as an add-on to Magic Kingdom. It would be a perfect fit right behind Liberty Square and Frontierland.
I'm excited for all the "minor" stuff Disney has planned with expanding their already made parks. But I'd love for them to build a new park here in the States. Whether it's in Disneyland Resort, Disney World, or just a single park somewhere else, I don't care. Just like to see that happen.
I really want them to go back and rethink the park made specifically for the villains. I have a mighty need for that park to be built.
Personally I think we should only have the two, they should work on using up more space in world
9:37 why don't you like Disney California Adventure?
I just asked him the same question. I love California Adventure.
He was referring to the park when it initially opened. What it is now is nothing what it was initially like, which was rushed, built on a tight budget, and opened to very rough criticism and attendance.
Disney has spent a TON of money over the past ten or so years and DCA is awesome now.
It amuses me now (in a good way) that people are confused as to why DCA was lackluster. It shows they made a lot of progress.
My 'favorite' example of DCA 1.0 is Superstar Limo. Look that up. It pretty much sums up the whole park when it opened. Also, try Some Jerk with a Camera's video about DCA's first 10 years.
Phantomwise It was supposed to be "paparazzi chase" ride. But that was deemed inappropriate after the Death of Princess Dianna.
Phantomwise But I digress. You are right the park sucked those first few years.
The difference between what Disney wanted to do, and what is actually there now - Disney would have put the infrastructure to support the "urbanized" area. Now it's just more DC suburban traffic and a bunch of McMansions.
As a historian, I love the creativity and what could have been an intriguing place to visit.
I live i Virginia and everything here is so boring so I wish they built disney america
I live in the Prince William btw
ASMR Squad
Well Virginia Was A Huge Part Of American History. For Example It Was Going To Be Capital. You Can Get Mad Because You Don't Like History, But Its Not Boring. You Just Seem To Be One Of Those People Who Have To Complain. Plus If You Don't Want To Go See Historical Stuff, Why Go To A Historical Park.?
You know, capitalizing every word doesn't actually make you seem smart. It has the opposite effect. Please fucking stop, I'm actually embarrassed for you.
IKnowWhereFranceIs Okay, when you live somewhere and historical things are the majority of what you're able to do, would you be happy? Living somewhere and going for tourist reasons are two different things. Second of all, you're making a lot of assumptions. Squad may very well like history, they might just not want to go see battle fields all the time or would rather something more immersive. Take into account this is also a park with rides and stuff to do that isn't directly related to history.
killerkirbydude It's A Typing Style,Honey ;)
since "Westcot" is in california and obviously in the west, would that mean that they'd have to change the florida park to "Eastcot"?
I've always sort of figured that "Westcot" was one of the working titles only. It never quite got far enough long to get a proper name change, but I imagine it would have ultimately ended up with something more mundane, like "Epcot West."
what does epcot even stand for?? lol
@@caligal1090 Experimental Prototype City of Tomorrow
Build one in the forest and call it 'CampCot'.
“Corpritizing the country” hasn’t that been the last century.
Do you mind talking for next episode about what happened with Blockbuster ? ^^
Netflix, Hulu, Redbox, and other streaming sources killed video rental stores.
I can tell you. $1.00 per rental given to handgun control inc . you see we americans don't like being forced to give money to support an anti American agenda.
+Featherweight Adam they live on in ohio still. Family video, not blockbuster.
As someone who lives in NOVA I would have absolutely loved this!!! I wish they ended up actually doing this.
It was mostly community opposition that sank it. Somehow people imagined that if Disney wasn't built, that land and the nearby areas would remain sparsely developed. They were dead wrong, and today the area is all built up with suburban sprawl.
When David McCullough, Shelby Foote, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., James McPherson, Barbara Fields, C. Vann Woodward, and John Hope Franklin all think your park about "history" is a fucking terrible idea then it's definitely a fucking terrible idea.
As a black guy I'm okay skipping the 1800's
Or do the Fun part of American history (As in Coney Island)
@@nickrustyson8124 There is no fun parts. That's the point.
Oh right, history offends you kind of people.
Yeeeahhh...I'm gonna have to say a big no to that as well.
Same
I'm from Fairfax and have spent a lot of time in the area this would've been in, and I can tell you this would've been an absolute failure. For starters, unless they did charter buses, visitors would've been forced to rent cars as Haymarket was technically the middle of nowhere in the 90s and 22 miles from Dulles airport (Reagan Airport was even farther). Traffic would've also been miserable. At the time it would've opened, 66 would've still been two lanes going each way through Prince William County. The expansion was not completed through Haymarket until a couple years ago, and even mid-expansion in the late 2000s, the exit Disney's America would've had was always backed up and wasn't fixed until the expansion was completed. There was also the idea that schools could do field trips, and while this may have been more convenient for NOVA schools and rural districts out in that area, Virginia has rich history that allows for less expensive and more focused tour group spots regardless of where you live within the state (I can't tell you how many history field trips I had in the 2000s).
On the contrary, Disney had HUGE potential with that National Harbor location. There's a convention center right there and now MGM is nearby, so they lost out on having a family friendly alternative and convention business.
Can you imagine being a worker during Universal’s Studio site, and just seeing the CEO of Disney, EVERY DAY!!!, just watching you?
Someone has to know someone, cause I really want that story to be true.
Disney should buy Atlantic City, tear down all the casinos, and do just about whatever they want with it...
positively_broad_st NO
The white roller-coaster from Disney's Americana was actually build in California Adventure. That park used to be lackluster but now they completely revamped and expanded it so it's really awesome now.
Who wants a war park at Disney? That's pretty sad that that's the only history they could find. I guess the other history wouldn't have been much better.
> "Who wants a war park at Disney? "
Me! They didn't plan for it to be just about war but wars were part of it. The U.S. adopted fireworks very early on as how we celebrate our national holidays, especially Independence Day and this was selected from the start as representing the rockets and bombs from our War for Independence.
Hey I just wanna say I sent one of these videos to my mom and she ended up forwarding it to my entire family now every time we meet up we all talk about the last episode of abandoned XD it's ridiculous but amazing
In my fictional world, this place never gets abandoned and still successful
Um... yeaaaa... no. This is what people probably think they wanted, but you really wouldn't.
This would have placed Disney in a really tricky and uncomfortable spot of either pinning down historical facts and aspects that are still disputed and/or controversial, or they would have had to gloss over history and go an abstract route. Clearly they opted for the latter at some point. That would have been the safest bet because no one wants to see how Disney might have incorporated the MASSIVE elephant in the room when dealing with American History: Slavery, Antebellum South, Segregation, Civil Rights, and Jim Crow era. Yikes. You can't discuss or talk American History and skim around those very ugly truths and periods, as it's literally THEE story of America. Nooootttt something you want at a Disney/amusement park.
A more abstract approach, however, probably would have come off very odd/forced/awkward when placed next to the cynicism, warmongering, and hostile partisan politics of DC, plus you have a lot of people that would likely be turned off with Disneywashing history, something we've seen tried and terribly executed in Song of the South.
Why are you assuming Disney would avoid talking about real history? The whole point of this park was supposed to be about bringing history alive. I can see them including a museum and/or talking points in the guided tours. They already did something similar before.
"By the norms of the mid-20th century, Disneyland’s Indian Village was authentic and respectful. Interpretive signs described how the parts of the village represented different Indian Nations and how the structures would have been used. The Native American cast members were encouraged to share their cultures with park guests. The ceremonial dances and craft demonstrations were genuine.
Disneyland’s 'Chief White Horse'-Truman Washington Dailey (1898-1996)-was not just someone who looked the part. As the last fluent speaker of the Otoe-Missouria language, he did much to preserve and pass along his knowledge, history, traditions, and language."
Disney actually said back in the day that they were in fact planning on covering all of the ugly aspects of history as well, got to admit i'm impressed they were ballsy enough to say that.
You must be fun at parties…
@@jadedheartsz source?
Yeah, so creating jobs is a bad thing? Let me guess, you studied liberal arts all throughout college…
These documentary type videos are so addicting .
As someone who’s always been disappointed by the fact that most Disney parks are just the basic Magic Kingdom area, hearing about stuff like this is fascinating. I loved visiting Disney world and the California Adventure zone in California was really cool, I wish more of the locations where unique, or each location had more stuff in.
*This concept actually sounds really cool. It shows that Disney had an idea for wanting to appreciate American history. Unlike how they are today ^^" Though the location should have been really noticed. I can understand the locals not happy.
TOO BUSY WATCHING THE PERISCOPE STREAM LOL
#jakeisgod
I ❤ your picture
+Melissa Cortes Hah thank you
The live stream was 🔥🔥🔥
+Hubert Binienda awk
@bsf You've come a long way since your first few episodes where you were mumbling and stumbling throughout your narration. You are now a pro at it. 👍👏
This is such a weird channel to subscribe to but always so interesting...
They should've built it here in philly...we would've loved it here. 😢
Well... Here's to hoping we eventually get Disney's America... Because it does seem like something Walt would have loved himself. It invites a lot of room for locomotives and displays of human progress of the past and Walt would have loved that. Especially the trains.
Honestly, it doesn't surprise me that this was abandoned in Northern Virginia.
Gotta remember it was 20 miles away from Manassas Junction, where the two battles of Bull Run took place, so it would be kind of disrespectful.
I'm thinking maybe somewhere closer to either Boston or Philadelphia?
Boston and Philly would probably get too cold for a year round park. Northern Virginia is pushing it too, frankly.
Sean Daugherty
Or in Upstate New York, please we don't have anything here.
Upstate New York is basically like Alabama and Central PA.
Why would people protest a Disney park? Because their scared of traffic? Lmao that's the most stupid idea I've ever heard. I used to live in Maryland (about a half hour from Virginia) and it was boring as hell. I wish we had that park...
People in Virginia are weird like that.
because there are a lot of people in this world that are opposed to change and progression. Why? Because they are too lazy to change with their surroundings, even though that is the reason we are still alive today as a species. Also, for some reason they see new things as a threat, no matter what they are.
Bwahahahaha delusional. VA might be the most boring place on the planet. Most of it is in Appalachia
A Human Person Named Catherine They’re pretty dumb because Busch Gardens and Kings dominion are big a in the area.
because it was 20 miles from a battlefield
A huge field trip for elementary/middle school students in VA consists of the historical triangle + a trip to Busch Gardens Williamsburg. I wonder if Disney’s America would have been the new thing.
I would have liked this, but Colonial Williamsburg does it better anyway.
I would not call DCA lackluster, as a annual pass holder I spend about 85% of my time in DCA, better ambiance, better rides, better food, more spacious, more adult friendly, the list goes on. :) Going next weekend!
All the info in here was awesome though! Great video as usual!
Well in 2001, people hated it.
Yeah, Ive always been a DCA fan, but the recent remodel and rebrand has really amped it up a lot! :) I've just always loved the open space in DCA and Disneyland Paris, Disneyland is just so tightly packed, I haven't been to Florida yet so no opinion on that.
Florida does not have any tight issues, infant you will walk allot more about 14 miles if your there the whole day, however florida theme parks do not have as many rides per park like disneyland or DCA, they spread the rides thought the 4 parks
I think Disneyland is a little too packed with rides, especially in fantasy land.
I hope to go to WDW eventually!
As a non American, I would have 100% gone out of my way to visit An American History themed Disney park on the times I have visited the united states.
How old is that ESPN shot? It has the old NCAA logo from back when the NCAA was men only
It was I think the early 80s
"Seriously though, I would have gone to this park"...grammar counts
+John Ferguson get a life
EvadingCreation I have one,thank you.
1979 it was the very first SportsCenter
How did I not know of this I live like 15 minutes from the planned sight
Me to I'm so sad
Lol same
Same here. Hoodbridge anyone?
I also love 15-20 minutes from the sight.
Same dude
I lived and worked in the area at the time and remember this brouhaha. The development came anyway, just in different forms. The public was manipulated by environmentalists and other groups focused on the impact to the Manassas Battlefield. In the end it didn’t matter. The developers always win.
I like many aspects of the concept, but it's also fundamentally problematic. A lot of the most important events in history are complex, dark and controversial. Disney, being a mainstream, family-friendly (and kid-oriented) entertainment company would have a hard time tackling these subjects with the accuracy and nuance they deserve. On top of that, most of the people who'd be drawn to an America-themed theme park would likely be very nationalistic, so they'd have to really whitewash American history to cater to that base.
What the hell does being nationalistic have to do with whitewashing? Loving your country has nothing to do with race.
It would have been a problem to balance, however, the problems in these times weren't always head of center issues. Much like the problems we experience today, people of the future will wonder the same way how it was even possible we lived "peaceful lives" with our current issues in society. Having a window into a person's average life set in these time periods can really help with understanding American history.
bright sun... can you tell the story of when Walt bought 1000's of acres around Marceline, Mo to build Disney Midwest? there have been several books written about it. :-)
I just came back from the Defunctland episode to appreciate this episode of Abandoned again. Also, you showing up in that Defunctland episode gave me a heart attack from surprise. But a good surprise. Here's to hoping you're also in the DisneyQuest episode
"North Disneyland". Cute. Too cold half the year for U.S citizens and other foreigners, but you have the right to dream!
+Aaron Wilkins Yeah but so is Disneyland Paris
Yeah, because one thing about living in the Washington, DC area is that American and international tourists never come in the Fall and Winter months - I'm being sarcastic - travel to DC is huge, including during winter. There's a whole part of the world not afraid of winter.
Back in the day, long before Cedar Fair took it over, I thought the old Geauga Lake/Sea World set would have made for a nice Disney North, then Six Flags didn't do much and the community didn't really like the park nearby anyhow.. so up went that dream. Now the whole Geauga Lake side is being split up for a variety of things, though if somebody builds a movie stage on part of it, I guess that would be sort of cool (last I heard the tax credit got passed, but never news on the sound stage there).
a lot of tourists from other countries come to WDW every year and make up a large amount of the annual visitors, but I wonder if they would even want go to an American themed park? I can't imagine families flying to Virginia from other countries to learn about American history.
Well, Think about it this way, some people in the U.S would love to go to Great Britain or Japan or France if there were a park like that there. People like to go to see different things about a country or place they're visiting.
Niki Phenom you can already go to Epcot and get a small concise dose of that in the World Showcase. I can't imagine an entire theme park based on historical things. It may have gotten some visitors but I doubt enough to keep it afloat.
lol true
Dude they'd come. If you build it they will come. Disney on it people will check it out.
I think that would be solved by the idea of it being a smaller park. Also, I think the idea for a smaller American park could be done with lower risk if it was run seasonally.
Very sad the Disney's America never came to fruition. Would've been a GREAT place to take tweens and teens to actually learn about America's history outside of books. Think it would've been a very big success.
Disney's America would make a great 5th park for Disney World honestly
The gated community on the former Disney property is called Piedmont. An ex-girlfriend of mine owned a ridiculously expensive McMansion there. It's the kind of neighborhood you'd like if getting robbed by strangers bothers you so much that you'd rather be robbed and vandalized by your neighbors' teenaged kids (which is what happens in most gated communities).
Colorme Dubious
True!!!! It's you're neighbors kids have to worry about most of time unfortunately. Bet they are awesome houses!
A civil war reenactment in park sounds awesome, and it being near the Bull Run Battlefield is even better.
8:12 Holy shit! Thats the same scream they use in roller coaster tycoon. Anyone else hear it?
The Disney America sounds amazing but I really wish it would have taken off id love to see the victory field
Euro Disney was initially supposed to be in Salou Spain but then moved to Paris and now in Salou there is PortAventura..the more you know! hahaha
we honestly don't need a disney park in the northern part of the us, we already have multiple 6Flags themeparks, cedar point, and the remains of the Wisconsin Dells, not to mention lots of other smaller theme parks and county fairs :P
If you mean the "Disneyland North" I'm pretty sure he meant Canada
Curti Burm six flags is a rip off
Robert Martinez rip off of what?
Curti Burm listen I’m from the north and all I have are small board walk piers and stupid ass 6 flags this shit sucks I’m obsessed with Disney and I’d love to lace one close to where I live bc everything else is ass and I’m fascinated by animatronics
and, of course, Hershey Park.
As someone who lives in the DC area, I get it. There is already so much traffic and congestion in the area that I would've opposed it as well.
i live 40 min away from that spot in virginia and my mind is blown. after looking up that neighborhood, i noticed most of the people don’t even realize that was going to be a disney park..
Disney's America, more like Disney's America war history museum.
What's the difference?
Oda Swifteye Good point.
yumikumi2 lol
raiden z Well considering during that whole time period this park is set in my black ass would be a slave...yeah its kinda weird.
But war is most of American history
im sure there is reasonable explanation, but may I ask why it says "Gaylord" on one of the buildings at 9:39?