Disney Channel's Theme: A History Mystery
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 พ.ย. 2022
- In this DefunctTV special, Kevin investigates the origin of the four-note theme that has been used on Disney Channel for the past two decades.
Special Thanks to Dallas Taylor. For more deep dives into sonic branding check out:
/ @twentythousandhertz
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For more great content, visit defunctland.com
[SPOILERS]
Listen to Alex's Music:
open.spotify.com/artist/5qfqk...
You know what got me? If you google "who wrote the Disney channel theme?" now, Alex's name comes up in bold at the top of the screen... You did that. You made that happen.
@@paulyman28779 you're wrong cause its true. It says Alex Lasarenko.
@@paulyman28779 I don't know what Google you use or what you wrote, but this is definitely thee answer to thee question. Even Alexa responds like that and it is also mentioned in thee official Disney wiki page.
here's the Wikipedia article crediting this video as well
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney_Channel#cite_note-defunctland-32
You ARE a documentarian. You just unearthed a forgotten piece of history and made it well known. You have made it so this is not a mystery. So than when you simply google that question, everyone can find the answer. And this isn’t your first time. You are an amazingly talent artist, who creates documentaries that bring the unknowns to a place where they can be known. You do truly amazing work.
Wow I’m actually gonna cry now
Yesterday it was clear that FastPass: A Complicated History was Kevin's magnum opus. Now, that is no longer the case.
No comments? 🤨
Honestly I like fastpass but that's because I'm in industrial engineering
I feel like each one does what it does to the same level of perfection.
The Magnum Opus is DEFUNCTLAND. you cannot just elevate one bit over the others. It's all part of the process, of the maturation, that brought him here.
(And i personaly found the Halyx episode the most moving and immersive before now weirdly enough it included Kevin going to similar lengths to find out what became of the artists. He might be an even greater detective or cultural video archeologist than artist or documentarian ;))
Right? I wrote a comment on that one that it was, now ill have to go find it and hope i said "for now"
They say that a person dies twice.
Once, when their body dies, and twice when their name is spoken for the last time.
Thanks to your efforts, Alex Lasarenko lives on.
Every man has two deaths, when he is buried in the ground and the last time someone says his name. In some ways men can be immortal.
-Albert Einstein
@@treybickhaus5718 That's an Ernest Hemingway quote
@TheFyroPyro "Don't believe everything you see on the internet"
- Napoleon Bonaparte
/s
Also, I found some people say this quote is from Hemingway, like you said. Other claims it's from Banksy, or even Irvin Yalom.
I've even seem some connecting it to ancient Egypt.
So yeah, it's not clear who wrote that first (probably not Einstein though, I'll give you that)
I took a film analysis class in high school and I will never forget what that teacher told us.
He said "Remember...everything you see or hear in film or television cost money, time and more importantly effort. Every single thing you hear or see was put there for a reason, find the reason."
Selling Finding Nemo 😂
Ah! It’s me!
@@originalporpoise1009 omgoodness I thought I'd escaped your clutches!
You'll never take this clone aliiiiiive!
I Love that!
😊🩷🩵
@dw1419 I have no idea why you bring that up, it says cost. 🤔
It started as "Who wrote the Disney Channel theme?" and ended as "What sort of legacy should artists leave behind?" And it is beautiful.
It makes me want to learn about other unknown people. People who have contributed to things we see or hear everyday, yet we don’t know their names…
@@umjammereddy But the real trick is knowing that regardless of recognition, the fact that one person can touch another in any capacity, no matter how distant or small the effect, and make them feel something special is truly great.
If you want to honor the artists who worked in the past, just focus on your thoughts and feelings in the present. They all contributed to your world in a special way, and every beautiful thing you see is a result of their artistic handiwork.
@@doswallo That is so well said! A very beautiful way of looking at life
I came to write this very comment, but also was going to add something about the realization of your own mortality as well. Will the art you made with passion be remembered?
@@walker1812 There is a famous quote from one street artist known as Banksy: “They say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time." While there is some truth in this saying, how being remembered keeps your life intact for future generations to recognize with clarity, I do believe that the clear vision of one's name and artistic works can be overly focused on.
In truth, Banksy is not even the real identity of the street artist who said the quote. Their true name has never been attributed to their artistic works. But what does that matter? Whether we know their name, or their art, or the impact they had on someone else's life, what matters most is that they had any impact on someone's life at all. That impact they had on others, however small or large, will be passed down from person to person as we continue to grow as a people. If my great, great grandchild does not know Banksy or their art, or even if they do not know my name or my art, they will still have something to appreciate from us artists: that we existed and that we impacted others.
It is simply our duty to make our impact a good one, however that may be.
When you found out that kids were being subliminally messaged about how great fish were so that they'd want to see Finding Nemo, I spat my drink out
Oh my gosh you're that "cyoar" guy
Isn’t that a violation of US law? Subliminal advertising, especially for children.
Was the drink miluk by any chance?
daddy caddy has been spotted in defunctland comment section. (NOT CLICKBAIT)
Conspiracy theorists been talking for years about how Disney is subliminally messaging kids to worship Satan and the Illuminati or some other nonsense but the truth is they were subliminally messaging kids to watch Finding Nemo
It's so funny that the first female name you tried when looking for G.Owen was Glenda when Glen was the name you needed
Ed Wood
I saw that, said to myself "oh glen!", and then audibly laughed when I saw that was his name 😂
spoiler
@@Hvision0000spoiler is something that ruins the plot. None of these comments give any insight into the plot until the video literally got to that point nobody made it clear what any of this means so you would have to actually know some also why the hell are you in the comments and not watching the video, people talking about a video are always going to spoil it that's the point of comments, to talk about the f****** video
@@aSipOfHemlocktea ☝️🤓
_"This theme song consists of a four-note mnemonic jingle composed by the late Alex Lasarenko, former executive of Tonal Sounds and creative director at Elias Arts.[38][39]"_ -Wikipedia (Disney Channel article)
Thank you, Kevin, for contributing to history.
And both sources are defunctland!
I'd give you a like, but you have exactily 444 likes.
@@juanignaciolopeztellechea9401 someone else liked so you can do it now
@@Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-db2ff
shit
@@juanignaciolopeztellechea9401 Now, he has 555 likes!
Andrea's casual reveal of "yeah, I was sneaking in fish stuff for at LEAST a year and a half before finding Nemo" like it was nothing. FRICKIN MASTERMIND
I thought she was going to reply to him saying, "no, that's show business!" lmao
I love how honest she is about how insane that is lmao.
just imagine what else they, and other coporations, and your government sneak in for you over your entire life
Called priming
@@Just.A.T-Rex haha.
oh wait, youre serious
let me laugh even harder
HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHHAAHAHHAA
Kevin being genuinely flabbergasted at the 9/11 “express yourself” segment was so fucking funny
@rosaaa around 18:20
I worked at Disney World at the time those segments were on tv and at the time could only get Disney-owned channels on cable, so my roommates and I actually watched a fair bit of Disney Channel.
Mostly because it was often a choice between that and ESPN.
I was laughing at Kevin being freaked out by those segments.
The “kids talk about 9/11” thing was _everywhere_ at the time.
I had forgotten them. The memory took me out too lmao
I see how they seem particularly strange and shocking today-and I agree, it really makes for a comedic beat-but as someone who watched the full live news coverage starting shortly after the first plane hit and on throughout the rest of the day-and the following days, weeks, months-I can't think of any other event as traumatic as that one. I had just started 5th grade when it happened and I really did think about it daily for years. When a disaster happens at a school, for example, it's important to make counselling available to the children. But what do you do when the whole country saw it? A really fascinating cultural phenomenon all-around.
"So, I think, one good thing about 9/11 was..."
"Isn't it weird that we don't know who wrote that theme?"
"No."
lmfao
We need to stop celebrating ignorance
Abhorrent hambeast. I gasped when it appeared on screen
@@annaSHRRR In regards to politics, science, religion ... sure. In regards to disney lore? You're sounding a lil silly.
Don't get me wrong this video is a masterpiece but not caring about the subject matter has nothing to do with ignorance 😭
i love her she was cracking me up
I lost it at "That's right you got it!" "I know."💀😭
The reveal that we'd been listening to Alex Lasarenko's music the entire time gave me chills.
Thanks for the spoiler fuckboy
And thank you for ruining that same moment for anyone who comes after you ❤
@@dillonwalshpvd The moment is only ruined if you scroll down before finishing, that's on YOU.
@@dillonwalshpvd Don't read the comments while watching the video! Just watch the video. People come to the comments to discuss after. Spoilers should be expected.
Come on, maaaaan.
Spoiling in the comments should NOT be considered normal that’s lunacy
The music in this video is so incredibly good.
Edit: oh.
OMFG THIS IS THE BEST COMMENT EVERYONE ELSE GO HOME THIS GUY WINS
seriously this has a CRIMINALLY low amount of likes
Why did that moment hit me so hard? I actually started crying. He's been here the whole time.
😂
lmao william dafoe green goblin meme vibes
What
The fact we were honoring his work the whole video without knowing?! Absolutely incredible
Thanks for spoiling it
@@chez_calabrese Why you here if you didn’t watch it? You spoiled for yourself.
@@chez_calabrese you literally went out of your way to read the spoilers before the movie
the video was really really good, like 9/10, beforehand, but that reveal easily brought it all the way to a masterpiece for me. One of the best YT videos ever, no doubt.
When he revealed it, I was absolutely brought to tears. It's such an amazing way to honor a man.
Just asked my Google Home who wrote the theme song and she said the right answer AND called this a documentary!
Absolutely incredible work.
Well isn’t that a nice bow on this whole thing
I just did this for my Amazon Alexa and it worked. Holy crap. I feel like I've just watched the best TH-cam video... or rather, the best documentary ever made.
Based
I got so teary eyed when you spoke to Alex's colleagues and family. What an incredible tribute to his artistry and legacy.
And you ARE a documentarian and artist
absolutely beautiful and im so gald he has been honoured by such a talent like kevins
he reallyis an artist
Kansas City native here, just like Kevin Perjurer. The voice on the KMBC station ID at 22:45 is my late father, Drew Dimmel, who was KMBC's announcer as well as anchorman and weatherman, plus the voice of KC International Airport for years, and many other things.
Hearing his voice again really made my day! Thanks Mr. Perjurer for using that clip! 🙏
I'm sorry for your loss, but I'm glad you got some joy from hearing his voice again
thats amazing, what a coincidence
And that you credit your dad here is downright poetic. Thanks!
This is awesome! So sorry for your loss ❤
I always try to sneak some Kansas City references in when I can, so I had to include an iconic station ID from my home. I'm sorry for your loss. Your father was very talented and I'm glad I could showcase his work here.
My favorite part about all of this is the fact that you’re shedding light on a guy who realistically should have had a documentary made about him.
THIS is the documentary about him.
@@fatcat22able This is a video about finding him and who made the disney jingle. Not really a thorough documentary on his life. Amazing video don’t get me wrong but definitely not a actual documentary on him.
@@ramp622 at 1:21:06 that might change your opinion. this is a documentary, but not fully bout him. its a documentary in the search of this man. but youre right there should be another one made that shows his life before and after making the tune.
@@DeathGripsIsOffline696Its certainly a documentary. But more of a documentary on the journey of finding the guy. Not necessarily about his life and accomplishments from start to finish. I don’t even think defunctland would disagree with that. I absolutely adored this video by the way and Im really not trying to argue about anything, im just glad at least some content was produced on this guy who seems to be a pretty amazing and talented person. Much love.
Like the super monkey ball announcer vid
Notice that the music starts right after the short pause following the "The Disney channel theme was created by."? It makes SO MUCH SENSE in retrospect.
Hes mastered the craft at this point, he told a story, cut the interviews perfectly, put the music in the right spots, truly a masterwork, cant wait to see whats next!
What actually is that music? Can’t find it anywhere
Edit: nvm
1:09:25
"That's a little sinister..."
"mmhm! :)"
She's terrifying lmao.
@@CommonApathy Yeah, I respect the hustle but advertising executives are truly built different.
Hi. I’m an admin on the Audiovisual Identity Database (AVID). Your comments about the wiki mean so much to us as a community. We’re just emerging from a huge period of change at the moment and hearing you speak that way about us is so affirming after all the effort we’ve put in these last few months. Thank you so much!
Please dont stop. We never know when this is all gonna be useful again. I love the work you do
Keep up the great work, there is more unspoken appreciation of resources like yours than you know!
I just watched the video, and I guarantee I'm about to spend hours upon hours exploring your site!
I'm appreciative of you all taking the time and use of effort to create the Audiovisual Identity Database (AVID).
Please keep up the great work, it's very much appreciated :)
Just think: Andrea taylor single handedly transformed Disney Channel into a media juggernaut which influenced an entire generation of kids worldwide and launched an entire generation of teen actors into superstardom - and absolutely no one who actually grew up watching all this happen knew who she was until now.
disney channel 2003-2007 was my therapy back then lol. being bullied and living with abusive family, pop culture was my escape and still kinda is. it was nice for my innocent little ass to hear "follow your dreams" and all that other inspirational stuff💖
Hey! thats a little bit rude to everyone else involved tbh. She is a brilitant person though.
She also gave us lifetime, so we have to balance the pros with the cons.
@@thesmirkingwolf I mean u can just not watch it. thats what I do with channels i dont like🤷♀
@@thesmirkingwolf Lifetime is bad but good at the same time
I cant believe Tommy Tallarico invented Disney, The Wand, Mickey Mouse and The Music Ident! His mother is very proud!
It felt wrong, laughing at this comment.
LMAO...
came here looking for this comment, was not disappointed
It's truly incredible that Tommy Tallarico was the first American to work at disney
I was literally thinking while reaching the end of the video "Alex Lasarenko is the exact opposite of Tommy Tallarico."
This video is a year old. There's close to zero chance that this will ever get seen by anyone, let alone someone it will matter to. It will be nearly the 25 THOUSANDTH comment on this video.
However.
When the discussion of legacy comes up at the end of this video, every time, I think of what Defunctland means to me. As silly as it may sound, 6 years ago or so, Defunctland changed my life. I was in high school, looking for something to listen to while I edited my school paper. I have no idea how I stumbled upon this channel, but it entirely changed my interests. I had been in a slump with my interests, my writing, my life, and suddenly I had... Disney. Theme parks. Something I had never cared about before. I get horribly sick on roller coasters and grew up without cable TV. Yet, when I listened to Defunctland, when I let myself be absorbed into the history of theme parks, I found myself immersed in the history of humans, which was something I had always loved. Defunctland personally revitalized my love for my life and the life for others, and I am eternally thankful for that. The Jim Henson series, the video on the McDonald's and Disney collaboration, and the History of the Nickelodeon Hotel all personally inspired portions of my worldbuilding, which was another hobby of mine that Defunctland inadvertently helped revitalize, but no video ever makes me feel like this one.
Being remembered for something you don't necessarily want to be remembered for is a big deal. Jim Henson struggled with it. I struggle with it, even if I'm absurdly far from anything famous. What I'll always remember Defunctland - and by extension, of course, Kevin - for will be for giving my interests, my talents, my worldbuilding, and even myself new life. For teaching me, for throwing out one liners that are hilarious, and by all means, being a documentarian. The impact of this channel goes deeply beyond the medium.
:0 wow
This is a beautiful comment and made an impact on me today. Keep spreading the kind and thoughtful side of humanity. Thank you.
Hey man I read this. I hope life goes in every direction you want it to. ❤
I read this.
What a beautiful comment, and I’m so glad to have read all of that.
Why am I getting emotional over a man I didn’t even know existed two hours before this video? The fact that everyone around him loved him and talked about his passion for music is so beautiful. His art is literally so nostalgic for so many people and he probably had no idea.
I think deep down, he knew. He just lived very out of the spotlight
I’ll join the club of people who didn’t expect to cry watching a video like this.
for the same reason you cringed when Jeff broke the pencil
Because you can relate with his dream, and his soul
its beautiful
@@Evansvillebelle Exactly I am only 19 and disney was a big part of my childhood and this video was amazing.
I just want to say a big thank you to Defunctland for spotlighting all the "little" composers in the industry. Most people never even think about the fact that there are people behind all the music they listen to. It's really nice to see working composers who aren't the big stars being spotlighted.
It is. It's so special because you can tell they had so much fun making the music and so much passion for their job. It's so cool to see the behind the scenes of it, to actually see the faces of the things we often don't even consider when just watching tv.
And those companies are major workhorses, as Kevin pointed out.
Shouts to Kevin MacLeod for basically writing the YT “soundtrack”
Aye. I do work in a similar sort of field, and work with some utterly fantastic artists, people who can turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse with what seems like zero effort at all. I could sing their praises for days, and while a huge number of people have seen their work, none would call it art, because… well, it’s in service of advertisements of products.
All of this stuff was made by people, talented people who found a way to translate their skills into a steady paycheck, and still got to express themselves along the way. I wish it could all be more public and visible, but seeing one get the time they truly did deserve was a joy.
@@Wraithfighter One wonders if a lot of those artists know they have a gift, but are more on the shy side and prefer anonymity. Like Kevin said, Alex L. tended to leave the room whenever someone brought in a camera.
The way Alex’s coworkers talked about him made me tear up. It’s really not about what you do, but how you do it, your attitude and how you treat others.
Kevin, I am not an emotional man. I'm a gremlin in a broken body. But your production has moved me to tears. My friend, you are more than a youtuber. You are more than a documentarian. You are a historian. Without your efforts we might have never known the answer to this burning question. Never doubt yourself. We need more people like you.
Defunctland has its own Wikipedia article, this episode has its own IMDB and Letterboxd pages, and in a few websites, you're even credited as a documentarian. You've done it, man. You've made it into the history books, and what a way to do it
Tweakcat
@@GameScope-nf2wx Game Scope
Donkey
your mom
what on earth are these replies
Honestly, as someone who studies archives and recording history, this is a documentary and this is archival work. This is remarkable, not only in its dedication and completeness, but in the fact that it puts a name to someone's work. We have this now. We know who composed this work, we can remember him now. Thank you for this. It's absolutely fantastic.
Ok
I appreciate a good documentary and this is one of the best I've seen in quite some time.
Here here!!
even as someone who doesn't study this sort of thing it's pretty apparent that long form "video essays" are documentaries for the new generation/age, especially from creators who have thousands of dollars from fans to fund their videos. re: this video tho, it's a bonafide documentary fs.
@@superhetoric what's your intent with this comment?
Best thing about this video is discovering "Noir" by Alex Lasarenko, which is simply a fantastic album. Well played, Kevin. Thank you.
Give a listen to Orchestral Grooves (also by Alex Lasarenko) it's such an amazing album
"No. No regrets." Goddang what a Chad. Hats off Alex, and happy trails in the great beyond.
This is honestly a masterpiece. You should submit this to a film festival no lie whatsoever.
Film festivals don't deserve it, it's too good for them
Seriously
I was gonna say, really any of his videos could be submitted to a film festival, but I agree that film festivals don’t deserve them
Literally!!!!
Regardless of if they'd deserve it or not. It would and will go far there.
Kevin, you have just made a major, MAJOR contribution to the preservation of this man’s legacy. Because of you, your efforts, and the colleagues and friends in this documentary, his art and genius are front and center. Congratulations, and thank you!
+
+2
+3
You live as long as the last person to remember you. May many generations remember some of the artists featured in this doc.
+4
I’ve seen this video several times now and it always warms my heart a little when David Moreland sits down at the piano and starts explaining music theory to you. It’s so nice to see someone so obviously passionate about what they do.
42:55 - 44:35 ok but why is nobody talking about this section of the video? it literally explains why high school musical 2 is the peak of cinema. truly moving to be honest
Insane how independent TH-camrs can create better documentaries than anything I’ve seen from corporations with huge budgets like Netflix. I’m glad I decided to click on this random video
I feel like for TH-camrs, it’s much more of a passion project, by and large. For corps with huge budgets, it’s little more than a payday. Most of the best documentaries or series/stories I’ve seen have been independently made.
For example, things like Eddsworld or McJuggerNuggets’ Psycho Series, they have much more soul, love, and creativity than things that corporations tend to put out these days, because they were made explicitly for passion of the craft.
@@Jfam11638 So true.
This guy has so many well done videos it’s unbelievable
That's the element missing from 99% of anything corporate. It's called character. When it's there you'll hardly notice it, or if you do, you won't be putting it into words. But you will notice it when it's gone. Best example I can think of is when Guardians of the Galaxy came out, around the same time as Batman V Superman, and people were confused as to why they felt more emotionally invest in Rocket Raccoon than they did in Superman. And that's the missing element. A little bit of character can go a long way.
@@browngaymethodistjesuschri1361 lo
The fact that he’s been playing Alex’s music through the whole video is incredible. This entire documentary is incredible. Just wow.
Few things can evoke a more genuine "sunuva b*tch" from me than that revelation
@@SirMatthew For sure. The entire dramatic narrative tone of this video had been fascinating but slightly unsettling the entire time, and to find out it was all to match the tone of Alex's haunting music ... wow. Well done! I have to immediately watch it again with that in mind.
and sinister
I had to try REALLY hard not to cry at that reveal-
What a reveal!
I actually yelled "NO!!" out loud and had to pause the video when it said "site not found".
And then i cried(positive) so much i literally got dizzy at the end. What a beautiful piece you've created.
“Would you do anything differently?” “No. No regrets.” There it is. That’s what got me.
I feel no hesitation in calling your work a public service. To release a documentary of this quality for free is an act of altruism, and in twenty years we are going to have great films that only exist because their creators saw this work in an accessible format and realized art didn't just have to be a dream for them.
Fr
So perfectly and succinctly stated.
what a lovely comment
Yes, it's really well done and fun to watch! I learn so many fascinating things I find myself watching videos about things I wouldn't normally be interested in, like the Garfield ride. Lol oh my, that was a surprise!
Such a kind and moving sentiment, and one that I wholeheartedly agree with.
I was so convinced at the beginning when the camera zoomed out of the screen and turned to Kevin's silhouette that he was gonna say *"me."* and this entire video was gonna be Kevin proving that he was somehow the one who made the disney channel theme lmao
Ok good I wasn't the only one
Bro I thought the same thing
You got posted on his twitter 😂
@@oldjones5353 Yeah, people are calling me dumb lmao. Twitter moment
Came from Twitter to find this comment 😅 honestly, I can see where you're coming from. Those kind of camera pans do usually lead to a plot twist & after Shapeland...y'know.
1:24:36 girl i was holding back tears all through the interviews, all though the monologue, and then, when THE MUSIC was revealed (not spoiling it for anyone not there yet), i started BAWLING. fucking straight WEEPING, man.
I sat down expecting a youtube 40 sec clip about Disney that i doom scrolled by at 2 in the morning, not expecting an actual artistic documentary film that had me time traveling to my childhood on a fuckin crazy emotional roller coaster, learning about something and someone I had no idea id ever give two shits about. Making an hour and a half feel like no time at all. Big fucking props for the work and time put into this. Easily one of the best and most fun docs Ive watched in long ass time.
Well said, doodoosprankles
I love how this goes from a documentary mystery about a jingle to an existential dissection of artistic legacy in the modern age.
Why would you be talking about 9/11 all year???
This is like. Hbomberguy's oof video with less descent into insanity and exposing tommy tallarico idmdiejd
Seek help
@@zacyquack Kiss me, N-nerd..
@@zacyquack why
Kevin, you ARE a documentarian. You ARE changing the world with your art. You have preserved the memory of people like Alex and Jim in a way almost nobody else can. Plus, your cinematography is fantastic. Don't sell yourself short, man.
Changing the world with his art?
A bit much.
@@USMC0331OIF why do people like you exist?
@@USMC0331OIF A small change is a change nonetheless.
@@USMC0331OIF Man the point of the video just completely flew over your head, huh?
@@USMC0331OIF DefunctLand's compelling content on Disney Parks have significantly changed the public discourse on their parks, and recently the changing of CEO. It's not causative, but it is a major presence.
0:00:00 Prologue: NBC
0:04:27 Who Wrote The Theme?
0:07:17 Bumpers
0:10:03 The Timeline
0:15:19 - Zoog Disney
0:17:33 - Late 2002 / Express Yourself
0:22:09 - Wand IDs
0:29:47 G. Owen
0:32:21 The Defunctland Tip Line
0:33:03 The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
0:34:19 Music Licensers
0:37:41 Eras
0:42:53 High School Musical 2
0:45:16 David Norland
0:50:30 A Tonal Discovery
0:55:27 Eric Perlmutter
0:59:53 OBSESSION
1:04:14 Bloopers
1:06:53 Andrea, Glen, & Patrick
1:15:16 Who Wrote The Theme
1:20:41 [Missing File]
1:25:08 Legacy
1:27:40 "It's just four notes."
1:30:31 Credits
godsend
Underrated comment
I clicked on this video thinking it was just about the history of Disney Channel theme and bumpers that I grew up with. But it's so much more, these people that were interviewed have literally shaped a whole generation of TV watchers, they are all amazing artists and geniuses. This is the best youtube video I've watched in a long time, the amount of care and quality you have with your videos is unprecedented, such a beautiful documentary. You are truly a documentarian and a artist.
Kevin,
This video is true content creation. This is art. This is film. You are amazing. This was amazing. I’m so freaking inspired.
Thank you for this.
Jirard
Wasn’t expecting to see you here but I couldn’t agree more
PS I’m loving your and Jesse’s God of War playthrough
JIRAD, WHY YOU HERE?!
Hey! Your stuff is good too!
Well Said, Jirard. I agree completely. Both you & your team, and Defunctland are among my favorites, and you all bring me so much joy. But you both do similar work, specifically, the preservation of history, it’s incredibly important, and I, for one, will always be grateful for that.
High praise from the Beardman: cheers to both of y'all and your teams
Man, the end of this film gets me every time. "Any one of us would be blessed to be remembered for just one note. What a monumental achievement it is to be remembered for four."
it is 4 am and I'm crying. one of the best endings I've seen to a documentary.
Yep. So touching.
@@neoordwellfr
The theme C G A C E D E C that was the opening theme for all the shows back in 02-07
Coming up to 2 years and this is still one of the best doccos I’ve seen. Apart from the incredible reveal of Alex Lasarenko’s music being the backing track the entire time, it is just genuinely incredible how such a simple question and seemingly fun concept was morphed into a beautiful homage and tribute to a hidden legends legacy.
Kevin, you genuinely enabled a man to be pulled back from being forgotten to time.
They say you die twice: once when you leave the world, and finally when you are thought about for the last time. Your effort and care ensures that Mr Lasarenko stays around a little while longer.
Happy 1 Year Anniversary to the one documentary that has not only shined light onto something that felt so hard to describe but basically explained my entire childhood to me, you're a true Documentarian.
I love how this went from a "who dunnit" to a pretty lovely eulogy for a prolific but simultaneously unknown composer who recently passed away. This is one of the best Defunctland documentaries I've seen, and you really shouldn't shy away from calling yourself a documentarian because that absolutely is the best descriptor for what you do.
Is a documentarion better than a TH-camr?
You have no network to sell or appease your work. You don't have to make a ton of money you can do what you want as quickly as you want.
The two terms are not mutually exclusive.
This IS a documentary. This IS art. You ARE an artist. Well done.
What's up with all these generic bot types comments? Everyone in the comments saying the same stuff over and over is if it's a bunch of bots
@@beardedringo5151 Go to 1:20:57. These look like bots without the context.
I agree entirely. The ending gave me chills
@@jonathanoliveira326 I don't even know what you mean. He's just complaining about being a youtuber
@@beardedringo5151 He's a documentarian who publishes to TH-cam and is afraid people will see and remember him as you are doing now. Just another TH-camr.
This went from being something I thought I could play in the background while doing laundry to becoming one of the most compelling things I’ve seen on TH-cam this year. Excellent job.
Bro, you even foreshadowed the ending scene in the thumbnail. This is literal gold 😭😭
A chekov's gun, per se.
Listening to the background music and thinking "Damn, this is good, I wonder who made it?" made that ending even better
it threw me for not just a loop but a whole damn planetary excursion
Oh my. I'm so glad that I didn't scroll past the first comment. This is literally right below it as I'm typing this. Can't believe I'm saying it but I almost got spoiled on an TH-cam video. Well, it's more than just a TH-cam video but you get what I mean.
fr its crazy cos like 20 minutes before the reveal i was like aye nice music choice for the bgm
As a historian, this is simply beautiful. You're not just a TH-camr or even just a Documentarian. You are a historian, uncovering great primary sources and making use of excellent secondary sources so we know what happened, we know who did things. Keep up at it
Seconding this. It's not just that you're a great researcher, Kevin, but you do the most important work a historian *can* do: taking the past and making it present for the viewer, warts and all. And not just Big History, but stories that might otherwise disappear.
Granted, some of those stories involve unspeakable acts committed under the gaze of an orange cat, but we don't get to choose what people do in the dark.
I like this. He's not just a TH-camr or content creator, because he does more than make known information interesting.
He's not just a documentarian, because he's not just documenting information or re-presenting it.
He is actively uncovering new information that otherwise would have been lost. Think about if someone tried to do this 50 years from now. Nearly all these people wouldn't be here. They would have no way of answering this question.
He is a modern historian,
And a documentarian.
And a content creator.
And that's what makes him so amazing.
Absolutely 👏🏼 👏🏼
The digging up of primary sources is invaluable. A lot of people don’t even know where to look. It takes someone with a niche interest and that special skill of being able to know what questions to ask and where that make an incredible HISTORIAN and documentarian.
@@Wote89 As another historian (finishing up my MA in a few months) the stories that might otherwise disappear are the most important to cover. The fact that nobody thought to record some events is the reason our gaps in understanding of so many historical events is so large; we have to rely on guesswork for massive portions of our history, many of them essential to telling the story of our society. Some of my colleagues would look down on this as "recent" history; it's extremely important to remember that although Alex had unfortunately passed by the time this video was made, the others interviewed had not. Can you imagine trying to find who produced this, or who came up with these interstitials 50, or 100 years from now. Modern history is also history, recording these things for future generations is how they enter the archives, and Kevin is a historian.
@@nate7149 you oughta give more credit to documentarians man their work in itself is a research project (and a lot of good documentarians are often tied with social sciences) Take searching for sugar man - basically the same effort of searching for a person behind the music and see if this is "merely documenting" lmao
you can actually make out the date the wand shoots were filmed on the bottom right corner of the clapper: 8/25/02. Very cool bit of archival history!
"Okay, that's a little sinister..."
"Mhmm"
Lmaooo
"isn't it weird that we don't know who wrote that theme"
"no"
Silence
gave me a good chuckle
who is she ive been trying to find her youtube channel
Im obsessed with her who is she
@@HuskyGamersUNITE its not too late to delete this comment
@@shmebulocck what was the comment lmao 💀
@@Astrakkun why tho
the part where you revealed that every song played in this video has been Alex’s brought me to tears. i felt such a sense of relief that his legacy would be preserved. this is an amazing documentary, well done dude.
Right there with you.
That was kind of great for me, I had actually been wondering what the music was at several points. It says something when the background music gets your attention, you know?
I was crying too. The amount of love and care put into these documentaries are astounding.
just...fucking tears
Tear ducts went into overdrive upon that reveal. And I tear up maybe once per year. Dude got me good with that little emotional time bomb he planted.
I keep coming back to show people the video or re-watch a couple parts for myself, but that is probably still my favorite single moment of the doc because of how moving it was.
as a film student who’s just graduated college, facing a world of uncertainty with the state that the appreciation for art is in right now, watching a video like this about legacy and about how every piece of art is valuable no matter what it is, really hit me. even if I don’t end up doing anything grand, I still hope someone will remember my work fondly and I’ll positively effect the people around me. that much will always be enough.
man. I have the attention span of a drunk goose but i was glued to my screen this entire documentary. my little adhd ass didn’t even open the comment section. this was such a masterpiece. i got so invested and emotional. im a songwriter and have recently been thrown into the music industry and suddenly the fact that Alex wasn’t openly credited prior to this made me so dumbfounded. and you pretty much asking for permission at the end just made me go “:,)” im like speechless about this. thank you Kevin
I love how a guy who wrote the theme was so well respected as a person and extremely popular among his peers. That's what a healthy work environment looks like, is your co-workers remember you years later and continue to speak highly of you even after you die.
That’s because he was a talented genius. We’re not sure he was kind
@@arionthedeer7372 Well aren't you fun at parties
@@arionthedeer7372 Why speak highly of someone mean and cruel?
@@Deadsphere old joke, also doesn't make sense. Why would I ever go to a party with you, an idiot
not to be 'that' guy, but everyone is raised up after they die unless they were really bad or disliked by others. Even you will be lifted way above how people currently see you even by people who barely knew you. Thats just how people are, its the respectful thing to do.
Haven't watched very much cable TV but now I am under the impression that 25% of the Disney Channel interstitials are about 9/11
😂😂😂
I’m watching this doc months after I first watched it and I nearly died laughing again at the September 11th shoutouts.
*Kid:* "I think it's important to be yourself around your friends, and to be able to come together--..."
*Kevin:* "Great! We're getting somewhere. A perfectly ordinary clip and n--"
*Kid:* "...and have a discussion about _September 11."_
*Kevin:* "AAAAAUUUGH."
Trust me they weren't. It's just kind of fun to point them out. It's a time capsule.
For most of 2002, they were.
Amazing bit of work. RIP Alex Lasarenko, that four-note mnemonic was the soundtrack to our childhood
Your documentary on Disney Channel's Theme was an unexpected gem. I learned so much about production of Disney programming and the talented musicians behind the scenes. As a retired librarian, I was tremendously impressed with your researching skills and especially your persistence (and patience) in getting to the bottom of who actually wrote the theme. Thank you for telling Mr. Lasarenko's story so well. I have since listened to his music. One last thing: you are a documentarian. I have been a subscriber to your channel for awhile now. Your work rises above mere content. All of your work is well-researched, well written, and clearly presented. I loved this!
I genuinely wasn't expecting an hour and a half video essay on the Disney channel theme to hit me right in the existential feels.
Give the man an Oscar, let him have the title of a filmmaker.
Kevin: Very sincerely expressing why the composer should be proud of his lifes work and why we should repect him despite his best known work being a three second disney jingle.
Also Kevin @ 24:50: This NOBODY was the first person to draw the disney channel logo.
The next video be like: Who was the first person to draw the Disney Channel Logo?
@@NaddleSchidaddleIs it weird that I would ACTUALLY like to know that? Like, what happened to that kid? Where is he now? What about the kids from the "Let's watch a Disney Channel Movie" sequence? We became so used to seeing them as kids that we never thought about the fact that they were real PEOPLE, who went on to live real LIVES.
@@kattriella1331 they are probably parents or something else by now
In the words of Andrea Taylor, “those kids are probably all like parents and decrepit old people now”
The platform you use does not change the value of your content. You are a Documentarian. Never let anyone ever convince you otherwise. You have a body of work most professional documentarians wish they had, and you cover subjects that hold relevancy to everyone, whether they know it or not. Bless and keep you.
Wow I’m actually crying over a documentary titled: “Who Wrote the Disney Channel Theme?” The subtle hints throughout this video are amazing and the way they coincide with everything is orchestrated so well. What a beautiful tribute and a beautiful documentary! KEVIN YOU ARE AN UNSUNG HERO AND A TRUE ARTIST!
The sentiment about being a “TH-camr” instead of an “artist” by society’s standards really hit home for me. Thank you for making such an amazing documentary, and for raising the bar on the platform. Incredible work.
i mean, you got people like defunctland who make content and then you got people like you who make "i went to shitstain academy" clickbait videos about yourself....a wide margin seperates you two
I think the world would be better if we had less "content creators" and more creatives. Less youtubers and tiktokers, more storytellers and animators and dancers and artists.
Hi Michelle :D
Gotta be real, you're a loser
@@PoppyHapalopus Define your terms then. Which is which?
Oh dang you weren't kidding about this one being different. I honestly completely forgot about the Disney Channel theme and always took it for granted.
Me too honestly until he said it was a four note melody and I immediately recognized it. I remember after every show id always hum the melody after the breaks, so i guess it worked.
Agree. I was child and preteen from 2002 to 2007 when I sometimes watched some Disney show at the time. Also, I didn't know the original composer name until I watched this video.
Hey Kevin, I work in post-production in LA as a "post-fixer" and a big part of my job is what I call being a "post-production detective", and I got to say, your passion and enthusiasm for this project sounds exactly like my excitement when i figure out that a particular shot is from a reshoot that was done by the third second-unit director that wasn't documented correctly by the UPM because they were being petty and didn't want the new hire to get their union membership hours.
I learned a few things watching this, and thought of a few ways that might of been able to help you skip a few monotonous steps. So not only did I enjoy this amazing documentary, but it was career educational experience. So thank you!
There is an hour and a half to unpack here, but the dramatic sequence of misdrawing the Disney Channel logo, only to get promptly shot by “no, that’s Zoopals” fucking sent me
This is seriously one of the best, if not the best, documentaries I've ever seen. Never cried this much at the end of a documentary (and I consider that a good thing). I honesly think this should be shown in every "intro to research" and "intro to art appreciation" class in college.
Take this to a film festival. This is by far one of the best documentaries I have seen in a long time. Your videos are always so educational and well researched.
Fr, this was art
Unfortunately, many film festivals will not accept it since it has already been released to a wide audience. They are very weird about these things.
@@GaviLazan besides that but sometimes it's better for something to be on youtube. Just like those who say someone should get a show on Netflix.
Defunct land will make more money having this on youtube than a film fest
@@somebodysthrowaway I don't think they are saying one OR the other, but rather both. Like, why not be able to submit this video to a festival even if it's on the channel? If it were the opposite direction they'd be ok since they just want first dibs.
@@GaviLazan most the time your submitting project to film festivals for distribution or be eligible for awards. This is a great video but wouldn't benefit going to. Festival especially when it has +1 million views. Which is close to 5,000- 12,000 dollars in revenue.
This is the most niche video I’ve ever seen… and I loved every minute
OH MY GOD! I watch your videos! Fancy seeing you here.
I'm thoroughly pleased that you're here.
Documentary*
If this is the most niche thing you've ever seen, you've clearly not watched much internet stuff in general
😊
This is the greatest TH-cam video i have ever seen in my entire life. The effort, research, production, and editing seem like this video was a multimillion dollar film shown in theaters. I will high praise this video until the grave.
44:29 😅 I did watch this movie premier, but in my defense, I had a 9 yo daughter and her friends had a watch party at our house because we had the biggest tv and living room. We must have made 150 puzza rolls that night. Sadly I do remember alot of that movie
I don’t know if TH-cam videos can win an Oscar, but this should be nominated
It should be nominated for Oscar for real
Short films and mini docs are eligible if submitted meeting correct standards, I’m not sure what they are exactly but I’m sure there’s ways this could be submitted realistically
Jon tron was
He should submit it. This is really top tier.
a twitch stream almost got nominated for a grammy... so its not impossible
The ending with the interview with Alex he read where he replied to "would you do anything differently?" With "No, no regrets," was oddly heart warming.
That's not Alex. He's dead.
@@Exzachtly27 yes it is lmfao
@@Exzachtly27 it’s a transcript of an interview he did *before* he was dead.
I thought he was talking about 1:25:11 and thought he might have skipped over parts of the video and thought that this was him.
@@Exzachtly27 yeah no I was talking about the transcript that Kevin showed on screen, where someone else intervied Alex when he was alive.
Didn’t know I would get so emotional from a documentary about 4 notes, but here I am. Sounds like Alex was a great man, and I’m glad you were able to bring his work to light. This isn’t just a tribute to him, but to all artists
This was so touching and well done I can't even make the joke that Tommy Tallarico was the one who made the Disney channel 4-note theme. Fantastic work. You're one of my favorite documentarians.
1:24:10 Almost a year later, and I still get chills at this moment. I still choke up when it's revealed Alex Lasarenko's music has been playing the whole video. What an amazing transition to pay tribute to a man who went unnoticed in the industry for so long. It's clear from the words of his coworkers that he had nothing but joy for what he did and how he worked. And it's so beautiful that he can be credited and uplifted for his amazing work, even if it's posthumously.
Edit: Wow, this comment got a lot of likes and was pushed toward the top of the comments page. I did not expect that to happen. I want to apologize to those in the replies who were spoiled by the outcome from my comment. That was not my intention when I wrote it 6ish months ago. I hope your watch of the video was not ruined by being spoiled.
This is my second watch a year later and just watching with that knowledge makes me tear up from the beginning. How beautiful
34:13 is a nice bit of foreshadowing for the reveal.
I even read this before i saw it..... still got massive duck pimples
@@jasiucasic was spoilered too...
Only now noticed how old this video was, thought it was a new release
You're definitely a documentarian! You're just choosing a more accessible platform, and with this day and age where most millennials don't even get cable, your content is probably seen here more than a show would. Hopefully a streaming platform reaches out to collaborate with you, but putting your content online, for free, doesn't make you any less of a documentarian or producer!
I bet Nebula would love to add this content.
You could probably get a Netflix deal and have less viewership than here on TH-cam.
This 👏🏻
Rewatching this on New Year's Eve hits different.
I've been struggling with a lot of bad thoughts, all throughout my life, discovering this documentary and Alexander Lasarenko's music sort of lightened it up. Whenever I feel down, I put on Pont Alexandre III, it gives me this sense of purpose, of...will, to live, to make art, to create, to be.
Thank you. Happy New Year.
This documentary is one of those pieces of art that leaves you feeling slightly empty afterwards
it makes you feel so much that when it ends everything else feels kinda... off
thank you
I did not expect this to turn into a tear-jerking obituary honoring the composer. He sounds like a lovely man and musician. The Disney Channel theme is so iconic; I was surprised when the actors didn't remember it!
P.S. My brother if you're not a documentarian then who is?!?! I cherish your documentaries and respect you for putting them out for free.
Ikr?! Doesn't matter what medium the video is put out through, this is still 100% a documentary, and Alex absolutely has earned the title of documentarian!
Truth!!
This, this until the heat death of the local galexy
@@megamage911 Alex? Isn't his name Kevin?
@@TadpoleMusics Oh right, I was very tired when I made that comment, brainfart xD
“No. No regrets.” What powerful last words we have from Alex.
I just stumbled upon this video, and I know it's a year old but I just need to say you, sir, ARE a filmmaker and an artist. You've put this beautiful documentary that started as a cool 3AM rabbit hole question and it ended as a beautiful tribute to a wonderful composer. I've followed Alex's profile on Spotify now and can't wait to listen to his music today while I work on my own content for work. I can't wait to watch your other videos. Amazing work. I hope you receive the recognition in the circles you're aiming for because you very much deserve it.
Why am I crying?! Absolutely moving. I am pleased to have had this autoplay for me. Thank you TH-cam algorithm for not only leading me to Defunctland a few months ago but for playing this whilst I was awake. Will definitely stay a subscriber.
What an amazing documentary. The Taylor interview absolutely killed me.
"I started selling you stuff about "Finding Nemo" a year and a half before "Nemo" came out. I think we called them Fishy Facts, and it was all stuff to get kids interested in fish, so that when it came out, you liked fish!"
"And these kids were like, this is perfect, because I'm already into fish, coincidentally."
Its hillariously Diabolical but also you just gotta shake your head and think "yep thats Disney for ya"
awesome EFT profile pic
It's that kind of devious genius one can't help but respect.
I literally got chills once the reveal that the entire documentary has been composed using all of Alex’s work. Absolutely incredible documentary. You are a phenomenal artist. This came on with the algorithm playing in the background and I got so enticed into the storyline. Amazing.
I have to admit, I actually cried a bit when that was revealed. This was turned into the most amazing story.
100% Film Maker move. When I got those chills you went beyond just a youtuber. 🎉
@@tylershadlow5792 Captivating moments in any given media is an art. He sought out to create that moment in his documentary and it captured the essence he wanted. I was moved by watching it so I wanted to write about it. You're just a pretentious hater. 😂
@@tylershadlow5792 boooo. Let people enjoy things.
@@tylershadlow5792Eliciting an emotional response from the viewer is the point of art, you heartless dolt. Does your self-satisfied, arrogant, unempathetic world view make you feel like a big boy? Or does constantly trying to prove that you’re smarter than random strangers on the internet leave something hollow deep down inside of you?
Not me almost crying here?
So you don't know me, I don't know you, this is actually only the second video of yours that I've watched, but this is absolutely a documentary. I think you've done an incredible job, you made me smile, and made me emotional. You made me care about something that I didn't even think twice about before today. Congratulations. This is an amazing documentary.
This. So hard. I honestly didn't really care about the Disney Channel theme at all since I've never heard it (having already been in college from the early 2000's), but the style (storytelling, video editing, pacing, etc etc etc too many to list) of this documentary had me hooked from beginning to end.
I never expected a video like this to make me ugly cry as hard as it did. What a lovely tribute to a man who made an impression on God knows how many millions of people.
this video is an achievement. wow
Stanley ritter
So now you’re the premium viewer.
As a fellow high school musical 2 enjoyer, I agree
jarvis u are everywhere i love it
You’re so right
oh my God the Handwich killed him these past months
Your feature length videos are always incredible
Glad to see you're a fan too RT
Now, get back to playing Lego Harry Potter :)
wait RT is here POG
I was literally watching your stream just a few moments ago
why am i not surprised the man who made lettuce would be also watching Disney documentaries
Oh man, that last 30 minutes are so cathartic. For it to turn in to a memorial for Alex, just wow.
I still think it's so mind boggling that someone can just... DO all this detective work in order to find out something as simple as "who wrote those 4 notes". Spectacular job, man