The Daily Stream: Disney Channel’s Theme: A History Mystery Is One Of The Year’s Best Documentaries
YouTube/Defunctland By Erin Brady/Nov. 25, 2022 9:00 am EST
(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they’ve been watching, why it’s worth checking out, and where you can stream it.) The Movie: Disney Channel’s Theme: A History Mystery
Where You Can Stream It: YouTube via the Defunctland channel The Pitch: Back in 2020, /Film’s Jacob Hall published a Quarantine Stream entitled “‘Defunctland’ Is The Best Damn Theme Park YouTube Channel On The Internet.” In it, he discussed the popular YouTube channel, run by Kevin Perjurer, and how his videos on theme park history go beyond regurgitating facts. Instead, Perjurer frames the events of this relatively niche industry as it relates to the broader societal culture in general. For instance, the 2018 video “The War for Disney’s America” is both a rundown of a canceled Disney theme park and an examination of Disney’s cultural and political place in American history. However, a lot has changed with Defunctland since that piece, and for the better. While still making fun videos on topics like terrible Seaworld rides and Garfield-themed hotspots for horny teenagers, Perjurer has begun transitioning into long-form documentaries, a label some have criticized him for due to their YouTube exclusivity. After achieving viral success with 2021’s “Disney’s FastPass: A Complicated History,” he has released perhaps his greatest Defunctland work to date: a meditation on artistic worth, cultural hegemony, and the legacies we leave on this earth, all framed around the four simple notes that make up the Disney Channel jingle.
A tribute to creatives
YouTube/Defunctland/Guillotine Post
Like all of Defunctland’s videos, it’s important to not take “Disney Channel’s Theme” too seriously. Perjurer makes sure to balance the documentary’s sentimentality with some truly ridiculous segments, the most entertaining of which being a comparison between the 1993 NAFTA debate and “High School Musical 2.” The worst part about this specific section is that he actually makes compelling points. Perhaps Chad Danforth (Corbin Bleu) being anti-dancing really is just like how Ross Perot was anti-NAFTA. It really makes you think.
In the moments that you are supposed to take the video seriously, it becomes one of the most intriguing and heartfelt explorations into art that have been released this year. Forget “Empire of Light” — “Disney Channel’s Theme” stands out in our ongoing trend of exploring the magic of creation and media. It consciously chooses to explore the inner mechanics of who makes the media we consume every day, rather than simply celebrating its existence. This is demonstrated both through the Disney Channel investigation itself and Perjurer’s internal struggles as a storyteller, and these two plot points come together beautifully as the video concludes. As for the actual investigation, we don’t want to spoil it too much. However, what we will say is that it likely won’t end the way you think it will, but that ultimately makes the documentary so much more rewarding to watch. Despite the bittersweetness you’ll feel as the credits roll, you’ll gain a deeper appreciation for the underseen creatives responsible for the things you love.
The Daily Stream: Disney Channel’s Theme: A History Mystery Is One Of The Year’s Best Documentaries
YouTube/Defunctland
By Erin Brady/Nov. 25, 2022 9:00 am EST
(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they’ve been watching, why it’s worth checking out, and where you can stream it.) The Movie: Disney Channel’s Theme: A History Mystery
Where You Can Stream It: YouTube via the Defunctland channel The Pitch: Back in 2020, /Film’s Jacob Hall published a Quarantine Stream entitled “‘Defunctland’ Is The Best Damn Theme Park YouTube Channel On The Internet.” In it, he discussed the popular YouTube channel, run by Kevin Perjurer, and how his videos on theme park history go beyond regurgitating facts. Instead, Perjurer frames the events of this relatively niche industry as it relates to the broader societal culture in general. For instance, the 2018 video “The War for Disney’s America” is both a rundown of a canceled Disney theme park and an examination of Disney’s cultural and political place in American history. However, a lot has changed with Defunctland since that piece, and for the better. While still making fun videos on topics like terrible Seaworld rides and Garfield-themed hotspots for horny teenagers, Perjurer has begun transitioning into long-form documentaries, a label some have criticized him for due to their YouTube exclusivity. After achieving viral success with 2021’s “Disney’s FastPass: A Complicated History,” he has released perhaps his greatest Defunctland work to date: a meditation on artistic worth, cultural hegemony, and the legacies we leave on this earth, all framed around the four simple notes that make up the Disney Channel jingle.
The Movie: Disney Channel’s Theme: A History Mystery
Where You Can Stream It: YouTube via the Defunctland channel
The Pitch: Back in 2020, /Film’s Jacob Hall published a Quarantine Stream entitled “‘Defunctland’ Is The Best Damn Theme Park YouTube Channel On The Internet.” In it, he discussed the popular YouTube channel, run by Kevin Perjurer, and how his videos on theme park history go beyond regurgitating facts. Instead, Perjurer frames the events of this relatively niche industry as it relates to the broader societal culture in general. For instance, the 2018 video “The War for Disney’s America” is both a rundown of a canceled Disney theme park and an examination of Disney’s cultural and political place in American history.
However, a lot has changed with Defunctland since that piece, and for the better. While still making fun videos on topics like terrible Seaworld rides and Garfield-themed hotspots for horny teenagers, Perjurer has begun transitioning into long-form documentaries, a label some have criticized him for due to their YouTube exclusivity. After achieving viral success with 2021’s “Disney’s FastPass: A Complicated History,” he has released perhaps his greatest Defunctland work to date: a meditation on artistic worth, cultural hegemony, and the legacies we leave on this earth, all framed around the four simple notes that make up the Disney Channel jingle.
Why it’s essential viewing
A tribute to creatives
YouTube/Defunctland/Guillotine Post
Like all of Defunctland’s videos, it’s important to not take “Disney Channel’s Theme” too seriously. Perjurer makes sure to balance the documentary’s sentimentality with some truly ridiculous segments, the most entertaining of which being a comparison between the 1993 NAFTA debate and “High School Musical 2.” The worst part about this specific section is that he actually makes compelling points. Perhaps Chad Danforth (Corbin Bleu) being anti-dancing really is just like how Ross Perot was anti-NAFTA. It really makes you think.
In the moments that you are supposed to take the video seriously, it becomes one of the most intriguing and heartfelt explorations into art that have been released this year. Forget “Empire of Light” — “Disney Channel’s Theme” stands out in our ongoing trend of exploring the magic of creation and media. It consciously chooses to explore the inner mechanics of who makes the media we consume every day, rather than simply celebrating its existence. This is demonstrated both through the Disney Channel investigation itself and Perjurer’s internal struggles as a storyteller, and these two plot points come together beautifully as the video concludes. As for the actual investigation, we don’t want to spoil it too much. However, what we will say is that it likely won’t end the way you think it will, but that ultimately makes the documentary so much more rewarding to watch. Despite the bittersweetness you’ll feel as the credits roll, you’ll gain a deeper appreciation for the underseen creatives responsible for the things you love.
In the moments that you are supposed to take the video seriously, it becomes one of the most intriguing and heartfelt explorations into art that have been released this year. Forget “Empire of Light” — “Disney Channel’s Theme” stands out in our ongoing trend of exploring the magic of creation and media. It consciously chooses to explore the inner mechanics of who makes the media we consume every day, rather than simply celebrating its existence. This is demonstrated both through the Disney Channel investigation itself and Perjurer’s internal struggles as a storyteller, and these two plot points come together beautifully as the video concludes.
As for the actual investigation, we don’t want to spoil it too much. However, what we will say is that it likely won’t end the way you think it will, but that ultimately makes the documentary so much more rewarding to watch. Despite the bittersweetness you’ll feel as the credits roll, you’ll gain a deeper appreciation for the underseen creatives responsible for the things you love.
