Cancelled - Disney Quest 

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"We would love to be in Detroit" That's the first time I've ever heard someone say that

Long story short, Disney was too ahead of its time with Disney Quest. I think if they actually updated Disney Quest: Downtown Disney to today's technology, it would've passed over the moon and into the stars. But, they decided to keep the technology from 17+ years ago and expect people to be okay with it while having things like a smartwatch on their wrist and touch screen phones in their pocket. Hopefully, the reconsider a similar concept in the future and actually keep it updated.

Was super fortunate to experience this place when I was a kid and growing up as a gamer...this place was heaven.

Disney Quest in Chicago failed because it was so hard to get into the building. Parking was hard and then you had to wait in line to get into the elevator into the place. Some days there was no problem getting into the lobby. When it first opened though, it was at maximum occupancy and you had to wait 2 hours on the cold Chicago streets or however long for some people to leave Disney Quest so you could simply enter. And everything was super buggy. And it wasn't fun for parents if they didn't like video games. It killed the hype and made people forget it was there after one or two trips, even though it was nearby. It was the only place to find VR in the 90s outside of Epcot though. That was really cool.

As a Chicago person that location had on issue. Parking! Parking in the city has always been a hassle and a half and over the years only got more expensive. The last mayor (Daley) privatized the parking in the city and it's only gotten worse. Honestly if they did this more in the suburbs outside of the actual city with more parking being available it could have lasted longer. It would also be away from other attractions like the museums, Navy Pier, and what not.

Every time I watch one of these videos I expect him to say abandoned.

Disney Quest was always a bit late to the party with this sort of thing, Sega was doing it in the very early '90s and so were a bunch of other companies. But I know a few people didn't like how dark it was inside either, some windows would have really helped.

My grandfather's company had an attraction on the first floor of Disney Quest in Orlando. It was called Treasures of the Inca. You would stand in front of a monitor with a steering wheel and gas pedal to drive a RC jeep with a wireless camera mounted to the hood to explore a miniature labyrinth. Scattered throughout the labyrinth were 13 treasure rooms each containing an artifact for you to collect. It had an almost Indiana Jones feel to it.

At Disney Springs they'll realize a NBA experience won't be appealing to children like DQ a couple years down the road and redo the indoor theme park experience again but better.

Hi Jake! I live in Philly... can u believe that the "hole" aka the lot where they began building the foundation from this project still remains on 8th and market! Those of us who live in Philly call it the Disney hole! And oddly, it's prime real-estate, I can't believe nothing has been done with it! You can catch septa trains/subway, and the patco train from 8th and market, meaning you can basically go anywhere in the city, to the suburbs of the city and even into NJ from that spot, making it a great location. They were talking about making it into a casino, or turning it into a sports complex for one of our teams (since we have to take the subway all the way to south Philly to see any of our sports teams, which is unlike most other cities where you go to the middle of downtown to see sports games), but nothing has been done with it. It's essentially a parking lot now, but parking lots like this are quickly disappearing and turning into parking garages in the city. I hope they can do something nice with it because we don't have much in the way of entertainment in our downtown area. As I said, the big arenas for sports game or concerts (such as the Wells Fargo arena) are all the way in south philly and you have to take a subway all the way there or drive. Other than that, we have some restaurants and a few small concert venues but that's about it. The only mall we have downtown is the gallery and it has terrible stores and can even be dangerous. If you want to do anything else like go to dave and busters or a concert, casino, sports game, etc, you have to go out of the downtown area.

There was one a RU-vid channel called Bright Sun Gaming that was cancelled. Now it's called Bright Sun Films.

"excuse me, is that comic sans?" dude I love your videos so much

NBA Experience sounds like something destined to fail.

Disney Quest was like a 90s wonderland. If they had fully embraced the “retro” vibe I feel like it would have stayed pretty relevant. Even though some of the experiences were “outdated” ( I thought they were fine ) I think Disney Quest was pretty cool. Definitely miss this place but I now own one of the actual games from Disney Quest so I get to reminisce on the old days every time I fire up my arcade 😃

Gosh though if only we had a present day Disney Quest with present day technology that would be insanely cool but sadly Disney is way more focused on how to make money as a company and bring in crowds than to actually wow the crowds which has always been their issue and why attractions don’t usually live as long as they plan unless they’re the classics. I’m obsessed with the millions of Disney plans and ideas that would have been amazing if they had actually decided to follow through instead of cut costs and make something less intricate. But I guess the magic of Disney is the imagination behind it all.

Hey, the Chicago one was only like 414 miles away from my house. Super convenient.

I live in Chicago! I went when I was 12 years old a few months after it opened! I remember it being so cool! But it was still a little buggy with the technology. I can tell you the problem immediately. Traffic in downtown is crazy! Very comparable to NYC! Try taking a minivan filled with kids and have to pay for parking? A parents nightmare. If they would have built it near the airport or anywhere less congested, they would have seen more tourist traffic. You only go downtown to do some serious shopping...not haul the kids in bumper to bumper traffic.

my aunt was a member of Club Disney, we still have a LOT or merchandise from when it existed :)

The NBA Experience is going to last even less

little did disney know that they would soon be sitting on a video game goldmine and then they would blow it all up for absolutely no reason

LOL Seems like half the Disney "ABANDONED" videos start with "Well, Michael Eisner..." Enjoy your evolving channel. Your delivery has gotten really incredible, and your research and detail far outstrips similar channels. Kudos! Edited to add: I am STILL sad they didn't make this work. They really gave up too soon, and I think it would still work today if they kept up on it.

Keep it up man, love your series on the Disney related stuff!

Just realized how similar in concept DisneyQuest was to the Sony Wonder Lab in NYC which closed last year. To your point about people lining up for new VR experiences, it's interesting that both of these rather out of date attractions have been (or will be) shut down so recently when that kind of technology is so huge right now

I feel that this concept could do quite well if built somewhere like Australia or New Zealand, where we don’t have any Disney Parks. People would likely actually travel interstate for that here, as it’s the closest they’d get to experiencing Disney Magic without having to travel to Japan or the USA.

when this park closes somebody who works at disney should dump the files for the rides and simulations online so that people/alternate historians like us can play these games on mame and other software so they dont become lost cause they did it with fix it felix so why not the rides and the computers that run this software

While Dave and Busters, Gameworks, etc. have a similar concept, DisneyQuest was different in that all you had to pay was one admission price and any food you wanted. It was really ahead of its time.

Disney Quest is the greatest thing ever at Disney springs. So sad it's closing in August

I grew up in Chicago and I remember being a child really wanting to go to Disney Quest. I had no idea it only lasted 2 years.

How funny. My dad used to be a general manager at Club Disney in West Covina. I remember going there a lot and even having my birthday there one year. I remember the Winnie the Pooh area, the little mermaid area, the big jungle gym and computer room where you could play all the Disney cd roms. I used to love it there and sometimes wish it was still around. If it could have stayed I'm sure with better updates and such, it would have brought in the money the company desired. But sadly some things never work out Great video by the way

Lol, watching this on July 2nd 2017. Last day for Disney Quest! :P

I happened to go in 2009 and it was already incredibly outdated. I remember some of the rides breaking down. I did not have much fun, except for playing some arcade games.

I feel like Disney really missed the boat with this one. They're the leader in creating theme park experiences but there are only two places in the whole country where you can visit a Disney Park. It just makes sense to bring that experience to more places on a smaller scale. Build it in the suburbs with a huge parking lot, focus it squarely on families with kids, have some simulator type rides like Star Tours, and make it a place that's fun to just hang out even if you don't do the attractions and games. Maybe some locations could even have a second building with an indoor water park. C'mon Disney, give it another shot!

This is the first Abandoned/Cancelled Location I've actually been to

Man, I miss Disney Quest. I went to the Downtown Disney location right as they opened up and it was the best thing ever, I never wanted to leave.

Ah yes, the infamous Philadelphia "Disney Hole."

You're right Jake if they brought back Disney quest today and put modern technology in it would be popular like it was back then

NBA Experience? What is Disney thinking, we don't want that crap in Downtown Disney :/

I'm a CP at Disney and oh my god I love Disney quest!! I love all the outdated games and rides, I know it's weird but I'm going to miss it. And it's one of the only places that you can still take the animation class

I actually remember going to Disney Quest in Chicago when I was little. It was essentially like one of the big superarcades like Dave&Busters but themed towards kids exclusively, I forget most of it but two memories were strangely: The elevator that went up REALLY fast to take you to the actual Disney Quest area and a Build-your-own-rollercoaster computer in which you could then ride said rollercoaster I've been to Chicago many times since then and never saw it again, which did make me partially wonder if it was some weird dream I convinced myself was real. Cool to know I'm not crazy yet.

Why does Disney always discontinue or cancel the best new properties, I will always be spiteful over the fact that they canceled Disney America and the park that was themed around the world.

comic sans at a theme park *slow claps*

YES A VIDEO ON IT! I was there last month :) its really dead lol

I kinda want to go to DisneyQuest just for curiosity's sake

I'm nowhere near being a Disney adult, but the child in me still weeps at missing my chance to experience Disney Quest as a kid growing up in Chicago.

I've been watching your videos for 5 hours straight.. Honestly not ashamed. LOVE your videos, keep up the great work!

I think that the idea in theory could work. It is much cheaper then building a third park. But I think what they should have done is gone for smaller big name cities if that makes any sense. Cities like say Minneapolis, Omaha or even Milwaukee would be better because of the fact that tourists don't have an over saturation of things to do. Plus I think cutting the size in half would help too. Less risk of loosing money then. Overall though I think they would run into the same thing that happened to Journey into Imagination, that being you have to update it at least every 5 to 10 years. BTW great video!

They closed only 8 days before 9/11, which would have ended Disney Quest anyways

I'll miss it. Didn't even now it was closing. For what it is, It is overpriced though. Compared to a Disney World ticket to the Magic Kingdom is about only 40% more expensive. It's ok but it isn't amazing. There is this one alladin carpet ride that has a huge headset with low quality models that make me want to vomit. It would be cool to update it considering that my phone can be a VR set. I will miss it deep down.

Could you do a video on an indoor theme park at a mall in Sunrise, Florida called "Wannado City" that ran from 2005 - 2011? It was a similar fiasco with putting a theme park in the middle of a town/city with not much tourism and doesn't have a lot of light shed on it.

I'm just now watching this but I totally agree with one of the last points you made, that Disney could probably be successful if they tried this again. I just feel like they would have to take updating the technology more seriously and they should make sure it's going to work really well in Orlando before even trying to build locations in other places. That's probably what they should have done in the first place with DQ

I went when I was 9 and I LOVED IT. Unlimited games? HELL YEAH!!!

The content on this channel is just amazing... you should have way more subscribers

I remember Disney Quest well, I think I was there in the first year in Orlando and it was amazing. Shame it never was kept up with the times. I will always remember it being the best arcade I had ever been to.

Lmao when your watching this video and unexpectedly realize the real closing of Downtown Disney quest is actually today, perfect timing 😂

I have defended Disney Quest for years and really love it. It is sad that this has deteriorated to such a low level. I still believe it could've been saved if they closed it for six months or one year and give it a massive refurbishment both inside and outside. VR is making a come back and with Disney now having Marvel and Star Wars under their belt they could use those as well. Honestly to why a NBA experience, there was already one in Universal and it sucked. Why couldn't it be NFL or something? It's very sad to see this go and honestly they shouldn't have neglected it just work with what you got and it would have such potential. But one things for sure I will not be checking out this NBA experience and at least I get to say my good bye to Disney Quest. Disney is making a mistake but that's business.

Only 8 days later ( a little more than a week ) of the closer of the Chicago, 9-11 happened which would have probably closed it. Because of the scare

That one dislike is Michael Eisner.

The ironic thing is nowadays, a Disneyquest style arcade would probably work nowadays if they decided to bring it back. No harm in them doing do, nothing else up to now that they’ve replaced it with worked

Philly native here: I remember hearing about this happening and was super excited. People talked all the time about how they were looking forward to having Disney in the city! That hole at 8th and Market was like that for years. Sadly it got cancelled and no one knew what to do with it (and still don't; right now it's a street level parking lot, but that will probably change soon). It would have been interesting to see what could have been, especially since a lot in that area is being renovated (mainly the Gallery, but there are new apartments and shops going up as well).

Congrats on over 230k subscribers.

New favorite youtuber? I think YES.

10:51 "Come on, it's Disney! Disney is always high qu-" *Sees broken game "Never mind."

Hey Jake! Just wanted to let you know that I went to DisneyQuest 18 days before it closed, and I'm so glad I did. There were some cool things, like the Pirates, Aladdin, and Buzz rides, and the arcade part was cool. It was very outdated, so it was a little awkward. But, overall, I am so glad I went before it closed. Thank you for doing this ride and helping the DisneyQuest spirit live on! -Holly, age 13

I went there in 2003 and loved it. I'll always remember that trip cause my dad nearly got arrested by a Disney cop for screaming at my brother outside the front doors.

I went to Disney Quest in 2015. It was outdated, but the rollercoaster creator and simulator was pretty fun even though the quality was poor. Only was worth an hour and a half in there though.

I worked at the dept store across from the proposed Philly location. We knew about Quest several years before the official announcement. The store was really looking forward to the increased foot traffic and invested a lot of money into the store. When Disney pulled the plug, the store lost some momentum and was sold in 1996. Quest was viewed as the cornerstone to the larger Market East development project. The canceled project was a huge disappointment to Philadelphia.

Was that a young Mandy Moore at 5:05 ????

In my fictional world, this project already finished and successful

i'm 28 years old and i was lucky to attend the first year it was open in chicago. My mom, sister and myself waited 2hrs in line to get admission. IT had some interesting and unique games that i can somewhat remember and i was shocked when it was cancelled.

Damnit---

When is the hhgregg video coming?

Built in the wrong decade, really

I remember being blown away by Disney Quest in the early 2000's (of course I was just a little kid at the time). Glad I got to take my friend last year. The nostalgia trip was well worth the hour.

As someone who played VMK religiously, this was super interesting. I noticed a lot of overlap between some of the original games at Disney Quest and the virtual mini games that I played on VMK. Seems like they were able to utilize the ideas behind these games after all. I’m not sure if you’ve done a video on VMK already, but if you haven’t - you should! I’d love to learn if there’s any other overlap and history between these two concepts.

Should the next episode be about Universal Studios Dubailand?

Interesting video Jake. I've never been to Disney quest and I guess I never will but the concept is an interesting idea. Maybe it would,work better as part of an entertainment complex with theatres, cinema, bowling etc rather than as a stand alone venue, or as an international project in areas without a Disneyland like Australia. I think today Disney could do something interesting especially with the IPs they own now Star Wars, Pixar, marvel etc but I doubt we see another attempt at anything like this again.

I love the Tomorrowland theme in the background!

thank you so much for making this video! I remembered my trip to Disney quest chicago being both incredibly disappointing, but also one of my most vivid childhood memories.

i always get excited whenever you post a new video! Thank you for posting such awesome content!

Oh shit, this closes today. Like if your watching on July, 3 2017

I never realized how 90's and outdated disney quest looked in its later years until now....

Disney is such a sketchy smoke&mirrors company, and its kinda scary. Still fun though.

It's amazing how many of these episodes are Disney themed. Maybe it says something about their ambition & desire to make things happen. Great video!! Keep up the good work!

I remember I went to this only once when I was 11, and let me tell you it was one of the best experiences I've ever had at any Disney location to this day

Micheal Eisney life explained - "Dream big, do little!"

I know it seems impossible but a Disney park in Toronto would be so fun, I live in Canada and am obsessed with the Disney parks the only thing is that they're so expensive, (I live just outside of Toronto) great vid btw love your stuff

dang. it closes tomorrow when I'm watching this.

The sheer millions Disney will pour into a project vs the huge lack of effort to effectively market the project or maintain it and update it will never sieze to amaze me.

Chicago's problem: location. It was right in the middle of downtown. If it had been out in the suburbs, it would've probably been a "whole family goes once a month" type place but no one was driving all the way in to the city for it. Also, that Buzz Lightyear attraction was one of the funnest things I've ever done. They really should bring that back somewhere.

Any thoughts on doing KMart? It's based near me and its HQ has been abandoned for years. The mall across the street is purchasing the land to expand the mall now

A couple years ago we went there .......it was trash ......very .....very boring........and very......very ....expensive 😂

Disney Quest in Orlando officially closed.

Glad to know going to Disney quest as a kid wasn't just a fever dream

The late 90s just sound like they were the best time ever. I would have loved to go to a Disney Quest!

Idea - New Coke (1985)?

1:21 Is that Steve Jobs in the middle?

Microsoft: Hey Disney, want some of this new tech?! Disney: nah fam, we got comic sans

As a kid who grew up gaming with a tech dad, DisneyQuest was one of my favourite parts of my visits to Florida. It used to give my mum a headache, so she'd go and walk around the shops in DD while I played games! So sad it's closed, lots of childhood memories.

“Michael Eisner” - *Defunctland has now entered the chat*