Knoebels
2015 · 58m · Documentary
A look at the long history of Knoebel's Amusement Resort in Elysburg, PA. This documentary introduces you to six generations of the Knoebel family and explains how the beloved amusement park made its way from farmland to a recreation area and more.
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Joyland: Reliving the Memories
2019
If you grew up in Wichita, Joyland was an important part of your childhood. This documentary tells the epic story of the rise and fall of Wichita’s most famous amusement park, Joyland. Viewers will see historic, never-before-broadcast film clips of the park in its heyday. And learn the story behind the story of this once-great destination that helped define childhood for generations of Kansans. You’re sure to experience a roller coaster of emotions as you watch this dramatic, fun, and heartfelt ode to one of the most-fondly remembered places in Wichita history.
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2015
Dwarves Kingdom is a documentary film about a theme park featuring performances by little people with dwarfism who live in a fantasy recreation of a magical empire. Built by a wealthy Chinese businessman, this other-worldly kingdom, officially called World Ecological Garden of Butterfly and Little People Kingdom, is located in the mountains surrounding the city of Kunming in Western China.
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Il était une fois Disney & la France
2023
French documentary on Walt Disney's relationship with France through his personal and professional life.
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Coney Island
1991 · ★ 8
Before there was Disneyland, there was Coney Island. By the turn of the century, this tiny piece of New York real estate was internationally famous. On summer Sundays, three great pleasure domes--Steeplechase, Luna Park and Dreamland--competed for the patronage of a half-million people. By day it was the world's most amazing amusement park, by night, an electric "Eden".
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A Legacy Of Memories: Silver Beach Amusement Park
2022
The Silver Beach Amusement Park operated from 1891 to 1971. For a small price, visitors could go for a swim in Lake Michigan, play games of chance, take in the organ music playing on the midway, or get a bite to eat. Revisit the midway roller coaster, Shadowland Ballroom, the carousel, the Ferris wheel, the waterslide, the penny arcade, visits by Hollywood movie stars, and more. It’s all part of the history of St. Joseph and southwest Michigan.
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Class Action Park
2020 · ★ 6.6
Class Action Park explores the legend, legacy, and truth behind the 1980s water park in Vernon, New Jersey that long ago entered the realm of myth. Known for its dangerous, unsupervised rides and lack of regulation, guests of Action Park expected to walk away with injuries and were lucky if they made it out alive. Shirking the trappings of nostalgia, the film uses investigative journalism, original animations, recordings, and interviews with the people who lived it to reveal the true story of Action Park.
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The Spider and the Fly
1938 · ★ 8
Few amateur films with sound were produced in the 1930s and fewer remain extant. A charming artifact that demonstrates the expressive possibilities and technical limitations of amateur talkies, "The Spider and the Fly" includes a backyard Labor Day gathering, a trip to the Riverview Amusement Park, and a homemade Halloween parade of witches and ghouls.
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Knees Up, Mother Brown
1964
70 is definitely the new 20 in this heart-warming 1960s documentary portrait of the Darby and Joan Club for elderly Cockneys.
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Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale
2021 · ★ 7
For over 85 years, steamship Ste. Claire transported generations of Detroiters to Boblo Island, an amusement park nestled in the waters between the US and Canada. When the vessel comes under threat of ruin, a doctor, psychic and amusement park fanatic unite to save their beloved steamship from the scrapyard. Interweaving local lore and mythology, "Boblo Boats" explores the whitewashed history of amusement parks and one crew's crusade to bring back the memories.
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Douce France
2021 · ★ 5.6
Amina, Sami and Jennyfer are high school students in the Paris suburbs, in 93. At the initiative of 3 of their teachers, they embark on an unexpected investigation into a gigantic leisure park project which involves concreting agricultural land near their homes. But can we have the power to act on a territory when we are 17 years old? Funny and intrepid, these new citizens take us to meet residents of their neighborhood, property developers, farmers and even elected officials of the National Assembly. A joyful quest that challenges conventional wisdom and revives our connection to the land!
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Italpark
2024 · ★ 6
Through archival footage, 3D animations, interviews with former employees, visitors, collectors and fans, the film reconstructs the story of what for many was the Argentine Disneyland.
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Treasure Island
2018 · ★ 6.5
A summer on an island of leisure in the Paris region. Land of Adventures, dredge and transgression for some, place of refuge and escape for the other. Its pay range to its hidden nooks, the exploration of a Kingdom of childhood, in resonance with the bustle of the world.
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