Credit: @D23 on TwitterThe ’80s were a different time. Technology was in its infancy, and things like cell phones, the internet, and iPads didn’t exist. People used clubs, dance halls, and other public places to socialize and spend their evenings, and even Guests at the Disneyland Resort were no exception.
Fans and older Guests may remember that once upon a time, Disneyland had an in-Park dance hall, called Videopolis. The precursor to Walt Disney World’s Pleasure Island nightclubs, Videopolis catered to teens and young adults, giving them a place to hang out without their parents for a few hours every evening. It was the first full project completed by the duo of Disney CEO Michael Eisner and Parks President Frank Wells. Eisner wanted to build more thrill rides throughout the Park in order to attract a wider variety of Guests, and green-lit the creation of Splash Mountain and Star Tours, but with over a year needed for the completion of both projects, he realized he needed something quick in the meantime.
Why did Disneyland have a dance club?
The 1980s saw a rise in dance and club culture, including the popularity of New Wave, House, and Dance music. Teens and young adults were gathering at these types of places to hang out with their friends, go on dates, and socialize with others. The rise in MTV culture, music, and music videos also helped popularize clubs as a fun place to hang out.
Knott’s Berry Farm debuted their own nightclub, Studio K, at the Cloud 9 Ballroom in 1984. The club welcomed younger Guests and started to draw in a major crowd from this age group. They offered nightly tickets at a low price, allowing Guests to easily enter the Park and spend the evening dancing with their friends.
Eisner had already realized that the Disney Parks were missing a huge demographic in the teenage to young adult area, as most of the attractions catered to young children and their parents. Disneyland has almost always been a Park designed primarily for the locals, and the local teens just weren’t interested in going to Disney anymore. Eisner figured that he could work with the dance culture of the ’80s and install a dance hall right in the Park. The success of the already-existing Studio K was most likely a major reason why Disney took the risk, and for a few years, it paid off.
What is Videopolis?
Opening in 1985, Videopolis was the first dance hall in a Disney Park, created to try and bring Disneyland into the modern age and help connect with a younger generation. Videopolis pulled inspiration from real-life clubs, and included a light-up dance floor, DJs and live music, and over 70 video screens simultaneously displaying music videos from MTV and live videos of the dancers on the floor.
Videopolis was an attempt to capitalize on the MTV craze of the ’80s and appeal to the teens who were starting to outgrow the magic of Disney. The club was located near “it’s a small world,” out of the way of most of the rest of the Park in order to avoid complaints of noise or rowdy behavior. During the daytime, the theater was used for various family-friendly shows or seasonal offerings, and the space still exists as a theater to this day.
In an effort to appease parents worried about rowdy, lewd, or inappropriate behavior, Disney upheld a strict policy that stated same-sex dancing was not allowed in Videopolis. After being sued for discrimination by a same-sex couple and several legal battles about the defining terms of the policy and lawsuit, the year after Videopolis opened, it dropped the policy.
In response to demand, the Park created a late-night pass that would allow Guests to enter the Park specifically to attend the club and brought crowds of teens in each night. Unfortunately, the pass was more of a seasonal pass than a nightly ticket, and the price point of the pass barred many Guests from entering. Combined with Disney’s effort to maintain the family-friendly atmosphere by censoring the music videos and music played each night, it was seen as the “rich kids” club compared to Knott’s Berry’s Studio K, which had a lower nightly price point and played more of the popular music.
However, the club’s popularity led to an expansion of its brand, with Videopolis East opening for the under 21 crowd at Walt Disney World’s Pleasure Island, which would later become Disney Springs. Videopolis also hosted a show for the Disney Channel featuring popular bands of the time like New Kids On The Block, Janet Jackson, and others. A version of the club eventually opened at Disneyland Paris, which is currently still in operation as the Videopolis Theatre, hosting a variety of stage shows.
However, despite its popularity and efforts of security and safety, Videopolis faced a variety of issues throughout their run, which eventually led to its closure.
Why did Videopolis close?
Gangs and crime were on the rise in the late ’80s, especially in Southern California, and Disneyland was not exempt from this issue. Parents worried about the increased teen presence in the Park claimed they were afraid it would lead to gang fights or violence. About two years after the club opened, there was an incident including two rival gangs of teens which broke out into a fight. One member pulled out a gun, shooting two young teenagers and killing one of them.
While the fight took place during Videopolis’s off season and during the week when the dance hall wasn’t open, parents blamed the club for the increase in gang and teenage presence. Although the club continued to operate after the altercation, Disney started to push the dance hall as a club for Guests of all ages, and tried to make it more inclusive for parents and younger children in order to dispel some of the violence.
In 1989, Disneyland announced they would be closing Videopolis for a musical stage show dedicated to the works of Walt Disney, which would celebrate the Park’s 35th anniversary. They encouraged the club’s fans to join the other dance area in Tomorrowland, and fans knew the club was finished. Although the official reason given for the club’s closure was the need to repurpose the space, many Guests blamed the incidents of violence and increased teen presence for the club’s demise.
Videopolis East in Disney World also saw similar issues of violence due to the higher teen attendance, and closed within a year of its opening, making way for another over 21 nightclub. Knott’s Berry Farm closed Studio K in 1991, marking the end of the theme park nightclubs. The Disneyland Videopolis Theatre was eventually changed to the Fantasyland Theatre and hosted Mickey and the Magical Map up until it closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fans of the teen dance hall rejoiced in early 2020 when Videopolis was resurrected for one night during Disneyland After Dark: 80s Nite. The event featured ’80s music, dancing, and was a celebration of the culture of the ’80s, including the popular Videopolis nightclub. Although it only operated for four years, the club drew thousands of teenagers each night and helped create record attendance numbers for the Park. Videopolis is fondly remembered by those who attended in their younger years, and appreciated by Disney fans who never got the chance.
Did you ever go to Videopolis or wish you could’ve? Share your thoughts or experience with Inside the Magic in the comments below!
