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Disney's FastPass: A Complicated History

Defunctland · documentary · Watch on YouTube

Documentaries & storytellingTech company stories & documentariesAlgorithms & data structures

What it is

A feature-length Defunctland documentary on the history of Disney's FastPass and FastPass+ expedited queue systems. It covers how the systems evolved and how they were designed, with simulation of their effects on park lines.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN recommends it as an accessible, engrossing lesson in queueing theory and systems design, even for people with no interest in Disney.

  • 7 people recommended it
  • 4 different months
  • 3 strong recommendations
  • first 2021, last 2024

What HN commenters said

  1. “I highly recommend this video from Defunct Land”

    Deep dive and statistical model of FastPass history.

    alborzb, 2021-11 · Strong recommendation · in “Today’s Disneyland is a price gouge, not a magical experience”

  2. “If you ever wanted a feature-length explanation of queueing theory and how ignoring it makes everything worse, well... here you go”

    Feature-length queueing theory lesson via Disney FastPass.

    kmeisthax, 2022-07 · Strong recommendation · in “DoorDash and pizza arbitrage (2020)”

  3. “is an incredible documentary that I watched this year.”

    Gripping documentary, accessible without Disney knowledge.

    eterm, 2024-10 · Strong recommendation · in “Ask HN: What's the best documentary you've watched this year?”

  4. “There is a nice analysis of everything that Disney tried as far as controlling lines”

    Analysis of Disney's attempts to control lines.

    ekhaliul, 2021-11 · Recommendation · in “Today’s Disneyland is a price gouge, not a magical experience”

  5. “Here is a TWO hour long documentary on Youtube that talked all the machinations/tweaks Disneyland made to queueing.”

    Long documentary on Disneyland queueing tweaks.

    rawgabbit, 2022-07 · Recommendation · in “Shamelessness as a strategy (2019)”

  6. “there's a really good video someone did on the evolution and systems engineering behind the Genie+ / FastPass system”

    Evolution and engineering of FastPass and Genie+.

    jdmichal, 2022-07 · Recommendation · in “America’s favorite family outings are increasingly out of reach”

  7. “yes this is an 1:45 long video on the history and a simulation of Disney parks, but its worth the payoff.”

    History and simulation of Disney FastPass systems.

    duped, 2024-01 · Recommendation · in “Elevator Expert on How to Move 10k People Up a 118-Floor Skyscraper [video]”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: disney fastpass, queueing theory, theme parks, systems design, defunctland

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