Synopsis

A HISTORY OF THE AMUSEMENT PARK

Since the dawn of time, humanity has striven to fulfill certain insatiable needs, -- the need for food, the need for shelter -- and --- the need to be entertained and enlightened. FUN HOUSE addresses this latter need -- the need to be thrilled, delighted and diverted.

This lively, fast paced one-hour documentary special begins with the first recorded "Carnival", The Egyptian feast of Osiris to mark the receding of the Nile's flood waters. The Roman Bacchanalia - the Renaissance Pleasure Faire ... the Tivoli Gardens... the first World's Fair in England, 1851... the first amusement park in the United States, Coney Island-FUN HOUSE tracks the increasingly sophisticated pursuit of fun in the world.

We'll visit some of the greatest parks in the world and get a behind-the-scenes look at what make these parks stay ahead of the pack, including their top-rated rides. We'll also examine today's theme parks, and their increasingly profound impact on urban and suburban architecture, particularly shopping venues.
We'll discover the astonishing technology that goes into constructing those terrifying "dark rides" like fun houses and other innovative attractions. Finally, we'll examine the future of the FUN HOUSE. We'll see how amusement parks are re-inventing themselves in this age of technology.