Starring: Dave Ensign, Leonard Kinsey, Matt Sonswa, Gabrielle Russon, Patrick Spikes, Richard McGuire, How Bowers, Seth Kubersky, Dan Becker, Kenny Johnson, Dan Bell, Joel Magee
Written By: Joshua Bailey
Directed By: Joshua Bailey
Studio: Antenna Releasing

Ever feel like exploring abandoned buildings? What about doing that at Walt Disney World? People actually did that and even stupider things, including stealing priceless items from Disney. Stolen Kingdom is a fun documentary for those of us who love Disney but also enjoy watching a little mischief unfold.

Stolen Kingdom isn’t really about Walt Disney World abandoning attractions as much as it is about the “urban explorers” sneaking around the Most Magical Place on Earth. Once Disney abandoned a project, they’d surprisingly leave things sitting there for years, which opened the door for people to explore and break into those locations. Wonders of Life, River Country, Horizons, and other attractions are just some of the places the movie dives into. Then things escalate when people start stealing Disney property like manuals, costumes, and even the animatronic Buzzy from Cranium Command in EPCOT.

I enjoyed the first half of the documentary more than the second because it focused more on the breaking-and-entering/trespassing side of things rather than outright theft. I used to explore abandoned houses in the mountains near where I grew up and go picking, but never in my wildest dreams would I think about doing that at Disney World.

As people in the film point out, fans always assumed Disney parks were covered wall-to-wall with cameras, but that apparently wasn’t always the case. Nowadays? Yeah, I’m guessing every inch is monitored. Back when all this was happening, a few “pioneers,” including late YouTube creator Adam The Woo, were sneaking backstage and into closed attractions without getting caught by cast members. It’s fun watching the footage, but at the same time it’s incredibly dumb because Walt Disney World is a place I’d actually like to return to someday without getting permanently banned. These explorers did it so often that they stopped caring whether they got trespassed for life.

It’s interesting seeing how Disney neglected some of these beloved attractions for so many years. I still wish they had updated Horizons instead of replacing it with Mission: SPACE. What a waste of space that turned out to be. There have been plenty of YouTube videos covering these abandoned attractions over the years, but I’m not sure there’s ever been a documentary quite like this one. Can’t imagine Disney is thrilled about it either.

Stolen Kingdom takes a darker turn once the movie introduces smug idiots like Patrick Spikes, who stole manuals, costumes, and other Disney property without getting caught for years. The film eventually shows him being interrogated over the stolen Buzzy animatronic, and the over-the-top theatrics he pulls to dodge responsibility feel like a deleted scene from Cops. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth knowing this moron probably got away with it.

Stolen Kingdom is worth checking out if you’re a Disney fan curious about the people sneaking backstage and inside abandoned attractions at Disney World. I’d never do any of this myself, but these people did and somehow became quasi-famous because of it. Joshua Bailey does a great job directing the documentary and gives it a scrappy punk rock energy. He even got Brendan Canty from Fugazi and The Messthetics to handle the score. A must-watch for Disney Adults like myself.

Bottom Line: Watch people do stupid shit in the Most Magical Place on Earth.
Running Time: 74 mins
Rating: NR
Overall Rating: