I have a feeling there's a far more substantial film lying somewhere underneath the surface of Joshua Bailey's directorial debut Stolen Kingdom, a 74-minute feature doc fresh off screenings at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and Slamdance LA. Slight yet still satisfying, Stolen Kingdom digs into a darker side of life at Walt Disney World. It's a side with ample amounts of mischief, mayhem, scandal, and theft including, as we'll soon learn, the theft of an animatronic piece of Disney history known as Buzzy (film journalism bonus points if you know Buzzy).
Let's be honest. Disney is a cultural behemoth across the globe. As someone who has a couple of friends who run a Disney podcast and another friend who devotes herself to Disney tourism, I'm often surrounded by Disney fanatics who seem to exist somewhere between adults wanting to relive their childhood and Disney's own special version of Stepford fans. With Stolen Kingdom, Bailey explores the world of Disney's urban explorers.
Yes, they exist. Yes, their somewhere between adorable, weird, and outright criminal.
The world of urban exploring isn't exactly a hidden one. I'd venture a guess that we all know someone who likes to creep around vacant buildings, historic landmarks, old hospitals, abandoned institutions, and eerie jails. In the case of Disney, Bailey introduces us to a variety of Youtubers who've taken to wandering through abandoned rides, locations, exhibits, and other Disney features - where do old rides go? Mostly nowhere. That's the point. Disney mostly abandons them and for those in the know this creates the opportunity to really explore areas of Disney hidden to the public eye. The fact that this occurs despite the watchful eye of Disney's notoriously tight security is worth nothing, however, for those who dare it's a risk worth taking.
Much of Stolen Kingdom looks and feels retro because it is retro. Bailey takes us back as we meet former Disney World employees like Dave Ensign and others who serve up mostly tame, nostalgic antics that will, as time goes on, serve as the inspiration for much more.
It's hard not to appreciate Bailey's unique yet fairly surface-level storytelling. Ensign, for example, is an immensely likable fellow these days and his story gives the film a nice emotional resonance that works well. Things amp up a bit when we we're introduced to former Disney World employee Patrick Spikes. Spikes sort of takes the reins of Disney exploration from Ensign, however, once temptation takes hold Stolen Kingdom takes on a tension that is rather surprising. I won't spoil it here, however, it's pretty captivating in both entertaining and somewhat sad ways.
I can't deny that I wanted more from Stolen Kingdom than I got, however, I also enjoyed what Bailey ultimately delivers here. While I can't help but think there are bigger stories to tell here, I suppose an indie filmmaker ticking off the mouse house probably isn't the way to go. Instead, we get a nostalgic and occasionally jarring glimpse into a Disney subculture that you can be darn sure exists to this day in both fun and frenzied ways.
Early in its festival journey, Stolen Kingdom continues on its indie fest journey and should have no problem finding a home with a boutique indie distributor after its festival run winds down.
Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic
