I’ve always found the behind-the-scenes of Disney Parks fascinating, so I was pleased when it was announced that Stolen Kingdom had been picked up by Letterboxd as part of their new online video store. It was a film I had been tracking online as something I wanted to watch, and I also wanted to try out the app’s streaming facilities, so the combination of both appearing at the same time felt like a real win for me.
For those that don’t know, the documentary, directed by Joshua Bailey, tells the story of the urban exploring community at Walt Disney World and, in particular, looks at the infamous disappearance of the Buzzy Audio-Animatronics figure. I’ll admit, it’s a niche topic, but that shouldn’t make it less interesting for those who don’t know that world. Disney are notoriously one of the most private and powerful companies in the world, yet the group of people Bailey interviews throughout are completely unfazed in their explorations, even going as far as viewing their exploration as ‘an art form’. This film sets out to tell their story, why they do it in the first place, and importantly, it also asks: Who stole Buzzy?
Over the course of the 74-minute run length, Bailey interviews all sorts of fascinating characters, from Joel Magee (the owner of the largest Disneyland collection) to Patrick Spikes (who hit the news after stealing over $14,000 worth of Disney World cast member costumes and props). All offer various entertaining stories about their adventures, and most also make reference to their life bans as a result. I’ve seen a lot of videos following similar adventuring over the years, but I was particularly impressed by how cohesive this narrative felt. It doesn’t focus too much on any one story and is very precise in its storytelling.
It never gets lost in the fact that it’s following a company like Disney either, instead focusing predominantly on the people who are telling the stories instead. It would have been easy to paint some of these explorers negatively, given their ‘criminal’ activities, but it’s clear they all trusted Bailey to tell their story in a positive and assured light, and he’s rewarded with some great material to use in return.
There’s a chance I’m biased, given my already existing interest in the topic at hand, but I also think it’s fair to say that the documentary does a good job of telling the stories in a way that makes it feel accessible to all. It’s a topic that isn’t on a lot of people’s radars, but it’s a story that I think could win people over if they gave it a chance. It also helps that the documentary is short in length. I found that it flew by when watching and would have happily listened to more stories from these explorers. At one point, they show them sneaking into Walt Disney’s plane, and yet it comes and goes as a focus fairly fast.
The main returning focus instead belongs to the missing Buzzy Audio-Animatronics figure. It was part of the now-defunct Cranium Command ride, which was housed in the Wonders of Life pavilion at Epcot in Walt Disney World. Despite police investigations and a massive community search, the actual Buzzy animatronic has never been recovered, and his 2018 disappearance remains an infamous unsolved legend in the Disney Parks enthusiast community.
If you’re interested in Disney Parks, then this is definitely worth a watch, but don’t be afraid to give it a go if you’re a fan of True Crime, too. A lot of Disney fandoms have a bad reputation online, but this successfully shows an edgier side to the fandom. It’s also a brilliant effort from Joshua Bailey in his debut feature film. It left me wanting to see and learn more, and for me, that’s a sign of a good documentary!
★★★★
Available to rent on Letterboxd Video Store in the UK / Patrick Spikes, Joel Magee, Dave “Hoot Gibson” Ensig, How Bowers, Seth Kubersky/ Dir: Joshua Bailey / White Lake Productions and Bright Sun Films
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