SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2025 REVIEW! Anytime there is something that people find valuable, such as Disney props and memorabilia, you can be sure that there’s also an underground black market for it. Filmmaker Joshua Bailey’s directorial debut Stolen Kingdom follows the sometimes-sordid history of fans breaking the rules in order to get closer to the Walt Disney World Resort, ultimately resulting in the theft and the disappearance of an animatronic valued around half a million dollars named Buzzy.
Those of us who are not Walt Disney World fanatics have to wonder who the heck is Buzzy? The film explains that he was an Epcot animatronic for an attraction called Cranium Command, which ran from 1989 until it closed down in 2007. Buzzy was a rookie recruit for the futuristic show whose job was to pilot human brains. The attraction was set inside the brain of a boy and then abandoned after it closed.
Stolen Kingdom explains that there are some people called urban explorers who love to visit abandoned locations like this, and someone even stole Buzzy’s clothes before taking the whole heavy animatronic. There is also another subset that gets its kicks by getting into backstage Disney areas where the public is not allowed. They share videos and act like jackasses, which started back in the camcorder days of the 80s, but in modern times leads to viral videos and waves of social media followers.
“…the theft and the disappearance of an animatronic valued around half a million dollars named Buzzy.”
Then, a whole other group takes things a step further by stealing Disney props and artifacts. Stolen Kingdom dives into it all with footage and interviews with subjects who are involved in all areas of this subculture, ranging from hardcore Disney fans, YouTubers, to even a former employee named Patrick Spikes who used his access to steal many valuable pieces and then sell them to fans such as NBA player Robin Lopez.
As someone who has collected comic books and sports memorabilia, enjoys punk rock and is also a Disneyland pass holder, I find this underground culture interesting. These people have a punk flavor to them, as does the film. You can feel their passion and see that the lengths that they go to are extreme. It’s all in fun, with the exception of the thievery. That’s serious stuff, and the documentary even shows a particularly intense police interrogation.
The film is fun and nostalgic while ultimately trying to lead the audience to attempt to crack the case of the missing Buzzy. It’s humorous to see the local news clips about it, and to watch the reactions of some of these urban explorers after they’ve been banned for life from Disney properties.
Whether you’re a fan of Disney or just curious about this underground subculture, Bailey and crew have entertainingly captured what it’s all about. My only gripe is that I wanted even more stories of employees behaving badly besides Spikes after having read a book about that, but maybe we can get something like that in a sequel? The “Happiest Place on Earth” is ripe for stories of mischief, with Stolen Kingdom being a chief example.
"…fun and nostalgic..."
