There are a lot of writers here at CinemaBlend who love theme parks. I’m generally not one of those writers, but I get it. What I am is a writer who loves great documentaries and true crime. Stolen Kingdom, a documentary that I definitely won’t be able to watch with my Disney+ subscription, looks like it’s a great example of both. It’s about urban explorers and, frankly, thieves who like to sneak into Disney World to explore, and yes, steal.
I haven’t seen it yet, but it currently holds a 97% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews from critics who saw it on the festival circuit in 2025, and it’s hitting the 2026 movie schedule on video-on-demand in September.
Risky UrbanX
Urban exploration, or “UrbanX” as it is sometimes called by enthusiasts, is something that fascinates me. I’ve never been one to risk tetanus, but I do appreciate the people who do break into old, dilapidated buildings and explore them. There is dubious legality, usually, but where it’s unquestionably illegal is in a place like Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Apparently, that doesn’t stop people from trying (and sometimes succeeding) in breaking into some of the closed rides with flashlights and backpacks, to see what it looks like when the lights are off.
In the trailer, there are multiple shots of these intrepid (if not entirely rationally thinking) people exploring the dark rides and other areas of the parks that are off-limits to visitors. Obviously this is not the brightest idea. Even setting the legality aside, it could get someone in a lot of physical trouble. That doesn’t stop them from exploring and, apparently, occasionally, treating themselves to a five-finger discount of some Disney “memorabilia” you can’t get in one of the many stores selling Mickey ears and Elsa dresses.
It Looks Like It Mostly Focuses On One Crime
Among the things that may have been taken from one of these exploring thieves is a prop from the closed Wonders of Life ride at Epcot. The ride closed in 2007, and much of it, according to the trailer, has been walled off and left untouched in the decades since. Buzzy, an animatronic prop from the attraction, was stolen in 2018 and remains missing to this day. Was it stolen by someone who broke in from outside the park, or was it an inside job?
In 2019, a cast member named Patrick Spikes was arrested along with his cousin (not a park employee) and accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of props from Disney World. Both Spikes and his cousin Blaytin Taunton pled guilty to avoid jail time, but Buzzy was not among the many items the two stole and later sold on eBay for tens of thousands of dollars.
So where is Buzzy? I don’t think Stolen Kingdom is going to give any definitive answers, but I can’t wait to tune in and learn more about where this beloved prop could be.
