Opening film at the 2025 Florida Film Festival

“Stolen Kingdom” is an incredibly engaging documentary about a subculture of theme parks that remains largely undocumented. Despite this being Director Josh Bailey’s feature film debut, he is very adept at easing the audience into the world of theme park trespassers (or “Urban Explorers” as they affectionately call themselves) and those who are willing to risk their lives and their freedom in order to peel back the curtain behind abandoned buildings and lost attractions. 

As with all thrill seeking adventurists though, there some that may take what is seemingly innocent (albeit highly illegal), childlike fun a bit too far. One of the wisest decisions that Bailey makes is that he maintains a very empathetic and neutral camera throughout, leaving the subjects of the documentary to really show their true selves – warts and all. 

As a Central Florida resident and someone who has gone to the parks for as long as I can remember, I too have always wanted to take that peek behind the curtain of Oz to see how Disney makes all of *the magic* work. At its core, that sense of explorative curiosity is the driving force of this documentary and is what motivates so many of its subjects. There is an affection towards, maybe not always Disney itself, but to the engineering and imagination that make it all possible.

This review is part of our coverage of the 2025 Florida Film Festival.