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All the Disney Villains Try Taking Over the World
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Why Was Kingdom Keepers Stopped?
Most of us know by now that numerous high-profile Disney movies are based on books. Some of these include 1989’s The Little Mermaid (which was based on an 1837 fairy tale), 1991’s Beauty and the Beast (inspired by a 1740 novel), and Aladdin (originally composed in the late 1200s). Even though these classics are trademarks of both the Walt Disney Company and the animated genre as a whole, a novel franchise that was born within the last 20 years could have been Disney’s best movie to date. Written by Ridley Pearson, the plot involved iconic villains such as Maleficent, Captain Hook, Cruella De Vil, and “the most powerful demon Walt Disney ever created,” trying to take over both Disney Theme Parks and the world. Interested to hear more?
Spanning over 11 books from 2005 to 2014, the Kingdom Keepers series was a fascinating world for younger and older audiences. In the first entry with the subtitle Disney After Dark, readers were introduced to five young teenagers who worked as holographic hosts (digital theme park guides) in Walt Disney World. Through a hidden technology that was embedded (but rarely used) for their jobs, Finn, Willa, Charlene, Maybeck, and Philby can all travel to the parks during the middle of the night as they sleep. These out-of-body experiences are all fun and games until they realize something is terribly wrong. Maleficent (from Sleeping Beauty) is around, essentially turning everything evil and looking to take over the park and the world.
All the Disney Villains Try Taking Over the World
While this is the summary for just the first book, the seven other titles bring a whole slew of characters and events that easily make Kingdom Keepers one of the most underrated Disney projects of the last decade. Not only are places like Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, and Epcot used as battlegrounds between the teens and the Overtakers (the very large group of villains), but writer Ridley Pearson is almost like the James Gunn of Disney: implementing both well-known characters with obscure ones to flesh out this nine-year story.
For example, Disney historians will be surprised and amused by evil personalities like Jafar, Ursula, and Shan Yu (from Mulan) showing up. With dangerous twists and turns around every corner for our young adventurers (who are trying to save the world using Walt Disney’s art tools), Kingdom Keepers was surprisingly never even considered for a movie, which is a real shame. But there was a time when the popular franchise was up for a Disney+ adaptation right at the beginning of the streaming platform’s life.
About four years ago on the Fat Man Beyond podcast (a discussion about all things geek culture), director Kevin Smith, as well as L.A. Times film editor Marc Bernardin, answered an exciting audience question about having the possibility to own any fictional technology (whether it be from TV or movies). As a response to Mr. Bernardin choosing the Danger Room from X-Men to be his one wish, Smith called out the fact that this simulated reality already exists through Disney’s use of the volume — an all-encompassing soundstage that is made up of connecting screens 20 feet tall.
He then explains how he saw this wall in real life when Disney brought him in for a “tech day” while working on the potential Kingdom Keepers show. Sadly, that comment was quickly sideswiped for a more thorough discussion about The Mandalorian’s use of this innovative technology. Just imagine the potential of seeing a simulated Disney Park (at night) through the capabilities of a volume. But alas, just a month later, Smith posted on X that nothing came from it.
Why Was Kingdom Keepers Stopped?
Even though he loved his time helping to pen the script, a new executive’s final say killed the project because they claimed there were just too many IPs starring in one project. In a follow-up tweet, Smith does admit that this might have turned into the “Avengers of Disney.” Considering that the Kingdom Keepers books eventually involve over 50 notable protagonists and over 70 familiar villains, the unnamed Disney boss who brought down the long-awaited show might have been right in this case. In a lighthearted manner, Smith says this specific reason for shutting it all down was not warranted, though, as this was the same exec who gave green lights to all the Star Wars and Marvel titles.
Imagine this for a moment: Tia Dalma (from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise) standing alongside Maleficent and The Evil Queen to free a gigantic demon named Chernabog (from the Fantasia movie) back to life. When the heroes rush in, and the action starts, the main character, Will, tries stabbing the soothsayer. He realizes it’s all an illusion, and he has hurt his best friend instead. It all sounds like insane fanfiction, but there was a moment in time when a story like this could have been made and brought to the small screen. Here’s hoping Kingdom Keepers is still in someone’s mind at Walt Disney Studios. The Kingdom Keepers book series can be bought on Amazon.
