The Kingdom Keepers is a series of thriller
novelA novel is a long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s for young readers, written by
Ridley PearsonRidley Pearson, born on March 13, 1953 in Glen Cove, New York, is an American writer. Pearson has historically written suspense and thriller novels for an adult audience, but has also begun branching out by writing adventure books for children....
and published by Disney Publishing Group. The first novel, subtitled
Disney After Dark was published in 2005, and the second,
Disney at Dawn was released on August 26, 2008. According to Pearson's blog, The Kingdom Keepers was submitted to
Walt Disney PicturesWalt Disney Pictures refers to several different entities associated with The Walt Disney Company:Walt Disney Pictures, the film banner, was established as a designation in 1983, prior to which Disney films since 1954 were released under the name of the parent company, then named Walt Disney...
for a film in August 2006 and was resubmitted again around July 2008.
The Kingdom Keepers is a series of thriller
novelA novel is a long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s for young readers, written by
Ridley PearsonRidley Pearson, born on March 13, 1953 in Glen Cove, New York, is an American writer. Pearson has historically written suspense and thriller novels for an adult audience, but has also begun branching out by writing adventure books for children....
and published by Disney Publishing Group. The first novel, subtitled
Disney After Dark was published in 2005, and the second,
Disney at Dawn was released on August 26, 2008. According to Pearson's blog, The Kingdom Keepers was submitted to
Walt Disney PicturesWalt Disney Pictures refers to several different entities associated with The Walt Disney Company:Walt Disney Pictures, the film banner, was established as a designation in 1983, prior to which Disney films since 1954 were released under the name of the parent company, then named Walt Disney...
for a film in August 2006 and was resubmitted again around July 2008.
Ridley PearsonRidley Pearson, born on March 13, 1953 in Glen Cove, New York, is an American writer. Pearson has historically written suspense and thriller novels for an adult audience, but has also begun branching out by writing adventure books for children....
has announced that there will be several Kingdom Keepers books coming out sometime in the future. As stated on his twitter account, there are rumors of a Kingdom Keepers attraction coming to Walt Disney World. It was also announced that there will be a Kingdom Keepers game.
Disney After Dark
In this fantastical thriller, five young teens trapped as models for theme park "guides" find themselves pitted against Disney villains and witches that threaten both the future of Walt Disney World and the stability of the world outside its walls. Using a cutting-edge technology called DHI—which stands for both Disney Host Interactive and Daylight Hologram Imaging—Finn Whitman, an Orlando teen, and four other kids are transformed into hologram projections that guide guests through the park. The new technology turns out, however, to have unexpected effects that are both thrilling and scary. Soon Finn finds himself transported in his DHI form into the Magic Kingdom at night. Is it real? Is he dreaming?
Finn's confusion only increases when he encounters Wayne, an elderly Imagineer who tells him that the park is in grave danger. Led by the scheming witch, Maleficent, a mysterious group of characters called the Overtakers is plotting to destroy Disney's beloved realm, and maybe more.
Disney at Dawn
It's supposed to be a happy day at the Magic Kingdom—the return of the teenaged holographic hosts. But things go very wrong when a sudden lightning storm disrupts the celebration, and Amanda's mysterious sister, Jez, disappears. The only clue is the sighting of a wild monkey in the Magic Kingdom during the storm. The mystery deepens as Finn is contacted by Wayne, an elderly Disney Imagineer he hasn't heard from in months. Wayne tells Finn that there's trouble at the Animal Kingdom: the evil Overtakers have gained control of one of the computer servers that will be used to operate Daylight Holographic Imaging there. That means that if any of the holographic hosts fall asleep, they will go into comas—permanently. Filled with action and brimming with the same meticulous detail as The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark, this second book in the series—Disney at Dawn—is the result of hands-on research behind the scenes at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park.
Disney In Shadow
It has been confirmed that the third Kingdom Keepers book, (Disney in Shadow), will take place primarily in Hollywood Studios. The plot synopsis is as follows:
When Disney Imagineers installed hologram guides for the Magic Kingdom, using teenage models they had no idea the technology might backfire. But backfire it did: some nights when the kids go to sleep, they wake up in one of the Disney parks as a hologram.
With the adventures set forth in the first books now behind them, Kingdom Keepers 3: Disney In Shadow follows the five teens, Finn, Philby, Willa, Charlene, and Maybeck. as they search to find Wayne their mentor and head Imagineer who has mysteriously gone missing. Concerned Wayne has been abducted by the Overtakers-Disney villains, who along with other Disney characters, take over the parks when the turnstiles stop spinning, and want desperately to steer the parks to a far darker place-the five kids pick up a major clue from a close friend, Jez, whose dreams (nightmares, really) often accurately predict the future.
The very few clues from Jez's dream lead the kids into Disney's Hollywood Studios and Epcot—through imaginary worlds that become real, by imaginary kids who are real. Each clue seems tied to the last, and with the stakes growing ever higher, what starts out as a puzzle ends up as a fight for their lives. Through a transparent paper box, a quest for a sword, rides on Soarin' and Maelstrom, life-and-death encounters with giant snakes, and a devious Maleficent, the Kingdom Keepers not only begin to decipher deeper meanings to the clues, but discover new truths about themselves and their ever-growing friendships.
The cover for the book was illustrated by Tristan Elwell and is now on Pearson's web site. The volume of the book has hugely increased to 547 pages, according to Ridley Pearson's blog/website. It has also been stated on Ridley Pearson's twitter that there is a traitor among the teens.
Future Installments
Fourth and fifth installments are currently being planned. Ridley has announced that he wants to involve the readers in the fifth book, which will possibly be the last, using what he called the "Big Plan"
Ridley also said on an interview that he wanted to set the 4th book on the Disney Cruise line, perhaps something with the ship and Castaway Cay. Who Knows?
http://wdwradio.com/WDW-Radio-Show-Disney-Podcast/Show-114-April-12-2009.html
Movie
There has been confirmation of a Kingdom Keepers movie. Pearson has stated that it was considered for a Disney theater movie but is still unsure if it is to be picked up.
The Kingdom Keepers/DHIs
- Lawrence Finnegan "Finn" Whitman-- Finn Whitman is the leader of the DHIs/Kingdom Keepers. He's not sure why he is the chosen leader, and sees himself as an equal to the other Kingdom Keepers. As the series progresses, Finn realizes it's his responsibility to lead the group. He seemingly has a crush on Amanda, and is very protective of her. He is very brave and confident. Everyone looks to him for direction, and no one tries to take lead.
- Dell Philby-- Philby is a British teen who, during one point of the book, he and Willa seem to have a special connection, which Maybeck might be slightly jealous of. He is great with technology and is very smart. He is mildly seen as second-in-command. His first name has never been told in either book, but has been confirmed by the author.
- Isabella Angelo (Willa)--, Willa is an American teen girl who is very book-smart. She is stated as an animal lover, and comes to Animal Kingdom often. She seems to have gotten over her small crush on Finn that was slightly displayed in the first book, and seems to have moved on to Philby. She says she 'likes everybody' at the beginning of the book, much to Charlene's dismay. She was initially chosen to be a DHI for her personality and creativity.
- Charlene Turner-- Charlene is described as very beautiful, with sandy blond hair and blue eyes. She's more hesitant than the other Kingdom Keepers, and is more reluctant to trust people. She is much more open about her crush on Finn than Willa used to be, but otherwise she is not very outspoken, except on occasion. She was initially chosen for the DHI program due to her physical and athletic abilities. She is jealous of Amanda, who is also very beautiful, and tries to get people to mistrust her in the 1st book.
- Terry Maybeck-- Maybeck is an African-American boy who lives with his Aunt Jelly, swears a lot,and looks older than his age (14 years old). He thinks every girl is in love with him, and is a great "actor"(liar). He is skeptical about almost everything that is in Jez's diary, and is the first to disagree with Finn (though he follows through with his orders anyway). Willa calls him "Terry" in desperation when the two are in the Dinosaur ride under Philby's orders.
Overtakers
The Overtakers are known only to be the Main antagonists of the series. Not much is known about the Overtakers, other than their intentions of ruling the park and the world outside. The one thing that seems to have the potential to defeat them is Walt Disney's first pen, "The Stonecutter's Quill", for a reason not yet revealed.
- Maleficent
Maleficent is a fictional character and the main antagonist in Walt Disney's 1959 adaptation of Sleeping Beauty. Maleficent is the self-proclaimed "Mistress of All Evil" who curses the infant Princess Aurora to "prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die" before the sun sets on her...
, the dark fairy from Sleeping BeautySleeping Beauty is a American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and based on the fairy tale "La Belle au bois dormant" by Charles Perrault. It was released to theatres on January 29, 1959 by Buena Vista Distribution...
who acts as the antagonist in the story. She gives off a large chill wherever she goes and possesses abilities of a high caliberThe term caliber designates the inside diameter of a tube, the diameter of a solid wire or rod, or a measurement of the length of a gun relative to its diameter....
. While the park is still open, she is derived from the Fantasmic!Fantasmic! is a long-running Disney nighttime show at both Disneyland in California and Disney's Hollywood Studios, Florida featuring fireworks, live actors, water effects, several boats, decorated rafts and projections onto large mist screens featuring reworked Disney Animation...
show. Despite her power and reputation, there are other Overtakers more powerful than her.
- Blackbeard
Edward Teach or Eduardo Thatch , better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious English pirate in the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic during the early 18th century, a period referred to as the Golden Age of Piracy...
, A minor overtaker, he and his crew of pirates serve Maleficent in their goal to rule the world. They were first seen by Finn, salvaging carts from the Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin ride to help with their cause. They came from the Pirates of the CaribbeanPirates of the Caribbean is a dark ride at the Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris theme parks.This was the last attraction in which Walt Disney himself participated in designing; it opened three months after his death...
attraction. He only appears in Disney after Dark.
- Chernabog, He is the true leader of the Overtakers, and according to Philby, "The baddest of the bad. The most powerful demon Walt Disney ever created." At the beginning of the book, he was supposed to be on the Disney Villains float at the DHI-Day Celebration, but he disappears. He is also the demon from the Disney Classic, Fantasia
Fantasia is a American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and the third film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. Fantasia features animation set to classical music and no dialogue—only spoken introductions by the host, American composer and music critic Deems Taylor, before segments...
.
- Small World Dolls, The Small World Dolls are mindless assistants to the Overtakers. In Disney after Dark they attacked and bit the Kingdom Keepers in It's a Small World.
- Captain Hook
Captain James Hook is a fictional character and the antagonist of J. M. Barrie's play Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up and its various adaptations. The character is a villainous pirate captain of the Jolly Roger galleon, and lord of the pirate village/harbour in Neverland, where he is...
, mensioned to have gone haywire in Kingdom Keepers 2 by a Cast member, so it could be possible for Hook to be an Overtaker too.
Additional characters
- Wayne Kresky, an elderly Imagineer
Walt Disney Imagineering was formed by entertainment mogul Walt Disney on December 16, 1952 as WED Enterprises to develop plans for a theme park and to manage Disney's personal assets. It was an independent, private company, owned by Walt Disney himself, but on February 3, 1965, was merged into...
who acts as the group's mentor and guide. He speaks in mystical clichés. He helped come up with the idea of DHIs to save the Magic Kingdom. Finn thinks he knows more than he lets on to, but learns to trust him. Wayne also has come across many meetings with Walt himself, which makes him a great addition to the Kingdom Keepers team. He is in fact a real cast member at Walt Disney World, and was put into the novel after he showed the author Ridley Pearson around the Magic Kingdom.
- Amanda Lockhart, a girl of the same age who helps Finn locate the other four DHIs in their real life aspects; seems to have a few secrets of her own. She is very good with people and seems to be interested in Finn. She is described as having "Exotic eyes, a deep, natural, tan, and freckles on her cheeks." She is about an inch taller than Finn. She seems interested in Finn, Finn seems to have a slight romantic interest in Amanda as well, though the topic isn't discussed much in either book in the series. She is considered an honorary Keeper.She is also a "Fairlie" as described in the second book. This, although not fully described in the book, is a person who IS human but has magical abilities.
- Jez (Jezebel) Lockhart, also referred to as Jez a mysterious, dark-haired girl who first appears in Disney After Dark. Not much is initially known about her until it is revealed she is somewhat of an apprentice to Maleficent, possessing magic of her own. Towards the end of Disney after Dark she is revealed to be Amanda's sister, by the real name of Jess, cursed by Maleficent to prevent her from using her powers. Although at the end of the first book her name is revealed to actually be Jess, she is always referred to as 'Jez', when the author is referring to her in thought throughout Disney At Dawn. She is considered an honorary Keeper.She is also a fairlie.
- Dillard Cole, Finn's best friend, although Finn begins pushing him aside as he gets drawn further into his adventures as a DHI. Physically he is somewhat overweight, he always questions Finn's adventures, offering the logical explanation of a dream. He isn't referred to whatsoever in Disney At Dawn.
External links