Kingdom Keepers III: Disney in Shadow is the third book in the Kingdom Keepers series set inside the Walt Disney World Resort, written by Ridley Pearson and published by Disney Book Group, and was released on April 6, 2010. It is set inside the Magic Kingdom. It features five young protagonists battling against villains known as the Overtakers for control of the parks.
A rewritten version of the book was released on April 14, 2020, updated to reflect modern additions to the Disney parks. These included the removal of scenes related to the original Test Track, Maelstrom, and Honey, I Shrunk the Audience while Remy's Ratatouille Adventure would take their place.
Summary[]
The third Kingdom Keepers book, Disney in Shadow, was released in April 6, 2010. It takes place primarily in Epcot and Hollywood Studios. The main characters battle the Overtakers to find their hidden friend, Wayne Kresky. The book features an augmented reality component, allowing readers to hold their book up to their computer to see a virtual 3D map overlaid on the book.
After saving their friend Jess from the Overtakers, Wayne went missing. Jess also has the gift of seeing visions of the future like Wayne. She wrote down her visions in her diary, and knew they need her help to find Wayne. By hacking into the Disney computer system, Philby is able to make Amanda and Jess a DHI. By analyzing Jess's diary, they see that Wayne is being held hostage by the Overtakers in Epcot. They find clues that Wayne had left, knowing he'd be captured, and that leads them to the Norway section of Epcot, looking for a sword. They see that many Overtakers are now guarding areas in Epcot including Gigabyte from Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!, Crash test dummies from Test Track, and Vikings from the Maelstrom ride.
After retrieving the sword from the Maelstrom ride, the Kingdom Keepers found themselves wondering if they had the right clue. They then discover a fly on the sword, and they looked up some clues on the computer that could lead them further. Then, the Keepers chose to split up and go on rides at Epcot that have flying in them. There, Maybeck and Charlene were able to go through a changed ride that only they could go through (being half the weight of a human due to their DHI stature), and they saw that Wayne had left them another message. He said that “the answer is keeping the rain off, it’s on your brain, and it’s where the stars never grow old”. They learn that he was talking about the Hollywood Studios.
All of a sudden, Jess got a vision that Wayne was being kept at Wonders of Life, an attraction area that's inside a pavilion. They see many of the Overtakers guarding the pavilion. After Charlene helped to distract them, the Kingdom Keepers were able to get in. Philby went to the control room with Willa, and Amanda and Jess stayed back to help Charlene. Maybeck and Finn snuck through an air vent, and Charlene was able to run around and get inside to find Wayne through another path. Charlene saw Wayne tied up and tried to free him. Soon she realized it was a trap, and saw a lion and trolls start to attack her. Since Philby was watching everyone at the control center, he was able to get her out by turning on the sprinklers, and texted the others that this was a trap to lure them.
The Keepers returned to a gift shop they had set as a checkpoint. Finn then realized a huge problem. They had left behind the control modulator that sent them back into their bodies sleeping, and it had been collected and put in a locked lost and found cabinet. They now knew they couldn't get back until 7 o’clock and they decided they could fit one more try in. They looked back at the riddle and saw something they hadn't noticed before. They were in Hollywood Studios, and the icon of the studio is Mickey's giant hat. It keeps the rain away, it's on your brain, and has stars that never grow old on it, just as Wayne's clue had mentioned. Mickey only uses that hat during the performance Fantasmic!, and the two leaders of the Overtakers are in that performance, Chernabog, and Maleficent.
Philby took the control room again, and Charlene, Willa, and Maybeck went around to distract Chernabog, who would appear as a dragon. Finn soon got onto the stage - as Disney was doing a rehearsal, except the real Maleficent was on stage - and fought Maleficent. Maleficent has the power to turn into any animal, and she morphed into a bird. Soon after fighting a little with the sword, Maleficent was hit and was wounded. Unfortunately, Philby had opened a trap door for Finn, except Maleficent went in it instead and escaped. Though Chernabog in dragon form was still there and about to breathe fire. Right before that happened, Wayne had for the first time appeared above him on a wall. He told him to surrender he couldn't win. Though he said that Amanda had told him to fight back instead, and he didn't back down. As the dragon was about to spew flames, Charlene had hit its Achilles heel with a prop spear, and it fell but still threw out flames. The flames missed everyone, except Wayne who combusted into flames and disappeared. Chernabog as well morphed back into its demon form and is defeated. Back at the gift show, Philby had taken the recording of it from the security camera via flash drive, and they all watched it and saw the same thing. That was not Wayne, it was a DHI. Then they realize where Wayne is, in a box, and rescue him with the help of Finn's mom.
Characters[]
Kingdom Keepers[]
Overtakers[]
- Maleficent
- Chernabog
- Stitch
- Chef Skinner (2020 version)
- Gigabyte
- Trolls
- Viking and Son
- Cave man and Son
- Crash Test Dummies
- Foo Lions
- Jesters
- Gargoyle
- Pirates
Other Characters[]
- Tigger
- Ursula
- Mr. Potato Head
- Mrs. Whitman
- Mrs. Philby
- Wanda
