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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_kingdom_keepers_9950.jpg]]
2
3A series of novels written by Ridley Pearson, [[HeAlsoDid otherwise known for writing horror and suspense novels]] as well as another Creator/{{Disney}} series ''Literature/PeterAndTheStarcatchers'', that take place in and around [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Walt Disney World]].
4
5Finn Whitman is an OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent who lives in UsefulNotes/{{Orlando}} near Ride/WaltDisneyWorld. He and four other teenagers from the area - Willa, a shy girl with a love for animals, [[TheLancer Maybeck]], a snarky distrusting boy, [[TheBigGuy Charlene]], an athletic girl, and [[TheSmartGuy Philby]], a homework loving boy - are selected to be turned into [=DHIs=], holographic hosts for the Magic Kingdom that would give prerecorded speeches to guests. However, soon after they find themselves being transported into the park at night when they fall asleep. There they learn from an elderly Imagineer named Wayne that they were chosen specifically to stop the plot of the Overtakers, a group of villains apparently led by [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Maleficent]]. The Overtakers scheme to take over the park and beyond, and since they start out InvisibleToNormals, the Imagineers needed someone to stop them. Along the way, they have to deal with two mysterious girls: Amanda, a schoolmate of Finn's who has an interest in him, and Jez, a {{goth}}-like girl. Both of them appear to be hiding something.
6
7The original series consists of seven books and one novella; another novella was released in 2015, leading into a SequelSeries trilogy, ''The Return'':
8
9* ''The Kingdom Keepers'' #1: ''Disney After Dark'' (2005)
10* ''The Kingdom Keepers'' #2: ''Disney at Dawn'' (2008)
11* ''The Kingdom Keepers'' #3: ''Disney in Shadow'' (2010)
12* ''The Kingdom Keepers'' #4: ''Power Play'' (2011)
13* ''The Kingdom Keepers'' #5: ''Shell Game'' (2012)
14* ''The Kingdom Keepers'' #6: ''Dark Passage'' (2013)
15* ''The Kingdom Keepers'' #6.5: Unforeseen (2014; e-book novella)
16* ''The Kingdom Keepers'' #7: ''The Insider'' (2014)
17* ''The Syndrome'' (2015; novella)
18* ''The Return'' #1: ''Disney Lands'' (2015)
19* ''The Return'' #2: ''Legacy of Secrets'' (2016)
20* ''The Return'' #3: ''Disney at Last'' (2017)
21
22A new series, ''Kingdom Keepers Inheritance'' (featuring [[SpinOffspring the children of the now grown Kingdom Keepers]]), had been announced, with the first book ''The Shimmer'' released in 2023. There were also plans for a proposed TV series headed by Creator/KevinSmith but they were scrapped when it became clear there were too many [=IPs=] to handle.
23
24-----
25!!The books provide examples of:
26
27* AdaptationalVillainy:
28** Jack Sparrow and Tia Dalma. However, Tia Dalma was always a WildCard and Jack [[AntiHero wasn't exactly a saint to begin with.]]
29%%* AllPartOfTheShow: The final battle in the first book.
30%%* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Finn's parents.
31* AncientConspiracy: [[spoiler: Amery Hollingsworth and his Legacy of Secrets.]]
32* AntagonistTitle: Legacy of Secrets refers to [[spoiler: Amery Hollingsworth and his BigScrewedUpFamily]].
33* AntiClimax: The finale of the first book. Wayne and the Kingdom Keepers gather together in Cinderella Castle to see the effects of Walt Disney's first pen, which is supposed to be very important and powerful, for themselves. Wayne places it on a blueprint of the Magic Kingdom, the drawing lights up as does the whole park, a multitude of fireworks go off in the sky, and...[[spoiler: that's it. That's all that happens. The fireworks are reported as something done for a private celebration the next morning and Wayne sends the Kingdom Keepers home. Oh, the rides fix themselves too, but that's barely mentioned.]]
34* ArtisticLicense:
35** Frollo speaks with a French Accent despite not having one in the film.
36** Chernabog is a cross between [[Myth/ClassicalMythology the Minotaur]] and a Mayan bat god, [[SadlyMythtaken rather than the Slavic god of darkness he is in Fantasia.]]
37** None of the animal characters can talk. However Timon and Pumbaa being able to speak in Book 7 suggests that they can talk, but [[InvisibleToNormals Humans aren't able to hear them.]]
38%%* AscendedFanboy: The [=DHIs=].
39* BackForTheDead:
40** [[spoiler: Dillard pops back in during book five, but is killed at the end of book 6.]]
41** [[spoiler: After being conspicuously absent for most of book 5 and all of book 6, Cruella de Vil reappears mid way through book 7 and is killed a few chapters later.]]
42* BackFromTheDead: A lot of villains that were killed in the movies they were in.
43** [[spoiler: Tia Dalma resurrects Maleficent at the end of ''Legacy of Secrets''.]]
44** [[spoiler: Dillard comes back somehow after the climax of ''Disney at Last''.]]
45* BigBad: Chernabog. When he's not present, it's Maleficent, and when ''she's'' not present, the Evil Queen.
46** [[spoiler: And now there's the possibility that Maleficent has overthrown Hades after being sent to hell, making her an even greater threat.]]
47* BigDamnHeroes: The Imagineers in the first book.
48** Ariel and Mulan in the fourth.
49** Stitch and King Triton (By proxy in the latter's case) in the fifth.
50* BittersweetEnding:
51** Disney At Dawn: [[spoiler: The team has rescued Jess, but Wayne has been captured, Maleficent succeeds in freeing Chernabog, and the two villains escape in a freezer truck.]]
52** Power Play: [[spoiler: Maleficent and Chernabog's prison break is successful, but the Disney characters are pitching in to help the Kingdom Keepers in the battle against evil.]]
53** Dark Passage: [[spoiler: Maleficent has been KilledOffForReal, Tia Dalma has been captured, and Chernabog is trapped forever in the underground labyrinth. But Finn is tricked into accidentally killing Dillard, leaving him extremely shaken.]]
54** The Insider: [[spoiler: Disneyland is saved, Mickey has returned, and peace has been restored to the kingdom. But the Overtakers' leadership [[VillainExitStageLeft remains at large]] and [[AndTheAdventureContinues Wayne left the Keepers more mysteries to solve.]]]]
55** Legacy of Secrets: [[spoiler: In the past, the Keepers have solved the mystery and temporarily thwarted Hollingsworth's schemes, and Finn is reunited with Amanda when she comes back into the past. But now they have to wrestle with the question of whether to change the past and prevent the Overtakers from ever existing, while in the present Maleficent has come BackFromTheDead.]]
56** Disney at Last: [[spoiler: The Keepers have failed to change the past and stop the creation of the Overtakers, but Mattie, Joe, and Nick manage to save Disneyland in the present, and Dillard comes back to life.]]
57* BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord: Finn's only "borrowing" Creator/WaltDisney's pen.
58* BlowYouAway: Maleficent, briefly.
59* BoundAndGagged: Maybeck when he's kidnapped in the first book. Also, Finn attempts this in the fourth book.
60* {{Brainwashed}}: Jez, or Jess, as her real name is. [[WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch Stitch]] is this way at the beginning of the third book, but is back to normal by the fifth.
61* TheCameo: For a series taking place inside the Disney theme parks, several of these are to be expected.
62* CassandraGambit: How Disney and the [=DHIs=] uphold TheMasquerade. Who would believe that a bunch of fictional characters are trying to TakeOverTheWorld?
63* TheCavalry: Multiple Disney characters fill this role.
64** Mulan and Ariel in ''Power Play''.
65** Stitch and King in ''Shell Game''.
66** Mulan and Kristoff in ''Disney at Last''.
67* ChickMagnet: Nearly every female teenager is attracted to Finn. Maybeck claims to be this trope as well.
68* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: Deconstructed. The entire reason the world's in danger is because enough people believe in the Overtakers to let them come alive.
69* CreepyMonotone: The Crash-test dummies speak in this manner.
70* CurseCutShort: In ''Shell Game'' Maleficent was in the middle of calling Ariel the B-word before being attacked by a legion of crabs.
71* CutHimselfShaving: Finn explaining his injuries to his mother.
72* DamselInDistress:
73** [[spoiler: Jess]] for most of the second book.
74*** [[spoiler: Willa]] becomes this when she gets captured while trying to rescue [[spoiler: Jess]]
75** [[spoiler: [[IHaveYourWife Finn's mom]]]] in book 5. Played with, however: [[spoiler: she isn't captured, but spends most of the book BrainwashedAndCrazy, forcing Finn to figure out how to free her.]]
76* DarkerAndEdgier: Dark Passage and the Return Trilogy.
77* ADayInTheLimelight:
78** Dark Passage gives readers insight into Greg Luowski's point of view.
79** The Insider shows Tia Dalma's efforts to rescue Chernabog and the Evil Queen from her perspective, as opposed to the readers (and heroes) finding out about it after the fact.
80*** Book 7 also features a chapter from the point of view of [[WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles Violet]] in the aftermath of the final battle as she reflects on what just happened.
81** The Syndrome puts the focus solely on Amanda, Jess, and Mattie.
82* DeadpanSnarker: Maybeck.
83* DeadlyDodging: Against the T-Rex at ''Big Thunder Mountain Railroad''.
84* DemBones: The T-Rex skeleton at ''Big Thunder Mountain Railroad'' (the train goes through this right before the final set of brakes).
85* DemonicPossession: [[spoiler: Ursula was doing this to Storey Ming all along]]
86* DistractedByTheSexy: When [[Franchise/{{Frozen}} Elsa]] shows up in Book 5, Philby is ''immediately'' distracted by her beauty and barely able to form a coherent sentence together, while Finn finds himself, to his confusion, getting envious on how she talks to Philby first.
87* DistressedDude:
88** [[spoiler: Maybeck]] in book 1.
89** [[spoiler: Philby]] in book 2.
90** [[spoiler: Wayne]] for the end of book 2 and most of book 3.
91** [[spoiler: Dillard]] in the last third of book 6.
92* BarefootSage: Tia Dalma is described as perpetually barefoot; it is also said that despite her AdaptationalVillainy, she still gave the feel of [[MagicalBarefooter ageless wisdom]].
93* TheDragon: Maleficent for Chernabog, Frollo for the Evil Queen.
94** DragonInChief: Maleficent. She does so much more than any of the other villains, Chernabog included, and it's obvious that Chernabog would never have been freed without her. And while Wayne said that she was a pawn, [[spoiler: after her death, this may not be true anymore, supposedly taking control of hell from behind the scenes.]]
95* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Amery Hollingsworth Jr. in ''Disney at Last'' after his EvilPlan fails.]]
96* DrivesLikeCrazy: Wayne.
97* DrowningPit: ''WesternAnimation/TheManyAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'' under Maleficent's control.
98* EccentricMentor: Wayne
99* EldritchAbomination: Chernabog
100* EnemyCivilWar: [[spoiler: the seventh book reveals that the increasingly public actions of the Overtakers that led to the creation of the team in the first place was the result of a power struggle between Maleficent and Ursula.]]
101* EnergyWeapon: The ''Space Ranger Spin'' becomes a lot more real after you cross over.
102* EverythingTryingToKillYou: Thanks to Maleficent.
103* EvilAllAlong: [[spoiler: Storey Ming. [[DemonicPossession It wasn't exactly willing, though.]]]]
104* EvilIsDeathlyCold: Maleficent, oh so much.
105* {{Foreshadowing}}:
106** Storey Ming is a appears in the heroes' lives unexpectedly in Book 5. The male characters are all immediately attracted to her despite having just met her and not knowing if they can really trust her. This makes sense considering how [[spoiler: Ursula essentially pulled the exact same thing with Prince Eric in ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989'', providing a subtle clue to who Storey Ming [[DemonicPossession really is.]]]]
107** After an earthquake in Book 7, Overtaker {{Mooks}} are seen putting out fires that started because of the damage to natural gas lines. [[spoiler: this is later revealed to be because they're waiting for the gases released by the earthquake to collect inside Disneyland before [[SetTheWorldOnFire igniting it all at once with a jury-rigged lightning rod.]]]]
108* GeorgeLucasAlteredVersion: Starting in 2020, the books were re-written to take changes throughout the parks and the world since their original publication into account. The long defunct Virtual Magic Kingdom was replaced with the Keepers simply using Snapchat to keep in touch and many of the removed Epcot attractions were replaced with an adventure in the yet-to-open Ratatouille attraction.
109* GoodCostumeSwitch: Jez[[spoiler: /Jess, who changes from wearing all black to normal clothes after being freed from Maleficent's brainwashing.]]
110* GrandFinale: The ''The Return'' trilogy, which explains the origins of the Overtakers and sees their final defeat.
111* GreaterScopeVillain: The ''The Return'' trilogy sets up [[spoiler: Amery Hollingsworth as this, being the one ultimately responsible for both the creation of the Overtakers and Barracks 14.]]
112** In the original series, Chernabog often acts as this when he is not present.
113** [[spoiler: Maleficent is speculated to be this, now that she has seemingly conquered Hades.]]
114* HalfHumanHybrid: Fairlies are human/fairy offspring.
115* HazardousWater: Splash Mountain.
116* HeroSecretService: The Disney employees who aren't {{Obstructive Bureaucrat}}s are usually this trope.
117** [[spoiler: Violet and Elsa serve as Mickey Mouse's bodyguards while he and the Keepers get into position for the final battle with Chernabog in the seventh book.]]
118** [[spoiler: Mulan also serves as a getaway driver for the Keepers in book 4.]]
119* IdiotBall: In the first book, Finn and Philby explore ''Splash Mountain'' without a log car or any plan to survive the big drop.
120* ISurrenderSuckers: The plan for defeating Maleficent.
121* InvisibleToNormals: The Overtakers and other Disney characters.
122* LaserGuidedAmnesia: [[spoiler: When Ursula is defeated in Book 7, [[DemonicPossession Storey Ming]] loses all memory of everything that happened after Ursula took her as a host.]]
123* LateArrivalSpoiler: Jez is brainwashed, she's Amanda's sister, and they're both magic.
124* LegionOfDoom: The Overtakers, a team of Disney villains out to take over the Disney parks.
125* LetMeGetThisStraight
126* LostAesop: "The Stonecutter's Quill" story in the first book. Perhaps it will enlighten our heroes by saying how thankful we should be of where we are now and of the advantages we have by being ourselves...but instead it's all about power... and it's never mentioned again anywhere or resonates with anything in the rest of the book.
127* LowerDeckEpisode: ''The Syndrome''. While Amanda and Jess are just as much part of the main characters as the rest of the Kingdom Keepers, The Syndrome is entirely from their perspective, along with their friend and fellow Fairly Mattie, introduced in Dark Passage.
128* TheMasquerade: The Overtakers hide behind one to avoid attracting attention, knowing that [[CassandraTruth nobody outside of those who already know would believe that a bunch of fictional bad guys are trying to]] TakeOverTheWorld
129* MassiveMultiplayerCrossover
130* MechaMooks: The Audio-Animatronics used in the rides are brought to life and used by the Overtakers.
131* TheMole: [[spoiler: Joe sends Mattie to infiltrate the Fairly army in ''Disney at Last''.]]
132* MuggleBestFriend: Dillard, though the best friend part is lost once Finn becomes a DHI.
133* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: "I'm Jez. Short for Jezebel. It's from Literature/TheBible."
134* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: By the fifth and sixth book, Finn starts having visions of the future for no reason and gains immense strength. He also gains a strange connection with Maleficent.
135* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: Audio-Animatronic Ride/PiratesOfTheCaribbean riding [[Franchise/ToyStory Buzz Lightyear's]] Space Ranger Spin cars!
136* NoodleIncident: How Maybeck's aunt Jelly got her nickname.
137* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Higher up Disney employees and Imagineers tend to be this in later books. Particularly in the ''The Return'' trilogy. Somewhat [[JustifiedTrope justified]] given that they have to deal with megalomaniacal villains on top of running the company on a day to day basis, so the Obstructive part only comes when their way of handling a situation conflicts with the heroes' way of doing it.
138* ObviouslyEvil: Jez wears black, has pale skin, and that name...
139** Subverted in the end though; she's not really evil, just brainwashed by Maleficent.
140* OfficialCouple: Finn and Amanda appear to be this, although despite acknowledging their feelings for each other in [[SequelSeries The Return]], they still haven't officially gotten together yet.
141* OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent: The Keepers.
142* OurFairiesAreDifferent: They can breed with humans to create HalfHumanHybrids, those are [[spoiler:The Fairlies]].
143* ParentalAbandonment: Maybeck's parents "aren't around". Also, Amanda and Jez live alone with no supervision.
144* PerkyGoth: Jez, with good reason.
145* PlayingWithFire: Maleficent can throw fireballs.
146* PosthumousCharacter: Creator/WaltDisney himself.
147* ThePowerOfFriendship: Invoked on the "it's a small world" ride.
148* PunnyName: Fairlies are "fairly human".
149* ResignedToTheCall: Some of the kids aren't too happy with their new position, but as Finn points out they're going to cross over every night anyway.
150* RenegadeSplinterFaction: The Insider reveals that [[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989 Urusla]] and an unspecified number of others are part of one.
151** Before that, Power Play indicates that Jafar and Shan-Yu are each working independently of the Overtakers.
152* RhymesOnADime: There's a scene in the first book where Finn's thoughts become this way.
153* RogerRabbitEffect
154* RomanticFalseLead: Storey Ming for all major pairings from Book 5 to Book 6. [[spoiler: Revealed in Book 7 to be a weaponized version of this trope so [[DemonicPossession Ursula]] could manipulate the Keepers into destroying Maleficent for her.]]
155* RougeAnglesOfSatin: The later books are riddled with misspellings.
156* SaidBookism: Just try to keep track of every time another word is used where "said" would have been just as appropriate.
157* TheScapegoat: [[spoiler: The Fairlies plan to frame Zeke Hollingsworth for their attack on Disneyland before Mattie convinces them to turn against Barracks 14.]]
158* SecretWar: the conflict between the Kingdom Keepers and the Overtakers.
159* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: Finn in the first book.
160* SwordOfPlotAdvancement: Creator/WaltDisney's first pen.
161** And an actual sword in the third book, stolen from Maelstrom.
162* TimeMarchesOn: The first Kingdom Keepers book dedicates a significant portion to the five friends interacting in Virtual Magic Kingdom...which was shut down shortly some time after the book was published. Plus, every time there's a significant change in the parks, like Toontown being razed for the New Fantasyland Expansion, they have to find a way to work it into the books, mostly because it was mentioned in the story before the major change.
163* TurnedAgainstTheirMasters: [[spoiler: Mattie manages to convince the rest of the Fairlies to rebel against Hollingsworth in ''Disney at Last'']]
164* VillainEpisode: Dark Passage and The Insider contain several chapters from the point of view of Greg Luowski and Tia Dalma, respectively.
165* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Now part of Maleficent's bag of tricks.
166** There's also a fairly who has this as her power.
167* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: They keep mentioning and hinting towards Finn' sister, but she never makes an appearance or does anything important.
168* YouAlreadyChangedThePast: [[spoiler: Despite the Kingdom Keepers' efforts to change the past, the obituary's description of Hollingsworth Sr.'s death remains unchanged, indicating that by the time he died, his plans and the creation of the Overtakers had already been set in motion.]]
169* YouAreGrounded: Finn in the first book, though this only allows him to go to bed early without suspicion.
170** A constant worry for some of the Keepers.
171* YourMindMakesItReal: The rule of the DHI form seems to be that you're as solid as you believe yourself to be. Somewhat averted in version 2.0
172** Arguably all the Disney characters who are coming to life because everyone believes in them so much.
173* YoureInsane: Philby's parents think this whenever he mentioned the DHI crossover.

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