| “ | I learned my lesson and I'm done with unauthorized park entries. | ” |
―BackDoorDisney | ||
Patrick Allen Spikes, better known online as BackDoorDisney, is an American[1] YouTuber known for his videos about delving into the backstage of abandoned theme parks, specifically Disney's.
History[]
Patrick Spikes launched BackDoorDisney in January 2018, uploading his first backstage explorations of Walt Disney World’s utilidor tunnels. His early content—featuring maintenance corridors, ride equipment, and archival props—resonated with a niche audience, growing the channel to over 5,000 subscribers by late 2018.
Between 2018 and early 2019, Spikes produced technical breakdowns of Audio‑Animatronic components and ride control systems, posting walkthroughs of decommissioned sets and discarded animatronic pieces. His detailed tutorials on animatronic joint maintenance and show-control interfaces were shared widely across fan forums.
On May 17, 2019, Spikes was arrested and charged with burglary and grand theft after investigators linked over \$30,000 in stolen Disney memorabilia to his PayPal account.[2] His subscriber base briefly spiked to around 10,000 amid the media coverage.
After entering a plea deal in February 2020, Spikes ceased uploading until January 2025. He reappeared with the livestream "Where's Buzzy?", demonstrating he had recovered the missing Cranium Command animatronic.[3] In February 2025, his "Live Q&A I Guess" session drew significant viewership, where he addressed behind-the-scenes questions and reflected on Disney’s engineering achievements.[4]
Content[]
BackDoorDisney specializes in:
- Tours of employee-only utilidor tunnels beneath Magic Kingdom.
- Technical analyses of Audio‑Animatronic systems.
- Restoration and demonstration of retired Disney props.
- Livestream Q&As on Disney operations and history.
Channel milestones[]
- 5,000 subscribers: December 2018
- 10,000 subscribers: May 2019
- 12,400 subscribers: May 2025[5]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNUGLZqjXSfAGYpgjHp4yWw/about
- ↑ Harris, David. "Former employee arrested for stealing \$14K in Disney costumes", 2019-05-17.
- ↑ Where's Buzzy? livestream transcript (2025-01-15).
- ↑ Live Q&A I Guess transcript (2025-02-12).
- ↑ BackDoorDisney YouTube Channel.