Credit: Donimalina Aria (@donut_hold_the_sprinkles)When announcing something like a proposal, adoption, pregnancy, or another life event at Walt Disney World, most Guests will opt for a magical moment in front of Cinderella Castle or enlist the aid of Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
However, one couple had a different approach.
Donimalina Aria and her husband Jake Aria had been planning a trip to Walt Disney World for over a year to celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary, but when they learned in October 2022 that they were expecting their first child, the trip quickly became a celebration of the pregnancy and the perfect time to announce the baby’s gender.
Gender reveals are common at Walt Disney World, as many Guests take a trip as the perfect opportunity to make special announcements. Who wouldn’t want to tell their friends and family they were having a baby in front of Cinderella Castle? Guests frequently utilize characters in their reveals, with permission from the Cast Members, and less frequently do gender reveals through less practical means.
Donimalina’s original idea, as she told Insider, was to have a Princess aid them in their reveal. However, things don’t always go according to plan, especially on a Walt Disney World vacation. As she and her husband explored the Magic Kingdom, they stopped to say hello to Anastasia and Drizella, Cinderella’s wicked stepsisters. These villains are very popular characters to meet in the Park due to their zany antics and sassy attitudes.
As Donimalina describes her plan, the pair advise her that they should be the ones to help with the reveal instead. And in a viral video posted to TikTok on April 2, that’s just what Donimalina and Jake decided. The clip has over 9 million views, and Anastasia and Drizella are just a little excited to be the ones to reveal it.
@donut_hold_the_sprinkles The cat is out of the bag! 💙💖💙💖#anastasiaanddrizella were not my first choice, but after our first interaction with them seeing their chemistry & how genuinly excited they were, we both knew they were AMAZING! And HAD to ask them to do our #genderreveal 💖 no regrets at all! They were HANDS DOWN the best interaction we had on our entire trip! If anyone is friends with them, please get this to them! They were the sweetest! @disneyparks they are now two of my favorite characters to interact with 💖💖💖 #disneygenderreveal #disneycharacters #disneymeetandgreet #babyaria #itsagirl ♬ original sound – Doni Aria
The characters’ excitement is palpable, much louder and more bombastic than a proper Princess would react, which is exactly the energy that the couple wanted. It makes for an extremely heartwarming video as Anastasia and Drizella fawn over them and use Mickey and Minnie plushies to reveal the baby’s gender – a girl!
Everyone celebrates as Anastasia loudly announced to everyone in Fantasyland that the couple would be having a baby girl. The video is a reminder of the magic of Disney and how Cast Members work to make memories that will last a lifetime – and this memory is surely one that Donimalina and Jake (and Anastasia and Drizella, for that matter) will never forget!