Guest’s Intolerance Backfires at Disney Park

in Walt Disney World

Guests visiting Toy Story Land in Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort

Credit: Disney

A rightfully frustrated mother recently shared a less-than-magical interaction at Disney after a Guest’s intolerance ruined her child’s experience.

“Disney is losing its magic” is something we’ve all heard at least once this year. Guests are unhappy about how Disney Parks worldwide are changing. With the company replacing beloved offerings with complicated, divisive new services — which require additional payments to make things worse — opening new attractions and experiences that some consider underwhelming, making decisions about Cast Members and Disney character representation that many have criticized, and constantly increasing prices and reducing benefits at the Parks.

Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World Resort after a rainstorm
Credit: Brett Kiger on Flickr

Related: Mother Goes Viral in Controversial Experience With Disney Cast Member

And let’s not get started on the ongoing legal and political battle the company has been embroiled in for over a year, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis actively attacking Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney World Resort, and The Walt Disney Company, harming local businesses and forcing other states to open their doors for Disney. 

As if that wasn’t enough, Disney CEO Bob Iger — who recently made a shocking announcement regarding his careertook a harsh tumble days ago by criticizing the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, considering their requests “disruptive” and “unrealistic. These comments have sparked outrage among fans, even causing some Marvel stars to lash out at the Disney executive and express their joy over leaving the studio.

Bob Iger posing in front of several screens displaying various Disney owned properties
Credit: Disney

Related: “Be Careful, MotherF***er,” Hollywood Star Threatens Studio Exec

But while the magic is put in question, Cast Members continue to prove that they are the heart of the company, as one mother recently shared her experience at the Parks, which proved to be a roller coaster of emotions thanks to an intolerant Guest and a group of Cast Members who went above and beyond for the mother and her child.

Unpleasant interaction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

What happened at the Park?

Kat (@kathleenenderson) recently took to TikTok to share her and her child’s recent experience while visiting Toy Story Land in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The mother started her recount by saying she wanted to take her son Tobias to the immersive land to meet Buzz Lightyear, Woody, and Jessie. She added, “Anybody that knows my toddler knows that he is super inquisitive. He has to know how everything works, he loves puzzles, and he asks a lot of questions.

The mother continued by saying that she and her child got in line to meet Buzz Lightyear and that their encounter with the character “started with what you would expect any typical meet and greet to go with a three-year-old.” “He was super hesitant, kind of shy. Was interacting with the character attendant but not so much with Buzz himself. He had a lot of questions for the character attendant,” Kat continued, adding that her son asked all the questions that he had “because that is the point of these meet and greets. Is for the children (anyone for that matter) to get to interact with their favorite characters and get to know things.”

Buzz Lightyear
Credit: Disney

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Unfortunately for the family, there was a woman in line “who was incredibly inappropriate,” making loud comments and trying to speed up the family’s interaction with Buzz Lightyear, saying things like “Okay, time to take a photo,” “this is a photo thing,” “you should be taking a photo,” interrupting the child’s experience with the character and rudely clapping when the boy was finally ready to take his photos with Buzz.

Kat commented that she and her child sat near the meet and greet location to see other families interacting with Buzz and that when the intolerant woman and her family, who were a couple of parties behind them, finished taking their photos, “she walked directly up to me and my three-year-old and told him ‘That’s how it’s done. That’s how you should be doing this.'” “She didn’t want to have a conversation; she just wanted to put me and him in our place,” Kat added.

How did the Guest react?

After the shockingly rude interaction, the mother tried reassuring her kid, saying, “Buddy, what she said to you was not kind. That wasn’t nice. She shouldn’t have done that, and the way that she was making you feel when you were talking to Buzz and our friends, not okay.”

The mother and her child decided to go on Toy Story Mania! to forget the unpleasant interaction, had a blast, and came out of the attraction to find an unbelievable surprise.

A little boy and a little girl smile while wearing 3D glasses on Toy Story Midway Mania.
Credit: Disney

Cast Members step in

“As we were walking out the queue, the entertainment coordinator was waiting for us in the exit,” said Kat. The mother continued to detail how the amazing Cast Member had become aware of the situation. She apologized to the family for the unpleasant experience the intolerant Guest had caused earlier, asking if Kat and her son had met Woody or Jessie that day, offering to help the family meet them. The mother left the decision on her son’s preference, and after the 3-year-old boy agreed, the entertainment coordinator Cast Member walked the couple straight to Woody and Jessie. “Tobias got uninterrupted time to just chat with Woody and Jessie and the character attendants and like really kind of start to feel a little bit better.”

Woody and a young Guest at Toy Story Land in Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort
Credit: Walt Disney World Resort

As if the experience wasn’t already magical enough, the Cast Member then offered the family to walk them over to Pixar Place — which recently reopened its doors for a reimagined experience — to meet some of the most beloved characters from Pixar movies like The Incredibles (2004) and Monsters Inc. (2001). “And we met Frozone. We then walked straight to Miss Edna Mode, and he got to talk to Auntie Edna. And then right after that, we went straight to Sulley.”

“It was just a total mood shift,” Kat continued. “Alana, she was the coordinator. She walked straight up, introduced Tobias to the characters, facilitated all the conversations and all the questions that Tobias asked. She got to, you know, relay and help answer and just spent one-on-one time with us. And answered all 150 questions that he had for her and everybody else,” added the mother before ending her story for the day on a positive note, sharing her and her child’s magical moment at Disney thanks to a group of committed Cast Members.

Pixar Place at Disney's Hollywood Studios
Credit: Disney

You can see the video below:

Moral of the story, don’t ruin someone else’s experience and be more like Alana and the other cast members who turned the day around. #disney #disneyworld #wdw #hollywoodstudios #toystoryland #castmember #guestrecovery #storytime #entertainment #meetandgreet #characterperformer #toddler #mom #momtok #disneymagic #rudeguest #annualpassholder #wdwap #disneywithlittlekids #reallife

@kathleenenderson

Moral of the story, don’t ruin someone else’s experience and be more like Alana and the other cast members who turned the day around. #disney #disneyworld #wdw #hollywoodstudios #toystoryland #castmember #guestrecovery #storytime #entertainment #meetandgreet #characterperformer #toddler #mom #momtok #disneymagic #rudeguest #annualpassholder #wdwap #disneywithlittlekids #reallife

♬ original sound – Kat

Cast Members can always sprinkle some additional pixie dust on you to make your visit to Walt Disney World Resort — and all Disney Parks, for that matter — even more magical, as it happened for Kat and her son.

Cast Members making magic at Disney Parks

Memorable character interactions

While some Guests have shared disappointing and disgusting interactions with some Disney characters being rude to their children or themselves, many stories have been shared online of Disney characters helping kids feel seen, loved, and represented.

Inside the Magic recently reported on a young girl being overjoyed after finding out that Minnie Mouse knew some phrases in sign language, as the girl herself was deaf. The short interaction immediately became a magical moment for the family, which they’ll surely treasure forever. This interaction proves how vital representation and inclusion are at Disney Parks and how The Walt Disney Company’s efforts to promote these values impact Guests’ experiences.

girl with minnie mouse at disneyland
Credit: Disney Parks Blog

And Disney characters at Disneyland couldn’t fall behind. Inside the Magic reported on a little girl having a magical interaction with the fairest Disney villain of all, making the family and dozens of Guests around them laugh out loud. Captain Jack Sparrow is also known for having heartwarming interactions with a frequent Guest with autism, and Inside the Magic reported on Chewbacca sharing a magical and emotional moment with a 14-year-old cancer patient.

Additionally, a couple of Guests shared their delightful interaction with Mulan at Disneyland, who celebrated their love and made them feel understood and beloved, with the Disney Princess celebrating gay rights and embracing members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Mulan meeting at EPCOT
Credit: Disney

And memorable interactions with Disney characters don’t necessarily have to be wholesome. Some can also be hilarious. Guests at Disneyland Paris have seen Stitch, one of the most popular Disney characters, taking a harsh fall, reminding them not to run in the Park. And Stitch struck again, engaging in a grotesque yet hilarious interaction with a Cast Member in front of several Guests.

Cast Members, the heart of Disney Parks

While meeting your favorite Disney character is a dream to many, Cast Members across the Parks also have the power to make Guests’ visits magical.

Recently, the viral TikTok star Gothic Baby fulfilled a dream of many Haunted Mansion fans, receiving a special tour of the iconic Disney ride in her Haunted Mansion maid outfit, courtesy of a group of fellow Haunted Mansion keepers. The experience was, in Reby Hardy’s words, the best memory her family could have possibly ever asked for. “We could not be any more grateful for the best first trip ever,” the proud mom added.

The exterior of The Haunted Mansion at night.
Credit: Disney

And a viral video recently showed a Cast Member making dozens of Guests’ way to Disney World’s four theme parks — Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT — even more magical by serenading them with a fan-favorite Disney song. Who knew free concerts were part of the benefits of staying at a Disney Resort hotel?

With Disney World Cast Members constantly making magic in so many ways across the Parks, it’s hard to imagine an unpleasant visit to the Most Magical Place on Earth.

Have you ever had a Cast Member create a magical moment for you and your family? Tell Inside the Magic about it in the comments below!

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