87On Wednesday night, Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast and traveled inland, eventually reaching Walt Disney World Resort. The Central Florida Disney parks and Resort hotels survived the storm with minimal damage. Still, some social media users said they wished The Most Magical Place on Earth was destroyed due to Disney’s political views.
Related: Disney World Imposes Strict Access Restrictions Following Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Milton intensified to a Category 5 storm on Monday, sending shockwaves through the United States. Even President Joe Biden warned that it could be the worst storm to hit Western Florida in decades. It made landfall Wednesday evening with Category 3 winds, causing widespread power outages and killing at least 11 people.
President Biden praised Governor Ron DeSantis for his handling of the storm. The Republican governor issued a state of emergency in 51 counties on Saturday and later issued evacuation orders for the most vulnerable areas. He suspended road tolls and instituted emergency shoulder use to hasten evacuations.
Despite initially planning to remain open, Walt Disney World Resort closed early on Wednesday afternoon. Guests from Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campgrounds and select bungalows/villas were moved to safer structures. On Thursday, Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios remained closed.
In preparation for Hurricane Milton, Disney cast members tied down temporary structures like popcorn and beverage carts, put sandbags near building entrances, and secure loose objects around Walt Disney World Resort. Early reports suggest their hard work paid off, with minimal cosmetic damages from the storm.
However, some social media users claimed that Hurricane Milton was retribution for Walt Disney World Resort’s “demonic” ways and wished destruction on the “woke” Central Florida theme park. It began with this video from TikTok user @jaybaskinforreal:
@jaybaskinforeal Rip disney world #hurricanemilton #disney #jaybaskinforeal #prediction #stitch
Before Hurricane Milton hit, the TikToker shared an artificial intelligence-generated image of a destroyed Cinderella Castle. “R.I.P. Disney World,” he wrote.
“It’s needed to be washed away since [its] inception,” @kylies7044 commented.
“I know that Disney World has a devil within it,” said @skygaming2888. “…They are lying to you and others.”
“I went YEARS ago before it got woke and weird,” @athenalove0419 replied.
Many commenters perpetuated a debunked myth about children going missing at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort.
“They are going to find some strange things going on there,” @charlemeunier claimed.
Some brought Christianity and other religions into the conversation.
“I’m a spiritual person. I’ve never been to Disney World and never will,” @eyesofanempathhandmade replied. “It’s too demonic.”
Readers should note that no children have gone missing at Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort. The TikToker’s hurricane-damaged photo of Cinderella Castle is fake–the Disney parks only suffered minor cosmetic damage during Hurricane Milton.
Do The Walt Disney Company’s politics impact your decision to visit Walt Disney World Resort? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments.