Disney has built an empire on the concept of Disney magic. It is, to be sure, a lot of sales and marketing, but sometimes Disney magic is real, and when it is, it’s a truly beautiful thing. Two kids, named Drew and Tyler, had their story go viral on TikTok recently, and thanks to that, they experienced all the good that Disney magic really can do.
The story starts with TikToker @notkahn junior, who shared a post from an aunt to a Disney Facebook group about the fact that she was taking her kids, Drew and Tyler, to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom. Drew is fighting pediatric brain cancer, and his parents wanted to give him a special experience, so they were hoping they could get other guests to give the boys a “celebrity” experience. The video went viral, and it reached Walt Disney World Cast Members as well. What happened next is incredible. I highly recommend grabbing tissues before you watch this.
@notkahnjunior
♬ original sound – kahn
I’ve watched this video several times now, and there may come a time when I can start it and not feel tears instantly well up in my eyes. But as I write this, I have not reached that point yet. I’m getting overly emotional seeing this. The fact that Kahn in the TikTok video itself has trouble keeping it together at points isn’t helping me.
The idea was to make the kids feel like celebrities, and the Walt Disney World Cast Members did that like only they could. It sounds like every single Cast Member working the party was aware of the boys, and was there to make them feel special, acting like they were famous, asking for autographs and more.
The brothers got pictures with Winnie the Pooh and Tigger in their excellent Disneybounding outfits and got to meet the Seven Dwarfs, including the somewhat elusive Dopey. Halloween is a time when many characters that don’t always show up in the parks often make appearances, such as Powerline Max from A Goofy Movie.
Seeing all the costumed characters coming up to them during the parade to say hi and call them by name is just touching. All the pictures of these kids with Cast Members and characters are incredible. There were apparently several other guests there for Not So Scary who also recognized the boys and treated them like the celebrities they clearly were.
This is why Disney Parks are special. There are just no other places where children can have an experience like this. Disney grants hundreds of Make-A-Wish experiences every year; it’s one of the most popular requests, but seeing Cast Members mobilize at a grassroots level is that much more wonderful to watch.
This story has clearly touched a lot of people based on how widely the initial video was shared, and then reacted to the story of what happened. I’ll certainly be thinking about this one all day. Maybe someday I’ll get a chance to meet the celebrities Drew and Tyler too.