As somebody who would have to classify himself as a “Disney Adult,” I generally would come to the defense of other adults at Disneyland or Walt Disney World. While some seem to feel that there’s something wrong with adults having fun in the Disney parks, nothing is further from the truth. There is, however, a line, and when you cross it, all bets are off.
Having fun in the parks is one thing. But when your fun results in other people in the park, especially kids, not having fun, then you’ve simply gone too far. Also, if you think it’s ok to put your hands on a Cast Member in literally anyway for literally any reason, then you are out of your mind. Yet, that’s just what one woman, who clearly thought she was being funny did, potentially ruining a great experience for several young kids at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
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The TikTok video showing this woman messing with Chewbacca has gone viral and it’s not surprising. While Cast Members dressed as Rey and Chewie are having some fun with a group of small kids, a woman comes up behind the Chewbacca performer and starts messing with the fur on the suit. Unfortunately, that meant that Rey and Chewie had to basically end what they were doing right then and get away, leaving the kids wondering what had just gone wrong.
I certainly understand that sometimes, even as an adult, seeing a full size Chewbacca walking around Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge can briefly make you forget that you’re looking at a theme park employee in a costume. And the thing is, if you want to give a character a hug at Disney World, that’s not off the table. However, there is process for that, and this was certainly not that.
People putting their hands on Disney Cast Members is unfortunately something that happens all too often. For what it’s worth, Rey handles the situation well, shutting down the encounter. At that point, you don’t really know who this woman was or why she did what she did, so the prudent move is for the Cast Members to exit in order to avoid any further confrontation.
I’m certainly curious if there was anything more that happened after this. Putting hands on a Cast Member like this is the sort of thing that will get you banned from Walt Disney World and the park can do a pretty good job of keeping tabs on people, even among the massive crowds, so it’s possible that’s exactly what happened here.
There are plenty of ways to have fun at Walt Disney World that don’t involve putting your hands on a costumed Disney cast member. Hopefully we can all agree that doing that is wrong. Let these people show kids a good time and just stay out of their way.
