Theme parks like those at Walt Disney World are seen by many as places for kids, but a problem can arise because many of the most popular attractions have height requirements meaning that not all children are going to be able to ride them. This can lead to upset youngsters, which no parent wants to see at Disney World. But one family’s solution has resulted in a lot of backlash, and now they’re apologizing.
The Kelly Family posted a video to TikTok that went viral that showed them modifying a set of their son’s shoes in order to make him taller so that he might be able to get on rides he otherwise would not. While they obviously thought their video would be fun, many who saw it did not agree. The parents were criticized for attempting to violate rules that are designed to keep people safe. The family has now pulled the offending video and issued an apology.
@the.kelly.fam ♬ original sound - The Kelly Fam
This family certainly isn’t the first to attempt to circumvent the height rules of a theme park attraction. Chris Hemsworth has admitted to stuffing his kid’s shoes in the past in order to try and get them over the limit. Cast Members at Disney World are pretty well versed in the various ways this is done, and to a certain extent height requirements are set to account for some people breaking the rules. Still, they are also there to keep people safe.
For what it’s worth, most of the comments in the apology video aren’t particularly supportive. Most people are of the opinion that this is a “we’re sorry we got in trouble” response rather than a true apology for bad actions. The account has well over one million followers and has received some sponsorships as a result. Comments figure that the apology is being done in an attempt to prevent upset sponsors from jumping ship.
The issue here was the very public way this family was promoting what they were doing, which came across as advocating that others do the same. It’s one thing when individual families try and break the rules but if too many people try and do it, it starts to become a real problem. There's also the potential issue that so flagrantly violating rules could get your whole family banned from Disney World, and who wants that? They wouldn't even be the first to get a Disney World ban over a TikTok video.
And at the end of the day, it is a safety issue. If somebody who isn’t tall enough gets on one of these rides they could literally fall out of the restraint and having extra big shoes certainly isn’t going to help them if that were to happen. Death on amusement park rides is a thing that can happen.
Whether the apology is genuine or not, hopefully, the response to it will prevent others from doing the same. While things would likely be fine in most cases, if something did go wrong it would be absolutely tragic.
