AN adult Disney fan has divided opinions after her emotional reunion with Goofy at the Florida theme park went viral.
Sarah Rachul, 27, posted a video to TikTok of the moment she embraced her favourite character again at Disney World in Orlando on May 3.
She captioned the clip: “When you see Goofy coming around the corner after you’ve waited 3 years to hug him again.”
Footage shows the moment she became overwhelmed while embracing the anthropomorphic dog.
Disney allowed its park guests to hug the characters from April 18 after putting a ban in place since 2020 due to the pandemic.
Some were cynical of the woman’s animated reaction – while others thought she deserved a break.
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One person said: “Ohh k yeah im fine with disney adults but some of y’all grown people need to remember there’s another adult in the costume lol.”
Another wrote: “We need to do something about Disney adults.”
Someone else said: “Disney is for children.”
Another didn’t see what the big deal was, writing: “i dont even like disney like that but i dont understand whats wrong with this.”
The woman later revealed the deeply personal reason she was so emotional.
She said: “It might sound silly but my papa’s favorite character was Goofy and when I hug Goofy it’s like hugging my papa again.”
Her genuine admission made many people rethink their harsh criticism and quick-to-judge nature.
Someone wrote: “Please y’all take the time to read the caption. The process of grief looks different for everyone.”
A Disney World employee also commented on the post and shared their reaction.
They said: “THIS is the reason why we go to work every day. This performer LOVED every bit of this, so happy for you love.”
In an interview with The Post, Rachul said she has a thicker skin than to be affected by strangers’ comments on the internet – but she is worried about others who might be more vulnerable.
She said: “I dug into some of these video duets/stitches and comments and lot of the people behind the account are in middle school/high school/college.
“These are really formative years for learning how to treat others and I’m concerned for how brazen people have become online when criticizing strangers.”
She admited she was surprised by her reaction as well but Disney World meant a lot to her.
Rachul’s grandparents were Disney Vacation Club members and they have since passed away. She had been regularly visiting with her parents until 2019.
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“I was surprised by my own reaction to getting to hug [Goofy] again.
“The tears came out of nowhere. All the cast members there were wonderful too and Goofy gave me a long hug and a lot of special interaction because he could see it meant a lot to me.”
