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Pop Culture

Disneyland's Evil Queen hailed one of the good guys for making an autistic boy feel welcome

The park's most notorious villain is a pretty great human.

disneyland
@magicwiththomas/TikTok

Not so evil after all

Disneyland is coined “the happiest place on Earth” thanks in no small part to people who work there—particularly the performers. Sure, the rides are fun, but a lot of the magic comes from being able to interact with real life versions of characters we’ve fallen in love with from the movies.

That’s why people are hailing the Evil Queen, who had a very special encounter with an autistic teen boy, as the park’s true hero. She is one of many performers going out of their way to make sure everyone gets to be part of the fun, reminding us of what makes Disney so special in the first place.

A now-viral TikTok video shows the Evil (or maybe not-so-evil) Queen approach 15-year-old Thomas to offer a feel of her soft cape.


“Sensory QUEEN🤌🍃💜😍” one person commented.

“She understands he likes to touch and feel things,” another user wrote.

Then, gently taking his hand, the two take a quick stroll through the kingdom while shooing away the peasants. She is a Queen, after all.

Watch:

@magicwiththomas The not so Evil Queen offering him to feel her cape #autism#autismawareness#autismacceptance#asd#specialneeds#disney#disneyparks#disneyland#disneytiktok#disney100#snowwhite#evilqueen#fyp#foryoupage♬ original sound - Magic With Thomas

By the looks of the follow-up video, Thomas and the Evil Queen became fast friends, as she showed off a “better angle” of Sleeping Beauty's castle and suggested they take a picture together.

Thomas’ video got a lot of love online, including other parents who have had similar positive experiences, and those who had still been on the fence about taking their own autistic children to the park.

‘Why do you love Disney so much? This. This is why. I can take my autistic son, and he is loved and not an inconvenience to them,” one parent wrote.

Another added, “I haven’t taken my kids to Disney yet because I’m worried my autistic son will get overstimulated. I love [that] the cast members are so kind.”

Thomas’s TikTok account, which is run by his dad, is filled with all kinds of Disney characters making him feel welcome. The content is so pure and wholesome and leaves people with nothing but praise for the performers.

If you want to see Thomas chatting it up with the likes of Jack Sparrow, Winnie the Pooh, Cruella Deville and more, you can find his TikTok account here.

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In a flurry of heavy headlines that constantly inundate our feeds, acts of good connect us back to our faith in humanity. Witnessing just one person go out of their way to make the world a better place is a powerful healing salve against apathy. It reminds us all of what we are collectively capable of creating. This is the philosophy that Upworthy wholeheartedly believes in, hence why we’re always sharing uplifting stories of people giving kindness, generosity and support to their fellow humans.

That’s also why we’re partnering with P&G, the maker of some of our favorite household products like Tide, Always and Pampers, to bring you the 2023 Acts of Good Awards, and celebrate the individuals who are giving back and strengthening their communities.

Think of it like the Oscars of kindness. Half as formal but twice as feel-good.

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Pop Culture

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Photo by Annie Reneau

Costco cakes are huge, cheap and delicious. Every time.

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Knowing when to disconnect is becoming increasingly important as younger people are becoming aware of the adverse effects screen time can have on their eyes. According to Eyesafe Nielsen, adults are now spending 13-plus hours a day on their digital devices, a 35% increase from 2019.1. Many of us now spend more time staring at screens on a given day than we do sleeping which can impact our eye health.

Normally, you blink around 15 times per minute, however, focusing your eyes on computer screens or other digital displays have been shown to reduce your blink rate by up to 60%.2 Reduced blinking can destabilize your eyes’ tear film, causing dry, tired eyes and blurred vision.3

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One of the most interesting things about traveling the world is noticing how people from your country are a bit different from the place you’re visiting. In America, you’re mostly around fellow countrymen so it’s hard to notice the things that make us stand out.

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