As a theme park fan landlocked in the Midwest, one thing that’s been great about the dawn of social media has been my ability to encounter some sweet theme park moments even when I can’t physically be in the parks. That seems true for many other stans as well, as a video of Prince Phillip pulling a smooth move on Sleeping Beauty’s Aurora is making the rounds, and fans can’t get enough.
If you aren’t a giant fan of standing in line for character meet and greets, there are other ways to see and interact with your favorite characters in the park. One way is through the (pricy) character dining options found throughout the theme parks and even in some of the hotels. Other park options include organic character walk arounds, some cool shows, and also the ability to line up and view parades. It was in the latter that Prince Phillip recently had an iconic moment that was captured on camera.
I’m typically a person who lets moments just play out without my phone in the parks, but there’s no denying I’m thankful the sweet video from PixieVacationsByKim exists. I’m not alone. A ton of Disneyland fans came out of the wood work to talk about their love for Prince Phillip after seeing him be so romantic in Sleeping Beauty, and how obsessed they were when this particular moment started making the rounds on Instagram.
- “Oh. Well now 🫠 🥰 My favorite couple.”
- “Uh oh.. Flynn’s competition to smolder just walked in.❤️”
- “Either they’re dating in real life, or they’re just really good actors.”
- “Whoa – all kinds of amazing.”
- “Philip is my favorite prince. He actually did slay the dragon.”
- “The flexibility, the line, the hand movement, the arm movements I genuinely can’t stop watching this. Also can I say the fact they’re on a moving float NOT STRAPPED TO ANYTHING TOO?!?!?! This is so beautiful.”
Some additional commenters could not get over how flexible Aurora’s back is in the video (my own back hurts just watching it), but the two dancing on the float prove how difficult it likely is to make things look so effortless for their characters in the parks. (Though it’s worth pointing out Disney theme park characters have bad days, too.) I’m glad this moment made the rounds so I could see it, and I’m jazzed to get back to the parks again.
Getting to be a character at Disneyland is a dream for many, and getting to have those moments of magic with parkgoers likely makes the costumes, the Disney parks rules, the heat and cold and the occasional crabby customer worth it. Even as someone who wasn’t in the park on the day Aurora and Prince Phillip twirled, I’ll be thinking about this particularly magical moment for many days. That’s truly the power Disney has to shape fun.