Happy 4th of July! Enjoy America's celebration of Independence with an excerpt from All Jacked Up Disney, which isn't available yet...

I could hear the rumblings of voices through the wall as he approached the door we were about to go through to surprise park guests. Getting closer to the wall, the voices grow in volume. I can hear boys and girls and parents. Hi and low pitches mixing together. Traveling in all directions as people are moving about.

We open the door and the cacophony of sounds bathes us as we watch the surprised faces while everyone turns and looks at us. You know they are wondering where in the world we just came from. How we materialized out of thin air.

"Hey, how are you guys doing today?" Sarah asks as she wiggles her body and waves to the crowd.

I make a few Goofy movements, then turn my attention to her again.

She starts walking through the crowd, acting so chipper as she passes each and every person. In other words, being herself. She lives to bring a smile to each face. She'll shake her hands, lift a foot at a time and shake it in the air, wiggle her rear, and bob her head if that's what it takes to get the patrons to smile and laugh. It's like they energize her. The more responses she gets from them, the more animated she becomes.

I don't think I'll ever be able to say the same about myself. Probably not such a good thing for Goofy to think. Then again, I didn't choose this career. It was thrown upon me.

As Sarah comes alive, I'm happy to slide into the shadows, so to speak, as people focus their attention on her. As they energize her, she energizes them. They feed off each other well.

Kids are coming up to her, hugging her, posing with her, and insisting on kissing her costumed cheeks. They may not know the real Sarah, but they absolutely adore Sarah's version of Minnie. They are in love with her. Not only the kids, but the parents. I see the trances parents slip into as they watch their kids be mesmerized by Sarah. Mom's eyes become glassy from tears of joy. Dad's faces flow with pride, knowing that they were able to provide this for their children and give them at least one dream that every child craves. Flashes erupt right and left as memories are retained forever, so each family can look back on this moment in time and say to each other that they got to physically be with Minnie at least once in their life. And what a magical person Minnie is. And always will be now, thanks to Sarah's example.

Anything for the Disney magic, right?




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