Walt Disney World is supposed to be the most magical place on earth, but trips to the vacation kingdom can also be stressful affairs, considering how much time and money they take. That, combined with the fact that the parks are simply full of people, is maybe the reason that we seem to see so many fights breaking out at theme parks. And another Disney World brawl has been captured on film.
A variety of videos, all from different angles, have gone viral on social media following a fight between two families that happened just inside the gate of Magic Kingdom earlier this week. About a half dozen people are shown in the scrum, though some appear to just be caught in the crossfire, and one woman moves to remove a couple of children from getting hit. Check out one video below.
Two families fighting over who gets to take a picture in front of the Disney Garden first pic.twitter.com/oyKuGxY1tPMay 18, 2023
According to NBC, the fight broke out when one family was trying to take pictures, just inside the gate. The spot is very popular for photos, as it has a large Mickey Mouse flower display and is currently sporting a 100th-anniversary sign celebrating the founding of The Walt Disney Company. Somebody with the family taking photos asked a member of another family to move out of the frame. At that point, a member of the family being asked to move apparently punched somebody in the other family, and the fight escalated from there.
No charges have been filed as the victim declined to press charges. However, two people have been trespassed from Walt Disney World, meaning that if they are seen on the property they can be arrested. The exact length of the ban from the park is unclear, but fights like this often result in lifetime bans as Disney Parks have zero tolerance for violence. Disney World bans can be appealed and lifted if the park decides to do so.
This is, unfortunately, far from the only time in recent years that we’ve seen fights like this. Last summer another fight between two families erupted inside Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom. A few years ago we also saw a fight break out at Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland.
It's unclear if we’re seeing an escalation in violence in the parks, or simply an escalation in being made aware of it. With cell phone videos and social media, it’s so much easier for these clips to go viral and be seen than it once was. Maybe we’re seeing these incidents more often but they’re not actually occurring more frequently.
Certainly, this isn’t how anybody wanted to spend their Walt Disney World vacation. Some have been banned and others likely sustained injuries due to being in a fight. These are not the Disney World memories anybody wanted.
