- Sarah Rachul is a 28-year-old Disney fan who went viral for crying while hugging Goofy.
- Though fellow Disney fans supported her, others online sent her intense criticism.
- Rachul spoke with Insider about the hug, her family's connection to Disney, and cyberbullying.
When 28-year-old Sarah Rachul sees Goofy, she's immediately reminded of her grandfather.
"Goofy was never my favorite character, Tinkerbell was, but he became my favorite after my grandpa died," she told Insider. "He was my papa's favorite and he loved interacting with Goofy at the parks. I have really nice photos of them together."
So when she had the chance to hug the character at Disney World for the first time since the pandemic started, Rachul quickly became emotional.
Her mom captured a video of their interaction, where Rachul is seen with a surprised reaction before breaking down into tears. She then runs over to Goofy, who's standing with open arms, and embraces him. The clip has nearly 2 million views as of Saturday.
But after posting the footage, Rachul's sweet moment turned sour. Countless commenters harshly criticized her emotional reaction, saying she "should be embarrassed" and "get help."
The Ohio native told Insider she grew up visiting Disney World with her family
They often went multiple times per year, with their most recent trip in early May.
"I saw Disney's TikTok teasing that they were going to bring back these interactions, which has been something I've missed very, very much, and I immediately started crying. It was foreshadowing I guess," she joked.
She started preparing weeks in advance, purchasing a Goofy-inspired headband from Etsy and hunting down a hard-to-find, vintage Goofy T-shirt.
And on the first day of the trip, her family went straight to Epcot and were the first people in the meet-and-greet line.
Rachul said she felt calm at first, but quickly turned emotional and started crying when Goofy rounded the corner.
"I was standing there a little frozen because I was like, 'Oh my God, this poor person just started their shift and this is what they have to deal with at 9 a.m.,'" she said. "But it felt like a small string that had been connecting me to my papa that was snipped because of COVID had been retied."
Because she works in public relations, Rachul said she knew the video of their interaction had the potential to go viral.
But what she didn't expect was for TikTok's algorithm to push the clip to non-Disney fans, many of whom left hateful comments. While Rachul said she wasn't offended by most of them, she was alarmed.
"A few of the comments I deleted. They were outright vile," she said. "Others were well written but so cruel, like, 'I urge you to seek therapy for what seems to be a very aggressive mental-health problem.'"
She later addressed the criticism in a second TikTok video, and urged others to speak out against cyberbullying.
"It's not about me," she told Insider. "It's the fact that there are teenagers who think it's appropriate to suggest a stranger should go to therapy when they don't know that stranger's history with mental health. "
'Disney adults' often face particularly intense backlash online
Grown Disney fans are often described as "weird" and "immature," with some of the criticism extending offline, as Disney fans previously told Insider.
Rachul said she's experienced those criticisms before. She said there's an assumption that they "don't have adult interests," and a misconception that Disney adults all "live in their parents' basement," which she says is ironic because she owns a home.
Even those who defend Disney adults, in Rachul's experience, have misconceptions about the fandom.
"Sometimes they say, 'All Disney adults experience severe childhood trauma, so this is them trying to reclaim it,'" she said. "I just want to be very clear: I had a lovely childhood, as did many of my friends who are Disney influencers."
"The reason I think so many people hate Disney adults is seen in my comment section. People who say, 'Wow I wish I could be this happy.'" she said. "We are so secure in who we are and what we like. It pisses people off because they want to be like that and they can't."
In Rachul's experience, the Disney community itself has been the exact opposite, providing nothing but love and support to other fans.
That's one reason why she's eager to speak out against cyberbullying, and to also encourage other Disney adults to express themselves freely.
"I was angry seeing people write, 'This is why I'm afraid to go to Disney, I don't want to be judged,'" she said. "To those people I'd say, make the account, follow Disney influencers and fans, and fill your feed with people who share the same passion as you and interact with them."
Despite the backlash she faced, Rachul remembers her Goofy hug fondly, largely thanks to Disney employees.
"It was the best character hug I've ever gotten. I can cry thinking about it," she said. "All I could think about was how my papa was my absolute best friend in the world. I was homeschooled and he lived with us, so there was never a moment we weren't together. Goofy could tell I needed some kind of comfort at that moment."
"I know the Disney cast members also got a lot of hateful comments from my video — like people implying they hate their jobs — but I just want to thank the ones who were involved," she said. "They never made me feel like I didn't deserve a magical character interaction because I'm an adult."