And now, for your daily dose of the odd and unexpected ...
Imagine your last trip to Disneyland or Disney World. Endless fun, lots of laughs, kind of expensive but loads of memories that will live in your mind forever. Now, imagine that one of the Disney employees gets a little too into his costumed role — and injures your child.
A news station in California is reporting that an eight-year-old boy from Rancho Cucamonga was "severely injured" by Pluto — or, more accurately, an actor in costume as Mickey Mouse's pet dog Pluto. That's the story, according to the boy's mother; Disneyland, on the other hand, has chosen to remain silent about the incident.
A video captured of the boy's encounter with Pluto shows that he was hugged somewhat aggressively by the actor in an action that bent him over backward and lifted him off the ground. The video was shot by Laurie Ramirez, the boy's mother, who claimed that her son was "tossed around like a rag doll," causing injuries to his back and neck. She also said that he was taken to a hospital where he "spent all afternoon in the emergency room."
From that description, you're probably imagining a cringe-worthy video of a little boy being flung about violently by a gigantic, furry dog. However, watching the video tells a somewhat different story.
As you can see, the hug is a little over-the-top, but hardly fits the "rag doll" description given by the mother. It also seems strange that for a boy injured so badly that he had to immediately be transported to the hospital, he walks away from the encounter under his own power with a grin on his face.
It just seems strange that Ramirez is news station KTLA's only source of information about the story. It was also reported by TMZ, which posted more of her video, including the boy's later complaints of pain and a checkup from an on-site medic (yet there's no video from the hospital).
She told the news outlet that a Disneyland representative met her at the hospital and offered to pay for whatever treatment he required. She also said that the actor inside the Pluto suit was disciplined due to the incident.
But then, KTLA notes that a Disneyland spokesperson "could not confirm" any of Ramirez's claims. Did Disneyland send a representative to the hospital? Did they offer to pay for the boy's treatment? Was the Pluto-clad employee disciplined?
Conspicuously, Disneyland's spokesperson doesn't confirm a word of it. That can't help but cast doubt on the entire story. Was the boy even injured? If so, it's not evident in the video.
Don't get us wrong. We're in no position to judge the story's veracity. We weren't there and we don't know any of the parties involved. For all we know, the boy could have had a preexisting condition that Pluto's hug aggravated. Or maybe the video doesn't tell the whole story.
Yet one last seed of doubt is planted from watching the TMZ video. If your child is complaining about a potential injury, your first instinct is not to whip out your camera and record him saying it. You'd swoop in and check over your kid. Their welfare is your number one priority. Any parent will tell you: recording video would be the last thing on your mind.
What do you think? Is Pluto being too aggressive?
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