Former Disney World ‘Pocahontas’ shares park guest’s head-turning question
A former Disney World cast member took to social media to share a hilarious anecdote about a 40-something-year-old park guest who took one of the rides a little bit too seriously.
Tiktoker kahnjunior, who says she worked as an actress at the park for four years starting in 2008, revealed on the video-sharing platform that once upon a time when she was portraying Pocahontas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Fla., a middle-aged park guest approached her with a serious question.
Buried in debt? A financial expert weighs in on how to get back on track
“She said, ‘Hi Pocahontas, I just got off of the safari ride,'” kahnjunior recalled. “I said, ‘Did you have a good time?’ And she said, ‘Yes, but our tour guide told us that poachers are still trying to hunt down and kill elephants, even to this day.’ And I said, ‘Yes, I think that’s very sad, I don’t know why anyone would want to hurt our animal friends.'”
The ride in question was the Kilimanjaro Safari, an 18-minute tour of Disney’s African savanna in an open-air vehicle, where visitors can spot live animals roaming free. The theme of the ride is protecting the fictional “Harambe Wildlife Reserve” from elephant poachers — and apparently, it proved a little too realistic for this particular visitor.
Shop all of Chlöe Bailey’s vibrant looks from her In The Know cover shoot:
“She said, ‘You would think Disney World would put up more fences so the poachers couldn’t get in,'” kahnjunior shared in her video, which has since been viewed 1.1 million times. “And I looked at her and I said, ‘I think they’re talking about wild elephants.’ And she said, ‘No, I’m pretty sure the tour guide was talking about the elephants at Disney World.'”
Now, clearly Disney World is not, nor has it ever been, struggling to cope with a poacher problem. To most guests, that remains pretty obvious, despite how realistic the ride may seem.
But although kahnjunior‘s story may seem outlandish to most viewers, a few Disney cast members took to the comments to share that this kind of situation actually happens all the time.
“As a current safari guide, guests ask us these questions about poaching on the reserve a lot,” one user wrote.
“Former DW Cast Member and I can verify that guest ask the dumbest questions lol,” said another.
“Responding to people as a cast member takes so much talent,” commented a third, while another wondered, “How could you possibly keep a straight face?”
Kahnjunior has garnered over 26,300 followers on TikTok through her funny videos, which often center around her time working at Disney.
In another recent clip, she recounts being in Epcot doing a meet-and-greet as Mulan when a couple recognized her as Pocahontas from the day prior — things got very uncomfortable after that.
Tinashe is calling the shots:
If you liked this article, check out this TikTok star’s incredible Disney transformations.
More from In The Know:
This all-female Mariachi band is challenging gender norms
Shop our favorite beauty products from In The Know Beauty on TikTok
Shop Black and excellently with these 10 Black-owned brands
This sustainable metal razor has a pivoting head and three blades
The post Former Disney World ‘Pocahontas’ shares park guest’s head-turning question appeared first on In The Know.
