It’s easy sometimes for parents to forget that their kids might just see them through rose-colored lenses. Before they get to high school and get all jaded and angst-y, the little ones think the world of their folks. To them, their parents are downright heroes.
And sometimes, parents even demonstrate legit reasons for their kids to think so. For some, a family trip to Disney will do the trick nicely. But what happens at Disney might just eclipse that.
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Disney World is all about making memories for the little ones.
Kids never forget their first trip to the happiest place on Earth — or their second or third, I’m sure. And that’s exactly why parents will take them, again and again.
Where else can they meet so many of their heroes from their favorite movies?
Well, it’s important to remember that parents are heroes to their kids, too, as one viral video is reminding us.
Like so many parents, Justin Gigliello took his family to Disney to create some memories — but he ended up starring in a big memory for his daughter.
And it came about largely because of his own fond Disney memories with his parents.
One day, after lunch, Justin took his daughter for a stroll down memory lane, quite literally, as they walked through the lobby of the Grand Floridian Disney resort.
Justin told his daughter that he and his parents used to sit in the lobby there and listen to the music.
Naturally, she wanted to do the same with her daddy, so they listened to the piano player in the lobby and even danced a bit, before she decided to take it a step further.
“When one of the songs ended she walked right up to the pianist and said ‘My daddy loves to sing and play’ and the pianist said ‘What song?’ and she said ‘Ave Maria,'” Justin told People .
So, having been volunteered by his little girl, Justin was on the spot.
However, Justin isn’t the type who only sings in the shower and the car when nobody else is listening.
He started studying vocal performance when he was 15 years old, and even has a bachelor’s degree in it. He even does covers!
Needless to say, Justin has some pipes. When he started singing, the lobby of the Grand Floridian took notice.
Justin’s performance, caught on video, shows how onlookers start to gather as his voice carries across the lobby.
People just couldn’t resist stopping to watch and listen in to Justin’s performance. But of course, Justin was basically singing for an audience of one: his daughter.
It couldn’t have been more clear what she thought of her daddy’s rendition.
Justin’s daughter absolutely beams throughout his performance.
And folks on Twitter sure noticed the adoration. “What an amazing voice! And the look of pride on your daughter’s face brought tears to my eyes. This made my day…thank you for sharing!” wrote @NotTina .
Another wrote, “If I’m being completely honest I would want my daughter (if and when I get one) to look at me the way your daughter looks at you.”
“With such pure pride and admiration for you,” wrote @Zerocanbam . “Truly an amazing voice.”
After posting the video of his performance on Twitter, Justin also caught the attention of someone unexpected as well.
No less than Disney CEO Bob Iger felt moved to comment, writing “Thanks for entertaining the people in the lobby of the Grand Floridian and thanks for sharing your wonderful voice with us!”
A floored and grateful Justin said that he and the family were “planning to make another trip to Disney World soon to make more magical memories!”
So Justin’s daughter, and really the whole family, got a surprising memory that really reinforces Disney’s magical reputation.
Even though it had nothing to do with a Fairy Godmother — this time, the magic was all due to a girl’s love of her dad.
Check out Justin’s performance in the video below!
h/t People
