Parents were not able to take their daughter to Disneyland — so they brought the magic home

When Kim and Brian Egan couldn’t take their daughter Millie to Disneyland for her third birthday, they decided to bring Disneyland to her instead. Over two months, the Washington couple worked late nights to build a homemade version of the theme park in their own backyard, all made from scratch and without spending a fortune.

Kim, who moved from Los Angeles to Gig Harbor with her family two years ago, shared the heartwarming DIY project on Reddit under the username u/DMMeYourCat. Knowing how expensive a real Disney trip can be, with some estimates like Nerdwallet putting a single-day pass at around $160 per person and over $700 for a family of four,  the couple decided to think outside the box. They weren’t exactly new to DIY party magic either. “Last year, we made homemade Sesame Street characters out of cardboard,” Kim told Newsweek. That project laid the groundwork for this year’s bigger idea. “This time, we upgraded to Styrofoam,” she said. “We learned and adapted.”

The couple’s mini Disneyland featured life-sized cutouts of beloved characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, and Pluto, plus fan-favorites from Aladdin and The Little Mermaid. There was a tiny Disney-style castle, a water play area called “Sebastian’s Splash Shack,” and a Mickey Mouse-themed mini cinema playing classic movie clips. One of the biggest highlights was a custom projection show created by Brian, who works as an animator specializing in projection-mapping. He designed it around Millie’s favorite songs.

Keeping the entire setup a surprise was no easy task. “The hardest part was hiding it from our kids,” Kim said. “Millie had no idea what we were working on until the day of the party. She was completely over the moon.” For Kim and Brian, the joy wasn’t just in seeing their daughter’s reaction; it was also in the process of creating it together. “When the kids would go to sleep, we’d spend hours painting, laughing, and just having fun,” Kim said. “It became a bonding experience for us.”

In the Reddit thread where Kim Egan shared the project, viewers couldn’t believe the level of detail and creativity the couple poured into the experience, especially the custom projection show crafted by Brian, a professional animator. One user, u/ShakyLens, captured the amazement many felt: “It took me way too long to figure out what I was looking at. At first, I thought, ‘I don’t remember that scene in Aladdin looking like it was shot through a cave.’ Followed later by ‘no way someone DIY’d this level of projection mapping’ and thought there was some trick playing on my eyes. Nope. Y’all did it. That’s awesome!”Another user, u/CP2694, immediately recognized the professional touch behind the visuals: “The moment I saw this, I was like,  her husband is definitely an animator with FX skills, because this is beautiful.”

And u/Mexicantankerous said, “It’s crazy, the production you put on is how I remember this scene feeling as a kid. Rewatching as an adult, the entire number felt a lot simpler. I can only imagine the disappointment your daughter will feel when she rewatches Aladdin as an adult! Lol. I’m kidding, of course.”  Although Millie didn't visit Disneyland, the version her parents created will go down as one of her best birthdays.