Quite possibly the last Disney character we’d expect to be a love guru has the perfect answer to one young man’s dilemma.
While Disney characters are just as popular with kids in Japan as they are elsewhere, some of the most enthusiastic visitors to the company’s Tokyo-area theme parks are actually young adult couples. Tokyo Disney Sea, the companion park to Tokyo Disneyland, is laid out as much to provide romantic views as it is chances to frolic with Mickey and his pals.
Because of that, some Japanese sweethearts have had some very special dates at Disney Sea, like Japanese Twitter user @yomomoyogi.
@yomomoyogi’s story doesn’t take place in a particularly atmospheric part of the park, however. Instead, in a series of tweets he recalls how several years ago he and his then-girlfriend spent part of their date at Disney Sea’s Turtle Talk attraction, an interactive theater show where guests can talk with Crush, the laid-back surfer turtle from Finding Nemo.
▼ Turtle Talk
As part of the show, Disney employees randomly pick three people out of the audience to ask questions to Crush, who can be seen “swimming” on a screen at the front of the theater, and the character answers according to his unique brand of logic. When @yomomoyogi and his girlfriend visited, there were about 40 people in the room, and the staff said Crush could take three questions. The first of the three people picked was a little girl, followed by a female university student. But when it came time for the third lucky guest to be chosen, @yomomoyogi kept his hand up and Crush chose him, specifically calling on “The dude wearing jeans in the third row.”
“So what’s your question today, bro?” asked Crush, who usually gets queries about his lifestyle as a sea turtle/Disney character. @yomomoyogi, though, had a more interpersonal topic he wanted to ask about.
“My heart was pounding. I was so nervous, but the words started spilling out of me. I’m pretty sure the words I said were:
‘I’m here with my girlfriend, who’s sitting next to me. I want to marry her, so do you have any advice on how to propose?’”
Usually the silly questions at Turtle Talk are met with giggles from the audience, but the room fell totally silent after @yomomoyogi spoke. Even the ordinarily unflappable Crush was surprised and paused for a few moments before responding, as @yomomoyogi waited, happy that his blushing red face was obscured by the darkness of the theater.
Finally, Crush gave his answer:
“Gotcha. Actually, just coming right out and telling her direct is, like, the best way to go about it.”
The turtle then paused for dramatic effect, before winking and adding:
“So, how ‘bout if you ask her right here and now?”
A staff member quickly brought a microphone over to @yomomoyogi, who turned to face his girlfriend. “Go on, dude,” Crush prompted as they gazed into each other’s eyes, “Tell her how you feel,” and @yomomoyogi, flying high off the unexpected encouragement, asked his girlfriend to marry him.
His girlfriend, her mind racing to keep up with the sudden turn of events, was flustered for a moment. Then she shyly responded “Yes” into the mic, causing the audience to shower the newly engaged couple with applause as Crush swam loops of joy and told them “Congratulations!” over and over.
However, the show wasn’t actually over yet, so @yomomoyogi and is girlfriend retook their seats and watched the rest of it. As the lights came on and everyone filed out, Crush congratulated them once again, as did several of the other members of the audience.
At the risk of dispelling a bit of Disney magic, while Crush is the on-screen star of Turtle Talk, there’s actually a whole team of human employees who’re responsible for the audience’s interactions with the character. Guests speak their questions into a microphone, which transfers their voice to another room where a voice actor portraying Crush has to think of responses on the spot and technician have to select matching pre-crafted animations in real-time to be projected onto the screen. @yomomoyogi hadn’t called ahead and told anyone at Disney Sea of his intent to propose to his girlfriend, which means that the staff came up with their amazing response in just seconds, helping the young man create a perfect romantic moment with the love of his life.
Cynics may read this and scoff at the showy, public proposal, or question the commitment of a couple that partially owes their engagement to a push from a cartoon turtle. But the best part of @yomomoyogi’s story comes at the very end.
@yomomoyogi actually went on that Turtle Talk date several years ago, and he and the woman he proposed to are happily married to this day. What’s more, they’ve been blessed with a daughter, giving them one more reason to go back to Disney’s theme parks, and of course, @yomomoyogi hopes to go to Turtle Talk again, and hopes he once again gets picked to talk with Crush. Not to ask him a question, but to say thanks.
@yomomoyogi wraps up his lengthy Twitter tale by apologizing for the lack of jokes or gags. To borrow Crush’s vernacular, that’s OK, dude. It’s not like you promised any laughs at the star. But if you could have warned us that we’d need some tissues, that would have been nice.
Source: Twitter/@yomomoyogi via Jin
Top image: Wikipedia/Wpcpey
Follow Casey on Twitter, where, as a southern California native, he says “dude” at least as often as Crush does.