Did you know about the ‘Disney hug rule’? It is a lovely concept, but some parents have taken issue with it over a child’s two-minute cuddle with Anna from Frozen.

The Disney hug rule is simple – the character giving the hug doesn’t break out of it until the child does. The unofficial guideline apparently comes from a quote from Walt Disney himself, who said, ‘You never know how much that child may need that hug.’

Some parents LOVE the ‘Disney hug rule’. It can be really heartwarming to see your child meet their favourite character and get a big old cuddle with them, making them feel so special. Others think that hugs can go on for too long, increasing wait times (which, in fairness, can lead to cranky kids – and parents, too).

The debate was recently highlighted by a TikTok video by a user called McCall Cook. She posted a video of her little girl, Hazel, having an epic hug with her favourite Disney character, Anna from Frozen.

Hazel clung on to ‘Anna’ for almost two minutes while the character gently held her and spoke to her. It was a cute moment! And then it was another cute moment…

@mccallcook I THINK SHE BROKE THE RECORD WHAT DO YOU THINK? 👀 The Disney hug rule means that characters are to never let go of the child's hug first and to allow the child to hug as long as they want! I think hazie wouldve sat there all day long if there wasnt a line behind us haha 🥹 #fyp #disneyland #trending #momsoftiktok #characterhugs #frozen ♬ original sound – McCall Cook

McCall didn’t see anything wrong with it. She captioned the video, ‘I THINK SHE BROKE THE RECORD WHAT DO YOU THINK?’

She then explained that ‘The Disney hug rule means that characters are to never let go of the child’s hug first and to allow the child to hug as long as they want!’

She also commented that her daughter would have stayed there all day long, ‘if there wasn’t a line behind [them].’

And where the complaining came in. While the video has been liked over 3 MILLION times and has over 10,000 comments, some people were more negative than others.

One person wrote, ‘The parents should know that the hug went on for way too long as they put the Disney worker in an awkward position.’

And another said, ‘As a parent, I would have stopped it earlier.’

People were worried that hugs that long would be annoying for the other children waiting to meet the character, and, in fairness, they have a point. We’re not saying that hugs need time limits…but perhaps it would be helpful to know that they have a cap.

What do you think?