The official Disney Twitter account posted a weirdly dark tweet and people are confused
Disney is known for its family-friendly messages and wholesome content -- or at least they used to be.
Even when trying to be relatable across social media, they usually keep their messages light and funny. If their posts get moodier, they're still not at the level of internet nihilism that Twitter is known for.
On Sunday, however, the official Disney account posted a very, uh, un-Disney-like tweet (which has since been, unfortunately, removed) with the text "when someone compliments you, but you're dead inside" over a gif of Pinocchio's lifeless puppet body.
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This isn't completely atypical social behavior for other brands, but seeing dark internet humor on the usually wholesome Disney account prompted some very confused reactions from fans.
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People were shocked to see that this came from the actual verified Disney account and not a meme account.
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Others just plain thought it was hilarious.
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Some were more compassionate, offering love and support to the Disney twitter.
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This was most likely an attempt by Disney to be more relatable to the disillusioned social media generation, but given the company's history -- focusing on listening to dreams, following hearts, and making wishes on stars -- it was certainly a bit startling to see their new take on life.
Disney's decision to delete the tweet is honestly a bit of a disappointment. Bleak, insecure, millennial-speaking Disney looked like it was going to be an exciting direction for the company.
But, hey, at least we got the comfort of seeing a brief glimpse of the truth behind the cheery outer facade? Even positive and enthusiastic Disney has hidden insecurities, apparently.
We reached out to Disney for comment, but have not yet heard back.
UPDATE: April 9, 2018, 11:22 a.m. EDT This article has been modified to include updates about Disney’s deletion of the tweet.
Petrana Radulovic was a web culture fellow here at Mashable. She enjoys exploring the growing intersection of story-telling and digital spaces, hanging out in book shops and art museums, and the tasteful meme. Follow her on Twitter at @pet_rana for #relatable content.
