I'm Tiffany, and Disney bounding is my life.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
My dad was in the army, so when I was a kid,
we moved around a lot.
I got to live in a bunch of different states.
I lived in Germany for a few years.
My earliest Disney memories were when we went to Euro Disney,
now called Disneyland Paris.
It was like a big trip with our military base.
When I got to the park, I remember just being like,
it's real!
Everything is real!
I'm one of those people who are obsessively
in love with Disney, and it's a huge part
of my entire existence on this earth.
The amount of people that Disney bound has grown over the years.
It's become worldwide.
Disney bounding was started in 2011,
and it's a way for adults to show
their love for Disney by dressing
like their favorite Disney characters.
I don't mean you know, throw on a costume
and just go to the park looking exactly like that character.
It's more like taking inspiration from the character,
using the colors that the character wears.
Currently I am dressed as Edna Mode from "The Incredibles."
She doesn't even wear a shirt this color.
She wears black.
But she's got a scarf on that's this color.
It doesn't have to be literal.
In fact, it's probably better that it's not, because it
makes it more creative.
It's just based on whatever your personal style
preference would be, and there's no wrong way to Disney bound.
You actually don't have to go out and buy clothing, either.
You can use whatever you have in your closet.
With Disney bounding, you have to have a lot
of different variety of colors.
This one I used for a Zootopia Judy Hopps
bound when she goes back to the farm.
I also have this really cool dress
that is kind of velvety, velour texture,
and it's the perfect Mother Gothel.
If you can match the texture, It's like an extra bonus.
These are hair accessories and belts that I
use for a lot of my bounds.
I did use this one for a Mad Hatter bound that I did.
These are socks that I got that are rainbow so that I could do
rainbow unicorn bounds, because I love rainbow
unicorn from Inside Out.
She's awesome.
One of my favorite Disney bounds that I've ever done
was my Darkwing Duck.
I found this dress, I found this gigantic purple hat,
and then I found a clutch that was made of feathers.
It was the most insane outfit that I was able to find.
I bound at least once a week.
I like to go Disney bounding at Disneyland,
but not every setting in my life is a Disney setting.
I Disney bound to work, at the grocery store just
like, picking up some cereal.
You come in there with this flashy, like, colorful outfit.
And you're just like, hello everyone, I'm Goofy.
It's like, what?
In the Disney bounding community, there's
something called the March Disney bound challenge, where
you try to Disney bound every single day
for the month of March.
My very, very first time participating,
someone in the Facebook group was like,
let's kick it up a notch.
Let's pick only one movie.
And I was like, you know what, I love "A Goofy Movie."
I literally Disney bounded a different character
from "A Goofy Movie" every single day in March,
and I went in chronological order of the movie.
It was crazy.
But it was so fun.
I kind of got into Disney bounding
because I was in a slump of creativity,
and it looked like a lot of fun.
My husband actually suggested that we try it.
She was like, I want to do this.
I was like, well why don't you?
She started coming up with outfits,
and that glow came right back to her face.
The very first person I ever Disney bounded with
is my husband, and he was my main Disney bounding
partner for the longest time.
It was just the two of us.
It just eventually became like, you would look better
if you had a Smee with you.
You can't leave Lilo without Stitch.
TIFFANY: I think the thing about the characters that make people
want to dress up like them is that they can see
themselves in the character.
When I went to the movie theater and I
saw "Hercules" for the very first time.
That movie starts out with The Gospel Truth,
and those muses popped onto the screen,
and I just remember like, the feeling I had, being like,
oh my gosh.
Like, that's me.
They look like me!
Beautiful black women on that big screen
singing their hearts out, and I just, I couldn't believe it.
I think that was like, the moment I realized how
important representation was.
It was just, I was speechless.
I have bounded as the Muses.
It was really important to me, and I
reached out to the Disney bounding community
on the internet.
I was like hey, you're a black female and you loved bound.
Let's Disney bound these iconic women.
And we have never hung out together really yet,
let's do this!
After we took pictures we actually
hung out for the whole day and got to know each other.
It had double meaning because I got to Disney bound
these characters that I have such a strong connection with,
but also I started to really get to know the people
within that Disney bounding community,
and start like, really strong, lasting friendships.
The friends that I've made through Disney bounding,
it's like a family, like instantly.
I don't know.
Sorry.
I get so emotional.
It's like people who get you.
You know?
I've never had it in my life.
I was the new kid all the time.
I went to four different elementary schools.
It was just the life of a military kid.
I mean, you did have to have a certain type of strength
to be able to like, pick up and start all over with new people.
Because you know, kids aren't always the nicest.
People always are like OK, you know, watch your movies
and dress up in your costumes.
But with Disney bounding it's like this community,
and there was this whole world of people
who were just like me.
It was incredible.
It was like I finally found my people.
WHISPERING: It was the best.
Today there's this Buzz wing wall at Disney California
Adventure and I haven't been yet,
and I'd really like to go take a picture
and maybe dress like Buzz Lightyear in front of it.
I have a purple top.
I know Dan has a lime green shirt.
But I still need to get some white shorts.
And if I happen to find anything else,
then that would just be a plus.
What a cute Minnie Mouse dress.
Oh gold.
C-3PO.
Lumiere.
That's always fun to find those like, hidden treasures
that you weren't looking for that just kind of pop
out at you.
I could be Mike Wazowski in this.
Actually, this is kind of like a reverse Donald Duck.
This is really cute.
No, it's not my size.
These are cute.
Aha!
My size!
The thing about Disney that brings people
together is there's a magic there.
People do want to be young and like, enjoy life.
DAN: Now that Tiffany's involved with this community,
she found genuine people.
She's happier than she's been in years.
TIFFANY: People who are curious about bounding,
I would say do it.
I've become more confident in who I am.
It's definitely been a huge influence in my life
as far as happiness and magic.
These are my people.
It feels like home.
I'm Tiffany, Disney bounding's my life.
And that's what makes me one of the many Disney People.