NEED TO KNOW
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Meg Murphy and her brother Tim planned a grand surprise for their parents while on vacation at Disneyland.
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Tim initially said he couldn't go on the trip because of work, but secretly joined the family with the help of Disneyland staff.
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The touching reunion instantly went viral, garnering over a million views and surprising the siblings with its popularity.
Meg Murphy didn't want to mislead her parents, but keeping the secret was worth it.
«"I'm a terrible liar," Meg tells PEOPLE. "The knowledge that I'd have to put on this act for days was unbearable.".
But the 27-year-old photographer was determined not to ruin the important moment. Meg and their parents would soon be joined on vacation at Disneyland by her younger brother, Tim, who had previously canceled the trip.
In a March video Meg posted to Instagram, Tim shocked his parents by joining them just as they were boarding the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland's Magic Kingdom. In the video, Tim quietly sits down in a seat next to his parents, while the couple, unaware of his arrival, looks on.
His mother's emotional reaction caused the video to go viral, garnering over a million views.
«"We knew we could soften the surprise and let the parents know, and it would be a lot easier if they knew and coordinated transportation and tickets and everything themselves, but we thought, 'If we can do this on a large scale, that would be amazing,'" says Meg, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Tim, a musician, had originally planned to join the family vacation but was forced to cancel at the last minute after receiving an offer to play drums in country singer Willow Avalon's band. The trip was supposed to be his first time seeing his parents in four months.
«"It was really hard for me to call her and say, 'Mom, I'm sorry I can't come,'" Tim, 25, tells PEOPLE. "She was supportive, of course, but she was really upset, and I felt like a bad son.".
«It’s become very difficult for me to even plan or think about these trips, and it’s stressful and sad because I love my job, but it takes away a lot of wonderful moments with the people I love,» Tim continues.
Tim and Meg Murphy with their parents, Jennifer and Timothy Murphy Sr. Photo: Meg Murphy/Ellie Bright.
To create the surprise, the siblings enlisted the help of Christina Falcone and Ellie Bright, their friends who work at Disney and offered to help organize the event.
«"They were amazing," Meg says.
The Murphy family with Disney World actresses Christina Falcone and Ellie Bright. Photo: Meg Murphy/Ellie Bright
Before Tim joined the family vacation, Meg put on a little facade in front of her parents to justify her nervousness.
«"I was working remotely and constantly communicating with the client, so I basically used that as an excuse to be really stressed out," Meg says.
«"I changed Timmy's name in my phone to the name of the client I was working with so that every time they called, they wouldn't ask questions about what was going on. I'd just tell my parents, 'Excuse me, I need to take this call.'".
A carefully choreographed song and dance routine was required to prepare for this moment. While Tim waited on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, Meg took her parents to the Monsters, Inc. show. There, she picked up her mother's phone number.
«"I wanted to block her access to the phone so she couldn't track Timmy's location and see that he was there. That's why I never returned the phone to Mom.".
While his family boarded the ride, Tim hid near the wheelchairs, waiting for their friend Ellie to signal him to get on.
«"I was really nervous," Tim says. "There was no indication anywhere that I was part of the cast, and a few of the workers came back and asked, 'Who are you?' And I said, 'It's hard to explain...'"„
Tim Murphy hides away, waiting to surprise his family at Disneyland. Photo: Meg Murphy/Ellie Bright
As the family settled into the boat, Meg pulled out her phone to capture the moment. As Tim boarded the boat, he tapped his father on the shoulder and asked if anyone was sitting.
«"I realized they weren't suspicious when I lightly knocked on my dad's door and he got a little angry. Then my mom saw me and didn't react. She just stared at me for a second," Tim says.
Although Meg says they are an "emotional family," her mother's reaction still shocked her.
«"We both knew it would be emotional, but I don't think we realized how intense," Meg says. "I didn't expect such intense tears and intense emotion.".
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After visiting Magic Kingdom, the family went to Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom together during their vacation before Tim had to return to work. The trip brought back memories for the family, as they had often visited Disneyland when Meg and Tim were children.
«"We're the biggest Disneyland family," says Meg. "It means so much to us. It means especially so much to our mom. She's been the one inspiring us to go to Disneyland since we were little.".
«"My dad likes it, but he still comes with us. He'd rather have a piña colada and not walk hundreds of steps," Meg continues.
The siblings said the video's viral popularity came as a shock to them.
«"We thought, 'Well, our grandma will like it and share it with her aunts and uncles, and that's it,'" Meg says.
Tim jokes, "I worked my whole life trying to get famous as a drummer, and I got it thanks to a Disney video.".
Read the original article on People.