MrBeast is a record-breaking YouTuber, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who’s made a career out of giving things away. He’s also a Guinness World Record holder, a potential Emmy nominee (according to Variety), and arguably the internet’s most influential do-gooder with over 400 million subscribers watching him turn kindness into global-scale production. And this weekend, he brought that energy to the happiest place on Earth.
On Saturday, October 25, the 27-year-old viral creator (whose real name is James “Jimmy” Donaldson) teamed up with Disneyland Resort and Make-A-Wish America for a real-life fairytale. Forty wish kids were invited to the park for a day of creator-inspired adventures, and for 16 of them — whose dream was to meet MrBeast — the day played out like one of his legendary challenges.
According to Good Morning America, the event kicked off with a scavenger hunt across Disneyland that led the kids straight to Sleeping Beauty Castle, where Donaldson was waiting to surprise them.
Across the resort, other wish kids spent the day doing custom experiences with creators like Mark Rober, Science Bob, Chef Amaury Guichon, Doctor Mike, and Sam & Colby — from egg-drop science builds to chocolate demos and Haunted Mansion rides.
After the event, Donaldson shared a photo from the celebration on Instagram, surrounded by smiling kids in Halloween costumes and Disney gear. “Shoutout to Disneyland for working with us to surprise a bunch of amazing Make-A-Wish kids in the park! We recreated some of our videos so they could be in their own MrBeast challenge at Disneyland! (Not for a video, just for fun),” he captioned the post.
Of course, this isn’t Donaldson’s first time turning generosity into spectacle. In 2019, he co-launched #TeamTrees, raising $20 million in just 56 days to plant trees across 30 countries. Then came #TeamSeas, which pulled over 34 million pounds of trash from the ocean by 2024. And through Beast Philanthropy, his registered nonprofit, he has donated “47,000,000 meals to around 141,000 people” in need.
Despite his massive success, Donaldson has been open about how little he keeps for himself. “I personally have very little money because I reinvest everything (I think this year we’ll spend around a quarter of a billion on content),” he posted on X (formerly Twitter) in June. “Ironically i’m actually borrowing $ from my mom to pay for my upcoming wedding lol.”
Of course, MrBeast isn’t the only name tied to Make-A-Wish magic.
According to Guinness World Records, WWE star John Cena remains the organization’s all-time leader, with more than 650 wishes granted.