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“Fly until you find your way towards tomorrow . . . “
Tomorrow, June 6, yet another child who attended in Uvalde County, Texas, will be laid to rest, and thanks to Disney, she will fly high in a beautiful lilac dress inspired by her favorite Disney animated film, Encanto.
Credit: Walt Disney Animation
Eliahna “Ellie” Garcia was only 9 years old on May 24 when an 18-year-old man entered where she was a fourth grader, opening fire and claiming the lives of 19 students and 2 teachers.
It is the worst public incident in the U. S. in more than a decade, according to .
Ellie and her family were looking forward to having a big celebration for Ellie’s 10th birthday this summer. Sadly, she was one of the 19 children whose lives were taken on May 24 at the hands of a mass shooter who also wounded 17 others in the .
Nine year-old Ellie Garcia/Credit: MySanAntonio
“She was very happy and very outgoing,” said her aunt, Siria Arizmendi. “She loved to dance and play sports. She was big into family, enjoyed being with the family.”
She would have been 10 years old on June 4. But now, a celebration of life service honoring Ellie Garcia is scheduled for Monday, June 6.
In the days since the , Ellie’s parents, Steven Garcia and Jennifer Lugo, have reminisced about their daughter and about the things she loved most. One of those things–in addition to loving her family very much–was the story and characters from Disney’s Encanto.
Credit: Canva Creation
Days later, Garcia and Lugo shared a video on Facebook in which they opened a box wrapped in pastel-colored paper. The box had been sent to Ellie’s family from Disney. Disney’s costume team received word of Ellie’s untimely passing and about her love for Encanto, Mirabel, Dolores, Isabella, and the entire Madrigal family.
To honor Ellie and to offer hope and comfort to her family, Disney’s costumers created a custom-made gown inspired by the character Isabela Madrigal from Encanto. The small purple dress is “festooned with lilac flowers” and features cascading ruffles.
Credit: Canva Creation
The gown is for Ellie.
But Disney’s Costume Team also sent keepsakes for Ellie’s family. Inside the box with Ellie’s gown were a swatch of the fabric and tiny flowers used to make Ellie’s dress, as well as butterflies for each of her sisters.
Inside the box from Disney next to Ellie’s beautiful gown was a note from Disney to Ellie’s parents and to her four sisters, which reads in part:
“We heard you love Encanto, too. You may notice how important butterflies are in the movie, they represent magic, hope, and family among many other things. We gave Ellie a butterfly and wanted all of her sisters to have one too. Fly until you find your way towards tomorrow.”
The note also said that Disney enclosed a swatch of fabric and flowers used in making Ellie’s dress in hopes that they “may bring some comfort to heal onto.”
Credit: Facebook/Garcia Family
Credit: Facebook/Garcia Family
In a Facebook post, Ellie’s parents shared how grateful they are to Disney for this very special gift:
We as a family wanna thank Walt Disney’s Costume Team… for sending our beautiful Ellie her own Custom Encanto dress…. It’s so beautiful it’s BEYOND beautiful… we are beyond thankful for this beautiful dress. My Ellie is the most beautiful princess out there. Mom and Dad love you… Thank You Ann and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures!!!
Please watch the very touching video here.
Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the families in Uvalde County who lost loved ones in this terrible tragedy.
