This Little Girl’s Adoption Hearing Is A Real-Life Fairy Tale

Nothing against Maleficent, Urusula, and their ilk, but the story of Danielle Koning's adoption will melt even the coldest Disney villain's heart. The 5-year-old from Grand Rapids, MI, was adopted last week by her foster parents of two years, Sarah and Jim Koning. But before Danielle headed off to her forever home, her caseworker had a surprise for her. According to ABC News, the caseworker, Kristina Grey, coordinated with coworkers at Samaritas Foster Care Services to greet Danielle with a royal court's worth of Disney princesses at her adoption hearing. Grey wanted to make the day extra special for Danielle, and others enthusiastically joined in. "It turned from one caseworker being Cinderella to us having nine princesses and one prince," Trina Kent, Samaritas' resource family development specialist, told Buzzfeed. And as you can see in the video above, Danielle (dressed in her own royal garb) was totally surprised to see so many of her favorite fairy-tale characters arrive to see her off. The judge overseeing the hearing even got into character — note the poison apple on her bench. "It’s really important to make that adoption day special for every kid in whatever capacity you can," Sarah Koning told ABC News. "It really helps them to feel the permanency [of adoption] and know that they’re not going anywhere now. It’s really important for kids to feel that security." The Konings also adopted 1-year-old Neveah the same day; she was more than happy to join in on the princess theme. Check out the video above to see Danielle's very own princess-worthy fairy-tale beginning. And don't be surprised if you want to revisit your favorite Disney movies by the end of it.