Little girl invites elderly neighbors to her elaborate 'Encanto' show and they nailed the assignment

Alaythia "Laythi" Widbin is already a certified star at nine years of age and she has won not just her family's hearts but also her neighbors' and the internet's too! One night, the youngster from Orlando, Florida, invited her neighbors Lori and Billy Welch and Lori's parents—84-year-old Nancy Brown and 86-year-old Richard Brown—who live just a few houses away, to her home for a special performance. Litlle Laythi put on an elaborate reenactment of the 2021 Disney film "Encanto" for her guests, complete with costume changes and props. To their credit, they were the best audience a performer could hope for and cheered her on as her mom Andi recorded the event. It has since gone viral and it's no mystery why.

“Our precious girl invited some neighbors over for a ‘little’ show tonight,” Widbin wrote in a text overlay on the clip. In the Instagram video, the 9-year-old can be seen doing cartwheels as she serenades her guests and even wears different outfits during the show! She even repurposed a jump rope to mimic a character’s magical swing from the Oscar-nominated animated musical.

The audience responded enthusiastically to her as she danced and sang across the 'stage.' “They showed up at 8:30 the other night, and I had no clue what they should expect!” Widbin captioned the post. “One hour later, they knew! So thankful to have the best neighbors to support and cheer on our sweet theater girl.”

The best part about the whole thing was that it entirely Laythi's idea. “It wasn’t her mom or dad’s idea. It was her idea to do this. And, you know, it’s just sweet seeing that her abilities, her talents and all using them, but it just comes from the heart,” Welch told TODAY.  “She walked across the street, and then she just asked if they would be interested in coming to a little show." Even dad Billy was impressed. “I knew it was going to be a performance, you know, a great performance,” he confessed. 

Viewers were quick to comment on the young girl's enthusiasm. @niaholloway wrote, "This is so beautiful! My parents made space for me just like this when I was her age and it catapulted me into an early career in musical theater. These little talent shows at home matter more than anything! Kudos to you for helping her shine that light even brighter !" @brandonaveryca added, "People need to realize that this little girl is not only performing but doing tech, wardrobe, acrobats etc. all by herself."

Some people also pointed out how important it was to let children be children and to enjoy all the things they love. @henwaxxwrote, "She is the last child to act like a child, we must protect her at all costs."

@hanncavender expressed how important it was to let children live their dreams without being criticized: "As a little girl who was exactly this way, I cannot express to you how grateful I am now that I was shown this kind of attention and patience by the adults in my life growing up." They went on to say that "elaborate, breathless performances were welcomed" and they were never made to feel like they were burdening the audience. "While as an adult now, I can see just how much patience those 'performances' required of my favorite guests, I am grateful I was never made to know that then. I pray this little one continues to dance with this much freedom always," they added.