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Credit: DisneyEntertainment Cast Members bring the magic of our favorite Disney stories to life. Whether portraying Mickey Mouse or the Evil Queen, most Walt Disney World Resort performers take pride in their craft. You can find them at meet & greets, Character Dining, and entertainment offerings throughout Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios!
But as Disney Cast Members remain overworked and underpaid, resentment inevitably grows among some. Former Disney employee Patrick (@igotz2p on TikTok) recently explained that certain Disney Character Performers sabotaged costumes and attractions to avoid working:
@igotz2p Replying to @windgarbage11 #greenscreen perforners teying to down the operation. #behindthemagic #behindthescenes #disneyparks #disneyworld #disneybehindthescenes #disneystoriesismything #disneystories #distok #disneyentertainment #disneycollegeprogram #disneystorytime
“Back when I worked at Disney, it seemed like there were some groups of Cast Members who would like to figure out how to get an extra break,” Patrick began. “And don’t get me wrong, everyone at Disney deserves more breaks than they get because they are overworked, but sadly that’s not how the operation is ran.”
“There would be some of those groups of Cast Members that would figure out how to mess with the operation and try downing their set,” he continued. “There was a Snow White who would purposely pull out a light from her dress in order to down the parade of her unit. If her dress isn’t lighting up… she can’t go out. Her reputation started becoming a ‘One-Show Snow.’”
Another Snow White, Patrick claimed, made a habit of “using the restroom” in the only elevator at Cinderella’s Royal Table, making it impossible for anyone to perform Character Dining sets. At Princess Fairytale Hall, some Disney Cast Members would spend their entire breaks in costume, waiting until the last minute to call out “wig” or “costume” issues.
“Sometimes they were legitimate, but sometimes you would just watch the performer literally pull the hair out of the wig and say, ‘I need a new wig. I can’t go out,’” Patrick said.
The former Disney Cast Member alleged that Walt Disney World Resort rarely took action.
“You could tell when there was a certain drop in a certain day or a certain time because of a certain performer. Disney never did anything about it,” Patrick said. “Those people kept doing it and just caused issues for everyone.”
However, one group of Disney Character Performers was fired after they nearly shut down Enchanted Tales With Belle.
“They broke Lumiere so much that Disney couldn’t figure out what was going on with the operation; they were just going to close it down,” Patrick explained.
It’s important to note that as a former Disney Cast Member, Patrick does not speak for The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney World Resort has never publicly stated that employees were fired for damaging the Lumiere animatronic.
Have you ever noticed a Disney Character Performer missing from a parade, meet & greet, or Character Dining? Share your experience with Inside the Magic in the comments.
Please note that the story outlined in this article is based on a personal Disney Parks experience. No two experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with Inside the Magic’s personal views on Disney Park operations.