Credit: Jess Colopy, Inside the MagicThe magic was shaken for some Walt Disney World Resort guests last week when they spotted Disney characters without their suits. One Disney Park guest shared footage of the incident on social media.
Character performers are entertainment cast members that bring Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, your favorite Disney Princess, Peter Pan, and other on-screen favorites to life at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney Springs, and Disney Resort hotels.
Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort have strict guidelines that character performers must follow. Beyond learning signatures and characters’ backstories, these specially-trained Disney cast members can only discuss their jobs in specific terms to protect character integrity.
Disney characters change and take breaks exclusively in restricted hidden areas at most Walt Disney World Resort locations. But, the lack of connected backstage walkways in Disney’s Hollywood Studios means that cast members must get creative about transporting costumes and traveling between work locations.
Magic Kingdom Park cast members face harsh punishment if they’re spotted in costume in the “wrong” land–a Tomorrowland cast member would use the underground utilidors to access an office in Adventureland. Similarly, you’re unlikely to spot an Asia cast member in Africa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom or an EPCOT World Showcase cast member in the wrong country.
Since Disney’s Hollywood Studios (originally MGM Studios) was designed to look like an active studio lot, Walt Disney Imagineering made a rare exception, allowing cast members to traverse the theme park freely. The same goes for Disney characters!
However, it’s not easy for Donald Duck and Daisy Duck to walk away from their shift onstage without getting mobbed by excited guests. So, the entertainment department devised a solution that fits the “working studio” theme at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
TikTok user @followthebradleys recently shared this video of entertainment cast members hauling character costumes across Disney’s Hollywood Studios in rolling suitcases. The luggage looks like something you’d expect on an active film set.
@followthebradleys do YOU know this DISNEY SECRET?? WHA???? #disney #waltdisneyworld #trending #characters #foryoupage
With so many entertainment offerings at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, most guests would never guess that characters are inside the bags. But the real giveaway is the plain gray tee shirts and black bottoms, the “basics” worn by entertainment cast members under their costumes.
Of course, these cast members still follow strict guidelines for transporting such precious cargo. If you spot them during your next visit to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, don’t bother them or try to ask questions they can’t answer without breaking the magic.
Have you spotted Disney cast members transporting characters or any other unusual cargo at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park? Share your story with Inside the Magic in the comments.