Disneyland Cast Members Are Fighting to Save Their Broken Bodies 

Disney should be ashamed. They make enough money to ensure their workers have excellent benefits and are better cared for.

I was just there... and the prices for tickets are INSANE. They should be able to pay performers appropriately and protect their health.

These costumes sound like OSHA violations.

as someone with a permanent life long disability from a guest interaction (while i was making $10 an hour lol) i cannot commend you all enough for being brave enough, collected, informed, and persistent enough to share your love so deeply and create a proper safe situation. love you all! (esp. Mai Vo!)

Interesting how all of the most profitable companies are the worst places to work. Almost like there's a common factor between those two things. Greed.

I can verify that the dangers to cast members, is 100% true. Way back in the day, I was a cast member at D. Land...the heads were rather heavy. After 6 years, my C spine started calcification due to the added weight, and I developed osteoarthritis, with bulging disks. Disney didn't care. I'm now, permanently disabled, and have developed scoliosis.

"It's really really hard to make magic when you're unhappy inside." That really really makes a lot of sense. 😪 CHANGE HAS TO HAPPEN!! 🙏🙏😤😤

They deserve better. These people are dream-employees who love their job like Spongebob but their bosses are worse than Mr. Krabs.

It is absolutely shameful that corporations making billions treat all of their employees so poorly. They expect employees to sacrifice themselves for next to nothing for them while making bags and bags of money for the company.

Wow. I actually briefly dated a woman who apparently got a settlement from Disneyland after a guest broke her neck by pulling on her costume.

Whenever I go out to Disney, number 1 rule in my brain is to always be respectful of the people who are making my day possible. Chances are that they can barely afford food if at all, so the least you can do is not make their jobs more painful than they already are. I 100% support unions against Disney, fight for your rights, you guys.

A FULL IMMEDIATE walkout is in order. See how fast your phones ring.

no surprise a soulless CEO creates a shity place to work.

Former Dept. 384 cast member here. One of the best jobs i ever had , I made life long friends. But came with a price, neck and back injuries. Always wish we had a union back when i worked.

I did the college internship at WDW back in 2006. I was a character attendant. One night I was working Extra Magic Hours at Mickey's County Fair in the Judge's Tent. My Mickey was the only one there, so we left the door open for people to come in and see him. A group of overly enthusiastic college guys came rushing in, and before me or my Mickey knew what was happening, one ran for Mickey and clotheslined her just under the bottom of the head. Yes, my Mickey was a 5ft tall little slip of a gal. The edge of the head slammed into her throat and she ended up with a bruised esophagus. Another time, I ended up developing laryngitis from so many damp cold mornings being out and constantly having to be "On" and sociable with guests and speak loud enough to be heard by everyone. Management didn't believe me at first, then didn't want to make accommodations for me, they were fully prepared to make me spend the week or two I was voiceless without work or pay. And finally very reluctantly assigned me temporary work in the kitchens and costume departments at Animal Kingdom. But before that, they made it a point to tell me it was my own fault I got laryngitis, and that it wouldn't have happened "if [I] hadn't been yelling at guests." Disney is the Happiest Place on Earth...so long as you don’t work there.

My husband worked at disney world- I told him to quit after 2 weeks because the type of old pressure washer he had to use for 10 HOUR SHIFTS (because they refused to upgrade and buy new ones) he developed trigger finger and his fingers were going numb! If he wouldnt have left I know he wouldnt be able to use his hands! How sick for a company making this much money!!!

Reminds me of my ex-sister in law. She was a tough woman. But she said her first day working as a server at Disneyland made her cry. A lady acted like such a massive bitch to her, it made her cry. As I told her "sounds like the happiest place on earth, except for the employees.."

what upsets me is they charge such a huge amount to go to these parks and the workers get paid only a fraction more then they did when a ticket was $50.

I feel like we could fix ALL of this if we, as a society, just decided not to tolerate adults behaving rudely to service workers anymore. The 90% of normal, polite customers can still get normal, polite service. But the 10% of rude people get told they have to shape up rather than getting apologized to, and the 1% who reach the level of verbally or physically abusive are simply removed from premises immediately. If we as a society didn’t force service workers to tolerate these people, then these people would stop.

Let the executives work for a week doing the same job as cast members under the same conditions, and they might have an attitude change. Front line cast members and performers are the ones who can make a Disneyland visit so memorable, and they should be paid and treated accordingly. Welcome to corporate America folks where executive salaries and the bottom line and record profits are all that matters. It's gotta change.

I worked for Disneyland in the character department and let me tell you it's so much worse job safety wise. They can let you go for just about anything and people often disappeared and we never heard from them again. So sad and I'm so happy this is actually happening!

I'm a Southern Californian who was a child in the 1960s, so Disneyland has always been in my heart. Even today, as a senior, I get giddy and silly when going to the parks. Disneyland truly IS magic, but that is a direct result of the countless cast members who work their rears off to always present a smile and never break character. While I shudder at today's ticket prices, which are obscene even for So Cal residents, these cast members absolutely deserve employment protections and a living wage. Orange County is crazy expensive, housing-wise. Why can't some of those billions in profit go toward lower-rent housing for cast members? Why can't some of these billions go toward sufficient disability coverage? Why can't Imagineers/costume designers come up with costumes that provide the complete illusion without injury? I hope that you all are able to unionize. The Disney Resorts are nothing without all of you.

As an admitted Disney adult and huge Disneyland fan, this hurts. I appreciate the work the cast members put in to make the parks special. It’s all about them.

I was not a performer but gained a severe back injury on my college program for Disney World. I was working in strollers and while we were trained on "proper procedures" it did not help us with receiving well over 800 strollers and wheelchairs a day that need to be stacked. Needless to say I am still living with this injury today. I had to leave my program early and felt like I had nobody to turn to in my time of need. Disney did not care about me.

The magic of making money by exploiting workers. Living the dream.

Remember when unions had a bad rap? Now they're a necessity just to be able to live.

What is it that Bob Iger does that's thousands of times more valuable than the people who work their bodies to ribbons in grueling heat over long shifts while they somehow manage to keep a smile on?

Disney World especially should be providing on-property housing for employees. Their land is so vast, they have more than enough room for it.

In solidarity with all Workers, fairytale inspired or not! 👍👏🔥🔥

I was waiting for them to show other cast members as well not just performers. I worked in the wheelchair and stroller area in Magic Kingdom and can not tell you how many bruises I and other cast members have on our legs and shins from when we ask guests to not just leave strollers in the walkway at the end of the night and point them in the direction where they should return them. So many people rudely and not lightly will literally push the stroller at you. All because they don't want to walk it to the return area,also getting cussed out when we run out of electric wheelchairs.🤦‍♀

I used to work for hunger bear, I burn my arm with hot boiling water, one of my leads was ready to take me to CFA but the other lead said no, stay and no one took me to CFA at all. I was on the clock and none of them helped me while my arm was cooked, thankfully it's first degree but I was unable to drive home alone with one arm, my route has lots of strong turns. Hunger bear is still one of toxic and hostile environment. They make new ppl feel miserable and make you feel that you don't belong. I transferred out of there as soon as I can. They normalized this toxic behavior. They think they are superior, a lot of them are two faces but very few nice ppl. My new department is welcoming, genuine and passionate which is totally different from foods. I am not exaggerating. Attractions actually makes you feel like you have a purpose and I praise my trainer for bringing back magic and happiness I never thought would come back to me. That restaurant broke me, I used to be perky, optimistic and happy and didn't care what others think. I am trying my best to get back to my old self but praying to be stronger and more positive. Disneyland really need to work on management and who they hire.

I remember working for the Disney College program in Orlando many years ago. We worked long hours each day in the Florida heat… all for $6.25 an hour. Out of that 6.25 an hour, $70 of it was taken out weekly to cover the rent you owed to be living in Disney owned apartments with 5 other people…. And if you were from out of town, you HAD to live there. Here’s the real kicker. Of the $6.25 an hour made, Disney only paid us .50 cents an hour. The freaking federal government subsidized the rest. So, not only was Disney basically getting free labor to run their parks, they were also taking the money from our paychecks to cover their Disney owned apartments. So not only were we working long hours, but Disney was taking that money that we did make from working, away.

Im just a lifelong Disney/Disneyland fan, but the character actors have always been my favorite thing about going. I back them unionizing 1000% because they MORE than deserve it a million times over!

Theme parks, circuses, rodeos. Dangerous careers that absolutely require more safety and regulation.

They need to revise the welcome sign to read, "Happiest place on earth...unless you work here."

My mother and I both decided not to return to Disneyland, it isn't worth the price of admission. I am heartbroken being there, seeing the plastic smiles on everyone's faces and knowing the brutality that goes on behind closed doors. The supposed happiest place on earth is nothing more than a facade, behind which the happiness of the working class is sifoned away to playcate those who are there to escape from their own misfortunate workplaces. No industry is in more desperate need of en mass unionization than the collaborative arts, including film, animation, and video games.

I worked at Disney World in Orlando. The union didn’t do anything for us. Most were friends with management and sided with management. A few people in my area I worked at were SA and they fired the victim for speaking out. The abusers still work there! This was back in 2018 and I would NEVER recommend working for such a disgusting company. The toxicity comes straight from management and paying union dues is stupid because everything they advocated for us, just hurt us. When they ‘raised the wage’, Disney management just hired more temporary college and international students and cut the hours of FT and PT cast members. They increased the price of park admission and offered less to guests.

Unions are WORTH Haveing ❤

This is what happens when companies are incentivized for profit above all else - the model in the US under capitalism. Fortunately, this group is finally able to vote to form a union and I expect it will pass - most other departments at Disneyland have long been unionized. There is no doubt that Anaheim and Southern California has an extremely high cost of living. It shouldn't be difficult to pay your cast, not just a living but a thriving wage and take care of them if they are injured on a job. Having to commute for 3 hours just to find an affordable place to live on top of that work schedule is simply unacceptable. Pay your cast - this group especially is who your guests are paying very good money to come to see!

I had a roommate who was Minnie Mouse. She told us (me and the other roommates) horror stories about how she was treated.

It’s so nonsensical because many people like the folks in this video clearly want to work for Disney and it would be so easy and beneficial for the higher ups to simply value and respect them

As an ex-DLP performer I really empathize with this cause and the performers in the video. We were protected by strong French employment laws so had it better at DLP I feel. I hope this union for Disneyland cast members is able to come to fruition 🤞

Told someone once. Unions are a necessary evil. We wouldn't need them if companies actually treated their employees right. But that's rarely the case and small union due every month is a small payment considering you'll get safer work condition and better benefits/pay.

I've been a mascot and character actor, its no joke 💔 People are always shocked to learn how much the costumes weigh...

????? How about doing a story about how food shelves and food banks really work? A lot of people, even food shelf workers, mistakenly belief that large corporations kindly donate their products to food shelves (via the big regional food banks for redistribution to local food shelves) out of the goodness of their hearts. In reality, what happens is that the Farm Bill provides for an "enhanced" fed tax credit equal to cost + 50% of retail value for items "donated" to food banks. This form of tax credit means the corporate food suppliers actually are getting paid (just like the former child tax credits issued checks) amounts that are probably pretty close to what they would get by selling their products to retailers. The bonus for these corporations is that this is a profitable way to unload products that do not sell and that are close to the sell-by date or even significantly beyond the sell-by date. Some corporations even package products specifically to go to food banks which are heavily processed and filled with cheap unhealthy ingredients no one would choose from a grocery store shelf. Because corporations in this country have a mandate to increase shareholder wealth above all else, unless these companies are actually making a profit from "donating" products, they could actually be sued by their own shareholders. That is why they make sure that every "donation" benefits their bottom line and that is why food shelves are full of unhealthy, heavily processed products with inferior ingredients that contribute to chronic health problems like diabetes, obesity and heart disease, and many are also past their sell-by dates. Let's stop pretending these corporate food giants are being nice to the food insecure and expose what that they are making money off of the most vulnerable members of our population.

I worked at Disneyland Paris on attractions and you had to stand all the time, not even allowed to sip water when it was hot or wear sunglasses, yet I remember in Florida they were sat down at consoles. I was on star tours which inside was mainly Ultraviolet light in the loading area which made us all get headaches I went back for a visit recently and it’s got a lot better, cast members seated at consoles, allowed to drink water and wear sunglasses, and all the boarding areas have gates so people don’t run on to the tracks like they tried to before

Uncle Walt himself was a slave driver. Most of the Warner Brothers animators were ex Disney who left for better pay and working conditions.

Why people still support Disney is beyond me.

I hope they unionize. They deserve better.

Same company that had Uigur slave worker camp relocated so they could make a movie.. Not surprised AT ALL

Maybe people should stop going to Disney Land. Though this feels true of the vast majority of businesses that mistreat their workers, can't stop going to all of them.

At Disney World, if you talk to staff who work at Tomorrowland Speedway, some will tell you about the high carbon monoxide levels (they have been tested and are unsafe). Cast members who start out there typically ask for a change a few months in. Others have required ongoing coughing, getting sick regularly, headaches and even voice changes. Source: friend who worked there.

Incredibly brave work they are doing! Here's hoping they are able to get justice for all of the indignities done to them.

Disney Florida may be unionized but they still haven't been paid a living wage. Ever.

i don’t understand why courtney, whose parents (especially her mother) already had really bad working conditions & experiences, would go ahead and work for the exact same company. i do believe her that the working conditions are bad, but just can’t grasp why she would go there as well…

marvelous title, sad topic, solidarity to the workers

The fact that Disneyworld in FL is unionized but Disneyland CA is NOT, is positively wild to me. I really hope this gets seen. I think attendees would absolutely agree that staff deserves fair compensation.

Disney should provide dorms for some of these younger cast members

You would think that a company that makes that much money couldn't make their own costumes safe over time.

I didn’t realize it but Disney workers probably get the whole “but it’s for the kids” bull that teachers get whenever we suggest our job is a job.

Wish this was longer 😢

Unions will stand beside you and fight for your best interests! They'll also help you receive better wages!

Bruh you’re telling me the Disney at Florida is unionized but not the Cali one? That’s honestly the most shocking part of all.

I feel this, I never worked for Disney but I worked for a large retailer. I LOVED my job, I loved the customers, I loved my coworkers, but the company didn't compensate us for our work, and treated us like crap. Ultimately I had to leave because of it.

Disney Inc is deplorable!

Is there anything a non-cast member can do to help them out? A petition or anything?

Nothing's been done about this yet? I remember years ago when Walt Disney's niece Abigail Disney spoke out about the poor wages for Disney workers.

3:50 you forget that while those costumes look "bad" they also seem to look a lot more comfy back when walt was around.

My sister got seriously injured at Disney and got nothing. If it wasn't impossible to sue disney, everyone would

We all go to Disney for a joyful vacation and it hurts to know the people making our trip so special and suffering in pain.

I was a character in the 70’s… To be honest, when a “guest “ hit, punched, kicked , abused us we dealt with those on our own. Yes, we kicked and punched back. In fact during our summer assignments “ be honest when we had a contest…, the best deck of a guest would win a lobster and steak dinner…. I personally was stabbed , taken down by adults and had major surgery due nut jobs roaming the park….

It’s an outrage. Disney makes tremendous profits, but treats its workers like dirt. I know many ex employees of Disney who were security, maintenance, ride operators, and performers (characters, dancers, etc.) The horror stories they’ve told me about management, coworkers, guests, safety hazards, injuries, and human rights violations are appalling. There was a cast member dying in the hospital from sepsis, he had put in an application for medical LOA, but it was rejected due to a typo. So that cast member was fired for NCNS. Another time they had to stop the ride and detain a guest for trying to steal Madame Leota’s crystal ball 🔮 in the Haunted Mansion. There have been other incidents such as the guy in the Pluto costume who tripped while in front of a parade float and got run over as a result.

I wish we had a union when I worked for disney in 1997. I quit after 2 months because it was so toxic and managers just didn't care about the employees. one of the most toxic companies I ever worked for.

This is why I've boycotted their parks, products, movies, and streaming service. If enough people do it, they'll take notice.

Well, Walt himself cozied up to some anti-union mafia goons back in the 1940s to intimidate union efforts, so I'm wondering what the current army of Disney lawyers are going to do? I'm guessing head office told the imagineers to dream up new robots to replace all these performers.

I’ll be surprised if Disney didn’t fire these people after this was made. It’s time for people to start talking about how Disney treats their cast members.

OMG I know your parents! I worked in parades at DL 85-94 and did ELP 88-93. And yes, the Party Gras costumes would leave cuts. I loved my job but could care less about management once Eisner took over.

I used to love Disney so much. I took my daughter there when she was 9 years old. She cried actual tears of joy when the fireworks display started on our first night there. Over the years I’ve come to learn the truth about Disney. It’s all a lie. The actors are treated like puppets on a string with no thought or consideration for their emotional, mental or physical well-being. I’ll never attend any Disney park again.

Disneyland Paris is one of the most profitable Disney parks and yet everyone here is paid a decent wage (and is largely unionised). It is possible to succeed while paying correctly your workers. Disney really need to do better

I had no idea any of this was going on ! Thank youuu for sharing this

The fact they haven’t unionized speaks volumes - just like Amazon- in their training videos they literally tell people to tattletale to management if people are trying to unionize and try to insinuate that it’s bad for the company… yea it’s soooo bad to demand a fair wage and safe working conditions

I would like to see the Disney descendant that spoke out about Disney world do the same with Disney land. Please investigate if she still speaks out for the performers.

I’m so sorry guys. Disney should be fun to work at not trouble some. It’s sad that you guys have to go through that while trying to make others happy and make the magic come true. I have never been to Disney but was always excited about meeting the characters. But now I know how much you suffer it breaks my heart.

Remember guys: The next time you see a bloated sweaty guest screaming at a Disney employee taking their picture, THAT Disney employee has to stay standing in the sunlight smiling like nothing happened. The guest gets to go wash down their high blood pressure with 67 grams of sugar and go hug Cinderella.

When I bring my future children to Disney, I’m definitely gonna tell them to make sure to respect the characters, to be gently with them and a hug is all they need

I had expressed so much concern for the students doing internships and the employees when my daughter got a back condition when working in baking, being made to lift well over 50lbs and penalized for going to urgent care. I watched from the sidelines watching has staff got hurt with no advocacy. I support you all 100%

...y'know I'm surprised there isn't some counterweight system to deal with back/top heavy suits. If there's anywhere I'd expect such a system to come from it'd be a massive company with a theme park full of costumed performers who you'd think they'd want to protect for if nothing else avoiding getting sued over it all.

Everyone needs to be more understanding. Decent pay and health protections for performers would diminish the annual bonuses of execs and corporate officers. Imagine the hardship on the execs having their bonuses reduced from six figures to five figures! How do you expect the preferred class of people to achieve absurd levels of wealth if we don’t have a disposable serf class available to do the front line work. Yes, my entire preceding comment was sarcasm. Throughout history, the most productive and wealthiest societies occurred when opportunity for benefit was more evenly distributed. There’s nothing evil or “socialist” about electing brand D political representatives to push agendas on healthcare and taxation to make our economy and society more accessible and fair for ALL stakeholders.

If you're unhappy..then leave. It sucks, it really does. But I wouldn't stay at a place like that.

All that glitters is not gold.

As a kid, i wanted to work at Disneyland, as soon as i said that i had multiple people telling me their horror stories. My uncle gave 30 years to Disneyland and they fired him in an instant.

But the 200$ ticket price is already too expensive and they still underpaid 🤯

Unfortunately, this is the way it looks for most of us. Living paycheck to paycheck while those in charge make more than their fair share.

My classmate was a performer who’s costume made her bleed and then she got sent home early and then her next shift was cancelled

This cracks me a bunch of actor complaining about things construction workers deal with on daily basis, fiber glass, carrying heavy equipment on you all day, overheating, and a company not treating you like a person

Profits over people. The moto of every corporation on earth.

Disney should totally be able to afford to take care of their cast

They deserve so much better 😢 I'm so glad something's being done about it. Compensate them fairly, Disney!

always felt sorry for the tinker bell that comes out of the tower in florida. always thought it looked crazy unsafe.

This is a really interesting story and I'm disappointed the video is only 6+ min... Feels like this could be a 45min topic of conversation. As someone who was just in Disney World seeing the "magic" through the eyes of my 4yr old daughter, I wanted a lot more to this story... hopefully we get it!