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News Disneyland Character Performers Look to Unionize With Actors’ Equity
- Thread starter DCBaker
- Start date
MoonRakerSCM
Well-Known Member
lol
asianway
Well-Known Member
Take a good long look at the characters on the DL app. You’ll never see it that long again
TP2000
Well-Known Member
I am shocked, SHOCKED, to learn that a business would cut back on labor costs when labor costs rise suddenly.
.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
With the news that Club Pixar is now closed suddenly, I have to wonder if it's really related to the rising labor costs after the vote to unionize? Or is it just a budget cut during an unexpectedly slow summer?
Club Pixar, the typical Hollywood Backlot party zone and nightly dance party that DCA has done for over a decade, doesn't look particularly lavish or overdone. It's a much slimmed down version compared to Glow Fest, or Electronica, or Mad Tea Party. There is one stage show that has about 8 performers, otherwise it's regular CM's operating games and activities and snack bars throughout the event.
How could this save them much money by cancelling it when it was already such a minor and downsized offering compared to a few years ago??? There's got to be more to the story here.
Club Pixar, the typical Hollywood Backlot party zone and nightly dance party that DCA has done for over a decade, doesn't look particularly lavish or overdone. It's a much slimmed down version compared to Glow Fest, or Electronica, or Mad Tea Party. There is one stage show that has about 8 performers, otherwise it's regular CM's operating games and activities and snack bars throughout the event.
How could this save them much money by cancelling it when it was already such a minor and downsized offering compared to a few years ago??? There's got to be more to the story here.
davis_unoxx
Well-Known Member
Maybe Disney wanted those school trips where kids pay a lot of money to perform in front of their own families LOL. I felt really bad when families would come up to me they flew from Washington for their kid to perform at Disney, they expected it to be like performing on Main Street and then they see it's in this section of the park.
Maybe they came over to my bar for a few drinks to think less about paying for their kid to perform in front of the Monster's Inc Ride LOL.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
In the old days they used to have the kids from schools and dance academies perform at the Carnation Gardens stage, which was nice because it always got a crowd and was literally right next to the Castle. They knew they were at Disneyland.
OT, but that just triggered a memory for me, which is good penance for me because I make too much fun of the Woo-Moms who usually attend these musical performances...
About 20 years ago, around the 50th Anniversary, I happened upon Carnation Plaza Gardens on a Sunday afternoon visit and there was a unique group of young people assembling on the stage. They were all Black kids in their teens, and they were dressed in traditional tribal clothing made of vibrant fabrics that was quite impressive. It turns out they were all students from Tanzania who go to a school for the blind there; all of them were blind, and had teachers and school staff with them to assist. They began to sing a collection of traditional African folk songs and also When You Wish Upon A Star and... they were the most beautifully talented group of young people you've ever heard! Absolutely beautiful melodies and truly great talent! Literally the sound of angels. The crowd went silent as they performed. Can you imagine all that they had to overcome being blind in Tanzania, being graced with a school to guide them, and then ending up performing at Disneyland USA?!?
They got several standing ovations, and while most of them could not see us, much less Disneyland's Castle just over our shoulders, they beamed with the biggest and most beautiful smiles during the rapturous applause. It was one of those rare times when I was reminded I do, in fact, have working tear ducts.
davis_unoxx
Well-Known Member
That makes a lot more sense to me! There you know you’re at Disney.In the old days they used to have the kids from schools and dance academies perform at the Carnation Gardens stage, which was nice because it always got a crowd and was literally right next to the Castle. They knew they were at Disneyland.
OT, but that just triggered a memory for me, which is good penance for me because I make too much fun of the Woo-Moms who usually attend these musical performances...
About 20 years ago, around the 50th Anniversary, I happened upon Carnation Plaza Gardens on a Sunday afternoon visit and there was a unique group of young people assembling on the stage. They were all Black kids in their teens, and they were dressed in traditional tribal clothing made of vibrant fabrics that was quite impressive. It turns out they were all students from Tanzania who go to a school for the blind there; all of them were blind, and had teachers and school staff with them to assist. They began to sing a collection of traditional African folk songs and also When You Wish Upon A Star and... they were the most beautifully talented group of young people you've ever heard! Absolutely beautiful melodies and truly great talent! Literally the sound of angels. The crowd went silent as they performed. Can you imagine all that they had to overcome being blind in Tanzania, being graced with a school to guide them, and then ending up performing at Disneyland USA?!?
They got several standing ovations, and while most of them could not see us, much less Disneyland's Castle just over our shoulders, they beamed with the biggest and most beautiful smiles during the rapturous applause. It was one of those rare times when I was reminded I do, in fact, have working tear ducts.
I know at least at Magic Kingdom a It of school bands perform going down Main Street! To me that’s worth it and super cool.
Once the whole backlot area of DCA gone, where do you think they’ll have the kids perform?
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Good question. They need to create a better and permanent performance venue for that sort of program.
Maybe in the Paradise Gardens area in DCA? Tomorrowland could be an option too, in any of the abandoned spaces there.
Or, since they are already cutting back on Characters and stage shows with this new union in place, they could return the current Fantasy Faire stage back into a school performance venue like it was when that area was called Carnation Plaza Gardens.
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davis_unoxx
Well-Known Member
I got you! Did you ever get to see the live bands in Tomorrowland they had at night?
Now that looked amazing
MarvelCharacterNerd
Well-Known Member
Downtown Disney.
MarvelCharacterNerd
Well-Known Member
More cuts are inevitable.
It's reminiscent of course of the DIsney Jr. puppeteers unionizing and immediately having their show canceled.
Or the CA fast food minimum wage being raised to $20/hour and restaurants immediately closing, or laying people off or cutting hours.
The very expected and very sad consequences of good intentions.
It's reminiscent of course of the DIsney Jr. puppeteers unionizing and immediately having their show canceled.
Or the CA fast food minimum wage being raised to $20/hour and restaurants immediately closing, or laying people off or cutting hours.
The very expected and very sad consequences of good intentions.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
I love how they always throw the customers under the bus on this kind of stuff. They cut a hyped up new stage show 6 weeks after it started right as the busy summer season started and...
"The changes were made based on guest feedback..."
Yes, yes. It's our customers fault. The product we offered was great, the talent we procured was top-notch, but our customers are too stupid to know that and they hated it so we were forced to fire all these decent, hardworking people. Our customers are truly horrible people. We hate them and the evil power they hold over us. One day we will be free of their wrath!
Vegas Disney Fan
Well-Known Member
Didn‘t DL use to have HS marching bands before the afternoon parade?
I swear I remember this, and remember thinking how cool it would be for the band members, it’s been so long since I saw this maybe it was at MK and I just forgot where I saw it.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
As a teen through young adulthood, on every single visit during the Nixon through Early Reagan eras.
Our family would purposely start our day in Adventureland and work clockwise, so that we always ended up in Tomorrowland at night for dancing and rides and hamburgers and Cokes and more dancing and more rides. My mom and Aunt Ingrid were always quite deadly on the dance floor, even in their middle age, and I'd have so much fun dancing with them over those 20-ish years; from the Frug and Jerk in '68, to the Hustle and the Bump in '77, to whatever that hip-swing dance was called we all did mandatorily in '83. My dad and my little sister just sat at the table poking their straws into their Cokes and thinking we were nuts.
Looking back on it, it was perfection.I'm sorry the current generation has no idea what Disneyland was like then.
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asianway
Well-Known Member
We continuously evaluate….
The show closing had nothing to do with unionization efforts with the Characters/Parades departments - the performers on Club Pixar are already unionized under AGVA. Though the CMs under AEA have passed through voting, no contracts have been put in place yet and won’t be negotiating anytime soon (at least until the end of summer). If they did this to cut on labor costs, it would have been for AGVA’s budget, specifically.
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TP2000
Well-Known Member
That makes sense.
It seems then they are cutting costs just as the summer starts, likely due to soft attendance and lower guest spending.
This did not age well unfortunately…