News Disneyland Character Performers Look to Unionize With Actors’ Equity

D

DCBaker

Premium Member
Original Poster
From the article at The Hollywood Reporter:

"A group of 1,700 performers who play characters and cheer and dance in parades at Disneyland in California announced their intent Tuesday to unionize with Actors’ Equity.

The group, which includes performers who conduct meet and greets in the park and appear in character dining experiences, as well as the hosts and trainers that support them, are asking for increased wages, greater transparency on scheduling and rehiring decisions and addressing concerns about safe and sanitary workplace conditions.

Calling themselves “Magic United,” the group has already begun circulating union authorization cards and will aim for voluntary recognition from Disney Resort Entertainment. If that recognition is not granted, Equity will file a petition with the National Labor Relations Board with the goal of being granted an election."

Full article below.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Disneyland Character Workers Look to Unionize With Actors’ Equity

Calling themselves “Magic United,” the group also includes performers in parades and hosts, trainers and other support staff for the characters.
www.hollywoodreporter.com www.hollywoodreporter.com

Here's a link to the website for Magic United.

magicunited.org

Magic United

We are dedicated to making the Parks a place where every guest can create lifelong memories. We deserve a union to ensure that Disneyland is a fairer, safer place to work, so it can truly be the happiest place on earth.
magicunited.org magicunited.org
 
AJFireman

AJFireman

Well-Known Member
Current hourly rate is $24.15 from what i gather for parade and costumed characters. If its a face character as a look a like they receive 4.75 an hour premium. Gathered info from Disney Auditions website.

Seems a pretty good hourly rate. I do see a lot of job postings right now so maybe they feel they have the upper hand if Disneyland is having trouble filling jobs. We all know when they had trouble hiring before they updated the "Disney Look" for Cast Members. Or will they go the route of mask if they are unable to fill rolls.
1707863022486.png
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
SuddenStorm said:
What are examples of puppets that have been removed because of this?
Click to expand...
wdrive said:
The Disney Jr show
Click to expand...

After the puppeteers threatened to unionize, TDA fired the puppeteers, closed the show, and turned that puppet show into a much cheaper "dance party", and got it sponsored by a diaper company. Not a joke.

Presented by Pull-Ups!

ca70_overview.jpg


The show went from this...

59c9ac43835869d119eb02d832c6b717.jpg


To this...
DisneyJuniorDanceParty-11-930x620.jpg
 
Last edited:
SaucyBoy

SaucyBoy

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
I'm generally anti-union (a convo for another thread and a time) but I wish nothing but good luck to these performers trying to unionize. Disney is one of the worst companies I've ever worked for and, despite a few flaws, I was glad to have a union representing me on numerous occasions.
 
FerretAfros

FerretAfros

Well-Known Member
If this goes through, I would be curious to see what other changes beyond wages. Disneyland's entertainment department has long had a superiority complex when compared to their east coast brethren, often citing a higher level of talent and increased flexibility to perform more spectacular shows.

As a specific example of these differences, DL's original Fantasmic! choreography included a moment where Snow White gets lifted by her prince during the musical climax of that segment of the show:
snow-white-prince-charming-fantasmic-disneyland.jpg


Seemingly, DL thought that moment was so important to the show that they kept it in the choreography when they revamped the show, even after they changed out the princess and the music:
49041200788_da3d293b0e_b.jpg


However, when WDW mounted their own version of the same show with the same original music for that segment, their union forbid the lift, making for a rather anti-climactic climax. Instead of being lifted in the air and doing a lot of partner choreography, Snow White lifts a foot off the ground and then frolics around in a childish manner, leaving much of that segment feeling empty and lackluster. Although lifting someone while on a moving barge floating in a river understandibly has inherent risks, I'm not aware of any actual issues with it during DL's 30+ years rehearsing and performing the show.

This is just one specific element that differs between the two resorts, but presumably these sorts of minor changes would creep their way into nearly every production. While DLR's shows tend to have a fairly uniform level of talent and performance throughout the cast, WDW's are typically structured with a couple heavy-hitters who are backed up by groups of folks doing less-specialized stuff in the background (Belle & Gaston plus ensemble dancers; Lion King singers and stunt performers plus ensemble dancers, etc.). It would be a shame for DLR's once-robust entertainment department to see the kinds of declines in quality that WDW has been dealing with for years.

Unionizing may benefit the performers (though in many cases it can perpetuate the toxic "us vs. them" culture without solving the real issues), I would be curious to see what other impacts it would have on the overall quality and quantity of entertainment at DLR.
 
asianway

asianway

Well-Known Member
FerretAfros said:
If this goes through, I would be curious to see what other changes beyond wages. Disneyland's entertainment department has long had a superiority complex when compared to their east coast brethren, often citing a higher level of talent and increased flexibility to perform more spectacular shows.

As a specific example of these differences, DL's original Fantasmic! choreography included a moment where Snow White gets lifted by her prince during the musical climax of that segment of the show:
snow-white-prince-charming-fantasmic-disneyland.jpg


Seemingly, DL thought that moment was so important to the show that they kept it in the choreography when they revamped the show, even after they changed out the princess and the music:
49041200788_da3d293b0e_b.jpg


However, when WDW mounted their own version of the same show with the same original music for that segment, their union forbid the lift, making for a rather anti-climactic climax. Instead of being lifted in the air and doing a lot of partner choreography, Snow White lifts a foot off the ground and then frolics around in a childish manner, leaving much of that segment feeling empty and lackluster. Although lifting someone while on a moving barge floating in a river understandibly has inherent risks, I'm not aware of any actual issues with it during DL's 30+ years rehearsing and performing the show.

This is just one specific element that differs between the two resorts, but presumably these sorts of minor changes would creep their way into nearly every production. While DLR's shows tend to have a fairly uniform level of talent and performance throughout the cast, WDW's are typically structured with a couple heavy-hitters who are backed up by groups of folks doing less-specialized stuff in the background (Belle & Gaston plus ensemble dancers; Lion King singers and stunt performers plus ensemble dancers, etc.). It would be a shame for DLR's once-robust entertainment department to see the kinds of declines in quality that WDW has been dealing with for years.

Unionizing may benefit the performers (though in many cases it can perpetuate the toxic "us vs. them" culture without solving the real issues), I would be curious to see what other impacts it would have on the overall quality and quantity of entertainment at DLR.
Click to expand...
Seriously what’s the hourly pay differential between an equity Snow/Prince vs a “mover” in Florida? It can’t be that much @drew81 ?
 
brb1006

brb1006

Well-Known Member
On the topic of Disney and Unions, I remember a few episodes from The Fine Toon Podcast hosted by Jim Hill and Drew Taylor featured them briefly discuss the then-upcoming "The Disney Revolt" book that was release sometime during the Summer of 2022. Due to the book going much more in-depth look at the lead up to the 1941 Animator's Strike and aftermath. Drew mentioned that "Disney rarely talks about it due to families of Disney's original animators still being alive. And it might cause a ripple effect if the company ever decides to properly touch on that event". I wish I could find the specific episode, but both Jim and Drew are hoping to one day touch on the topic in a future episode.
61SndInSo+L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg


Animation Magazine made an article that discussed the book a while back.
 

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