Entertainment CMs are getting cut this week

[Jon81uk]

I think it was the Tim Tracker vlog from earlier this week that said the Little Mermaid show at the studios was returning soon. They'd put the stickers down and added the sign showing show times if I remember correctly?

I don't think that 28 year old show is going to draw a huge number of guests back into visiting the park!

 

[mergatroid]

I don't think that 28 year old show is going to draw a huge number of guests back into visiting the park!

Well there is that

I was just pointing out that it appears not every show is out. You said the 13 year old Nemo show would get you back so I thought you may like the Little Mermaid show also

 

[WondersOfLife]

In this doom & gloom post... I'm going back to what someone said about how all of the entertainment was cut during 9/11.

It'll come back. Maybe in a couple of years, maybe a decade. But life, including Disney parks, goes on big waves of ups and downs. You can't expect WDW to continue what they were doing before this pandemic. After all... It literally IS a pandemic that is STILL ongoing, whether we want to ignore that or not. AND Disney is a business. Both of those things are true.

As for asking what exactly is being cut... I'd be willing to place bets on literally anything that hasn't reopened yet, plus a few other smaller things like Joy and Pooh walking in the fields at Epcot or something. And I'm thinking shows similar to Frozen Sing-Along are going to be popping up in the foreseeable future.

And yet, while Universal did close their Poseidon's Fury attraction... They're still rolling with their stunt show, animal actors, and halloween make-up show... Plus they still have literally all of their streetmosphere shows like the Harry Potter shows, Blues Brothers, Beat Builders, Marilyn and the Diamond Bellas, Ect. Quite interesting, to say the least.

 

[Jon81uk]

Well there is that

I was just pointing out that it appears not every show is out. You said the 13 year old Nemo show would get you back so I thought you may like the Little Mermaid show also

Technically it would need fireworks, fantasmic and parades for me to feel its worth travelling over to WDW. I was using Nemo more as an example of something that seems worth paying the Disney premium for compared to Six Flags type parks.
But its also one of my favourite musical theatre shows in general.


But as a general point, all of the shows at DHS need replacing or in the case of Indianna, significant updates to make it fresher.

 

[mergatroid]

Technically it would need fireworks, fantasmic and parades for me to feel its worth travelling over to WDW. I was using Nemo more as an example of something that seems worth paying the Disney premium for compared to Six Flags type parks.
But its also one of my favourite musical theatre shows in general.


But as a general point, all of the shows at DHS need replacing or in the case of Indianna, significant updates to make it fresher.

I've never been a fan of the Nemo show at the AK, I'm not sure why though. I'm one of the small group of people who seems to love BATB at the Studios. I just find it really quaint and will be really sad when they decide to replace it. I like The Little Mermaid too though not as much. Indie I've always loved, as you say though it could do with a bit of an update. I wouldn't want a complete new show, some new gags and new fight scenes would be welcome though.

We're booked to visit next march (fingers crossed), hopefully some shows will be open then.

 

[Shouldigo12]

In this doom & gloom post... I'm going back to what someone said about how all of the entertainment was cut during 9/11.

It'll come back. Maybe in a couple of years, maybe a decade. But life, including Disney parks, goes on big waves of ups and downs. You can't expect WDW to continue what they were doing before this pandemic. After all... It literally IS a pandemic that is STILL ongoing, whether we want to ignore that or not. AND Disney is a business. Both of those things are true.

As for asking what exactly is being cut... I'd be willing to place bets on literally anything that hasn't reopened yet, plus a few other smaller things like Joy and Pooh walking in the fields at Epcot or something. And I'm thinking shows similar to Frozen Sing-Along are going to be popping up in the foreseeable future.

And yet, while Universal did close their Poseidon's Fury attraction... They're still rolling with their stunt show, animal actors, and halloween make-up show... Plus they still have literally all of their streetmosphere shows like the Harry Potter shows, Blues Brothers, Beat Builders, Marilyn and the Diamond Bellas, Ect. Quite interesting, to say the least.

This, pretty much exactly. No one should have been expecting the park to reopen and for everything to just go back to the way it was. That would have been wonderful, but it's ignoring the situation the company, the country, and the world is on right now. Most people are not focused on entertainment and tourism right now, guys. The demand for Disney's bread and butter is at what is probably an all time low. It sucks, and it's horrible, and I wish it wasn't the case. And yeah. Maybe like Universal they could have kept more entertainment options. But for every entertainer they kept, someone else would have to take their place.

 

[Jon81uk]

I've never been a fan of the Nemo show at the AK, I'm not sure why though. I'm one of the small group of people who seems to love BATB at the Studios. I just find it really quaint and will be really sad when they decide to replace it. I like The Little Mermaid too though not as much. Indie I've always loved, as you say though it could do with a bit of an update. I wouldn't want a complete new show, some new gags and new fight scenes would be welcome though.

We're booked to visit next march (fingers crossed), hopefully some shows will be open then.

See the "quaint" thing is partly why I never liked the BatB show at MGM/DHS, the costumes and staging felt a bit like a school production to me! It doesn't have the same quality feel as Nemo, Lion King or even the Mermaid show.

There was talk of the explanation elements with the director being removed from Indiana so it runs more of a stunt show instead of a behind the scenes. Although I'm not sure how they would pad while the rolling boulder set gets removed!

 

[WondersOfLife]

This, pretty much exactly. No one should have been expecting the park to reopen and for everything to just go back to the way it was. That would have been wonderful, but it's ignoring the situation the company, the country, and the world is on right now. Most people are not focused on entertainment and tourism right now, guys. The demand for Disney's bread and butter is at what is probably an all time low. It sucks, and it's horrible, and I wish it wasn't the case. And yeah. Maybe like Universal they could have kept more entertainment options. But for every entertainer they kept, someone else would have to take their place.

Just shut down all the carny style rides in favor of entertainment.

 

[mkt]

Do we know if Meet and Greet Characters are affected by these layoffs?

Yep. I know several who have been laid off, but all were part timers.

 

[mm52200]

So yes all seasonal cast members in all roles were let go, so this included character performers and attendants.
As part of the agreement reached by the STCU unions and Disney, all part time character performers and attendants will be let go.
Then depending on each role within STCU if full time cast members didn’t meet a certain seniority date they would be forced to transfer to another role or be laid off.
Cast who took the transfer or full and part time that were laid off have recall rights for two years.
Seasonal has no clear road back.
This affects character performers(who also do a variety of roles such as float drivers, movers, parades, shows, face characters) attendants, technicians, costumers, and cosmetology as well.
This affects cast that were already back at work that were hand picked by casting or other reasons to return as this is all done strictly be seniority so if they don’t meet the cut off date they’ll be force transferred.

This also affects every other line of business as well, although yes entertainment was hit hard as the majority of its cast are all on furlough still.

 

[LastoneOn]

How old a particular show is doesn't matter. Attendance is what matters. 28 year old show won't draw crowds? Why not? 13 year old show won't draw crowds? Why not? Age doesn't mean anything.

 

[mergatroid]

See the "quaint" thing is partly why I never liked the BatB show at MGM/DHS, the costumes and staging felt a bit like a school production to me! It doesn't have the same quality feel as Nemo, Lion King or even the Mermaid show.

There was talk of the explanation elements with the director being removed from Indiana so it runs more of a stunt show instead of a behind the scenes. Although I'm not sure how they would pad while the rolling boulder set gets removed!

An interesting idea, that could work. I'd prefer the same format we have now but perhaps with fresher dialogue. The 'exploding' car part could perhaps be improved though it's a fairly decent effect considering its age.

 

[_caleb]

Interesting to compare this thread with this thread, which predicted massive layoffs (among other things) back in July.

 

[LastoneOn]

An interesting idea, that could work. I'd prefer the same format we have now but perhaps with fresher dialogue. The 'exploding' car part could perhaps be improved though it's a fairly decent effect considering its age.

I'd rather they get rid of the annoying mission control whatever dialog in Dinosaur. Nothing ruins a good adventure like some guy breaking into the scene to tell you to watch out. It's almost like someone holding up an Applause card to an audience. "Be scared!" "Scream!" They set it all up in the queue, now let us ride the thing without all of that.

 

[nickys]

Understandable if the is temporary while country is entering recession and park attendance is limited. But entertainment is cut permanently in resorts and park experience then what is separating Disney Parks from other amusement parks at that point. Streetmosphere, especially along Main St. is one of the reasons that made MK and Disneyland unique and enjoyable for our family (and I'm sure we're not alone). Like I said, I can understand the layoffs as I'm sure they're only temporary until the parks/resorts recover and things return to "normal", but as others have mentioned...once things in entertainment have been cut, they tend to be permanent. Hoping this is one of those things that is not.

This a thousand times.

For me the street type entertainment is just as important as the rides. My family aren’t thrill seekers and although some rides are absolutely favourites, we would spend as much time watching the Dapper Dans, CoH, the entertainment in the WS pavilions as we would doing rides. Watching Gaston’s antics was a highlight of one day at MK, seeing impromptu appearances of the Step Sisters, watching the CMs “paint” using water on the ground in NFL, stopping and requesting a song from Casey’s pianist. All of that is what I remember as much as HM or Big Thunder.

These cuts feel like the soul has been ripped out of the parks.

 

[Jon81uk]

How old a particular show is doesn't matter. Attendance is what matters. 28 year old show won't draw crowds? Why not? 13 year old show won't draw crowds? Why not? Age doesn't mean anything.

Depends whether they want repeat guests or new visitors. Adding fresh shows every so often helps bring repeat guests back and stops the park feeling stale.
This is why Disneyland California changes shows so often, a lot more repeat local visitors.

 

[LastoneOn]

Depends whether they want repeat guests or new visitors. Adding fresh shows every so often helps bring repeat guests back and stops the park feeling stale.
This is why Disneyland California changes shows so often, a lot more repeat local visitors.

Yes, a different animal indeed.

 

[wdwmagic]

So yes all seasonal cast members in all roles were let go, so this included character performers and attendants.
As part of the agreement reached by the STCU unions and Disney, all part time character performers and attendants will be let go.
Then depending on each role within STCU if full time cast members didn’t meet a certain seniority date they would be forced to transfer to another role or be laid off.
Cast who took the transfer or full and part time that were laid off have recall rights for two years.
Seasonal has no clear road back.
This affects character performers(who also do a variety of roles such as float drivers, movers, parades, shows, face characters) attendants, technicians, costumers, and cosmetology as well.
This affects cast that were already back at work that were hand picked by casting or other reasons to return as this is all done strictly be seniority so if they don’t meet the cut off date they’ll be force transferred.

This also affects every other line of business as well, although yes entertainment was hit hard as the majority of its cast are all on furlough still.

good summary of the situation

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

In this doom & gloom post... I'm going back to what someone said about how all of the entertainment was cut during 9/11.

What shows were cut after 9/11 and then brought back?

Depends whether they want repeat guests or new visitors. Adding fresh shows every so often helps bring repeat guests back and stops the park feeling stale.
This is why Disneyland California changes shows so often, a lot more repeat local visitors.

Alladin ran for 13 years at DCA.

 

[Lilofan]

In this doom & gloom post... I'm going back to what someone said about how all of the entertainment was cut during 9/11.

It'll come back. Maybe in a couple of years, maybe a decade. But life, including Disney parks, goes on big waves of ups and downs. You can't expect WDW to continue what they were doing before this pandemic. After all... It literally IS a pandemic that is STILL ongoing, whether we want to ignore that or not. AND Disney is a business. Both of those things are true.

As for asking what exactly is being cut... I'd be willing to place bets on literally anything that hasn't reopened yet, plus a few other smaller things like Joy and Pooh walking in the fields at Epcot or something. And I'm thinking shows similar to Frozen Sing-Along are going to be popping up in the foreseeable future.

And yet, while Universal did close their Poseidon's Fury attraction... They're still rolling with their stunt show, animal actors, and halloween make-up show... Plus they still have literally all of their streetmosphere shows like the Harry Potter shows, Blues Brothers, Beat Builders, Marilyn and the Diamond Bellas, Ect. Quite interesting, to say the least.

I recall after 9/11, Epcot World Showcase moved from the traditional start time of 9am to its current time of 11am. DHS Fantasmic shows were not every night but cut to a few nights a week, restaurants open on staggard days, street performers working several days a week as compared to daily performances pre 9/11. That just some I recall. I'm sure there were a lot more cuts. One good deed WDW did was immediately after 9/11 attacks, I read that guests in the resorts were given an opportunity to make free phone calls to anywhere in the world to call their loved ones.