Princess Aurora at Disney has an extremely special place in my heart. I didn’t figure out that I was Autistic till I was 32 years old. Before I understood that part of myself, I was at Disney around age 12-13 and extremely stressed and scared about the idea of approaching any characters (especially mascot characters where I couldn’t see their real face). The last day we were there, one character who was able to make me feel welcome and safe was Aurora. She did an incredible job of making me forget my fear. I appreciate everything all of you do to make guest experiences as enjoyable as possible.
For the next video, could you talk about your interactions with other “face” characters (villains)… do you plan things out or is it mostly improv? Those are some of my favorite things to see in Disneyland….great video!
I appreciate your realness of the difficulty for poc to be casted. You are very positive and the way you speak about your time in Disney is refreshing. I see videos of people ragging on the company- but it seems you made the most of your time. ❤
Thanks for your comments about quiet kids and parents trying to apologize for them. That was definitely me when I was young and I can see myself in my kids now that I'm a parent. It's nice to know that the characters are trained to encourage the kids in a gentle manner.
6:38 I agree! The villain interactions are top-tier and The Viral Evil Queen (You might've heard of her before) got me interested in character interactions.
Regarding Disney villain face characters, one of my favorite Disneyland memories was when, several years ago, my wife and I had a very funny interaction with Dr. Facilier. As we were walking away, a new group was coming up to talk to him, and we overheard a woman ask, "Who are you?" and without missing a beat he held out his hand and said in the most sarcastic tone, "Jafar." We cackled as we walked away.
He’s the best! I met Dr. Facilier at Disneyland once and he was by far one of my most favorite character interactions. He kept asking the character attendant to take close up photos of his face lol
Thank you for your perspective! As a Disney performer I’m thankful that more roles are opening up for people of color like myself. I hope Disney will continue to tell stories and create characters that represent people of color which represents the growing diversity of America!
@@hopegold883 think you need to realize people are spending $$$$ to meet the character from the movie/show. Additionally one of the big issues if you want diversity is that characters like Tiana and Mulan and Maribel so rarely are around the parks in the past.
this may be one of the most underappreciated jobs on the planet because the impact it has is unmeasurable. what i would say to the young women doing it is, look at it as a stepping stone into other work you want to commit your life to. the strength you bring every day directly equates to the magic guests experience!
Story time sounds awesome! I love how you answered these questions! Honest, thorough, and not spilling any tea you shouldn’t. Your training in answering tricky guest questions serves you well!
The cast member romance/drama sounds crazy and interesting. Why hasn't anyone made a comedy/drama movie or television show set at a fictitious theme park, using funny plots and stories that happen backstage at theme parks?
I loved how much empathy/compassion/EQ you showed when talking about parent/child/character interactions. Is that something all character actors possess? It seems really important but also harder for Disney to judge/assess while hiring
The end of your video was so strong! Great to point out the downside of working as a Disney character. This was the first video from you i’ve seen, great job!
As an ex cm in ticketing, tall not much more than Chip n Dale, I loved your last video! Always wondered what ve look like to do the princess training. The fact that disney characters and princesses and customer services cast members ate separately in the backstages, all the characters and princesses with their make ups ad lunch time, all seated at the same table as an elite, was SO funny to see ahah 😂❤
Thank you for sharing your experience, this is the first time I hear about what it’s like working as a character and I enjoy it so much 💖 I hope you make more videos about this topic ✨ Love Princess Aurora 🌈
Thanks for answering my question about the love triangles, fascinating! I’d love to see a collab someday with Jennifer Oakes, she was Jasmine at Disney World back in the 00s - it would be interesting to compare and contrast your experiences working at different parks and in different decades but essentially the same role of a character/princess.
i really agree with you about it being a job for a specific time in your life that will always be wonderful to look back on but important to leave eventually in order to grow, at least for most of us. i was a host around the same time as you were a performer but we must have managed to mostly avoid each other - i never worked campus and i was going through a break up with, funny enough, one of the princesses at the time so i avoided fantasy faire a lot except during the time anastasia/drizella were meeting there to be with my friend who has since also left (obb that year was the absolute best!!). i have such mixed emotions when i look back on my years at disney because i will never experience anything so unique ever again. i had more energy when i was younger as well and went out with coworkers a lot or came into the parks after work or on my off days and tried the new treats or went on my favourite rides. i cannot describe how much nostalgia i feel when i think back on those years. the music, the smells, the sounds, the many break rooms, frustrating managers, kind leads... that being said, i have grown so much as a person since leaving in just about every way and i wouldn't trade that for anything! i'll always be so grateful for the experience and look back fondly on those years. but i'm glad to have moved on. wish you the very best!
I have seen several former cast member videos and I am curious to know how often throughout the day does the person playing a character change? Like- how many different people might play a character in a day? How many of those characters are in the parks at a time? Are they always in the same spot or move to different locations? I saw a video yesterday where she was talking about ‘stinky costumes’ & having to switch it out for a clean one? How many of one costume are backstage to choose from? I can imagine in my head a huge room backstage just filled with costumes! (I was in theater and dance in my younger years- so I love backstage info!)
I miss the Backlot Express going through the costume construction department. I always wanted to work there, but a Disney World costuming career was at odds with leaving Florida, and I picked the latter. The dresses they make are so amazing, and part of the allure is the materials they use. Everything is so sturdy, but looks so delicate.
This is such an amazing experience please do a third video talking about salary pay, what type of hours did you guys get, and fitting into the costumes was Disney very strict on the models, weight and appearance and tattoos how did the managers or whoever the people were in charge of the Disney princesses keeping them looking flawless? I’ve heard stories of Disney being very strict with the princesses wait and their skin and making sure the teeth are super white I would love to hear more about in depth about behind the scenes of the costumes and what sizes the dresses had for the third video ❤❤❤❤❤
As a proud Disney Adult (who's "Disney crush" has always been Aurora) I always make an effort to be SUPER-respectful, when my sister and I go "Princess Hunting" (we're big fans of character photo ops when we visit Disney) because I know you girls have to be on guard for "THAT guy." It's great hearing about things from the Princess' POV and I look forward to hearing more; but hopefully not too many horror stories.
I think that some of the best advice I have ever been given re: meeting characters? Was to ask them something about their story or their sidekicks. Those answers could be quite fun and entertaining.
Loved this! My question is, what is the best way that guest can express gratitude to cast members? My family is always in awe of how much you all do to make our experience so special and truly are what makes Disney so magical. What are the things that guests have said or done that make you feel appreciated?
thank you so much for sharing your Disney experience!! Princess Aura is one of my favorite princesses growing up!! my best friend works at Disneyland. She’s a plaid. And I’ve been going to Disneyland for over 20 years, but I do have some more questions. 1. Are they very strict about how you should look? As far as maintaining your weight? 2. How long does it take for you to do your make up and how many hours do you show up before work to start your shift? 3. How do you react when guests are asking or doing inappropriate things in front of you? How do you get around that? Enjoyed the video very much informative! 💗
I’d love to see some story times!! I work as a party princess so I know how unhinged some children and adults are. But I’d love to hear stories about what the Disney princesses deal with
Hi ally just coming across your channel! I have been a disney fan for 32 years and went to disneyland constantly over the years when the annual passes were a thing! Thanks for the answers to these questions! I love meeting the disney princesses and I got to hand it to the training to the people who act as face characters! I subbed, again keep the videos coming! :)
There are a ton of opportunities, at Disney, in entertainment. I am not sure what your degree is, but I do know that Disney loves degrees. I am always seeing behind the scenes interview after behind the scenes interview, that Disney publishes (as well as podcasts), about people who started off in characters (or similar), and have grown into tremendous roles with the company. Keep your eyes peeled! Network, my friend! All the very best!
There TOTALLY is! My cousin started in the collage program and she was “just” working at a store in magic kingdom but she went for other opportunities with animation and STILL works there to this day! Several years later. And she doesn’t even work AT Disney world / lands, she gets to work from home or anywhere. You never know unless you ask and go for things that sound like they be up your ally / your career goals / degree etc.
I apologize if this comment is too long, but I wanted to share an absolutely magical experience I had at Disney. I went to Disney World in 2019, and I went down there with a mission. I was going to collect as many autographs from characters as I could for my best friend's daughter. I told the folks at the hotel what I was doing and they thought it was so wonderful that they surprised me with an entire totebag full of gifts to give to her along with the autographs. I ended up collecting 34 autographs. It was an absolutely magical week. Unfortunately, a week after I got back, and the day before I was going to give all the amazing gifts to my best friend's daughter, I was carjacked at gunpoint. All of the gifts were in my car at the time, including all the autographs. Needless to say, I was heartbroken. However, two weeks later, I got a call from the hotel where I stayed when I was down there. My friends had posted on social media about what happened, and that post made it all the way to Disney World. The hotel called me and informed me that they had replaced all of the gifts and even sent someone out into the parks to get all of the autographs. A few weeks later, I was able to give everything to my best friend's daughter, and to this day she still has all of the gifts in her room and she goes trick or treating with the light up Mickey Halloween bucket I got to give her. Again, I'm sorry for the long post. But I wanted you to know that Disney cast members like you changed my life, and I'll forever be in their debt. Thank you for everything you and your fellow cast members do.
Can you tell us what the schedule looks like during training, I know you can’t get into specifics, but just telling us what happens generally from day one to however, long it lasts
Something I'm curious about. I was thinking about doing meet and greets last time I went to Disneyland, but didn't in the end cause I was kinda embarrassed about it as an adult without any kids. So I'm interested to know what character actors think about doing meet n greets with childless adults?
Former “fur” character here (so not face character), I personally loved seeing all guests, kids and adults alike. Working seasonally in DisneyWorld for over 4 years, I never heard any cast member say anything disparaging about childless adults. Disney is for everyone, doesn’t matter who you are or what age you are - everyone is welcome there. I certainly had some of the best interactions with adults there without any kids. So if you’re at the parks and nervous about going to see a character because you don’t have a child with you - just go and see and hug the character. Trust me, no one is judging you. Characters are happy to see all guests, and it’s awesome to see the spark of childhood wonder in an adults eyes alight again. It’s super heartwarming.
New subscriber. You're a great storyteller. If you do another q&a, what did you end up majoring in? Does it have to do with film? Just asking cuz your other videos are discussing film which is awesome cuz I too love movies. Good luck with the channel!
When I was an ops CM at WDW, I had friends that did auditions for characters while working shifts in ops. Did you interact much with ops or think about getting trained in a non-character role at DLR?
I love and appreciate your commentary regarding people of color and opportunities. I just have a couple silly questions. Have you ever tried acting as one of the male characters just for fun? When you had the opportunity to change roles to Ant Man Wasp and Megara, what's the training like for the new role?
First, Aurora and Phillip in the Magic Happens parade have to do "the dip" every so often. How do they do this day in and out without getting injured? Second, how does the actress who plays the viral Evil Queen (she's got to know the 'viral' part) deal with all that extra fame and attention the other actors don't receive?
5% straight dudes...that's hilarious! 🤣 they do have a lot of girls to choose from, and the gays can be your BFF lol! I wish there were more options for serious promotion and much substantial roles of you wanna stay in Disney and move up the ladder. interesting listening about the race factor in terms of roles. LOVED the video dear Ally ❤
You mentioned some crazy guest interactions that you'll share later, which I'm interested to hear. Before hearing you mention that, I was going to ask how you deal with guests who might cross boundaries or act weird. Usually there's another non-costumed cast member or two accompanying the costumed cast members, so I wondered if one of their duties is to act as a bit of crowd control to help defuse weirdness and awkwardness.
I achieve nearly all the goals I set for myself, including starting a RUclips channel. In 2018, I set the goal to become a Disney K9 Handler…which I did for 3 years. I’ll be honest, a side quest was to ask out a Disney Princess for dinner, which I wasn’t able to achieve. 😂😭🤣
Hi! Fellow performer here. I’m wondering, with the many different interactions that these characters have, is there a system for each performer playing the same character so that they remember specific guests/what they talked about with guests to keep consistency? For example, there is an autistic boy named Thomas who has met multiple characters a TON of times. If he meets one Ariel actress and then a completely new one - is communication clear and easy throughout the performers so that they both know who he is? Thanks! ♥️
I did meet the Wasp once during Covid when she was standing on the car. She was so eager to talk to me but I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to. Maybe you were she? That would be funny! Thanks for the talk!
That’s so cool that u worked at Disneyland working at Disneyland has always been a dream of mine to work there been looking into it Any advice on how to get started? 🤗💗💗
I'm interested to know what age group the Disney Princesses are, I would assume minimum 18 to maximum.. ? Are a lot of Disney princesses college graduates like yourself, and of what nationality? Thanks for sharing your experiences, I was a big Disney kid until age 12 and then I completely turned my back against it until about age 30 😂 Went to Tokyo Disneyland for the first time in 22 years last year! 💙
Is it true that Disney has a rule about how characters can't be the first one to let go out of a hug from a child? I saw an Instagram reel or maybe it was a RUclips Short about this. It was actually pretty sweet ❤
I’m an actress and I work as a princess performer in kids parties, and we try to replicate and be the more faithful that we can to everything you do at Disney, specially since here in Brasil there is no Disney parks, and Disney World and Disneyland is just something not accessible for MOST of the people, including me, Disney is MY LIFE since I was born and I’ve never been to Disney yet… 😞 So I have a special question for you, as an actress trying to do her best to make some latinas kids’ dreams come true: can you please make a video teaching us how to do Aurora’s makeup??? 🥺🙏🙏🙏💖💖💖
This was such a cool video! One question I do have is, has a kid ever said that they don't believe you're the real (whatever character you're playing) before? If so, how did you handle it?
I was also a Disney cast member at WDW and I remember when I first started I seen "Tarzan" and he was🔥🔥 BUT...as soon as he spoke, I about died lol. He was gay, so that wasn't happening haha!
So what do you work now? I personally always wanted to work as a writer for either Disney or Universal Studios but I wouldn’t know where to look to find that position available.
I would really like to know what Characters think of Disney adults talking to them. It must be fun, I guess, because you can interact with them more but does it also feel kind of strange since they are adults? I‘m genuinely curious, would appreciate if you could answer it in a future video, thanks ☺️ (btw, Aurora is my favorite princess and I think you did great playing her ^^)
I do appreciate you honoring character integrity. I’ve just never heard of any former face characters saying that they “Played” a specific character as opposed to explaining that you were “friends with…” someone. Just hearing you say the former breaks my heart a little bit.
@@katybroyles2805 As someone who’s worked for the company over 30 years internationally, it is expected in any public discourse…. Especially for Online Vlogs. I know of those who have gotten online requests from corporate to abide by these rules.
I really enjoyed your videos telling about your experience. One question from me. Are there strict age limits to be able to perform as a Disney princess or if you’re good looking and experienced you might get a job even in your 30s? Thank you.
Pocahntas, Nakoma, Emseralda, Tiana, Moana, Honey Lemon, Mulan, Gogo Tomago, Mirabel, Isabela, Elena, Asha, Raya...that is a lot of non white girls. Namarri too. Dolores.Jasmine.
How tall are you? I know most princesses are shorter, and my friends who were friends with Meg usually were also friends with Snow Queen. I’m surprised you were friends with both!
Thank you for your device Ali, I was actually very shocked when you did this video mainly because I was a huge Disney fan myself & I felt the characters were real, so I was kind of disappointed when you told the reality but that is just my opinion 🫶🏻✨☁️🩷💕,, But you give good device on how to meet guest, & I’m so happy that you had the chance to play Aroura you definitely had a wonderful part playing her, you definitely look like her too 🩷💕🫶🏻🥰👸🏼 Thanks again for your videos ❤❤
It was always a dream of mine of be a Disney Princess (mainly Ariel) at the Disney Parks. But the fact it’s based off body and looks so much has definitely taken a bad tool on my life. I’m 5’9/5’10 and so i know I’m to tall, and it’s really frustrating because I know how to play Ariel and other characters really well. But it feels like I can only be Villians or marvel characters. It’s super unhealthy in my opinion. I’m curious if any other performers developed this problem or body image issues because of how Disney casts.
I have a bunch of family photo books from Disney World vacations before we moved to central Florida, and the differences between my siblings and I are very pronounced... I reacted to characters as many different ways as there are characters. Jessie is my favorite, so when I'm with her I look like I'm having the best day ever. Figment has also always been a favorite character of mine, but I never got to see the puppet. I just remember being terrified of him at a pin event because Figment is NOT supposed to be that big. I was like, that is not Figment, that is an imposter and no one is willing to acknowledge that this is very suspicious 😂 My brother loved everyone, and my sister hid under the table at every character dining experience.
I'm confused. You said you worked there "a little over a year" with a break for COVID. So you started all your training early 2020, then started doing interactions and stuff like maybe October 2020 when they opened back up after COVID then left like mid 2021? So you really only worked there like 6 months? Also, where you playing all these characters at the same time or did you switch. Like play only Aurora for a few months then, Wasp,then Meg. Or was one day Wasp the next Meg just based on who they needed that day?
Princess Aurora at Disney has an extremely special place in my heart. I didn’t figure out that I was Autistic till I was 32 years old. Before I understood that part of myself, I was at Disney around age 12-13 and extremely stressed and scared about the idea of approaching any characters (especially mascot characters where I couldn’t see their real face). The last day we were there, one character who was able to make me feel welcome and safe was Aurora. She did an incredible job of making me forget my fear. I appreciate everything all of you do to make guest experiences as enjoyable as possible.
I'm a 30 year old mum of 3 from London with no intention of becoming a disney princess and yet here I am, loving these uploads 😅
For the next video, could you talk about your interactions with other “face” characters (villains)… do you plan things out or is it mostly improv? Those are some of my favorite things to see in Disneyland….great video!
Yes please tell us about crazy guest interactions!!
She really looks like a princess
I appreciate your realness of the difficulty for poc to be casted. You are very positive and the way you speak about your time in Disney is refreshing. I see videos of people ragging on the company- but it seems you made the most of your time. ❤
i love how much kindness you seem to possess, it makes perfect sense that you would play a princess. i look forward to seeing the storytime videos!
Thanks for your comments about quiet kids and parents trying to apologize for them. That was definitely me when I was young and I can see myself in my kids now that I'm a parent. It's nice to know that the characters are trained to encourage the kids in a gentle manner.
6:38 I agree! The villain interactions are top-tier and The Viral Evil Queen (You might've heard of her before) got me interested in character interactions.
Regarding Disney villain face characters, one of my favorite Disneyland memories was when, several years ago, my wife and I had a very funny interaction with Dr. Facilier. As we were walking away, a new group was coming up to talk to him, and we overheard a woman ask, "Who are you?" and without missing a beat he held out his hand and said in the most sarcastic tone, "Jafar." We cackled as we walked away.
He’s the best! I met Dr. Facilier at Disneyland once and he was by far one of my most favorite character interactions. He kept asking the character attendant to take close up photos of his face lol
Thank you for your perspective! As a Disney performer I’m thankful that more roles are opening up for people of color like myself. I hope Disney will continue to tell stories and create characters that represent people of color which represents the growing diversity of America!
Yes! They've made great progress, but still so much more room to grow
I also wish people would calm down about seeing **fictitious characters *** with a different color skin than they had in the last book/movie they saw.
Growing diversity? Not good.
@@hopegold883 think you need to realize people are spending $$$$ to meet the character from the movie/show. Additionally one of the big issues if you want diversity is that characters like Tiana and Mulan and Maribel so rarely are around the parks in the past.
this may be one of the most underappreciated jobs on the planet because the impact it has is unmeasurable. what i would say to the young women doing it is, look at it as a stepping stone into other work you want to commit your life to. the strength you bring every day directly equates to the magic guests experience!
Story time sounds awesome!
I love how you answered these questions! Honest, thorough, and not spilling any tea you shouldn’t.
Your training in answering tricky guest questions serves you well!
The cast member romance/drama sounds crazy and interesting. Why hasn't anyone made a comedy/drama movie or television show set at a fictitious theme park, using funny plots and stories that happen backstage at theme parks?
we need a makeup tutorial, your eyeshadow is majestic!!!
I loved how much empathy/compassion/EQ you showed when talking about parent/child/character interactions. Is that something all character actors possess? It seems really important but also harder for Disney to judge/assess while hiring
The end of your video was so strong! Great to point out the downside of working as a Disney character. This was the first video from you i’ve seen, great job!
As an ex cm in ticketing, tall not much more than Chip n Dale, I loved your last video! Always wondered what ve look like to do the princess training. The fact that disney characters and princesses and customer services cast members ate separately in the backstages, all the characters and princesses with their make ups ad lunch time, all seated at the same table as an elite, was SO funny to see ahah 😂❤
Awe, I love the bugs box 😍😍😍 Thank you for the photos as well as this video 💖
Thank you for sharing your experience, this is the first time I hear about what it’s like working as a character and I enjoy it so much 💖 I hope you make more videos about this topic ✨
Love Princess Aurora 🌈
Thanks for answering my question about the love triangles, fascinating! I’d love to see a collab someday with Jennifer Oakes, she was Jasmine at Disney World back in the 00s - it would be interesting to compare and contrast your experiences working at different parks and in different decades but essentially the same role of a character/princess.
i really agree with you about it being a job for a specific time in your life that will always be wonderful to look back on but important to leave eventually in order to grow, at least for most of us. i was a host around the same time as you were a performer but we must have managed to mostly avoid each other - i never worked campus and i was going through a break up with, funny enough, one of the princesses at the time so i avoided fantasy faire a lot except during the time anastasia/drizella were meeting there to be with my friend who has since also left (obb that year was the absolute best!!). i have such mixed emotions when i look back on my years at disney because i will never experience anything so unique ever again. i had more energy when i was younger as well and went out with coworkers a lot or came into the parks after work or on my off days and tried the new treats or went on my favourite rides. i cannot describe how much nostalgia i feel when i think back on those years. the music, the smells, the sounds, the many break rooms, frustrating managers, kind leads... that being said, i have grown so much as a person since leaving in just about every way and i wouldn't trade that for anything! i'll always be so grateful for the experience and look back fondly on those years. but i'm glad to have moved on. wish you the very best!
I have seen several former cast member videos and I am curious to know how often throughout the day does the person playing a character change? Like- how many different people might play a character in a day? How many of those characters are in the parks at a time? Are they always in the same spot or move to different locations?
I saw a video yesterday where she was talking about ‘stinky costumes’ & having to switch it out for a clean one? How many of one costume are backstage to choose from? I can imagine in my head a huge room backstage just filled with costumes! (I was in theater and dance in my younger years- so I love backstage info!)
I miss the Backlot Express going through the costume construction department. I always wanted to work there, but a Disney World costuming career was at odds with leaving Florida, and I picked the latter.
The dresses they make are so amazing, and part of the allure is the materials they use. Everything is so sturdy, but looks so delicate.
Such a good way to put it! So pretty and delicate but can weather quite a lot 🤣
Thank you for what you did! My daughter LOVES aurora … all of you girls make so much magic for the kids :) it’s so special
This is such an amazing experience please do a third video talking about salary pay, what type of hours did you guys get, and fitting into the costumes was Disney very strict on the models, weight and appearance and tattoos how did the managers or whoever the people were in charge of the Disney princesses keeping them looking flawless? I’ve heard stories of Disney being very strict with the princesses wait and their skin and making sure the teeth are super white I would love to hear more about in depth about behind the scenes of the costumes and what sizes the dresses had for the third video ❤❤❤❤❤
This is a very cool video, it’s so cool to see it from a characters point of view
I love this video! Sleeping Beauty is my all time favorite Disney movie. I love meeting the characters
Hiya Ally ~ Enjoy your videos .. .. Looking forward to seeing more of Disney through your perspective .. ..
Yes, I agree about the evil characters. They're sooo good!
As a proud Disney Adult (who's "Disney crush" has always been Aurora) I always make an effort to be SUPER-respectful, when my sister and I go "Princess Hunting" (we're big fans of character photo ops when we visit Disney) because I know you girls have to be on guard for "THAT guy." It's great hearing about things from the Princess' POV and I look forward to hearing more; but hopefully not too many horror stories.
I think that some of the best advice I have ever been given re: meeting characters? Was to ask them something about their story or their sidekicks. Those answers could be quite fun and entertaining.
Loved this! My question is, what is the best way that guest can express gratitude to cast members? My family is always in awe of how much you all do to make our experience so special and truly are what makes Disney so magical. What are the things that guests have said or done that make you feel appreciated?
thank you so much for sharing your Disney experience!! Princess Aura is one of my favorite princesses growing up!! my best friend works at Disneyland. She’s a plaid. And I’ve been going to Disneyland for over 20 years, but I do have some more questions.
1. Are they very strict about how you should look? As far as maintaining your weight?
2. How long does it take for you to do your make up and how many hours do you show up before work to start your shift?
3. How do you react when guests are asking or doing inappropriate things in front of you? How do you get around that?
Enjoyed the video very much informative! 💗
I’d love to see some story times!! I work as a party princess so I know how unhinged some children and adults are. But I’d love to hear stories about what the Disney princesses deal with
Hi ally just coming across your channel! I have been a disney fan for 32 years and went to disneyland constantly over the years when the annual passes were a thing! Thanks for the answers to these questions! I love meeting the disney princesses and I got to hand it to the training to the people who act as face characters! I subbed, again keep the videos coming! :)
Ally what was your favorite costume!! And/or your least favorite?? What about hair styles? Loved the video!
There are a ton of opportunities, at Disney, in entertainment. I am not sure what your degree is, but I do know that Disney loves degrees. I am always seeing behind the scenes interview after behind the scenes interview, that Disney publishes (as well as podcasts), about people who started off in characters (or similar), and have grown into tremendous roles with the company.
Keep your eyes peeled! Network, my friend!
All the very best!
There TOTALLY is! My cousin started in the collage program and she was “just” working at a store in magic kingdom but she went for other opportunities with animation and STILL works there to this day! Several years later. And she doesn’t even work AT Disney world / lands, she gets to work from home or anywhere. You never know unless you ask and go for things that sound like they be up your ally / your career goals / degree etc.
Interesting!! So excited for Disney story time!
I would love to hear some of your Roommates stories!
omg just finished your last viddd this was perfect timing
this is awesome! thanks for sharing your experience!
My fav Disney Princess
I apologize if this comment is too long, but I wanted to share an absolutely magical experience I had at Disney. I went to Disney World in 2019, and I went down there with a mission. I was going to collect as many autographs from characters as I could for my best friend's daughter. I told the folks at the hotel what I was doing and they thought it was so wonderful that they surprised me with an entire totebag full of gifts to give to her along with the autographs. I ended up collecting 34 autographs. It was an absolutely magical week. Unfortunately, a week after I got back, and the day before I was going to give all the amazing gifts to my best friend's daughter, I was carjacked at gunpoint. All of the gifts were in my car at the time, including all the autographs. Needless to say, I was heartbroken. However, two weeks later, I got a call from the hotel where I stayed when I was down there. My friends had posted on social media about what happened, and that post made it all the way to Disney World. The hotel called me and informed me that they had replaced all of the gifts and even sent someone out into the parks to get all of the autographs. A few weeks later, I was able to give everything to my best friend's daughter, and to this day she still has all of the gifts in her room and she goes trick or treating with the light up Mickey Halloween bucket I got to give her. Again, I'm sorry for the long post. But I wanted you to know that Disney cast members like you changed my life, and I'll forever be in their debt. Thank you for everything you and your fellow cast members do.
A Disney princess that loves horror! Amazing! Uzumaki is my favorite
I love your facts, Ally!😀💙💙💙💙💙💙💙🌷💖⭐💖⭐💖⭐💖⭐💖⭐💖⭐💖⭐👍
i love these Disney videos!🎉❤ keep them coming! I love hearing about the memories! ❤
Can you tell us what the schedule looks like during training, I know you can’t get into specifics, but just telling us what happens generally from day one to however, long it lasts
I definitely got my picture taken with you when you were Meg at sweethearts night!
Can you share bad experiences u had with people who met you when in character
Something I'm curious about. I was thinking about doing meet and greets last time I went to Disneyland, but didn't in the end cause I was kinda embarrassed about it as an adult without any kids. So I'm interested to know what character actors think about doing meet n greets with childless adults?
Former “fur” character here (so not face character), I personally loved seeing all guests, kids and adults alike. Working seasonally in DisneyWorld for over 4 years, I never heard any cast member say anything disparaging about childless adults. Disney is for everyone, doesn’t matter who you are or what age you are - everyone is welcome there. I certainly had some of the best interactions with adults there without any kids. So if you’re at the parks and nervous about going to see a character because you don’t have a child with you - just go and see and hug the character. Trust me, no one is judging you. Characters are happy to see all guests, and it’s awesome to see the spark of childhood wonder in an adults eyes alight again. It’s super heartwarming.
New subscriber. You're a great storyteller. If you do another q&a, what did you end up majoring in? Does it have to do with film? Just asking cuz your other videos are discussing film which is awesome cuz I too love movies. Good luck with the channel!
When I was an ops CM at WDW, I had friends that did auditions for characters while working shifts in ops. Did you interact much with ops or think about getting trained in a non-character role at DLR?
I love and appreciate your commentary regarding people of color and opportunities. I just have a couple silly questions. Have you ever tried acting as one of the male characters just for fun? When you had the opportunity to change roles to Ant Man Wasp and Megara, what's the training like for the new role?
Hi Ally, I liked your videos of being a princess!
First, Aurora and Phillip in the Magic Happens parade have to do "the dip" every so often. How do they do this day in and out without getting injured?
Second, how does the actress who plays the viral Evil Queen (she's got to know the 'viral' part) deal with all that extra fame and attention the other actors don't receive?
question: do you remember guest interactions? Or do you see so many people it’s hard to remember each one on the daily
Go girl!
5% straight dudes...that's hilarious! 🤣 they do have a lot of girls to choose from, and the gays can be your BFF lol! I wish there were more options for serious promotion and much substantial roles of you wanna stay in Disney and move up the ladder. interesting listening about the race factor in terms of roles. LOVED the video dear Ally ❤
You mentioned some crazy guest interactions that you'll share later, which I'm interested to hear. Before hearing you mention that, I was going to ask how you deal with guests who might cross boundaries or act weird. Usually there's another non-costumed cast member or two accompanying the costumed cast members, so I wondered if one of their duties is to act as a bit of crowd control to help defuse weirdness and awkwardness.
I achieve nearly all the goals I set for myself, including starting a RUclips channel. In 2018, I set the goal to become a Disney K9 Handler…which I did for 3 years. I’ll be honest, a side quest was to ask out a Disney Princess for dinner, which I wasn’t able to achieve. 😂😭🤣
Hi! Fellow performer here. I’m wondering, with the many different interactions that these characters have, is there a system for each performer playing the same character so that they remember specific guests/what they talked about with guests to keep consistency?
For example, there is an autistic boy named Thomas who has met multiple characters a TON of times. If he meets one Ariel actress and then a completely new one - is communication clear and easy throughout the performers so that they both know who he is? Thanks! ♥️
Who were act as
I did meet the Wasp once during Covid when she was standing on the car. She was so eager to talk to me but I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to. Maybe you were she? That would be funny! Thanks for the talk!
That’s so cool that u worked at Disneyland working at Disneyland has always been a dream of mine to work there been looking into it
Any advice on how to get started? 🤗💗💗
yay! i was waiting for this! thank you!!
I'm interested to know what age group the Disney Princesses are, I would assume minimum 18 to maximum.. ? Are a lot of Disney princesses college graduates like yourself, and of what nationality?
Thanks for sharing your experiences, I was a big Disney kid until age 12 and then I completely turned my back against it until about age 30 😂 Went to Tokyo Disneyland for the first time in 22 years last year! 💙
Is it true that Disney has a rule about how characters can't be the first one to let go out of a hug from a child? I saw an Instagram reel or maybe it was a RUclips Short about this. It was actually pretty sweet ❤
Yep. Disney has gone full woke.
I’m an actress and I work as a princess performer in kids parties, and we try to replicate and be the more faithful that we can to everything you do at Disney, specially since here in Brasil there is no Disney parks, and Disney World and Disneyland is just something not accessible for MOST of the people, including me, Disney is MY LIFE since I was born and I’ve never been to Disney yet… 😞
So I have a special question for you, as an actress trying to do her best to make some latinas kids’ dreams come true:
can you please make a video teaching us how to do Aurora’s makeup??? 🥺🙏🙏🙏💖💖💖
How do you deal with guests with disabilities?
Did you ever get anxiety?
Thanks for sharing!
Please post a storytime video next!!
Can you talk about the dress sizes of the costumes? Does it range in sizes or is it one size only?
This was such a cool video! One question I do have is, has a kid ever said that they don't believe you're the real (whatever character you're playing) before? If so, how did you handle it?
I would love to see a 'Story Time w/ Ally'!
I was also a Disney cast member at WDW and I remember when I first started I seen "Tarzan" and he was🔥🔥 BUT...as soon as he spoke, I about died lol. He was gay, so that wasn't happening haha!
What was you experience like working with Maleficent ?
Great Q&A!
Is there certain days that princesses meet guests at the hall? Is there a rotation ?
Totally random question. Where you by chance ever in a TV series. Because I have watched many of them and I swear you look so familiar.
So what do you work now? I personally always wanted to work as a writer for either Disney or Universal Studios but I wouldn’t know where to look to find that position available.
You look gorgeous!
Great video, thanks!
I would really like to know what Characters think of Disney adults talking to them. It must be fun, I guess, because you can interact with them more but does it also feel kind of strange since they are adults? I‘m genuinely curious, would appreciate if you could answer it in a future video, thanks ☺️ (btw, Aurora is my favorite princess and I think you did great playing her ^^)
After Frozen 2 came out, I asked Elsa why she wasn't at Anna's corrination. She said, "I was there, in spirit!" Non answer, but it's ok!
I do appreciate you honoring character integrity. I’ve just never heard of any former face characters saying that they “Played” a specific character as opposed to explaining that you were “friends with…” someone. Just hearing you say the former breaks my heart a little bit.
The people who say, “friends with” are usually fully costumed or worked in Florida though
@@katybroyles2805 As someone who’s worked for the company over 30 years internationally, it is expected in any public discourse…. Especially for Online Vlogs. I know of those who have gotten online requests from corporate to abide by these rules.
Oh I have. I’ve even Hearn people say, “I **was** . . .”
@@katybroyles2805 It’s normally an accepted form of attribution on vlogs as well… internationally.
So cute!
My god she is gorgeous.
Curious what you’re doing now and if you’ve considered doing the Bachelor/Bachelorette.
Do you have one or two guest interactions that stand out to you during your time as a face character?
I really enjoyed your videos telling about your experience. One question from me. Are there strict age limits to be able to perform as a Disney princess or if you’re good looking and experienced you might get a job even in your 30s? Thank you.
Pocahntas, Nakoma, Emseralda, Tiana, Moana, Honey Lemon, Mulan, Gogo Tomago, Mirabel, Isabela, Elena, Asha, Raya...that is a lot of non white girls. Namarri too. Dolores.Jasmine.
How can I get into the pyrotechnician job at disney? And how do you apply for jobs at Disneyland?
How tall are you? I know most princesses are shorter, and my friends who were friends with Meg usually were also friends with Snow Queen. I’m surprised you were friends with both!
Thank you for your device Ali, I was actually very shocked when you did this video mainly because I was a huge Disney fan myself & I felt the characters were real, so I was kind of disappointed when you told the reality but that is just my opinion 🫶🏻✨☁️🩷💕,,
But you give good device on how to meet guest, & I’m so happy that you had the chance to play Aroura you definitely had a wonderful part playing her, you definitely look like her too 🩷💕🫶🏻🥰👸🏼
Thanks again for your videos ❤❤
It was always a dream of mine of be a Disney Princess (mainly Ariel) at the Disney Parks. But the fact it’s based off body and looks so much has definitely taken a bad tool on my life. I’m 5’9/5’10 and so i know I’m to tall, and it’s really frustrating because I know how to play Ariel and other characters really well. But it feels like I can only be Villians or marvel characters. It’s super unhealthy in my opinion. I’m curious if any other performers developed this problem or body image issues because of how Disney casts.
Do characters get training on how to interact with autistic or non verbal guests? What do they teach you?
Are the break rooms different for different departments?
I have a bunch of family photo books from Disney World vacations before we moved to central Florida, and the differences between my siblings and I are very pronounced...
I reacted to characters as many different ways as there are characters. Jessie is my favorite, so when I'm with her I look like I'm having the best day ever. Figment has also always been a favorite character of mine, but I never got to see the puppet. I just remember being terrified of him at a pin event because Figment is NOT supposed to be that big. I was like, that is not Figment, that is an imposter and no one is willing to acknowledge that this is very suspicious 😂
My brother loved everyone, and my sister hid under the table at every character dining experience.
share more about being a fur character!!!
I'm confused. You said you worked there "a little over a year" with a break for COVID. So you started all your training early 2020, then started doing interactions and stuff like maybe October 2020 when they opened back up after COVID then left like mid 2021? So you really only worked there like 6 months?
Also, where you playing all these characters at the same time or did you switch. Like play only Aurora for a few months then, Wasp,then Meg. Or was one day Wasp the next Meg just based on who they needed that day?
nice video. how much does a princess job pay at disney if i may ask