Girl Brightens Cast Members’ Days By Handing Out Flowers

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Uncategorized

A lot of people seem to think that working at a Disney theme park might be one of the best jobs in the world. However, dealing with Guests every day who are hot, tired, overstimulated, and maybe annoyed at a problem they are dealing with can be a lot. Cast Members can sometimes be subjected to abuse from Guests that they absolutely do not deserve. Being a Cast Member is hard work, and always trying to keep the magic alive can be somewhat challenging.

One young girl and her family, however, are determined to show Cast Members just how important and appreciated they are. Miss Ellie Honeybee is an adorable young girl who has won awards for her incredible cosplay. For those who may be unfamiliar, cosplay is a portmanteau of “costume play” where people wear incredibly accurate costumes to represent specific characters.

Ellie loves visiting Disneyland Resort with her family and wearing impressive costumes. Ellie has dressed as characters such as Scarlett Witch, Loki, Princess Anna, the Haunted Mansion’s Constance Hatchaway, and more. In addition to the accessories to complete her costumes, there is one thing Ellie also never goes to the theme parks without — a lot of carnations.

Ellie walks up to various Cast Members in the Parks and hands them the flowers to thank them for all the work that they do. The Cast Members are usually caught unawares and the small gesture of kindness really makes their day.

You can watch just one of Ellie’s many adorable videos below.

@misselliehoneybee

Disney Magic Part 3 #disneyland #magic #foryou #castmember #flowers #thankyou #disneymagic #spreadingjoy #disneybound #disney #wandavision #magic

♬ Happily ever after – 𝓑𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓷𝔂

Ellie is very active on social media and has over 5,000 followers on TikTok, which is impressive for any kid, but it is her TikTok following that is really getting her noticed. Miss Ellie Honeybee as she is known on social media platforms has over 98,000 followers on TikTok and her videos have amassed over 3.2 million likes. If you would love to watch more videos of Ellie brightening Cast Members’ days (and maybe your own) you can do so by clicking here.

The newest Disney technology, MagicBand+, comes to Disneyland in 2022

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

We first brought you news about the newest member of the MagicBand family just before the kick-off to the Most Magical Celebration on Earth on October 1 at Walt Disney World.

The next-generation MagicBand+ will feature the latest in ways to access the Magic at Disney Parks, and we’ve just learned that the magic of the new bands will be available to Guests at the Disneyland Resort beginning in 2022 as well!

More details will be revealed soon about all that Guests can do with the next-gen technology of the MagicBand+. Features will differ some between the two U. S. parks, and we’ll learn more about that in the coming months.

ALSO, the most fun technology from Disney ever–the “Hey, Disney!” voice assistant powered by Alexa on Amazon Echo devices will also become available to Guests at Disneyland who book a stay at one of Disneyland’s exciting and themed Resort Hotels.

Dolls in ‘It’s a Small World’ attraction have to have routine haircuts because their hair keeps growing

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Magic Kingdom

Via DisDining.com

This post starts out sounding a bit like something from a Stephen King novel or a horror flick franchise. But alas, the chances are very good that you have been in the company of the terrifying dolls referenced here, as they are the ones inside the “it’s a small world” attraction at Disney World.

But this is not a joke or a hoax or a TikTok trend or a YouTube challenge. The meticulously crafted dolls that make up the scenes inside the “it’s a small world” attraction must have annual haircuts to keep them looking their best. Read on and you’ll learn why.

The ‘it’s a small world’ attraction first debuted at the Walt Disney World Resort on Opening Day in 1971. It’s one of those attractions that Guests either love or hate, and if they hate it, it’s often because of the tireless renditions of the theme song by the Sherman Brothers, “It’s a Small World After All,” played on repeat. It’s been estimated that the song plays more than 1,000 times each day.

Disney calls it “the happiest cruise that ever sailed,” and hails the attraction for getting Walt’s message across clearly: that it truly is a very small world when you think about it.

“Sing along to the classic anthem of world peace during a delightful musical boat tour. Cruise along the Seven Seaways Waterway on a gentle 10-minute journey through all 7 continents. Pass through vivid, fantastical scenes representing the iconic sights and sounds of dozens of nations. Behold a cast of dancing darlings from nearly every corner of the globe and watch as the Audio-Animatronics figures achieve universal harmony as they sing one song in many languages.”

Long-time Disney delight Mary Blair was instrumental in the details of the attraction, as was designer Alice Davis. Under the direction of Davis, Disney seamstresses sewed costumes for all the dolls in the attraction. When it was all over, more than 300 costumes were at the ready for Cast Members to dress the dolls, each one made from different regions’ materials, such as silks from India and wool from Scotland for the Scottish bagpiper’s costume.

But this lesser-known fact about “it’s a small world” has Guests feeling a bit uneasy about the attraction. It has others just plain horrified. TikTokker @thedisneyparkers lets fans in on a little secret (or two):

@thedisneyparkers

Reply to @tyler91j #itsasmallworld #itsasmallworldafterall #magickingdom #disneyworld #disney #disneyfacts

♬ original sound – The Disney Parkers

You heard that right! The dolls in the attraction have to have yearly haircuts so that they don’t end up looking completely disheveled, and it’s not a joke. The dolls’ hair is made of yarn, and over the course of the year, humidity causes the yarn to stretch out, yielding the need for each doll’s hair to be cut and reshaped.

@thedisneyparkers’ video also states that the dolls continue moving and dancing all night long, even after the music stops and the park closes, but we can’t confirm this. (If we’re being honest, we don’t really believe that music ever stops!)

“it’s a small world” Floods, Holiday Opening Delayed

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Uncategorized
it's a small world holiday

From mid-November through early January, the holidays take over Disney Parks. Specialty food is available, fun merchandise is for sale, decorations are hung by the castles with care, and festive parades and fireworks shows entertain Guests daily. There are even some attractions that receive holiday overlays — at Walt Disney World, the world-famous Jungle Cruise becomes the Jingle Cruise and at Disneyland Resort, “it’s a small world” becomes “it’s a small world” Holiday, celebrating holiday traditions from around the world.

The holiday season at Disneyland Resort is set to kick off on Friday, November 12, and “it’s a small world” Holiday was also scheduled to open at that time. The attraction is closed for approximately two to three weeks beforehand as Disney Cast Members transform the ride into a colorful holiday experience. Unfortunately, Disney has had to delay the ride’s opening due to some flooding that took place while the Park was closed.

According to a report from The Orange County Register:

Flooding that occurred during the process of refilling the flume on It’s a Small World will delay the reopening of the classic boat ride as Disneyland prepares to kick off the winter holiday season and launch the new Merriest Nites after hours event.

It’s a Small World experienced some flooding that affected machinery used to operate the attraction during the early morning hours on Wednesday, Nov. 10 while Disneyland was closed to the public, according to Disneyland officials.

Disneyland realizes the closure of It’s a Small World is disappointing for guests who look forward to this holiday tradition and has teams working around the clock to get the attraction open as soon as possible, according to Disneyland officials.

it's a small world holiday

Here is more information on “it’s a small world” Holiday from the Disneyland Resort website:

Set sail along a wondrous wintry waterway transformed with whimsical décor. Behold jubilant regional adornments all along your world tour of good cheer. Listen as the costumed chorus of children sings the classic “It’s a Small World (After All)” song and traditional holiday tunes.

The enchantment begins as you approach the iconic façade, which is adorned with thousands of shimmering lights for the season.

it's a small world holiday

While no reopening date has been announced for “it’s a small world” Holiday at this time, Disney may still decide to use the building facade for projections for its Believe…In Holiday Magic fireworks as it has done in the past.

Protests at Disney Park lead to closure of large Guest area

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

If you think that the coronavirus pandemic hasn’t trickled down through many facets of everyday life–including theme park operations and staffing concerns–you might want to think again.

Shortly after the virus was first discovered among people who were falling ill in China, Disney Parks in Asia closed their gates to Guests. Shanghai Disneyland announced its closure, effective January 25, 2020, “in response to the prevention and control of the disease outbreak and in order to ensure the health and safety of [the park’s] Guests and Cast Members.”

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort closed its gates on January 26, Tokyo Disneyland closed on March 1 in response to the growing spread of the virus. Disneyland Paris closed on March 12, 2020, and Disney’s U. S. parks followed suit only days later.

Initially, the spread of COVID-19 seemed to call for very temporary closures. In the cases of Disneyland Paris and Disneyland Resort in California, the closures lasted longer than anyone had imagined. The Paris park reopened, only to be closed again in the fall of 2020.

And then came the layoffs.

As of October 3, 2020, approximately 37,000 Cast Members–who were not expected to be laid off–were on furlough. And then in late September 2020, Disney announced plans for 28,000 layoffs that would take place in early 2021. Josh D’Amaro, President of Disney Parks, Products and Experiences, said the decision was a difficult one.

“As you can imagine, a decision of this magnitude is not easy,” D’Amaro wrote in a memo to Cast Members. “For the last several months, our management team has worked tirelessly to avoid having to separate anyone from the company. We’ve cut expenses, suspended capital projects, furloughed our cast members while still paying benefits, and modified our operations to run as efficiently as possible, however, we simply cannot responsibly stay fully staffed while operating at such limited capacity.”

Of those 28,000 layoffs, 67% were part-time employees, per D’Amaro. But more layoffs followed. In November, Disney added several thousand more layoffs to the initial 28,000.

Cast Members are back to work now, but there is growing unrest over pay that some Cast Members say is not “a living wage.” Some Cast Members at Disneyland Resort in California were so determined in their cause, that they filed suit against Disney, alleging that Disney wasn’t holding up its end of a deal made with the City of Anaheim that would require Disney to pay a minimum wage of $15 per hour by 2019, and then to increase that pay by at least $1 per hour to $18 per hour by the year 2022.

Disneyland

But the judge presiding over the case sided with Disney.

Protests and demonstrations regarding Cast Member pay, benefits and even working conditions have been taking place at multiple Disney Parks. Some at Disneyland Paris went on strike in October outside Disney’s Newport Bay Club Resort Hotel. A protest at Disneyland in California was related to allegedly less than desirable working conditions and understaffing.

And just today, reports have surfaced that demonstrations taking place inside the park at Disneyland Paris have once again disrupted operations. Today’s protests have warranted to closure of the Castle hub at the park, according to DLP Report (@DLPReport) on Twitter.

Today’s demonstration is by Cast Members who are part of the union known as CGT. Cast Members at Disney Parks are represented by multiple unions. Disneyland Paris security personnel have been trying their best to keep anyone from photographing the event, per @DLPReport.

It’s not clear exactly what specific effects these protests will have on operations at the park today. DisneyDining will be following this story and other protests and strikes by Cast Members and keep you updated as well.