Ha! I’m not surprised. Although I don’t know if I personally could get use to so much (often intimate) attention. Although, to be fair, me and some of the guys I was with did end up hugging Bolt afterwards. Must have been a busy day for that guy!
( Oh and after watching an entire season of I Shouldn’t be Alive, I’m fairly sure that they use the same narration for each and every episode, only replacing certain keywords. They all follow the same formula after all! )
Cryptic,
I found this on another board and wanted to post to see if you knew the answer. The girl was just hired for full-time character via e-submission. She didn’t have to do an audition. She basically sent her picture, Disney wrote back wanting her to video a scene of acting like a certain character, they called her and offered her the job. On the disneyauditions website, it seems like this is a new way they are doing some of the face auditions:
“Also, on my dashboard on disneycareers it says that I am a character performer pg… Do you know what that means? I could just be over analyzing things but those two letters are annoying me because I don’t know what it means. Haha!”
First of all, I don’t it’s entirely accurate to say that “she didn’t have to do an audition” based on what you’ve described. Recording yourself on camera and sending to someone is most definitely an audition. For some people, it’s harder to act in front of a camera by yourself than it is at a studio with energetic people in the room with you.
But anyway, I was stumped by “PG” for a while. It’s not an acronym for any of the parks (MK, DAK, EPCOT, and HS), nor for any of the major resorts (Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Polynesian), nor any major attractions that I can think of. However, the other day I suddenly remembered that somewhere in the hiring process I was told that my full job title was “Character Performer - Global”, where the “Global” refers to the fact that I worked at all of the parks, not just one. My guess is that “PG” stands for “Park: Global” or something similar. I could definitely be wrong though.
Cryptic,
I live in Southern California an hour and a half away from Disneyland. There are two auditions coming up: a character performer audition and a lookalike audition. I really want to audition for both. I need a job and this seems like an awesome option to me. The character performer audition would be for a role at Disneyland while the lookalike would have to relocate to WDW for a year. I’m 21, I’m in a really rough part in life right now (like can’t-afford-to-eat rough) and don’t have any particular direction, so relocating for a year doesn’t seem so bad to me. I’ve lived in so many different places (Washington DC, Cleveland OH), so it’s not like I don’t know what relocating is all about. I’m really confident that I could ace either audition. The things that I’ve heard you have to do in auditions is basically just what I do all the time. I do stupid, big gestures in public, hula dance in crowds, make my way across a room in strange combinations of gestures and weird dances, and my friends describe me as the real-life embodiment of a Disney Princess. I used to get in trouble at my previous jobs for being too silly, singing too much, and acting overly-cheerful. I feel like if I gave it my all, I’d have no trouble landing a role.
While some of the previous posts have been reassuring, I am a little nervous about potentially relocating. I’ve never been to Florida before. I don’t need a lot to be happy and I know that a year can go by really fast, but I’d imagine that Orlando is quite different from Southern California. Would it be worth it to relocate to WDW for a year? Do cast members who are required to relocate receive any assistance from Disney if you are not in the college program? For example, do they help you find somewhere to live or are you on your own?
Hi there, SomethingDiabolical!
Here’s my first thought: If I were in your shoes, I would audition for both roles and then see what happens. If you get the Disneyland but not the WDW, or if you get neither, then you don’t need to worry about the relocation issue. If you get both, you can just take the easy option and stay where you are. If you get WDW but not Disneyland, but then decide that you really don’t want to relocate for a year, then you can just decline the offer.
In short, you really have nothing to lose by auditioning, right? I say just throw yourself at it and then cross bridges as they come.
If, however, that’s not your style, it may be worth mentioning that housing in Orlando is crazy cheap compared to everywhere else I’ve lived – Fairfield County CT, New York NY, Boston MA. I was astonished when Special K told me what she was paying for her first apartment after the college program. It had plenty of space, had carpeted floors, was in a gated community, with free parking and pool access, and yet was still cheaper than my tiny Boston apartment. Maybe her experience was atypical, and maybe the prices have gone up since then, but my hunch is that if you’ve been getting by in big cities, you won’t have a problem making ends meet in Orlando. I believe you are on your own in terms of finding a home, but I could be wrong.
Hey, Cryptic.
First of all, I really appreciate you answering everybody’s questions and giving great advice. Thank you for that.
I’m interested in doing the DCP for Fall 2013 and I would love to work as Character Performer. I have fair skin, dark hair, and brown eyes. So far, my best bet for face would be Snow White. All I have to do is cover a mole on my face with some Dermablend. I read that the Princesses height is 5’3 to 5’7. I recently measured myself and it says that I am 5’2 and a half, that would instantly count as 5’3, right? I hope so. For fur, I’d love to portray Jessie.
Also, I’d love to hear your experience about working as a Toy Soldier in the Christmas Parade. How was that like? Was the costume any different from your Tigger costume? The reason I ask b/c I was a flag twirler in my high school marching band and we marched in a parade for a week long event called Fiesta where I live and my junior year, I actually had the opportunity to march at Disney World for their marching band event, so that was tons of fun.
I also worked as a performer for the Halloween season at Sea World San Antonio, where I live, do you think that would help me out if I were to audition for a face character?
Thanks for taking the time to read this Cryptic. It means a lot.
Sincerly,
topaz1993
Hi there, topaz1993!
I recently measured myself and it says that I am 5’2 and a half, that would instantly count as 5’3, right?
I’m not so sure about that. I actually am 5’10", so I don’t know firsthand how precisely they measure people, but I imagine they would record half-inches without rounding. However, I have heard stories of people’s “Disney height” being different from their actual height, with the theory being that the evaluators will nudge people towards the height range that most desperately needs additional performers. So maybe you are in good shape. Only one way to find out, eh?
Also, I’d love to hear your experience about working as a Toy Soldier in the Christmas Parade. How was that like? Was the costume any different from your Tigger costume?
Performing as a Toy Soldier was a ton of fun. Some people might find the rehearsal process tedious (because there is a lot of repetition) or intimidating (since there is a lot to learn in a short time), but I’ve always enjoyed seeing productions come together. The woman who taught our choreography was both a good teacher and a bright, fun person to be around.
Rehearsals, preparations, and the actual parades presented a very different dynamics than working as fur. With fur, you have a lot of freedom about how to move and interact with guests, and you meet new performers and attendants all the time. As a Toy Soldier, I did the same choreography, worked with the same group of 28 guys (16 soldiers, 12 band members), the same 5 costume attendants, and the same 3 managers every single shift. This may not have been typical, however, as MOUCP is a seasonal show that is only taught to one cast at a time. For more common parades, there may be several dozen different performers trained in each position, so the dynamic is going to be quite different.
As for the costumes, Tigger and Toy Soldier were about as different from each other as it is possible to get within the Disney realm. Playing Tigger felt like wearing a heavy coat. Yes, it makes your limbs bulkier, but you still have largely unhampered freedom of movement. The Toy Soldier rig is made of dense, angular plastic components which greatly restrict movement. I couldn’t turn my head as far, I couldn’t lift my arms as high, and the boots are enormous, which makes walking quite a chore until you get used to it. On the plus side, it was well ventilated and surprisingly light, which was definitely nice on hot days.
I also worked as a performer for the Halloween season at Sea World San Antonio, where I live, do you think that would help me out if I were to audition for a face character?
My impression is that once you’ve signed up for the audition, the only thing that matters for the evaluators is what you do during that audition. I could be wrong though. In any case, it couldn’t hurt, right?
Break a leg, topaz1993!
I have been unsuccessful in finding how to get in touch with a specific character. When I say “specific”, I mean exactly that: I want to try to write to the actual man and woman who were “Aladdin” and “Jasmine” at Disney World at a specific location on specific days.
I hate to bore you (and any other poor souls out there) with my story, but I think my request will make more sense if I do: is it possible for me to send you a PM?
I believe what transpired on our trip wasn’t “normal”. Honestly, I suspect it wasn’t even “magical”. It went beyond that. I would question my own observations, but several very bizarre and wonderfully unusual things happened that seem to confirm that a completely unexpected, but very meaningful connection happened.
(In the hopes that you don’t think I’m completely insane, I will share this small bit of info: 2 attractive, early 20 something girls/women pull my sister aside and tell her that they are “friends of Jasmine’s” and that “Jasmine wanted [me] to know that [my] son was her favorite boy that she had ever met in all her time at Disney”. They even videotaped Jasmine with my son and took pictures of them together. Again, making sure that we understood that they weren’t trying to be creepy but that Jasmine had requested they do it. Although we had a photopass with the photos of our son and Jasmine, I realized she wouldn’t have access to that. This was the only way to have her own photos of my son with her. As I write this out, I do read how looney tunes I sound and how much like a pedophile Jasmine sounds. ) Anyway, can I contact you directly? Or, have I completely frightened you?
Well dip me in axle grease and call me slick, thanks for the great advice Cryptic! 
I hope you don’t mind if I can ask you another question.
Did you ever have any regulars that would come and see you over at the park like these gals in the vid here?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYBMZkVcg8U
I know it’s a bit off topic, but I truly loved what the characters did in this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGJECkpdbjA
Also, I sorta know where you’re coming from with the tedious routine for the parade. Before we went to Florida, my high school band marched around to get a feel for it. It was really awesome though b/c when we were at the Magic Kingdom, we saw marching bands going around. Our band was to go last, so we sorta got to open for the big electrical parade or main street parade. I really don’t know what it’s called anymore. Going behind the scenes was really interesting, seeing all the floats and performers lined up. One thing I truly remember was passing by Cinderella’s carriage and her skirt of her ballgown was in there. I looked the other way and there was Cinderella, with Prince Charming, only she had the
top of her gown on and wearing little bloomer/pantaloons thing. Also seeing some of the other performers of the parade play Red Rover, I wanted to join them so bad. Haha!
You got to have memorable days for you performing as Tigger and that is awesome, telling your kids one day you got to work in Disney World. At least you never got threaten to be kicked in face or have a heavy set man step on your hand. That’s what happened to me at Sea World. Haha! 
Anyway, you’re a plate of epic with win on the side for doing this Cryptic.
Sincerly,
topaz
P.S. Thank you Elendil’s Heir! 
**I hate to bore you (and any other poor souls out there) with my story, but I think my request will make more sense if I do: is it possible for me to send you a PM?
**
I seriously doubt that you will bore anyone with your story. I certainly wouldn’t mind! But if you prefer, you are more than welcome to send me a PM.
Did you ever have any regulars that would come and see you over at the park like these gals in the vid here? Link
The description of the video doesn’t mention when the ladies had previously interacted with the characters. I suspect that it was within the same day that the video was recorded. If they were “regulars” in the sense that they visited the parks several dozen times per year, the odds that they would encounter one performer often enough to be remembered later is pretty slim. I don’t have any memory of interacting with particularly guests on multiple occasions. I have met plenty of people who said that they visit WDW every summer/christmas/birthday, so in that sense, there are a fair number of “regulars”.
Okay, I ended up sending an e-mail rather than a PM because I wanted to attach a document. (It’s probably easier to read that way.) Apologies in advance for the long story…
Hey Cryptic,
Any advice on the phone interview? I applied yesterday and already passed the Web Based Interview. I have the phone interview the upcoming Friday and I’m a bit nervous.
bonsaroonie: While reading your story, something popped into my head that you might not have realized. Character performers (good ones, anyway) can tell which guests really care and which don’t. This might not be something that individual guests think about, but it’s incredibly obvious from the perspective of the performer. I can’t say for sure what was going on inside Aladdin’s and Jasmine’s heads, but my hunch is that they saw something in your eyes or your son’s eyes that made them think, “If we give a little bit, it will really be worth something to these people.”
As for how to contact them after the fact, I think your best bet may be to go to this feedback form, select “My Recent Walt Disney World Visit Questions & Comments” as the subject, and try to give as much identifying detail as you can. The date, the time, the park, the location, the attendant’s name (if you can remember), etc. Customer service is such a huge priority at WDW that I would be very surprised if your message were ignored.
Any advice on the phone interview?
Don’t sweat it! I went into it expecting a slew of deep, tricky questions, but it was much more straightforward than that. Just take some time, put a bit of smile into your voice, and you’ll do fine.
Thanks Cryptic.
What about the audition?
What about the audition?
What about it? Dopers began asking about auditions on the first page of this thread, and by now there are probably dozens of posts about the process. Ctrl+F is your friend. If you find anything that you’d like me to clarify or elaborate on, I’ll happily do so.
i have a question for you, cryptic. have you been back to the parks since they opened new fantasyland? if you haven’t, i highly recommend it. be our guest restaurant inside the new castle is especially wonderful.
Still digging this thread. Thanks for keeping it going.
Actually, Star Wars has a completely separate audition process. A few months beforehand, they’ll have open auditions, meaning ANYONE, non cast-member, non-Entertainment, or Entertainment can audition. It’s understood that this will, more than likely, be just a temporary role, and not a new full-time job.
Actually, character performers CAN access the Photopass pictures. They’re not supposed to, but, in certain break rooms there are computers that Photopass can use that characters will sometimes access to check on their photos. It’s not unlikely that, if Al and Jasmine have access (I don’t know if there’s one in their break room or not), she may have snapped a picture OF the picture.
Have you been back to the parks since they opened new fantasyland?
Nope. I haven’t been to any of the Disney parks since the summer of 2010.