# What's it like to work for Disney? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 29, 2005, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-it-like-to-work-for-disney/287257 "2005-01-29T07:36:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-it-like-to-work-for-disney/287257/1 "2005-01-29T07:36:34Z")
Not so much working in the parks, but in the corporate area. Has anyone here worked for Disney or know someone that has worked there? ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-it-like-to-work-for-disney/287257/2 "2005-01-29T07:44:57Z")
Reminds me of a news story I read in which restrictive workplace policies had caused some employees to call the place “Mouschwitz” and “Duckau.” ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-it-like-to-work-for-disney/287257/3 "2005-01-29T07:55:55Z")
As I have often mentioned, I worked for one of the major studios in LA…(not Disney) but I knew a lot of people who worked for Disney. What is it like to work there? Sheer hell. They all hated it and it was considered once of the worst studios to work at. Horrible company morale, over-worked for lower pay than most studios, rigid regulations, bad benefits…the list goes on. When I first moved to LA I signed up at a temp agency that specialized in work in the film studios. I had to fill out standard paperwork, and then suddenly there was a huge stack of papers to be filled out if I wanted to work for Disney…goodlord you should have seen what they asked, and this was even before being offered a job there as a temp! Trust me on this, the Disney Studios is NOT the happiest place on earth. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-it-like-to-work-for-disney/287257/4 "2005-01-29T16:26:40Z")
Harlan Ellison worked there for about four hours as a young man – the brass saw him in the cafeteria doing his impression of Mickey directing a Disney porn movie. By the time he returned to his office, his secretary was gone and his name was painted out of his parking space. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Dirx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@Sir\_Dirx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Dirx)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-it-like-to-work-for-disney/287257/5 "2005-01-29T23:07:49Z")
A friend of mine was recently in Florida about possibly working as an animator for Disney. She said essentially the same things **DMark** did, with a few additional bits: [ul] [li]You’re apparently “hazed” by having to work as a costumed character in the park for a period of time.[/li][li]Any creative work you produce–even if it’s in your spare time and not even remotely related to anything Disney–is owned exclusively by Disney.[/li][li]Despite everything, it’s a really big plus to have “Disney Animator” on your résumé.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-it-like-to-work-for-disney/287257/6 "2005-01-29T23:10:24Z")
> [@Nametag](#): > > Harlan Ellison worked there for about four hours as a young man – the brass saw him in the cafeteria doing his impression of Mickey directing a Disney porn movie. By the time he returned to his office, his secretary was gone and his name was painted out of his parking space. Despite the fact that I don’t like Ellison, this was funny. [Snopes story](http://www.snopes.com/disney/wdco/ellison.htm) ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-it-like-to-work-for-disney/287257/7 "2005-01-29T23:28:26Z")
You can read Harlan’s firsthand account of said Disney employment here (it’s in the third part): [_The Three Most Important Things In Life_](http://harlanellison.com/iwrite/mostimp.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-it-like-to-work-for-disney/287257/8 "2005-01-29T23:39:03Z")
> [@Sir Dirx](#): > > [ul] > [li]Any creative work you produce–even if it’s in your spare time and not even remotely related to anything Disney–is owned exclusively by Disney.[/li][/ul] Isn’t this what happened to Tim Burton and a few of his earlier works like **Vincent** and **Frankenweenie**?