David Roark/Disney Parks via Getty Images If you want to be Gaston, you should look like other Gastons. Disney performers stand a better chance of getting hired if they look like other performers, not just the character. I had a little more flexibility when I had shifts as Belle in the France pavilion at Epcot, where I would sometimes wander through the French bakery and the fountain before going to meet guests.” 2. “Anywhere else was generally not off-limits, though most of our time was spent meeting and greeting in a specific place. “As far as when we are in character, we are discouraged from posing in front of restroom entrances, as well as posing with guests wearing explicit or politically-based apparel,” Sandra tells Mental Floss.
But according to Sandra, who was friends with Belle from 1991’s Beauty and the Beast at Walt Disney World, some might decline a picture if the circumstances aren’t right. This can either mean a “fur” character with a suit that covers their entire body (Donald Duck, for example) or a “face” that can use their natural expressions like any of the Disney princesses around the park. Nothing commemorates a trip to a Disney park like a photo opportunity with a costumed character. There are some things off-limits for Disney performers when taking pictures. Mickey and company are, after all, as real as your imagination allows.) 1. (Just remember-cast members don’t tend to reveal that they “play” characters. Here’s what they had to say about uncomfortable costumes, princess cliques, and proper baby protocol. We thought it was time for another peek behind the curtain, so we spoke with a trio of former performers. (Unless you’re Goofy.) When we last spoke with some actors in 2015, they talked about height requirements and practicing character autographs. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Pluto offer plush hugs Pixar characters like Buzz Lightyear look like oversized toys princesses like Cinderella and Ariel from 1989’s The Little Mermaid offer a fairy tale atmosphere.īehind these guises you’ll find character performers-Disney employees who are tasked with breathing life into iconic figures using body language, improvisation, and grace. While rides and attractions are often worth the price of admission-which starts at $109 at Walt Disney World and varies depending on the day and location-it’s the chance to interact with classic Disney characters that often makes for lasting memories. Lily James played a live-action version of the character in the 2015 live action adaptation of the original 1950 film.At Disneyland in Anaheim, Walt Disney World in Orlando, and at international Disney parks around the world, guests flock to the Happiest Places on Earth to immerse themselves in a fantasy. With her iconic glass slippers, silver gown, hairstyle, and transformation, one of the first on-screen makeovers of its kind, the character has been established as a fashion icon, receiving accolades and recognition from InStyle, Entertainment Weekly, Glamour and, as well as footwear designer and fashion icon Christian Louboutin, who, in 2012, designed and released a shoe based on Cinderella's glass slippers. Panned or praised, Cinderella has nonetheless become one of the most famous and recognizable princesses in the history of film. Woods' vocal performance has also been praised. Other critics found her endearing, charming, and timeless. Reception towards Cinderella has been mixed, with some film critics describing the character as much too passive, one-dimensional, and less interesting than the film's supporting characters. Cinderella, aided by her kind Fairy Godmother and equipped with a beautiful silver gown and a unique pair of glass slippers, attends, only to have to leave at midnight when the Fairy Godmother's spell is broken. When Prince Charming holds a ball, the evil stepmother does not allow her to go. In the wake of her father's untimely demise, Cinderella is left in the care of her cruel stepmother and jealous stepsisters, who constantly mistreat her, forcing Cinderella to work as a scullery maid in her own home. Drizella and Anastasia Tremaine (stepsisters).