BREAKING NEWS: Disney Addresses Cutting Casts and Shows at Walt Disney World
If you’ve been following along with MickeyBlog then you know that this was a bleak week as Disney let go of most of the actors and performers for live stage shows at Walt Disney World. With most of Disney World’s shows shuttered due to COVID-19 and with no indication of when they might be up and running again Disney let the casts of many popular Disney productions go including:
- FInding Nemo The Musical
- Green Army Drum Corps
- Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
- Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire
- Beauty and the Beast Live On Stage
- Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
- Turtle Talk With Crush
- Jedi Training Academy
- Festival of the Lion King
- Citizens of Hollywood
Disney released an official statement about the cuts for the first time today saying:
“We recognize that part of the magic of visiting any Disney park is seeing favorite Disney friends and discovering one-of-a-kind shows and performances” The statement continues, “Since reopening, we’ve continued to offer modified character experiences and entertainment throughout our resort while also taking the appropriate steps for health and safety for our guests.”
Directly addressing the cuts, the statement continues, “Recently, we’ve had to make some difficult decisions to reduce our workforce as the business impacts from the Covid-19 pandemic have become more long-lasting than anyone could have predicted. As a result, we’ve had to pause many live shows and entertainment experiences at our resort for longer than originally anticipated.”
The company then goes on to suggest that shows may be brought back once the theme parks are ready to reopen shows saying, “Determining which shows can return and when is a complex process. As with the rest of our phased reopening, we will also consider the guidance of health officials and government agencies in determining when the time will be right to adjust capacity, and as soon as it is appropriate, we will start to bring additional entertainment back.”
Walt Disney World rounds out their statement by highlighting some of the shows and entertainment options that remain at the parks. This includes:
- Character cavalcades across the parks.
- For The First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration at Hollywood Studios.
- Main Street Philharmonic Live Performance in Magic Kingdom
- Discovery Island Drummers at Animal Kingdom
- Voices of Liberty at Epcot
- Mariachi Cobre at Epcot
- JAMMitors at EPCOT.
Here at MickyBlog our hearts go out to the cast members and their families that have been impacted by the recent job cuts. This is a story that we will continue to follow closely and we will always do our best to keep you updated as and when changes are being made to Disney’s entertainment line up.
