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Former Cast Member Shares His Troubles with Disney Costumes

disney california adventure cast member

A former Disney Park Cast Member shared some interesting issues he faced with casting and costuming during his time with the Mouse House.

There are myriad reasons, the Disney rides and attractions being one of the primary ones, that people from all over the world flock to the Disney Parks. Whether it’s Parks like Animal Kingdom Park, or Magic Kingdom in Disney World or Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure in Disneyland, the heart of that experience finds the Disney Cast Members. These Disney workers are tireless in their effort to make the Disney experience magical for everyone who visits the Park.

Disneyland Resort/Disney Parks Blog

Disneyland Resort/Disney Parks Blog

Occasionally, however, things can get a bit bumpy for Cast Members, and not always because of the Guests.

One former Disneyland Resort Cast Member shared his previous experience working at Plaza de la Familia. Currently on view until November 2 at the Disney California Adventure Park, Plaza de la Familia is a special seasonal event that centers on the beloved Pixar film Coco. 

Former Cast Member Ryan Kelly, @youthpastorryan took to the social media platform TikTok to explain some concerns he had with casting and costuming choices for this event in previous years.

Check it out:

@youthpastorryan

Fun times. #disney #disneyland #magical #coco #disneyparks

♬ original sound – Ryan Kelly

In his TikTok Kelly explains how he was an entertainment host back during his Disney days, and his assignments were always assigned. One such assignment was to dress up in a mariachi-themed costume for Plaza de la Familia. Kelly was uncomfortable with this turn of events as a white person dressing up in this costume but went ahead with it.

While on stage, a Guest approached him and asked why he was wearing that costume. As Kelly tried explaining he didn’t have a say in the costume, the man pointed out the vest was a Turkish vest.

Plaza de la Familiar, Disney California Adventure Park/Disney

Plaza de la Familiar, Disney California Adventure Park/Disney

As it turned out, Kelly had been given a vest that was reportedly reused from a previous Aladdin show. While exclaiming at this, he also went on to say he was hesitant to bring this up to his higher-ups at Disney as he felt they wouldn’t care since he was at the time, “the lowest rung of society.”

Commenters in the section both agreed with Kelly’s complaint, one Iamnotgivingmy Nametoamachine saying, “They reused an ALADDIN set piece for COCO???”

While another commenter, a Cast Member named Ashley C said, “customers don’t get we just work there.”

Other commenters even expressed that while they were glad that Disney was being more inclusive with their storytelling, they should do more research and make better choices to accurately portray the cultures they are representing.

There is no official word from Disney about whether they do in fact recycle costumes or not.

We at Disney Fanatic will keep readers updated on all Disney news as it comes to light.

About Priyanka Kumar

Priyanka is a writer, artist, avid reader, and travel enthusiast based in Chicago. In her free time, she is probably walking by the lake, catching up on the latest releases on TV, or spending inordinate amounts of time rewatching Moana, Encanto, and her Disney Channel life-long favorites Zack and Cody wreak havoc on the Tipton.

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