Mickey’s Toontown Completes this Mother’s Legacy, Brings Story Full Circle

The Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort have most definitely earned their monikers of “The Most Magical Place on Earth” and “The Happiest Place on Earth,” respectively. Any Disney Theme Park at each Disney Resort is filled with myriad entertainment offerings for Guests of all ages. Guests from all over the world flock to the Disney Parks for their chance at living that quintessential Disney experience.

However, it’s not only Guests who get to live the Disney magic while at the Parks. Cast Members also have the chance to live, feel, and indulge in Disney’s magic!

Recently, Disney Parks Blog shared a wonderful story of how a son fulfilled a family legacy at Disneyland Park, particularly sharing how their family’s story came full circle at Mickey’s Toontown.

The story begins with Gina Nassar in 1993.

“Toontown was the start of my Disney career,” Gina shared. Gina Nassar was a Walt Disney Travel Company reservations agent and was approached to help out with planning for the initial grand opening and celebration of the land. She was in charge of coordinating reservations and itineraries for media outlets who were invited to Disneyland Park for “a red-carpet, celebrity-filled premiere.”

While that was her first event, Gina quickly learned the ropes and moved into  Disneyland Resort special events in 1998.

Gina’s future husband, Al Nassar, now a senior manager in Experience Services and Event Production, was also at the grand opening event; he was guiding invitees from Toontown to the “Fantasmic!” viewing area for a special performance. The pair got to know each other a few years later during the 1998 opening of the new, reimagined Tomorrowland in Disneyland Resort.

The couple soon fell in love and got married in 2000. Gina shared, “We’re very supportive of each other … we don’t put one of our careers higher than the other. We always make it work.”

Gina and Al’s son, Caden, was born in 2002.

“I have grown up with Disney my entire life,” said Caden, now 20. “I came to the parks for fun all the time. When one of my parents was working, the other would be with me [there].”

After graduating high school, Caden knew Disney was calling his name, and he joined the Disney Aspire program, pursuing a communications degree from Wilmington University in Delaware. However, what was truly magical about this Disney family was when Caden brought the Nassar family story full circle. He applied and was selected as a special events working lead and to the opening team for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

All three members of the Nassar family participated in various capacities in a media event earlier this spring, which celebrated the reimagining of Mickey’s Toontown.

It’s certainly a wonderful way to celebrate the magic of being a Disney family and part of the Disney community!

More on Mickey’s Toontown

Mickey’s Toontown originated from the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which depicted a neighborhood where the Disney characters lived. The popularity of the film led to the creation of a similarly themed land in Disneyland, California, in 1993. The land is home to Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Goofy’s How-To-Play Yard, Mickey’s House, Café Daisy, CenTOONial Park, and more.