After Disney World removed “Snow White” from the theme park’s meet-and-greet list, many guests and fans of the company voiced their opinions on Disney’s decision and future actions.
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What went wrong with Snow White at Disney World?
Disney recently made headlines after sharing news that a former cast member was unfairly fired from the company. If you haven’t yet checked out our initial coverage of Inside the Magic, we’ll keep you updated.
At Walt Disney World Resort, we take integrity of character very seriously. That’s why guests can’t wear costumes in the parks, why their dresses can’t touch the floor, and why you can get a permanent ban if you try to imitate a Disney character to another guest. Disney takes great care to train the characters to act, move, sound, and react just like their respective movie characters so that the magic is never ruined.
Even if you just went to the beach for the weekend and came back with a dark tan, playing the role of a princess like Snow White could be met with disapproval.
While performing at Disney, everything has to be the same, right down to the way you look.
With so many characters and cast members playing them, Disney also needs to make sure the magic of the characters lives on. For this reason, there is a rule that cast members cannot talk about the characters they are playing outside of the show, and only say that they are “friends” with the characters.
If this seems confusing, it’s basically Disney’s way of ensuring that “Jane Doe” never says “I am Cinderella,” because Cinderella is Cinderella.
This is especially important on social media. Characters who post themselves in costume while working for Disney often instruct their followers to mention the character and not themselves in the comments. For example, someone who played Aladdin might say on their post, “Please direct all comments to Aladdin.” That way, instead of having your friend say, “You look great,” they’ll say, “Aladdin looks great.”
The most recent scandal began with Sofia Dóttir, who was fired from the Disney College Program. Sofia has been working as a character performer for several months, and according to her Instagram, she appears to have played Snow White and Anna. Although she posted a photo of her as Sophia the character, she wasn’t breaking the rules to refer to that photo of her as her own. However, she made her YouTube videos, which got her into trouble with the House of Mouse.
In one video, Sofia talked about what it’s like to work at Disney and shared her many problems with Disney. She said how difficult it was to be on time for her shift and that she had already been reprimanded severely for being late. She also noted that even with her doctor’s note, she called in sick during her shift, which got her in trouble. All in all, it seems like Sofia isn’t a fan of the company as she watches the video. However, she makes it clear that she enjoys her position.
Although she never explicitly identifies herself as a character performer due to rules regarding character integrity, she has heard young children in Snow White costumes come up to her while wearing the same one. We have a strong guess as to what kind of dress it would be (so she could have been playing Snow White that day).
In the video, she talks about coming to Disney as a kid and dressing up as Snow White and eating at Akershus, and how that has come full circle now that she’s working at a restaurant. is mentioned. In her videos, she can be found dressed up as Snow White on her Instagram, which she says is where Disney got her foot in the door.
If you go to Sophia’s Instagram, you’ll see that she has a photo that appears to be Snow White. Therefore, if she mentions it, she is compromising the integrity of her personality. When questioned by Disney, she wrote a statement of defense to her team leader saying that as a child she called herself Snow White, which she also posted on her Instagram page.
Disney conducted an investigation and ultimately proceeded to fire Sophia, stating that it was best for them to part ways. Sophia had to leave the residence within 24 hours of that conversation.
Below is a video of Sophia speaking about the investigation and firing.
All in all, Sophia’s firing wasn’t very black and white. However, Disney has the power to fire employees for just cause, and in this case they did because Sofia might have compromised the integrity of the character. It probably didn’t help that she was frequently late, was reprimanded multiple times, and didn’t think highly of her company, but Disney cited them in explaining her reasons for firing her. It seems that part was omitted.
Disney fans agree with the cancellation of Snow White
Many of our readers had a lot to say regarding this specific termination after reading our initial coverage and watching the YouTube video. Sarah also agrees with Disney’s opinion, saying, “The video that Sophia posted that caused her termination is the second video in the article. I watched the entire video and watched her name, Disney mention the company several times. It saw her criticize the policy, hint that she was playing a character, and promise to reveal “Disney’s dirty little secret” in the final minutes. in her upcoming podcast series College Character Program. Yeah, I would have fired her too. ”
Tony also believed that he had to suffer the consequences of breaking the rules. “The company has rules and policies just like any other company. They are not difficult to follow. And if you are dissatisfied with her, you should address them personally and directly with management.” The DM similarly said, “When you’re hired, you know the rules. If you want to be a cast member at WDW, just follow them. It’s simple. Cast Member Integrity Follows the Rules.”
Former cast member Carmelo also jumped in, and although Carmelo didn’t work in entertainment, he didn’t agree with Sofia’s actions, but added, “As a former cast member (Brown Derby), I have great memories. It’s not perfect, but it’s great. I never would have done this. She should have been fired.”
One guest actually seemed to interact with Sophia “on stage” at Disney World, saying, “She charmed my grandmother with her amazing performance… I feel bad for her and the kids.”
However, while Sophia’s video is full of comments supporting her, deeming Disney to have unfairly fired her, the “Snow White” part of her firing is an excuse, and in fact, she was the one who spoke out negatively. Many people say they didn’t like being in the company while they were employed, posting about the company on social media.
Disney Performers Express, House of Mouse Issue
Disney character performers have also spoken out in the past. business insider Now, we have interviewed former cast member Melanie and revealed more information.
Unfortunately, I felt that if I was “disapproved” of my role, my dream role could be taken away from me the moment I was offered it.
In my experience, you can be “disapproved” of in many ways, but the most common one is people who say your character is “older” because she no longer looks like a 16-year-old cartoon princess. That’s it.
The most common fear for cast members was being called into a meeting with a “silhouette problem.” This means someone at Disney has a problem with your weight (or perhaps more accurately, the perception of your weight).
It was not uncommon to hear reports of managers coming across photos of character actors in Ariel’s Cave, where many of the performers wore mermaid tails or bikini tops, and referred castings due to concerns about their weight. In some cases, these actors were temporarily removed from the role of the mermaid until casting determined that they looked thinner.
Melanie continued, “Typically Disney has strict height requirements for characters, but I’ve seen these rules get ignored if the hiring manager really likes the person’s appearance. , it turns out that character performer roles aren’t always obtainable. Characters with faces like mine are chosen primarily for their appearance.
In my opinion, if you can get past the first round of just standing around and smiling, the audition process isn’t that tough. If the costume fits, Disney will teach you acting skills. ”
Unfortunately, this often led to feelings of envy and anger, especially when the casting team seemed to favor one performer over another. Thoughts like “Why is she assigned more characters than me?” “Why was she chosen for the parade, even though I have been working here for a long time?” is often in the minds of performers.
Melanie concluded: “There was never a day that I didn’t want to work. I loved the guests and I loved playing my characters. But the reality was, the magic of Disney couldn’t pay my bills. When I realized that my job didn’t love me back, it was time to move on. ”
Sophia is now back home and seems happy with the path she has chosen.
Do you think this was an unfair termination on Disney’s part?
