Shows Not Returning Soon Due to Mass Entertainment Layoffs at Disney World
Another massive round of Cast Member layoffs hit entertainment at Walt Disney World, including performers and supporting Cast Members at many highly popular shows in the parks & resorts. In this post, we’ll cover details and offer commentary.
These entertainment cuts are part of the 28,000 layoffs announced for Walt Disney World and Disneyland last month. Thus far, it appears that Florida accounts for roughly 15,000 of the lost jobs. However, these have been occurring in waves as Disney negotiates with unions, and are likely not finished yet.
Before we begin, a reminder that Central Florida’s tourism industry has been devastated, with many people losing their jobs. Please see our Help Give Back to Disney Cast Members & Community post, which offers a range of ways you can assist during this time of need. Beyond that, have extra empathy and courtesy when interacting with Cast Members in the coming days, weeks, and months.
The last few weeks have been rough, and the latest round of entertainment layoffs is equally devastating. Hearing from Cast Member friends and seeing acquaintances post that they “got the call.” Opening social media and hearing from people who have received the life-altering news. It’s heartbreaking over and over again.
Some of these people are Disney lifers who have been with the company for decades. Some have opened multiple new parks. Some were truly living their dream in working for this company. Some uprooted their families and lives to move to Florida or California and be magic-makers. All were ambassadors for Disney, worthy stewards of Walt’s legacy, and vital assets for the company. We cannot fathom Disney without all of these people. They were what makes Disney, Disney.
For many of you, these entertainment layoffs are likely going to “hit harder” because these are highly-visible roles in popular shows or atmospheric acts that left indelible, lasting memories on your vacations. It’s just worth pointing out that for every one of these prominent entertainment jobs lost, there are a dozen other less visible positions that have also been eliminated.
All of them are integral in making the rides, shows, restaurants, and everything else about the Walt Disney World experience run smoothly. Whether someone works in custodial or as Cinderella, those jobs are both essential in making Walt Disney World what it is.
As for the latest round of layoffs, many of those affected are members of Actors’ Equity Association, a union for stage managers and performers. You might recall that over the summer, that union and Disney were at odds over performers returning to work safely. The standoff was highly publicized and contentious, but the union and Disney ultimately reached an “agreement” when the Maingate testing complex opened near Animal Kingdom.
Since that time, some performers have returned to Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Savi’s Workshop and the Frozen Sing-Along Celebration. All other shows have remained dark and atmospheric entertainment has not been called back.
After we published this post, that union released a statement about the layoffs. “Our hearts go out to all the cast members at Walt Disney World,” said Kate Shindle, president of Actors’ Equity Association. “Disney has made it clear that our members would face work reductions since they announced layoffs of nearly 28,000 employees. That does not make this news any less painful.”
Prior to the closure in March, about 780 Equity Cast Members were employed at Walt Disney World, either full time, part time or seasonally. About 60 are currently working or about to return to work in the park. About 720 Equity member workers have now been laid off. According to the new MOU with Disney, these laid-off members maintain recall rights until the end of 2021.
The layoffs of these 720 performers and show support Cast Members at Walt Disney World are incredibly widespread. While Walt Disney World has not released a statement (and we wouldn’t expect one), we’ve received multiple credible reports on the shows impacted.
Outside the parks, the first big one is the entirety of the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. This dinner show has been a venerable “Vacation Kingdom” staple since 1974 and should’ve had a spotlight shined on it for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary.
Over at Animal Kingdom, both Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo: The Musical are among the shows that had their Cast Members laid off.
The entire cast and crew for Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, and Jedi Training Academy: Trials of the Temple at Disney’s Hollywood Studios were also let go.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios also saw Streetmosphere cuts, with the Green Army Men in Toy Story Land and Citizens of Hollywood both reportedly being eliminated.
On that front, the Citizens of Main Street in Magic Kingdom were also laid off. Over in Tomorrowland, the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor cast and crew was also let go.
Note that this is not an exhaustive list of the stage shows, atmospheric acts, and other entertainment that Walt Disney World has laid off. These are simply what we were able to independently and credibly confirm.
Our hearts go out to the performers, crew, and unsung support staff that made all of these productions possible. These are deep cuts that will leave scars on Walt Disney World for years to come, well after there’s a full recovery and things return to “normal.”
Back when it was revealed that Disney had ended the Grand Floridian Society Orchestra’s run, we offered extensive commentary. That focused largely on Walt Disney World being increasingly less concerned with delivering commensurate value for money, and more preoccupied with increasing profit margins. All of that remains true here. We’re not going to rehash all of it–you’ll undoubtedly be outraged and upset without us pouring gasoline on that proverbial bonfire.
To be abundantly clear, this bothers us. It’s painful to see, we hurt for those Cast Members, and stand by all of that prior commentary. It’s also the most evident sign yet that Walt Disney World is not going back to normal anytime soon, at a time when so many are craving normalcy. Bluntly, this means these shows and acts are not coming back this year or any time in the near future.
With that said, we want to strike a bit of an optimistic tone here, as a lot of the commentary we’ve seen on social media has been incredibly bleak. There’s talk that Disney has wanted to cut entertainment for years and finally has an excuse, that Disney is now no different from Six Flags, etc.
Some of those comments are emotional hyperbole, others are sincere. Regardless, they’re misguided or flat-out wrong, at least in the long term.
While Walt Disney World has been adept at trimming budgets and increasing attendance in the process, that simply cannot happen and to this degree for an extended period of time. Among other things, demand is a result of perceived value for money. There is not a path forward for Walt Disney World that involves unilaterally dictating high prices and reduced offerings. That is simply not a viable course of action.
We’ve already seen this with Walt Disney World post-reopening as many guests have cancelled trips due to the reduced slate of entertainment (among other reasons). Despite that, you might point to increasing attendance in the parks over the last couple of months as supposed evidence that Disney fans are “suckers” who will pay full price for half the experience.
Except that’s not true. Right now, Walt Disney World is seeing a fraction of its normal guest numbers, and even that fraction is disproportionately locals, Annual Passholders, and Disney Vacation Club members. In other words, guest types who either have pre-paid for their visits or are not booking multi-thousand dollar vacations. There are definitely some full freight tourists, but not even remotely approaching normal levels.
Look no further than low weekday occupancy numbers at the resorts, the fact that many hotels have not reopened and do not have reopening dates, and all the lucrative offerings–Club Level, Disney Dining Plan, dessert parties, etc–that remain unavailable.
As we’ve pointed out many times, Walt Disney World is a hotel (and timeshare) business that operates theme parks as a side hustle. Right now, the latter component isn’t doing so hot, but the former is doing terribly. By its own admission, Walt Disney World is treading water and losing money, just less than if the parks were still closed.
Sadly, that’s likely to remain the case for the next several months. Perhaps well into 2021, longer than any of us who are desperately craving normalcy want to admit. It’s going to be a long road to recovery, both for Walt Disney World and for the travel industry in general.
The point is that Walt Disney World’s short-term approach is unsustainable in the long-term. Whether Disney’s motivation is health safety or cost-savings at a time when added offerings are unlikely to move the needle in terms of hotel occupancy, the result is the same. It might help Disney tread water for now while in preservation mode, but it’s not viable in the ordinary course of business.
Once a general recovery does begin, Walt Disney World will have to work hard to lure guests back. During the last decade, the United States had a strong economy, the travel industry was booming, and Disney could get away with reducing the value proposition without seeing a corresponding drop in demand. Sure, guests wore “Most Expensive Day Ever” shirts, but they were visiting anyway.
The forward-looking outlook for the tourism sector is very different from that, and much less positive. It’s going to take several years for travel to fully recover—until 2025 if experts are to be believed. While there’s likely some degree of “revenge travel” and pent-up demand among fans, that’s not enough. The “new normal” here is that travel will be a value-conscious buyer’s market, and Walt Disney World will need to do more to be competitive with other destinations and entice guests to visit.
Whether that means bringing back these shows and acts or debuting new ones remains to be seen. In the short-term, we still second-guess these cuts and think they could inflict irreparable brand damage (among other things). Regardless of how we feel about that, there’s no conceivable long-term scenario in which entertainment at Walt Disney World is permanently eliminated. Some of these stage shows will be back; other new entertainment will debut. It’s painful right now, but it is temporary pain.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of these Walt Disney World entertainment cuts and additions? Are you optimistic or pessimistic about WDW restoring more stage shows and other acts in 2021 or 2022? Are you worried that it might be a while before Walt Disney World is back to normal in terms of its offerings? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Sadly I am one of the many cast members who ‘received the email’ that first I was furloughed, then furloughed but still employed, and finally ‘laid off’ (let go). Of course I was devastated but not at all surprised. I was a Seasonal worker living my life-long dream of working in WDW, a dream I have had since I was a child. But I was lucky; I am a retired 68 year old who did not depend on my earnings to pay my bills or provide for a family. I loved the fact that I was able to provide magic to guests–that was an important part of my job. I don’t know when or how long it will take for Disney to get back to what it was before the pandemic hit, but I sincerely hope Disney is able to recover and move forward. So many people love WDW, myself included, and they want nothing more than ‘the magic’ to return!
This news is very sad and heartbreaking as we were planning a retirement trip for in a year. That plan is on hold since we go for the magic and not just theme park rides. The entertainment and street performers are a huge draw for us. We will continue to moniter Disney’s actions through the blog as always. Your reporting and entertaining articles are a trusted source for us. Thanks for your continuing coverage!
This is too bad for multiple reasons..including that when we go to WDW a LOT of what we do are NOT the rides. A lot of the time I shop and my husband watches the street acts or parades…that keeps him busy so he’s not rushing me. Guess I will do a lot less shopping . sad
My first thought is, though I understand why the cuts are needed, Disney seems to be becoming a shell of it’s former self. Where is the magic? We had to cancel our October 2020 plans for Ft. Wilderness and we just re-booked for January 2020 and were really looking forward to Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue. I’m just sad.
They need to fire the Bob Chapek the CEO. After hearing this we will be canceling our 2021 trip.
I can’t help but wonder if any imagineers have been involved in some of the decisions that have been made since Covid started. Surely the minds that figured out how to make elevators move down hallways could come up with some creative ways to keep these Disney treasures on the payroll. Maybe they could take some of the shows on the road. Campaign rallies have been held with social distancing. Why not spread some Disney magic throughout the country when Covid counts are low in various regions? People could use some Pixie dust in this depressed time. It could be the introduction to Disney that will inspire future Guests to visit the parks.
I also echo so many others’ sentiment. Heartbroken. Disney’s attention to detail, shows, and magical moments are not in attractions. I do hope that Disney executives come to recognize the error of their ways. I’m just stunned.
Just returned from two days at WDW. Was lucky to get on Star Wars:Rise of the Resistance, but there is little else available of interest. My son and his family will be visiting WDW for a week in December, but they will not have much to entertain them. A big loss in Hollywood Studios was Beauty and the Beast: Live Stage Show. As they live in Washington state they are visiting WDW as Disneyland is closed for the distant future. Had dinner at the Biergarten the other night and the food was terrible and there are no Germans there, as there was in the pre-COVID times, so it wasn’t really German food. I would have preferred a $1.00 MCDonalds burger.
Well said, sir.
This really upsets me. I do not like giving Disney money and visiting when they’ve just made massive cuts to what I believe makes Disney Disney- the acts/shows. However, I purchased an AP last year in anticipation of at least two 2020 trips that obviously didn’t happen. So, by 2030, I have to go back. But these cuts really gut me. I realize it might sound really overwrought to say “now it’s just Six Flags” but….kind of. Disney cuts the things that make MAGIC.
they cut so much but forgot to cut the prices. universal currently a better deal.
I am, of course, terribly upset – these shows are THE reason we go. We don’t go for the rides – there’s some stellar ones but many are not (forgive me) much better than what we could get at Six Flags. We go to see the characters come to life, to see the shows – that’s what’s magical to us.
However, if they cannot safely perform, I do not want them to risk their lives for my petty amusement!
I am operating under the assumption that Disney these shows and entertainment, and will bring them back when it can. And then I’ll come. But I definitely won’t come while the magic isn’t there, and I bet most people feel the same. So I’m confident Disney will bring things back when it’s safe to travel.
I’ve been in the business world for a long time and visiting Disney World regularly for the last 16 years from out of state. I have also been an annual passholder and DVC member much of this time. The execs are seeing huge declines in revenue from Disneyland being closed and as mentioned, fewer high revenue visitors coming to Disney World. The mistake here is that they are changing the fundamental recipe which will do more to keep your high value distance customers away well after the pandemic subsides.
What should Disney do in light of looking at large operating losses at the parks for likely the next two years? I’ll frame this as though I were speaking to the execs. First, don’t change the fundamental recipe, which means keeping entertainment and the other touches that entice people to travel distances to come (or come back). Second, stop any ancillary work that doesn’t directly affect the greater recipe. Things like painting the entry gates, castle, etc. should stop. Next, put ride projects on hold. People will bemoan loss of entertainment more than not getting Ratatouille open. Besides Magic Kingdom, have other parks run 5 out of seven days a week if needed. Save the cost, but don’t forgo the quality. Next, you have to entice people like me to fly in, so resurrect the January 2010 recession deal – 7 nights for the price of 4 and throw in the meal plan (yes, this really happened). This would be only for those staying the seven nights at resorts. Finally, take a pay cut as execs. This would speak volumes to the public and employees, the same employees who make or break your business with the customer. If employees get dismayed, this will flow to the customers who will be given yet another reason to stay away.
That would entice me back sometime next year- if flights are allowed from the UK.
Disney may have contracts with construction companies to complete the work that they started. The companies may also have “failure to complete the job on time” sections in their contracts. Plus it keeps local contractors working. It’s a lot easier to complete this type of work now while crowds are lower than later when the crowds start to pick up as they already are.
It’s more the local and state governments and unions putting regulations on the companies on what they can and cannot do. Wearing the masks, social distancing, hours worked and operating, number of people permitted at one time in the theme park. It would be a lot worse if Disney opened all the hotels and couldn’t allow all the guests into the theme parks because of the state and local regulations. The Disney execs who are making the rules for Florida are kind of going overboard with the inside seating in theaters (every other row blocked, with small clusters of open seats followed by similar clusters of blocked seats) and restaurants. So figure only 25% of the seating available. I saw Ken Potrock who was the Pres of DVC and now is Pres of DLR was really angry at the city/county/state for not letting DLR open back up. Even with a lawsuit, it could take a really long time to reopen DLR.
Shutting down two days a week – which two days do you suggest? We have FL Reside weekday passes, so we don’t mind them shutting down on weekends. Others would disagree with us. Locals who might be the life blood might be more able to come during the week. Epcot appears to be busier on weekend. DHS is busier during the week. I think shorter hours is accomplishing most of what you are suggesting right now. Later hours might be nicer at Epcot with a more adult crowd. MK and AK with earlier hours. DHS? Any hours seem to work there; they just need to work out the bugs and get more guests riding the attractions.
As for Executive pay cuts. They are already doing that and some have been let go as well. Cutting those salaries in half might only lose those executives and wouldn’t generate that much cash to keep front line CMs working. Like I posted the other day, cutting $1 million total from the execs only give about $320 per year for all the CMs they cut the other day (27,000). Not going to find many CMs willing to work for $320 a year.
I think a lot of guests are staying away because they are afraid to fly or they don’t want to drive the long distance. Or they might not be able to leave their state or country and re-enter afterwards without quarantining. Special offers right not are not going to entice them to need to quarantine for two 2 weeks after returning. Flights from outside the US are expensive and might not even be flying right now.
We got back from a four night stay (we live three hours away by car) and had a very good trip. But we are old (67 and 70) and don’t feel the need to stand in lines unless they are moving. We did some dining we had not done before, BOG, Tiffins, and enjoyed both of them. It’s 14 days since we returned and we have zero symptoms of covid. We’re heading back in about 2.5 weeks for another run at Food & Wine (two days like the last trip), MK (Cinderella’s Royal Table – haven’t done that in year) and the Boathouse.
We have been annual pass holders for years, visiting Disney World as often as we could manage. Then we retired to FL, maintained ou annual passes and have always spent a king’s ransom on Disney merchandise for ourselves and family members. When Disney reopened, we were very disappointed. We are not riders of wild rides, so Universal Studios or 6 Flags have never had appeal for us. The Disney experience has changed dramatically. We had decided we would not renew our passes until there was some semblance of normalcy. If they cut out the entertainment, we will probably never renew. They had something magical you could not get anywhere else. They charged significantly more than other parks, but it was worth it. I no longer believe that.
Excellently put. You made some great points. Will not pay full price for half the service.
Thank you for shedding a light on this issue…I run a performing arts centre in Canada and we’re not expecting anything at all to happen until at LEAST the end of 2021 – and we’ve only had 220,000 cases (10,000 deaths) total in our entire country (just for some perspective)…the entire entertainment industry has been decimated through this and it’s important to note that there are also a lot of technicians who have been affected by this – this is actually the bigger problem that we’re seeing in the industry, that all of these technicians are now going out and getting other jobs but it’s very difficult to replace them later on because they are such a specialized workforce – I have one friend for example who has decided to start driving large trucks and has already said he won’t come back to this industry because who knows how long this is going to last and he can’t risk losing a guaranteed job for one that seems to be able to shut down so quickly and relies so heavily on crowded gatherings.
I miss going to Disneyworld desperately and am grieving the way it used to be knowing that it won’t be back to that level for a very long time – I was supposed to celebrate my 40th birthday there in August and that clearly did not happen…thinking of all my friends in the States and hope that you can get this terrible virus under control sooner rather than later <3