Social IssuesMAY 2, 2024

Disney World’s Casting Choice Ruins Conservative Family’s Outing, Becomes A Viral Gag

Mindaugas Balčiauskas and Adelaide May Ross

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Disney World is supposed to be the most magical places on the planet. Children get to see their favorite characters in real life, families can enjoy shows and exciting rides together in the sunshine, and they all get to return home with memories of the experience that will last them a lifetime.

And while kids might not understand that the characters they see in the park are simply actors playing roles, their parents should. But one father recently got offended when he realized that you don’t necessarily have to be born a female to play a woman at Disney. Below, you’ll find all of the details, as well as a conversation with a representative from That Park Place!

Disney World is supposed to be one of the most magical places on Earth

Image credits: Craig Adderley / Pexels (not the actual photo)

But one father was not happy with his experience there, after deciding that the Evil Queen didn’t sound enough like a woman

Image credits: LocalFloridaGal / Youtube

Here's a clip of the Evil Queen that another guest shared

In costume, the actor bears a striking resemblance to her animated persona

Image credits: LocalFloridaGal / Youtube

Image credits: Disney

Image credits: LocalFloridaGal / Youtube

"There are very few characters of tall stature, which are sometimes played by men when they are viewed at a distance and do not interact with guests"

We all know that when we visit Disney World, the princes, princesses, villains, sidekicks and other iconic characters we see roaming around the park are played by actors. Yes, they do a great job of convincing us that they’re truly those people, but we understand that it’s all a performance. So why does it matter who is playing these roles? Whether it’s a man or a woman playing the Evil Queen, they’re still playing a character!

To gain more insight on this situation, we reached out to the team at That Park Place, a news site that covers theme parks, video games, entertainment and more. This is also the outlet that the family reached out to to complain about their recent experience at Disney World.

First, we wanted to know how common it is for men or trans women to play female characters at Disney. "On occasion, we have indeed heard of biological men playing the roles of female characters at the Disney Parks," the rep from That Park Place shared. "There are very few characters of tall stature, which are sometimes played by men when they are viewed at a distance and do not interact with guests. This is advantageous to Disney in that it is easier to find men of particular height requirements. The most frequently cited example of this is Maleficent, who is sometimes played by a biological male during a nighttime show called Fantasmic! at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World resorts."

The news site also noted that this is the first time they've ever heard guests complaining about a biological male playing a female character. "In this particular instance, both the height of the performer and the vocal pitch seem to have been so masculine-presenting that the father felt this was more of a 'drag' performance than an authentic representation of the character," they explained.

"In recordings that feature the performer speaking to guests, we have noted that Disney's standard of even training performers on particular diction, accents and vocal tone appears to have been disregarded in this case. Though we can't say for sure that we would have responded the same as the father of the family in question, we recognize his legitimate concern that the Evil Queen came across in a very non-traditional manner," the rep continued.

Image credits: LocalFloridaGal / Youtube

"Disney Parks has made interesting decisions in terms of how they hire as of late"

That Park Place also noted that there are certainly some positives to having someone of a different biological sex play a character in particular scenarios. "For example, most performers of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Daisy, are all women. That's largely due to the height requirements for playing these characters," they explained. "Throughout the decades, Peter Pan has often been played by a woman because most men cannot accurately portray the vocal pitch of a twelve-year-old boy anymore (nor would it be convenient to have to shave every 2-3 hours)."

"At the same time, constraints on performers for authenticity have always been important," the rep continued. "For example, while women have played Peter Pan, you would be hard-pressed to find images of women of particular body types that would have been selected to play the role. In the past, Disney has worked hard to maintain the magic by being authentic to the characters they portray in their parks."

"Just as having a very tall, broad-shouldered Evil Queen with a masculine voice might break the illusion, so too having a man play Tinker Bell during the fireworks can do the same... It can even be dangerous. The performer of Tinker Bell during the nightly fireworks shows must be extraordinarily close to an exact weight and height because the speed on the zipline she travels is determined by that weight," they pointed out.

That Park Place also shared that tall women might be put at a disadvantage when biological men are cast to play characters such as the Evil Queen. "There aren't many roles at the Disney Parks which call for taller women. And the role of the Evil Queen at Artist Pointe in Wilderness Lodge is considered to be a very premium position," they explained. "It's a dream job for many taller – and older –women who yearn for this sort of position but have aged out of other roles at the Disney Parks. Many Evil Queens are former Disney princesses. If biological men can readily play this role and interact with guests even if their voices are masculine-presenting, it could greatly reduce opportunities for women who have dreamed of the opportunity to take on this theatrical performance."

"Finally, it should also be noted that Disney Parks has made interesting decisions in terms of how they hire as of late," That Park Place says. "They've gone so far as to seek stunt performers based not on their biological sex or physical traits, but rather their declared gender and presentation. For stunt work, that can be very dangerous since men and women have real physiological differences in all sorts of ways that matter to the safety of performers. Even beyond just Evil Queens, it appears Disney may have some serious reconsiderations when it comes to how they hire based on sex and gender. Safety and authenticity should conceivably come ahead of modern philosophical movements."

Image credits: LocalFloridaGal / Youtube

The majority of Americans believe that gender is defined by sex at birth, and trans people still face a significant amount of discrimination

Unfortunately, it’s not surprising that some people would be offended by gender-blind casting at Disney. According to a 2022 survey from the Pew Research Center, many Americans still have a rigid view of gender identity. 60% of those polled believe that whether a person is a man or woman is determined by their sex defined at birth, and 10% of Americans oppose or strongly oppose laws that protect trans people from discrimination.

57% of Americans admit that there is a fair or great amount of discrimination against transgender individuals in the United States. Yet 38% believe that our society has gone too far in accepting trans people. That’s frightening to hear, considering that 1 in 4 trans adults say they’ve been physically assaulted due to their gender identity, KFF reports. At the same time, 64% say they’ve been verbally attacked, and 41% report being harassed or feeling unsafe in a restroom or locker room.

While this issue is a lot larger than a family trip to Disney, it’s relevant to note that Disney is intended to be an accepting place for everyone. In 2021, Disney debuted an added fifth key to their legendary “Four Keys”: safety, courtesy, show, efficiency and now, inclusion. This emphasis on inclusion is intended to focus on how employees treat one another, as well as how they interact with guests.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Would you be bothered at all if you realized a character was played by someone of another gender at Disney? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article discussing similar themes, look no further than right here!