Marcella
Is there any degree to be a Disney character at Disney World?
Hello, I am in twelfth grade and I am just curious if the people at Disney who do the princesses, villains, and princes have a degree. Thank you! #degree #acting #disney #audition
3 answers
Heather Hampsey
Heather’s Answer
Hello! Excellent question! There are no particular degrees to become a character at Disney World. You just have to know the requirements for the particular characters, like Goofy, you have to be at least 6 ft tall, a princess anywhere from 5'4" to 5'7" tall and so forth. You can go to www.disneyauditions.com and look for audition dates. Do not show up in a costume, make sure you have a headshot and resume too. Just be yourself, happy, bubbly but don't over do it.
http://www.wikihow.com/Get-a-Job-As-a-Character-at-Disney
Have fun and good luck!
OH! another way to do it is through community colleges or four year colleges, there are college programs where you can do a 6-month internship/co op at Disney World and being a disney character is one of the opportunities.
http://cp.disneycareers.com/en/default/
I did it back in 2006 and I loved it! Good luck!!!
Thank you Heather for answering my question!
Amie Bjorklund
Amie’s Answer
Hi there,
There is no degree that will get you hired as a face character for Disney. It is one of those jobs where you have to look exactly like what they are looking for. Disney is very set on keeping their face characters looking like their cartoon counterparts. So a Caucasian woman isn't going to get hired for Mulan or Jasmine or Tiana, just like an African American man isn't going to get hired to play Gaston or Prince Charming. That's just how Disney casts their face characters.
There are a LOT of other, non-face--character performing opportunities at the parks though. Singers and story-tellers and all sorts of entertainers. Check out the Disney audition page go out for everything you think you might be able to do. Don't get discouraged and remember that it's a numbers game. So go as often as possible and work hard to put out a good audition.
I have worked for Disney for years, in many capacities, and I work with a lot of people who perform there. It's a fun gig and something you should be excited about auditioning for. Just remember to keep a logical mind to it and have a good time!
Tiffany Patterson
Tiffany’s Answer
There is not a particular degree, but there are a variety of performing opportunities available at Walt Disney World and the other Disney parks. If you are interested in performing, Disney is a wonderful place to do it--lots of opportunity at FULL-TIME performing, which most places around the world don't have.
The Disney Parks and Cruise lines have very specific requirements in what they look for. Check out www.disneyauditions.com. You can create a profile there with all of your information (as most auditions get all of the info they need from your online profile). you can upload your headshot, resume, etc. But what is really great about the website is that you can choose to get emailed information and updates about auditions.
All that being said, just because a degree is not necessarily required for an audition, it is always great to have. Once you are performing with the company you will more than likely want to move up to positions like trainer, coordinator, and manager. Having a degree can help you gain the skills you would need for those roles. There are also college programs in the Entertainment department.
Good luck! I have worked with Entertainment Talent Casting and booking in the past. You may not get cast in your first audition, but keep trying as we are constantly looking for different things.