 |
|
Disney Dream Job Trip Report
by Ricky Brigante
Day Three: Disney Traditions - June 10th, 2007
|
|
|
| | | |
|
I didn't fall asleep until at least 1:00 am the night before Day Three. While I was exhausted, my mind was racing in anticipation of the events to come.
The wake-up call rang at 5:00 am, giving me 30 minutes to head to the Disneyland Hotel lobby to meet with the other Haunted Mansion winners and Lindsay, our VIP host, at 5:30am. We were the earliest to rise that morning as we had something special planned that none of the other winners did.
Our first stop was the costuming and make-up building. Fortunately, they shuttled us there this time. Now, we were not in the main costuming building, which is near the front of Disneyland park, nor were we in the old costuming building. Our costuming and make-up area was in the back behind
Toontown. I believe it was often referred to as N-19. This was the area where parade and show performers get their costumes, so they had to bring over the attractions costumes specially for the Haunted Mansion and Jungle Cruise winners.
We were brought into make-up first, where we each took a seat and were covered by a smock. I quickly asked the make-up artist if my long hair was going to be a problem (it doesn't fit the "Disney Look") and she thankfully said no. Gordon did not have to shave his beard and Michael did not have
to shave off his long sideburns either. We're probably the first Cast Members in history to be allowed to go on stage in violation of the Disney Look.
We each were given a white powdery foundation to take off the shine and make us look a bit more pale than we already were. We were also given some eye makeup to enhance our already existing bags. I believe the official color of the eye makeup was "mocha". It took a few minutes and several hair products
for them to get my hair to stay combed back and out of my face for the day.
It was during make-up that we were told that a camera crew, consisting of a single camera man, boom mic operator, and producer/director, would be following us around all weekend, filming each step along the way. Not only would they be filming everything, but they were going to have us shoot everything
two ways: the "YouTube" way, to emulate what a video blog would look like, talking directly into the camera, and the "other" way, which would be NOT speaking directly into the camera. The "YouTube" footage ended up, well, on YouTube, and the rest ended up released to the press. You can view both sets of
my video here.
|
|
|
| Allison and Aubrey, our trainers |
|
Next it was time to get a hold of our Haunted Mansion costumes, which were hanging next door to the makeup area. We received pants, a white long-sleeved shirt, a purple and black striped vest, a black tie, black socks, black polished shoes, a green coat with tails, and a heavy green overcoat. It took several
minutes for us to to change, but once we did, we felt completely in character. While the costumes are hot and heavy, the way they look and the feeling they give you while wearing them are worth every tiring second of it.
After we got our costumes put on, we walked backstage and entered into the park through somewhere in Frontierland. The park hadn't opened yet, as it was just after 7:00 am at that point, so as we headed to the Haunted Mansion, we took in the completely empty streets of Frontierland and New Orleans Square, a sight that guests
almost never see. Our next event was a highlight of the trip. We accompanied Allison and Aubrey, our trainers, on their morning ritual of a complete lights-on track walkthrough of the Haunted Mansion.
We started by entering the discrete white door on the side of the Mansion. When you enter there, immediately to the right is the break room for both the Haunted Mansion Cast Members as well as those who pilot the rafts to and from Tom Sawyer's Island. Beyond the breakroom is a set of stairs leading downward to an open area of hallways and doors as well as the Mansion's control room.
|
|
Haunted Mansion Control Room aka "Tower"
(I found this photo online) |
|
|
We began our walking track tour by stepping through this curtain. The Doom Buggies were not moving nor was the sound turned on. All of the animation was active and moving. We had the chance to inspect each scene as we approached it, paying close attention to the details that you simply can't see when normally riding through.
Our track walk lasted around 20 minutes, I believe, though it seemed like it went by in 2 minutes. Upon returning to the control room, we watched them fully power on the attraction for the day, as the park was about to open.
We left the Mansion for a "special treat", where we were being led over to Tom Sawyer Island to check out the Pirates Lair updates. Unfortunately, the Dead Man's Grotto was still not working, so all we ended up doing was getting our polished shoes dirty.
After we cleaned our shoes and filmed a quick segment outside of the Mansion's gates, we went backstage again to take part in Traditions, the class that all Disney Cast Members take. Normally, it's an 8-hour class that teaches upcoming Cast Members what being a Disney Cast Member is all about. We got the abridged, 1-hour version which hit only the most important points, including the official Disney motto
("We provide the finest in entertainment for people of all ages everywhere") and the four keys (Safety, Courtesy, Show, and Efficiency, in that order). The class was given by Disneyland Resort Ambassador, Garnett Schoonover and Walt Disney World Resort Ambassador, Lowell Doringo. Also in attendance at many of the Dream Job events was Disneyland Resort Ambassador Adonis Reeves. It was here that we received our Honorary Cast Member name tags from none other than Mickey Mouse.
Traditions concluded and we all paraded, led by our VIP hosts, to Sleeping Beauty castle where they cleared the area and snapped a few priceless group photos of all of us. I can't imagine that a group of parade performers, pirates, Haunted Mansion butlers and maids, princesses, and Jungle Skippers had ever assembled for such a photo before. I can only guess what guests were thinking
as we strolled through the park, single file, each in our own costumes and characters. I know they were excited to take pictures with the pirates after we were done.
|
|
Group photos of the Dream Job winners at Traditions and in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle
|
|
|
Our next stop was the Eat Ticket, a Cast Member eatery backstage. We were given box lunches with great sandwiches. We were also given smocks to cover our costumes while we ate. The Eat Ticket is decorated with vehicles and signage from long lost attractions, including the People Mover and the Skyway.
After about an hour of eating and chit-chatting, we went back to the Haunted Mansion to begin our training. While other groups were busy learning lines, dance steps, and song lyrics, we were given a quick rundown of the ins and outs to working at the Haunted Mansion, including bits about safety, the nearest bathrooms and smoking areas, and a brief history of the Mansion. We also got to ride through the Mansion
once in costume, which was a real treat.
|
|
Me, Gordon, Michael, and Allison
walking Fifi and Buddy
|
|
|
The five of us were then split into two groups: me, Michael, and Gordon were to begin our training with Allison while Tim and Karen were going off with Aubrey. Tim and Karen had the opportunity of heading to the expanding rooms first while Michael, Gordon, and I got our first looks at Fifi and Buddy, the Haunted Mansion's ghost dogs. I let Michael and Gordon take the leashes first,
as I've never walked a real dog in my life.
We each had our turn interacting with guests in front of the Mansion as well as with a select group of children pulled off to the side to entertain in front of the camera. Walking Fifi and Buddy turned out to be a lot of fun, as it allowed us to have our first experience with guest interaction. As soon as I saw the first few children come up and pet Fifi, I knew
that there was something magical going on in their heads. One girl even said to me, "I can really feel it!" as she leaned down to pet the invisible ghost dog. Very cute.
Following the ghost dog routines, we swapped with Tim and Karen and had our chance in the expanding rooms. We had the option of either letting Allison show us what to do first or just jumping in and doing it ourselves. We all opted to just go ahead and get started, as we had been through there so many times that we knew the spiel (and variations thereof) by heart. I went first and was slightly
nervous as the first large group of guests entered the gallery.
As soon as Allison gave me the signal, I delivered my first ever spiel inside the Haunted Mansion as an Honorary Cast Member: "Drag your bodies into the dead center of the room and away from the walls!" I had been dreaming of doing that for years. We stayed in there for around 30 minutes, giving us each 3 turns at giving the spiel.
|
|
| Performing for the camera in the foyer |
|
|
At some point during the day, the Mansion had some technical difficulties which allowed us to hang out with the camera crew and film some extra scenes inside the foyer and expanding rooms. We all took turns dusting the gargoyles in an expanding room and greeted imaginary guests as they "entered" the foyer. You can see some of that footage here. It was fun wandering around in there with no one but our trainers and the camera crew.
Between activities, there was often some downtime, during which we could hang out in the Haunted Mansion break room or watch the security monitors in the control room, which was really fun. It's amazing how clearly you can see everyone inside the Doom Buggies at all times.
Finally, at around 4:30 pm, we said goodbye to the Mansion and our trainers for the day as we hiked all the way back to backstage behind Toontown to turn in our costumes for the day. While I didn't want to take the costume off, I was more than happy to turn in the polished black dress shoes, as they weren't the most comfortable things in the world.
That night, after some rest in the hotel room, was the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage VIP party, in which select members of the press and plenty of Imagineers were present to have some fun and enjoy their latest creation. I had the wonderful opportunity of meeting Chief Creative Officer of Pixar and Principle Creative Advisor of Walt Disney Imagineering, John Lasseter and his wife. We chatted for a bit about the subs and the Dream Job contest and I gave him an Inside the Magic business card.
Michelle snapped a photo of me with him and I let him free to enjoy his party.
The party was a lot of fun with plenty of sights to see. They had closed off much of Tomorrowland and decorated it Finding Nemo-style. The bars had aquariums full of fish and there was a live band playing contemporary and classic music all night. The Nemo Dream Mobile (a bus dressed up like a submarine) was there along with a huge Crush puppet swimming through the air.
We rode the subs one more time that night and then headed back to the hotel around 11:00 pm to call it a night. It was going to be another amazing, and long, day on Monday.
|
As to Disney properties/artwork: ©Disney
|
| |
|
