Eleven Un-Magical Secrets I Learned While Working at Disney World
From parents leaving their kids with “Mary Poppins” to ladies lusting after Captain Jack Sparrow, the most magical place on Earth is also one of the most colorful places to work.
Illustration: Tiago Majuelos
In the 1960s, Walt Disney had a dream: He’d turn a San Francisco-size swath of swampland and orange groves in central Florida into a version of utopia, where childhood fantasies could spring to life. The Magic Kingdom opened on Oct. 1, 1971—50 years ago last week—beginning a fairy tale that’s panned out just as intended. Over the decades, Walt Disney World has lured millions of pilgrims to a place where dreams come true, not just for visitors but for employees, too.
In fact, there are no fans more devout than the people working at Disney’s four theme parks. Called “cast members,” they are ambassadors of happiness who delight in perpetuating a mythology that never breaks the fourth wall of the Cinderella Castle. In their minds, Tinkerbell is real, there are actual ghosts in the Haunted Mansion, and—most important—there is only one Mickey.