Every child dreams of getting up close and personal with their favorite Disney characters. Unfortunately for cast members, though, not everyone they interact with on a daily basis has the innocence of a child. Over the years, multiple altercations have occurred between Disney princesses or even male characters and guests. Some of these alterations have been so severe that they sparked wardrobe changes for specific characters.
One of these changes took place in 2016 when both Jasmine and Aladdin had to change their movie-accurate outfits for something a bit more covered up. While Disney never officially released a reason why they made the change, it was rather evident. The characters were showing a bit too much skin, which led to certain instances of “inappropriate conduct” from guests. Now, the characters from the Aladdin movie have to walk around in puffier costumes, which probably makes it much more uncomfortable to work in the Anaheim and Orlando heat.
It’s not just “dads” who are getting too close to Disney princesses, which makes things uncomfortable. A lady recently wanted to get too close to the muscular “Gaston” from The Beauty and the Beast. The video made the rounds on social media, with many folks online highlighting the fact that there was a bit of a double standard. That type of conduct from a male guest towards a female Disney princess would’ve likely resulted in major public backlash.
The topic came up on Reddit recently because of one of these videos that depicted an altercation between guests and Disney cast members. Some of the commenters who claim to be “in the loop” mentioned that Disney princesses receive more extensive training than certain local Police forces. Others have noted that Disney is “safer than the White House.” Still, other folks jokingly mentioned the possibility of arming Disney princesses. At least with pepper spray to help remove them from the grasp of a drunk guest acting inappropriately. If anyone’s wondering, no, Disney princesses are not armed with pepper spray or any other weapon, for that matter. What can they do if a guest is harassing them?
Disney wants to avoid fights between cast members and guests at all costs! When these videos surface online, the public usually won’t get a chance to see who started them. They’ll just see one of their favorite characters in what may be a very negative light. That breaks the magic that the company works so hard to create. To keep this from happening, Disney cast members who are playing a character usually go on walkabouts with photographers and other cast members. That’s the case even if you don’t see someone literally escorting them.
The cast members in costume have a set of signs that they’ll communicate to their escort if things are getting out of hand. It may sound strange to think of it this way, but if someone has to throw hands with a guest, it’s better for a photographer to do the dirty work than to have Mickey Mouse square off with a paying customer. Disorderly conduct at the parks, particularly incidents involving altercations with cast members, is one of the easiest ways to get thrown out and banned from a Disney property. Therefore, it’s ideal to be respectful at all times with these folks who are literally just doing their job!
