Disney Tips Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
A Disney influencer recently shared her experience at an audition to play some of Walt Disney World Resort’s characters. If you’re looking to step into Mickey Mouse’s yellow shoes or Cinderella’s glass slipper, there’s a lot you’ll need to know about the process!
Typically, Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort hold open-call group auditions. Entertainment leaders might want to fill specific roles but rarely announce which Disney characters they’re casting. (There are exceptions for very specific or limited-time roles, like Asha from Wish (2023).)
Credit: Disney
Kayla (@kaylalittle56 on TikTok) attended one of these group auditions in Central Florida. In a recent video, the Disney College Program participant clearly outlined the process for anyone interested in becoming an entertainment cast member at the Disney parks.
@kaylalittle56 the long overdue character audition update 💖✨ #dcp #auditions #wdw #disneycollegeprogram #waltdisneyworldresort #update #castmember #castmemberlife
Disney cast members broke up more than 200 auditioners into three groups. Auditions are held in “rounds,” so entertainment leaders will announce a select group of people they want to see again at the end of each round.
Kayla was in the last group, so she watched as groups came out of the audition room before her. Immediately, she noticed that “three teeny-tiny girls, two taller girls, and a guy” were the only ones to make it to the second round.
“No one in my height range made it out of that first group,” she recalled. “I also knew from my friend at the [earlier] audition that no one in that height group made it as well…So I wasn’t going in expecting anything.”
Credit: Loren Javier via Flickr
When Kayla’s group made it to the audition room, they had “less than five minutes” to learn a parade dance routine. The entire group danced across the floor together once before the participants lined up in smaller groups to perform.
Kayla recommended arriving just before the audition time to get a higher number, which allowed her to watch other performers audition and make mental notes.
“I got up to my turn, nailed it,” she said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better audition…I knew at that point it was in their hands and what they were looking for.”
Credit: Disney Parks Blog
When the entertainment leaders called back performers for the next round, Kayla wasn’t surprised she didn’t make it. As she’d observed earlier, they seemed to be looking for “shorter girls, taller girls, and taller guys.”
“Everything happens for a reason, and I’m not upset about it,” she said. “…If you’re wanting to audition, I highly recommend it. It’s so fun. You get to meet so many new people…I just love to perform, so for me, it was really just like a performance.”
Disney cast members encouraged Kayla (and anyone reading) to keep trying.
Credit: Disney Aulani
“Speaking as an ex face performer from my college program in 2017 until Covid, it’s so hard to know what they are looking for,” @alex_johnson09 wrote. “It took me 4 auditions to even make it through the rounds. The first time I auditioned, it was specifically for Cindy, Aurora and [Rapunzel] and I got cut first round. That was in 2016, but in 2019 I became friends with Cinderella so don’t take anything personal!”
“Never give up!” @brihindthelens commented. “It took me 26 times auditioning for various roles in Disney before I was hired. It just takes that one time where they’re looking for someone exactly like you to walk in!”
Credit: Disneyland Paris
Disney College Program participants can attend special auditions specifically for roles they’re allowed to play. For example, DCP cast members can only dance in Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade and Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade–not Disney’s Festival of Fantasy Parade. They’re also rarely cast for “face” characters like Snow White or Peter Pan, instead typically playing “fur” characters like Donald Duck and Minnie Mouse.
Disney also travels the country looking for character performers to join the Disney College Program. Previous auditions have been held in New York City, Chicago, Dallas, and more. Anyone who applies to the Disney College Program is eligible to audition–find more information here!
Who would you choose if you could play one of Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort’s characters? Let Disney Tips know in the comments.
