Book Review: Cast Member Confidential

After reading Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom last month, I decided to dip into the underbelly of the actual Disney World. It is for this reason that I got Cast Member Confidential: A Disneyfied Memoir from the library. In this memoir, Chris Mitchell describes the year that he spent in Disney World and all of the insanity that he encountered in those 365 days. Though his observations are enlightening, humorous, and certainly go against our image of Disney, it is nothing entirely new.

Before entering the Disney workforce, Mitchell as a professional skateboarder who believed in rebellion above anything else. He had a steady girlfriend, a loving family, and an excellent job that allowed him to be an anarchist in his own right while still making a living. All of that changed when his mother was diagnosed with cancer and his long-time girlfriend left him for one of his friends. Mitchell was unable to cope with these developments in his life so he decided to go where there is no hurt or death: Disney! When he arrived there, he discovered what most of Americans had only fantasized about; Disney is just a microcosm of the world with just as much sex, drugs, and rock & roll. He found that all Disney employees take their work very seriously and have even created their own hierarchy based on the kinds of costumes the employees (known as cast members) wear. Mitchell was also confronted with the fact that there is an entire book of rules to which cast members must adhere while "on stage" (in the park). Most nights Mitchell is invited to parties thrown by cast members that become as out of control as a frat party. Everyone in the underworld of Disney is sleeping with one another despite sexual orientation. Drugs are passed around as frequently as Mickey ears are and there is even a Winnie the Pooh who was found masturbating in his costume. Though Mitchell finds acceptance in these misfits, he comes to understand that the "Disney magic" is nothing like what it seems.

Though this book was interesting for the first 100 pages or so, I found that it lagged about halfway through and I had to push myself to finish it. Some of the stories were interesting, but most were nothing that couldn't be found on a college campus. Disney World is basically just like a microcosm of the rest of the world with its drug problems, infidelity and caste system. Sadly, the majority of the book is focused on these aspects of Mitchell's life there. However, there are certain gems that pushed me to keep reading. Such as the fact that costumes are based on height and not sex. Therefore, a woman often is inside the Donald Duck costume while a man is often "casted" as a Minnie Mouse. Besides the "face" characters such as the princesses and some of the princes who have to show their faces, the rest of the costumes are based on height. The rules that cast members must adhere to are also interesting such as no eating while "on stage". Also, cast members must never point to a direction using a finger but must use their entire hand. Lastly, the entrance and rides at the Magic Kingdom park are actually located on the second floor of the park. The first floor is a series of underground tunnels that lead to different lands and rides. The contracted built these "tunnels" and then just built the park on top of them. It is these vignettes that make the story so interesting. However, these are just a peppering of the tale and not the overall substance. This disappointed me, though it might please others. Overall, it's worth a reading even if you skip over certain parts to get to others. Despite its faults, Mitchell does pull the mask off of Mickey which shouldn't go unnoticed!

-DLP