Actors’ Equity Union Targets Disney With Social Media Video: “There’s Nothing Magical About COVID-19”

    While many things have returned to normal in Walt Disney World, there is a piece of the magic that is undeniably missing. Stage shows such as Finding Nemo – The Musical, Beauty and the Beast-Live on Stage, and Festival of the Lion King have not returned due to a dispute between the Actors’ Equity Association and Walt Disney World.

    Back in June, the Actors’ Equity Union, Disney’s largest stage show performer union, called on Disney to delay the reopening of their Florida theme parks like Disneyland was forced to do.

    “If Disneyland has postponed, it is unclear how Walt Disney World can responsibly move toward reopening when coronavirus cases are much worse in Florida,” said Mary McColl, executive director of Actors’ Equity Association. The union is calling for regular testing and face masks for their members, a request Disney has reportedly denied. Disney has stated that they want to bring back live stage shows to the theme parks, but an agreement hasn’t been made yet and the Actors’ Equity Association is taking to social media with a new video highlighting the dangers of reopening a theme park during a global pandemic.

    In the view posted to Facebook, the Actors’ Equity Union edited the “Welcome Home” video that Disney World put out to welcome guests back to the theme parks. In the original video, Cast Members can be seen waving and smiling as they stare into the camera and say “welcome home”. In the video posted by the Actors’ Equity Association, they have superimposed the rising COVID-19 case count as the same video plays in the background before the audio becomes distorted and a graph shows the spikes in cases that Florida has registered since March 18th.

    The video ends by saying that Disney has “locked performers out”, and that the company refuses to allow equity performers to wear face masks while on stage and will not test performers. Here is the video:

    Responses to the video from people representing themselves as Cast Members are split, with some saying that the actions of the union are putting their livelihoods in danger.


    As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!

    BlogMickey.com Newsletter

    Stay up-to-date with the latest Disney news, right to your inbox!

    Kingdom Destinations Quote

    Vacation Planning Assistance

    We're excited to partner with Kingdom Destinations to help you plan your next trip to Disney parks and experiences around the world. Kingdom Destinations is a full service travel agency, specializing in Disney destinations. Fill out the form below to schedule a free consultation with one of their professional travel advisors today!

    2 COMMENTS

    1. I have more than once seen posts saying Disney is not providing regular testing for its CMs. If that’s true, well, why the f not??

      How’s it going on the NBA side of things? At least 14 members of the Miami Marlins MLB team have tested positive.

    Comments are closed.

    BlogMickey.com Newsletter

    Stay up-to-date with the latest Disney news, right to your inbox!

    Related Articles