More job cuts affecting Disney World Cast Members

A Reuters article just came out today with some information on the Chinese national commodities and raw materials sectors, namely coal, steel, solar and a few others. The Chinese government will be laying off about 5 -6 million state workers over the next months, in a "retrenchment". They are desperately trying to prop up the failing economy and the so-called "zombie" factories. If anyone doubts that Shanghai Disney- at THIS time- is a colossal mistake, please read the article. It is very enlightening. But will the Disney decision-makers pay? The ones who thought the Asian money train would not end? Will there be admitted mistakes and firings? (not the little guy either!) The Chinese economy will reverberate into Hong Kong over the next 18-24 months. Any remember that awful, horribly-failed Madonna flop from the 80's...."Shanghai Surprise"?

So you're trying to tell us that 12 jobs (of which there are more streetmosphere characters, so it's not that they're cutting it entirely), and a single shift at DisneyQuest would move the needle on any amount of money lost at Shanghai large enough for Disney to even sweat about. The math just doesn't add up, and as you mentioned, the ticket price increase (which is an annual thing) would more than cover any of that.

What's more likely? That they're projecting a slower year due to all the construction happening (guest putting off trips to wait for Star Wars Land), so they're cutting back hours / roles where it won't impact the overall guest experience? Or that the ... oh, let's be generous and call it $1M saved by these moves are to somehow defray the over a BILLION dollar cost overrun on another continent, of which Disney only has to absorb a fraction of?

Let me be clear ... How Disney treats its employees is DEPLORABLE. It disgusts me to see them abusing hard working people, particularly my friends who were directly impacted by this H-1B bull. But by using Shanghai as a foil here, you're actually distracting from the issue. These particular job cuts are nothing compared to what Disney has done, and Shanghai likely has little, if anything, to do with it.

Keep the finger pointed in the right direction ... stop trying to make more of these things than they are and stay focused on getting Disney to stop abusing it's employees ... period. Shanghai isn't the reason they're doing this, and you shouldn't give them the excuse anyway.

We are a family of 4 from Cairns in Australia, and we just visited Disneyland in Anaheim in September, and we loved it! I have already starting planning a trip to Disney World (unfortunately not until 2018, have to resave with the bad Aussie dollar). I have already been getting so excited, and am signed on to so many blogs for ideas...but all of these comments are making me sad, and wondering if I should be visiting WDW at all? I love all things Disney, and it's a helluva long way for us to travel, I only hope things get better and the comments get more positive, so I can keep being excited about planning a trip, and not wondering whether I should even bother to visit. It will be a once only visit for us, it's doubtful we will ever return, so we want it to be memorable for all the right reasons. PS, Kenny, love your blogs, if I lived anywhere near Disney I know I would be a regular visitor

I'm so upset I've been planning a Disney trip for 2018 and I have never been and have been excitedly planning but I just keep hearing about cut backs and I feel so heart broken. I'm never going to get to see citizens of Hollywood that everyone talks about and I just keep hearing of Disney slowly loosing their magic every day. I've been so excited but to hear that all these rides are shut down and that Lady Tremaine will no longer have her regular free visit in MK just breaks my heart. Then there's talk about closing A mans dream that I've been excited to see abd earn about the great Walt Disney who created all these characters I've come to know and love :'(

Hi, I'm Gary Izzo. I'm the director who started Streemosphere at Disney MGM Studios (now Hollywood Studios).

When I introduced Disney management to using my Streetmo cast as interactive characters in themed convention events in the second year of Streetmosphere (1991), it was a huge hit and it saved them loooooads of money, because a small cast of characters made a fun and unique, non-stop, entertainment experience that cost SO much less than their usual "Bands and Balloons" events. It virtually assured the shows longevity going forward and created a great source of additional income and creative outlet for the cast. 26 years and counting, not bad for a theme park show eh? We took big budget hits when Euro Disney flopped, but Streetmo was immune then. The special events dept. said, "We literally could not function without them now." We had bottom line protection.

I know that Streemo has been somewhat "homogenized" since the early, boundary-testing, creative exploration it began as, and I don't know how they figure into convention entertainment nowdays, having been out of it now myself for a while, but it seems as stupid to me now as the suggestion was then to cut the troupe down. I barely made it work with 33 actors, a number that was never diminished in my 7-year tenure there, and I just don't see how they can make themselves noticed with any fewer.

The idea to cut seasoned and experienced performers in order to save a nickel or two on new hires is typical corporate short-sightedness. What we used to call bean-counter logic. The investment in time, training, and experience it takes to create a truly qualified interactive performer that can make a difference in exceeding audience expectation is a calculation they habitually fail to make.

One of the hardest things I have ever had to do there was to be the 'director of an ensemble show' and have to tell an actor with a mortgage and a family that their contract was not going to be renewed--frankly, that's why I got out. (I still have to do that, but I'm happy to only have to do it with short run shows.) They know it's only a one-year contract, but it's year-round. They know that having a "normal" career is hard as an artist. But it's hard not to rely on a place they carved out over many years in a company they love--or at least admire.

My considered professional (unasked) opinion, as the creator (along with Craig) of Streemosphere, is that it is a stupid idea to cut this show down. I suspect there are entertainment managers there who agree. Hey guys, I still run a really fun show for 10 weeks in the summer in upstate NY if you find yourself free! My show at Sterling is the forerunner and model for Streetmosphere, and we celebrate our 40th season this year. ...and I'm adding characters.

My best to all at Streetmosphere, and especially those headed for a permanent lunch at Ben's Chili Bowl. heart emoticon