The Halloween season is well underway at the Disneyland Resort, but Cast Members held their own little celebration after hours this week. They created their own scare maze to get into the spooky spirit and celebrate the season, according to the Disney Parks Blog.
- According to Patrick Finnegan, senior vice president of Operations for Disneyland Resort, this event was produced by Cast Members for Cast Members.
- The cast-only event was held on October 6 and saw a team of 40 volunteers spend two months planning and organizing for more than 600 attendees.
- This event has taken place for several years but took an understandable hiatus last year.
- The theme of this year’s event focused on a mysterious creature haunting the campgrounds and surrounding forests in Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.
- The event features professional special effects and makeup.
- The event was completely wheelchair accessible to allow all to participate and get the same immersive experience.
What they’re saying:
- Tommy Metzger, Avengers Campus Cast Member: “I love that anyone can be a part of this. It doesn’t matter where you work or what you do — you don’t have to audition or interview or stress in any way. You can just come do something fun that you genuinely want to do!”
- Entertainment Host Forrest Orta: “It’s important for cast members to get the same immersive, high-quality experience our guests receive each day. When we’re just working our same role each day, we might miss the full magic; I wanted cast to once again fall in love with why Disney does what it does.”
- Baby-Jo Fernando, Avengers Campus Attractions host: “There’s really something for everyone. Even the cast members who don’t like to be scared could come get treats and spend time with other cast members.”
- Rachel Kahan, Avengers Campus Attractions: “Cast events are what make this job so unique and special. It really speaks to the community we have that so many people just say, ‘hey, let’s all do this together for each other.’ It boosts morale in a way I just can’t describe.”