I have to admit my childhood was nearly in ruins as I went backstage of the oh-so-famous Disneyland Resort of Anaheim, California.
Ever since I was born, Disney movies were my addiction. I could quote scenes from all of the Disney Renaissance movies from memory, and Disneyland was my second home. So in 8th grade, I was more than ecstatic to go to Los Angeles with my school’s music department. During the trip, we were invited to perform in Disneyland.
After we went on a few rides in the morning one day, my friends and I met with the rest of our Chamber Strings orchestra before our performance. Our teacher, Mr. Krijnen, instructed us to put away any cell phones before we went backstage in order to “preserve Disneyland’s magic,” which we at first didn’t understand…until an employee then led us through big yellow doors, and what they revealed was completely shocking.
If I could use only one word to describe the backstage of Disneyland, it would be “unimaginable.” The entire place was grey and dreary–even some of the people themselves had auras that seemed extremely negative, and that wasn’t even the worst of it.
After a few minutes of practicing our pieces, Chamber was instructed to walk to the back of the stage. Although I was exceptionally nervous as I always was before performances, I was more shocked at what I have just seen. I saw the characters who I had once looked up to, like Mickey Mouse, looking absolutely dreadful. There were characters with their costume heads taken off, eating atrocious looking food from to-go boxes. Some were swearing, some were spitting on the ground, and some were even smoking! Even though it was only a small number of the workers who actually committed these unbelievable actions, it affected me greatly.
It was scary to finally know how the real world was, even if I was in what was dubbed “the Happiest Place on Earth.” I distinctly remember when I walked out of the stage with my friends after our performance and we all agreed on one thing: Disneyland was a lot different than what we’d thought it would be.
I would see characters walking through the park wearing pounds of clothing; of course, the ones that didn’t have the attached heads were the luckiest. The characters have to march in parades, sign at least a hundred autograph books, and pose for at least a hundred pictures, all while maintaining wide grins on their faces once they leave backstage. How strenuous of a job would that be? But hey, I guess that’s how the real world works.
We all have to appreciate the workers who sacrifice their lives into making this park what it is now. Without them, how else would I have been able to enjoy the restaurants and rides at Disneyland? How else would I have been able to make infinite memories with my friends?
As I walked out of those yellow doors back into the park, I tried to thank every worker I could see. I thought that just saying “thank you” could mean a lot to someone else. Maybe it didn’t mean a lot to someone, maybe it did, but I sincerely thanked the employees for what they did and that’s what counts.
I remember my friend telling me, “Don’t look there! Your childhood will be ruined!” while trying to cover my eyes from looking at the workers backstage. She was right; it did “ruin” my childhood, but it also gave me a new, somehow positive perspective on Disneyland and its workers.
