Why Disney calls its employees 'cast members'

March 9, 2026, 3:24 PM · Have you ever wondered why Disney calls its theme park employees around the world "cast members?"

When I started at the Walt Disney World Resort, I took a two-day course called "Traditions" from the resort's training center, which had the grand name of "Disney University." My instructor shared the story that Walt Disney wanted employees to be called cast members to reinforce the idea that Disneyland was a show, and that we were to be the performers who would help bring this show to life.

That's also why all public areas of a Disney theme park are called "on stage" and employees-only area are called "backstage."

It's not just corporate jargon. Language is important in storytelling, and Disney's use of "cast members" really does help distinguish the work that a Disney worker does in operating their attractions versus that done by someone working in a less well-themed park. When I started at Country Bear Jamboree, for example, I had to spend another two days learning the names of every single bear in the show and the lyrics to every song that they sang. My job was not just to load the theater and push a button to start the show. I was playing the role of a caretaker at Grizzly Hall. This was my home, too, and I had know it like someone who lived in the place.

Over the years, I have done a bit of acting here and there. Every actor has to make countless decisions about their character in order to craft a convincing performance. Think about the ticks and mannerisms and habits and superstitions that you might have that affect the way that you walk and talk and drive and speak and interact with other people in this world. Those are the product of a lifetime of your personal experiences.

When acting, you have to create that lifetime of inputs from scratch. Yes, a script informs you, but it rarely provides all the tools a good performer needs. A director can provide additional instruction, but ultimately, actors bear the responsibility for their performance and for summoning the tools they need to deliver it.

At Walt Disney World and the Disneylands around the world, cast member training helps provide some of those creative tools. As Disney's theme park lands have become more immersive, the training for the cast members working in them has become more detailed - to better equip those cast members in becoming immersed in the worlds that they will help create for the park's guests.

Disneyland Paris is preparing to open its new World of Frozen land at the renamed Disney Adventure World park later this month. The resort has selected 350 cast members to open the land. To help them prepare for these new roles, Paris' Disney University - renamed the "Royal Academy of Universal Development" for this course - instructed Paris' future citizens of Arendelle on the village's history, legends, and customs.

Following the conclusion of these preparation sessions, cast members gathered for a ceremony in the new land, at which they were presented with their new Arendelle-themed nametags. At the end, they sang the Frozen anthem, "Vuelie." Here is a video from Disney.

If all you care about as a guest is getting on the Frozen Ever After boat ride or meeting Queens Anna and Elsa in the new Royal Encounter at Arendelle Castle, Disney's cast members will be able to guide you through those attractions. But if you wish to lean into the experience, the instruction that Disney provides its cast members - and the choices that they will make based on that instruction - will allow you to feel like you have met the people of Arendelle when you take a moment to chat with the cast working there.

And that is what makes Disney theme parks especially magical for millions of visitors around the world. It's what made working at Disney so much fun for me, too.

World of Frozen and the Disney Adventure World expansion open officially March 29. For tickets to the park, please visit our partner's Disneyland Paris theme park tickets page.

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