Disney Live Entertainment and Disney Cruise Line regularly hold auditions for performers in stage shows, parades, and meet and greets; however, a few new audition listings on the Disney careers website have caused us to prick up our mouse ears and take notice.
Let’s take a closer look at these interesting Disney casting calls, some which are clear and some which are intriguing mysteries…
Hiro Hamada at Disneyland
At D23 Expo in September, we learned from Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro that Pacific Wharf in Disney California Adventure would undergo a reimagination into San Fransokyo from “Big Hero 6” (and, in fact, that’s already underway). At the time, we weren’t given very much info about what experiences might take place in the new area, except, as the Disney Parks Blog reported, “there will be a place to meet Baymax.”
Well, a Disneyland audition listing suggests there will also be a meet and greet (or maybe some sort of entertainment offering) with Hiro Hamada as well.
According to the listing, Disneyland is looking for “Character Look-Alikes for the role of Hiro Hamada,” who are 5’3″ to 5’5″ with “a slender build, and a youthful outgoing personality.”
Here’s the description of the Hiro Hamada role:
Disney Live Entertainment is excited to be seeking performers local to Southern California for the Character Look-Alike role, HIRO HAMADA. This role is based on the lead from Disney’s animated feature, Big Hero 6. Disney Character Performers appear each day in character greetings before thousands of guests, signing autographs, posing for pictures, and helping to create magical moments with guests of all ages.
We’re not sure if this role would be limited to the San Fransokyo area or if there will be more appearances by Baymax and Hiro in the parks – maybe even in a parade like Magic Happens? After all, we recently got Baymax flying over Sleeping Beauty Castle, so who knows.
New Ariel at Disneyland
Another current Disneyland audition listing for “Character Look-Alikes: Live-Action Ariel” to represent the character as portrayed by Halle Bailey in the upcoming live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid.” According to the listing, Disneyland is looking for performers who are 5’2” to 5’6” with a “warm, engaging, and outgoing personality.”
Here’s the description of the Little Mermaid role:
Disney Live Entertainment is seeking Disney character look-alikes for the role of ARIEL as depicted in the upcoming live-action adaption of The Little Mermaid. Disney Character Performers play before thousands of guests each day in character greetings, sightings, and other experiences across the Disneyland Resort. Performers sign autographs, pose for pictures. and help create magical moments with guests of all ages.
We’re not sure if live-action Ariel performers will replace animated Ariel performers or if different versions of the character will appear at different times (or in different places) – similar to how two versions of Captain America appear in Avengers Campus.
New Musical at the Hyperion Theater
First of all: Hooray that there will once again be a musical in the Hyperion Theatre at Disney California Adventure!
A mystery to solve! Let’s put on our thinking caps and see if we can figure out what it will be. The listing says Disney Live Entertainment is looking for singers/actors who move (meaning, they can dance) for a new limited-run musical at the Hyperion Theatre, so right off the bat, “new” rules out the return of “Aladdin” or “Frozen.”
While the listing notes that details about this new show will be announced soon, it does describe the production as “an exciting new Broadway-caliber theatrical production at the Disneyland Resort, planned for a limited run in the state-of-the-art, indoor, 2000-seat Hyperion Theater at Disney California Adventure Park.”
It goes on to say Disney Live Entertainment is working with book writer Hunter Bell, the star and book writer of the Tony Award-nominated [title of show], and featuring music by Emmy-nominated and Grammy-winning composer Christopher Lennertz – who, by the way, was responsible for re-imagining all the Disney songs featured in the new Disney100 nighttime spectacular “Wondrous Journeys.”
Disney Live Entertainment is looking for performers to play the following roles:
- Role #1/Featured Principal – 3 Female identifying roles, 20’s to 50’s. Proficient with harmonization and ability to sing in many styles, from Destiny’s Child to Andrew Sisters. These three performers are a fun, energetic, and musical sisterhood that acts as the occasional “Greek Chorus.”
- Role #2/Featured Principal – Female identifying, mid 20’s to early 30’s. Brave, resourceful, and intelligent. Must have a strong English accent.
- Role #3/Featured Principal – Male identifying, 17 to 20. Young man coming into his greatness.
- Role #4/Featured Principal – Male identifying, 30’s to 40’s. He is decisive, capable, principled, and has a wry sense of humor. Leads others with attitude and swagger.
- Role #5/Featured Principal – Male identifying, mid 20’s to early 30’s. He is a noble, loyal, idealistic, and romantic do-gooder who does not give up easily.
So, what do we think about this? To me, the dead giveaway is Role #1, which might as well just come right out and say “The Muses” (even though there are five of them), but apart from that pointing fairly directly to “Hercules,” some of the other role descriptions have me wondering about “Tarzan.”
Hear me out:
- Role #2 seems to be aligned with the characteristics of the sarcastic damsel in not-so-much distress Megara/Meg; however, the English accent requirement is leading me down the Jane path.
- Role #3, while Hercules seems to be the ultimate “young man coming into his greatness,” that description could also apply to Tarzan.
- Role #4 seems like it would be describing Hades, and I admit, I can’t make a clear-cut Tarzan connection for this one because we know Kerchak does not have any sense of humor, let alone a wry one, and Clayton is most definitely not principled – though neither is Hades. This role has me stumped.
- Role #5 could be Philoctetes/Phil (except for the age), but it could also be Terk.
It’s also possible that some roles have already been cast.
But, these roles also sound heroic… and the Hyperion is located at the nexus of Avengers Campus… so, perhaps “Rogers: The Musical” is a possibility. And while I’m personally partial to the idea of Hercules, The Avengers are just as likely to win this battle.
Disney Cruise Line Honolulu Auditions
This seemingly under-the-radar posting may end up being the most exciting because, according to Hawaii News Now, this is the first time in over ten years that Disney Cruise Line has held auditions in Hawaii, which got me thinking…
The listing says Disney Cruise Line is auditioning for Mainstage Vocalists for “fleet-wide needs,” but we also learned from Josh D’Amaro at D23 Expo that the line’s next ship – The Disney Treasure – is expected to debut in 2024 with a theme of adventure, so could it be possible that we might see Moana-themed entertainment onboard?
Disney Cruise Line is looking for performers to play the following roles:
- Female Identifying Roles – 20 to 35 years old, 5’1″ to 5’7″. Seeking trained, experienced musical theatre performers for Disney Cruise Line repertory at sea. Seeking multiple and various roles including but not limited to: Jasmine, Ariel, Anne Marie, Elsa, Tiana, Cinderella, Fairy Godmother, and Rapunzel.
- Male Identifying Roles – 20 to 35 years old, 5’7″ to 6’3″. Seeking trained, experienced musical theatre performers for Disney Cruise Line repertory at sea. Seeking multiple and various roles including but not limited to: Genie, Stabbington Brothers, Prince Charming, Grand Duke, Peter Pan, and Aladdin.
Now, I do realize that it does not specifically say Moana, nor does it specifically say Maui; however, it does say “but not limited to,” so my spidey sense tells me they’re not going all the way to Hawaii just to find Peter Pan and Elsa.
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Let’s Hear From You!
What do you think is coming to the Hyperion Theatre? Hercules? Tarzan? Something else? With the Hyperion just steps from Avengers Campus, there have been whispers about “Rogers, The Musical” from “Hawkeye” (just sayin’). And what do we think about those Honolulu auditions? Obviously, we’re not above wild unfounded speculation, so let us know your theories in the comments.
And if you’re interested in auditioning for any of these roles (or others), you can check out the Disney Careers audition page HERE.