Disneyland: The Happiest Place on Earth Fires 1,900

Posted by Lisa Derrick, La Figa at 4:02 AM on April 6, 2009.

Disneyland is becoming Dismal-land: 1,900 employees  cast members are losing their jobs at the US theme parks, with the majority of e-tickets to the unemployment line getting passed out at Disney World in Orlando Florida, where about 1,400 jobs will be eliminated.  Disneyland in Anaheim will lose 300 employees cast members and the rest of the layoffs will happen in the company's Burbank, California headquarters.

The Los Angeles Times reports that in January, the company offered buyout packages to 600 executives at its domestic parks division which also includes their cruise lines. It's the recession...

It's going to be weird to go to Bats' Day in the Fun Park this year (aka Goth Day at Disneyland) and see fewer staff cast members scraping gum off the streets, fewer characters in costume. But I'd rather see some litter and lose out on Captain Hook and the Evil Queen than have them cut down on the safety staff running the rides. I got stuck once on the Roger Rabbit ride and had to walk out with a flashlight carrying escort  cast member. It was really freaky.

No word if the staff cast member cut back will include security guards at the Disneyland  jail (which may or may not exist; might, per a friend of a friend have, a mural of Goofy his shaking his finger; or as Gossip Girl actress Blake Lively recalls from her time spent there as a miscreant six year old, is possibly all white).

Tagged as: disneyland, unemployment