The Happiest Place on Earth

The audience gasps in awe as Tinker Bell flies out of Cinderella’s castle, magically making her way to her final destination atop a building on Main Street. The fireworks continue, captivating the crowd's gaze and distracting them from Tinker Bell disassembling her zipline harness. Music blasts from the speakers posted on every corner as little kids shriek with happiness and adults gasp in awe at the magic. Being in the happiest place on Earth tends to have that effect on people.

That joyful feeling dwindles as the main lights fade back on and the masses begin to pour into the streets, trying to make their way to the bus, or in some cases the boat, home. Frustrated parents use their strollers as some sort of weapon to get people out of their way, oblivious teens wander from their already stressed-out parents into the gift shops that line Main Street, and the sound of tired babies crying seems to be never-ending. If only Disney had the same line-waiting protocols for leaving the park as they do entering, maybe there would be less panic at the end of those long nights.

Despite these first-world problems, the Disney company has been successfully entertaining and inspiring people from every corner of the globe since the debut distribution in 1924 of the "Alice Comedies", a cartoon written by Walt Disney about a little girl who lives in a world called Alice's Wonderland.

Although they have some outstanding achievements under their belt, the Disney company has been accused of things like homophobia on multiple instances, one involving a donation to Dennis Baxley, a Senate sponsor of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Despite their statement supporting gay rights, they continue to receive backlash for homophobia within the company, along with its movie and television productions.

The sweet, sugary taste of a churro or a savory pickle is enough to wash down the taste of homophobia for some, including Clarissa, a new employee at Disney’s Customer Service Call Center.

Only two months after earning her ears, Clarissa has had nothing but “smooth sailing” while working for one of the biggest corporations in the world. “My favorite part is the guest experience. Being able to tell them about the park and the rides, it’s been really fun so far,” said Clarissa.

She has to be knowledgeable on all things involving Disney Parks, which is a lot more than one might imagine. She has all the information on seasonal events like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, which includes special parades with spookily-dressed characters and unique firework shows, and the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival, which is popular among the older Disney-goers. Clarissa also knows about the smaller day-to-day events, such as the open-aired nighttime musical, Fantasmic!, at Hollywood Studios, and the Disney Enchantment firework show above Cinderella’s Castle at the Magic Kingdom.

At all of these events, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of employees working together to create the magic that the guests experience. One of the biggest attractions of going to Disney is getting to meet the characters. From Winnie the Pooh to Princess Tiana to Mickey and Minnie themselves, they are all there and ready to meet their fans, no matter how young or old.

Jeff Zannini is a graduate of the Disney College Program class of 1992 and got the opportunity to work a few different jobs on-site. “Getting to see behind the magic was my favorite part,” said Zannini, “…going in the underground tunnels was pretty cool.” The downside to seeing behind all the magic is, unfortunately, seeing behind all the magic. “You lose a little bit [of the magic] when you realize they’re looking for 200% profit,” said Zannini, “it’s just a business like all the others.”

Walking around the parks doesn’t feel like a weirdly-lit, over-heated office space though. It’s more of an over-crowded, energetic atmosphere that triggers a child-like joyful feeling. In any given direction there are families with brightly-colored matching t-shirts and newly-engaged couples, proudly wearing their “Just Engaged!” pins on their designated amusement park backpacks. There’s a janitor painting Goofy on the concrete with a mop and some water, and a toddler gripping onto their glow-in-the-dark Mickey Mouse balloon for dear life, only to forget about it the next day while it’s deflating on the hotel room floor.

An aspect of visiting a Disney resort that has to be experienced to be understood is how draining it can be, in more ways than one. For starters, it’s exhausting walking around an entire park, never mind the people who go to multiple parks in one day. Along with this, the amount of money spent by park-goers in one day could pay to feed a small village.

As the night approaches at the Magic Kingdom, employees begin to feel this drainage too. They get a little snippy with the customer that stayed in the store 20 minutes after closing or they yawn as they wave goodbye to the sleeping babies in the weaponized strollers. Their feet are aching, their voices almost gone, and their couch has never sounded more comfortable. But even at the end of the longest day, they have a smile on their face because they work at the happiest place.