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innerSpaceman
09-01-2003, 08:03 AM
There was a very interesting edition of Fantasmic on Sunday, August 24. Peter Pan was invisible! His voice could be heard, but the spritely green-clad guy was nowhere to be seen. Oh, the performers aboard the pirate ship Columbia all acted as if they could see him, but nobody in the audience for the second show that night could see Peter Pan at all. Captain Hook dueling with, um, no one high above the decks looked a little silly, and in fact the whole segment of the show was more than a bit surreal without Peter.


Well, it seems that (from what I've heard*), perpetually youthful flying scamps are not immune to mundane labor disputes. After the first showing of Fantasmic that night, the actor who played Peter Pan just flew away (actually was secretly smuggled off TS Island by confederates) and quit his job at Disney in the most, um, spectacular way possible - knowing full well that there would be no way to get a replacement Pan for the show, and confusing thousands of little children who were left wondering what part of the Peter Pan story involving invisibility they had somehow missed.


Was this a daring exploit by a departing cast member, or simply bad show perpetrated by a disgruntled hack?



* I shall call this an "unsubstantiated rumour." CMs can get in major trouble for letting a cat like this out of the bag, and if those CMs who (allegedly) helped with Pan's escape on a smuggled raft are ever identified, they will be in such hot water they'll think the Rivers of America has come to a boil.

DonaldDuck14
09-01-2003, 10:31 AM
jeez, i wonder if there will be a peter pan in tonight's show (9/01)

Tref
09-01-2003, 10:43 AM
Originally posted by innerSpaceman
... Was this a daring exploit by a departing cast member, or simply bad show perpetrated by a disgruntled hack?

Hack? Interesting choice of words.

merlinjones
09-01-2003, 10:54 AM
While I have no reason to doubt that any Disney employee was treated in such a callous and disheartening way so as to inspire such an exit, it's unprofessional for any performer to leave his troupe in the lerch like that. After all, the world's oldest showbix maxim is "The show must go on." ...Afterward quit in some spectacular way.

Ghoulish Delight
09-01-2003, 10:56 AM
Originally posted by DonaldDuck14
jeez, i wonder if there will be a peter pan in tonight's show (9/01) I'm sure they have an understudy. If iSm's source is to be believed, the only reason that he wasn't there last Sunday was because the performer selected his timing such that they couldn't get the understudy there or in costume in time.

And if it IS true, what a childish, selfish move that was. If you fell the need to make some sort of statement with your departure, go ahead, as long as it doesn't affect other people. That goes for ANY job, not just a Disney job. By his actions, he scores of other performers to look like fools dueling with thin air. And he left an audience missing a vital part of the show. Just so he could have his little hissy fit. :rolleyes: Childish and selfish.

Cadaverous Pallor
09-01-2003, 11:28 AM
This guy (or was it a girl?) is a total jerk.

I don't care what the reasons were - you do NOT do such a thing on purpose.

Did the actor think of all of his former coworkers and giggle at the thought of them doing without him? Did he think of all the hundreds of children in attendance that may only have one chance in a lifetime to see the spectacle of the Columbia fighting scene, and laugh heartily at their upcoming disappointment?

As a believer in the magic of Disneyland, as I've seen it affect many a child (and adult), hearing about this kind of maliciousness is like a slap in the face. It's evil. There's no justification - it's just evil.

I hope he reads the boards! :mad:

TP2000
09-01-2003, 01:57 PM
Wow. That's one of the lamest things I've ever heard of.

I'm sure working in the Disneyland Character Department is really difficult. It probably ranks up there with being a coal miner in Siberia with no modern safety equipment, or trying to grow rice for your starving, malnourished family in Communist North Korea, or trying to save your daughter from Islamic fundamentalists intent on reproductive organ mutilation in a fascist African nation. Yes, playing Peter Pan in a theme park show is a lot like the truly repressed and miserable people that number in the low Billions around the world today.

That young man who really showed how strong his personal character was by sticking it to the evil Disneyland managers would be thought of as a hero by many of those repressed and miserable Billions in other countries. He should be very, very proud of himself for working at Disneyland for as long as he did. Not many other people in the world today would have been able to put up with that Disneyland torture!

What a self-absorbed loser of global proportions.

CarlieB
09-01-2003, 02:44 PM
I'm surprised at the level of feeling about this here...sure, maybe it wasn't the smartest or most well-thought out thing to do, but in the grand scheme of things, it's only a show:) JMHO...

Ghoulish Delight
09-01-2003, 03:46 PM
Originally posted by CarlieB
I'm surprised at the level of feeling about this here...sure, maybe it wasn't the smartest or most well-thought out thing to do, but in the grand scheme of things, it's only a show:) JMHO... I'm not saying it's the most tragic thing every to happen. But, if you ask me if I think it was a good idea, I think it's childish and selfish. If one of my friends were to ask me whether they should do something similar, I'd say no. And there's no way I would ever do something like that. That's my opinion.

Cadaverous Pallor
09-01-2003, 04:18 PM
What he did was mean. It was mean to leave the cast in the lurch. It was mean to confuse the audience and ruin the scene. It was intentionally mean. He knew full well the effects of his actions.

I do not like mean people.

innerSpaceman
09-01-2003, 05:17 PM
yeah, I gotta agree with the sentiment expressed by merlinjones above - the show must go on. It is the ultimate actor's creed, and this dude was, above all, an actor in a show.

In show biz, this is just not done (unless, of course, you're a spoiled rotten diva or rock star or something).

Ghoulish Delight
09-01-2003, 05:18 PM
Originally posted by CarlieB
in the grand scheme of things, it's only a show:) JMHO... No, in the grand scheme of things, it's only his job. What would you think if your co-worker planned some elaborate quitting drama just as you were about to meet a client? It's no different. It was completely unprofessional. If I were an employer with this guy's resume in hand and heard about this, there's not a chance I'd hire him.

innerSpaceman
09-01-2003, 05:20 PM
I'm sure G.D.'s analogies to employment and resume are completely coincidental.

Ghoulish Delight
09-01-2003, 05:39 PM
Originally posted by innerSpaceman
I'm sure G.D.'s analogies to employment and resume are completely coincidental. Why, I have hire me absolutely give me money no earthly clue pay me to do nothing what you might I need a jooooob!!! be talking about.

Gymgirl975
09-01-2003, 05:59 PM
Maybe he got really sick and couldn't perform?

CarlieB
09-01-2003, 06:01 PM
If I were an employer with this guy's resume in hand and heard about this, there's not a chance I'd hire him.

I agree with you on this one - it's not going to do him any favours down the track, that's for sure.

zapppop
09-01-2003, 09:56 PM
Originally posted by Gymgirl975
Maybe he got really sick and couldn't perform?

Yeah, he got really sick of working in Disneyland as Peter Pan.

Hey G.D., how do you feel about wearing green tights and a hat ?

Not Afraid
09-01-2003, 10:07 PM
Originally posted by zapppop
Hey G.D., how do you feel about wearing green tights and a hat ?

Deja vu! I believe this was discussed last night at about 3 am.

If I remember correctly, the answer was NO!

DisneylandBoy
09-01-2003, 10:22 PM
OK just to clear a few things up. Fantasmic! is considered part of the Parades department. I am in POTS, so I understand how this works. For each role in every parade (Fan! included) there is (during a 7-day run) a 5 day, a 2 day and then call-ins, stanby's and other people approved for the role. Sometimes this varies and there is a 5 day and two 1 days. If the actor were to suddenly "dissapear" there is someone who could replace him. We have had people go home in between parades due to illness or injury and they have been replaced. It is also impossible for him to get smuggled out. Come on people, get real.

What most likely happened was that something went wrong with either the actor, his costume, some part of the ship he was supposed to use, or something like that and they did not have time or the ability to fix it.

I can't believe you guys would REALLY believe an actor would just leave and quit in between shows! ISM - where did you get your information?

I will check around and see if I can find out what happened to Peter Pan.

zapppop
09-01-2003, 10:28 PM
Originally posted by DisneylandBoy

I can't believe you guys would REALLY believe an actor would just leave and quit in between shows! ISM - where did you get your information?

He got it from a few CM's.


Originally posted by innerSpaceman
* I shall call this an "unsubstantiated rumour." CMs can get in major trouble for letting a cat like this out of the bag, and if those CMs who (allegedly) helped with Pan's escape on a smuggled raft are ever identified, they will be in such hot water they'll think the Rivers of America has come to a boil.

Not Afraid
09-01-2003, 10:45 PM
Originally posted by DisneylandBoy
I can't believe you guys would REALLY believe an actor would just leave and quit in between shows! ISM - where did you get your information?

I will check around and see if I can find out what happened to Peter Pan.

Actually, I do believe that what IsM stated really happened as I heard the exact same story following the show.

The lights came on on the Columbia and it was discovered at "curtain up" that Pan was gone. The "incident" had the Fantasmic crew so worried about the whereabouts of Pan that the show was nearly cancelled mid-show - they thought that possibly Pan had fallen in the ROA.

What this CM did was very unprofessional. I didn't hear what got him so PO's, but something obviously got to him.

Baaaad news.

Sheila
09-02-2003, 01:43 PM
Not that I have anything to add to the main topic, but I always heard that Pan was played by a girl.

When did the switch to male actors occur, or has the role been filled by either sex all along?

Sheila

fairytalelover
09-02-2003, 01:52 PM
Why is everyone so quick to put this Peter Pan guy down? We do not know both sides of the story. What if his employer was a jerk and did something or said something very bad to him? What if he was being treated so badly or unjustly of some issue that he had no choice but to leave. I am just being the devil's advocate. But, how do we know? Why are we asuming that Peter Pan is a jerk and it's all his fault and he had no good reason to do what he did? Let's try to find out the real reason from a RELIABLE source and then take it from there.

innerSpaceman
09-02-2003, 02:03 PM
Because unless he was injured or his mother died (would that be Wendy?), then there is no possible excuse.

The Show Must Go On. Actors have this tatooed across their hearts.



DisneylandBoy: Of course I am not positive, but I don't think the stuntwork required by Peter Pan allows for the same type of understudy-at-the-ready that is normal procedure for parades. And yes, it is almost inconceivable that an actor would quit in between shows like this. Yet this is what I heard from several inside sources, the identities of which I will NOT (duh) reveal.

MammaSilva
09-02-2003, 02:05 PM
Originally posted by fairytalelover
Why is everyone so quick to put this Peter Pan guy down? We do not know both sides of the story. What if his employer was a jerk and did something or said something very bad to him? What if he was being treated so badly or unjustly of some issue that he had no choice but to leave. I am just being the devil's advocate. But, how do we know? Why are we asuming that Peter Pan is a jerk and it's all his fault and he had no good reason to do what he did? Let's try to find out the real reason from a RELIABLE source and then take it from there.



Ok so we don't have all the 'facts' but what we do know is that the CM portraying PP at that particular show decided to leave their castmates in a lurch.... impacted mulitple guests experience with the show, and as we're all so fond of saying.. what about that family that has saved for YEARS and that particular show was the ONLY one they'll experience. It was unprofessional, immature and obviously ineffective, the show went on.. without the CM...they didn't "stop the show" because of the missing PP....but it did impact a lot of guests experiences. Hate Disney.. wana quit.. hey I'm sure the CM's here can fill us in on the 'proper' way to give notice.. but to pull an emotional and immature stunt such as this.. that CM can't come up with an excuse good enough to justify their actions IMHO.

It does NOT matter why they felt the need to quit.. do it with Honor, give notice and go... short of the CM falling in the RoA.. there can be no justifcation for that behavior..