Newbie - paris audition help?

First off, i'm new so hello
also, i know i'm a bit keen, but i'm planning to audition for disneyland resort paris in january 2010. Basically, i just wanted to get some information from those of you who have auditioned for character performers before. If you could give me some information on what happened in your audition. I also heard that sometimes they just put you on thier books and don't give you a contract, is this because they don't have any work for you at that current time?
any infromation would be very helpful.
Thankyou!

 

hey !!!
I understand what you live, it is not easy to find infos about the charactere disney audition !!!
Myself I couldn't find any before to go in mine in april and it was not easy, I could have been more prepared :-\
So let me tell you how it happened for me...

I arrived there, they gave me a form to complete, they ask if you have back problems, if you are ashmatique, if you are clostrophobic, because if you are one of them you better go back home, you definitly not gonna pass the audition...

Then they talk about 30 mn to explain the job...

Then everybody has to stand up and they start the first part of the audition, if you don't pass this part you can go home...
This part is the animation part of the audition, they ask you, following a disney music, to move like the disney charactere.
Don't worry you are not alone in front of the 400 people around, you first do it all together.

So they regulary change the charatere ask for it, but for me they asked to do first the cowbow, then the pirate, then one of the wicked, then one of the seven Dwarfs and then the princesse.

But don't worry this first part it is about animation so it is not a dance, it is just to see if you are going to be able to move like these charactere once you gonna have the costume.

My advice it is to go on youtube and to work on the movement of this disney charactere, and once in the audition, do wide movement as the costume gonna be very big.

So you start by doing this with all the people, then they cut down by two group, then by 4 groups and then 10 by 10.

After thas if you are picked up, they ask you to do the dance part of the audition, but again don't worry if you are not a dancer they still can keep you for the animation if they liked you

The dance part, they show you movement and you have to reproduce it, once again, you are not alone !!! it is the same than with the animation part of the audition...

That it really...

So the very very best advice that I can give you it is to go and enjoy !!!!
It is a lot of fun ;D

With all my support,
Good luck...

 

yeah you pretty much explained it all... one thing i have to add though is that if you are not a dancer and never have had professional dance lessons then you will definitely not pass the last stage! i was dancing up to 6 hours a week up to when i was 14 years old and i did not pass the dance stage. however i am very slow at picking up fast pieces of choreography and indeed it is extremely fast. i learn very slowly, but once i have it then it's damn good (most dancers can pick it up quickly but take time to perfect it, i'm the other way round) which is why i think i did not pass it. i got all the moves wrong as the music and steps are so tricky and super fast i just could not do it! we got given about 10 minutes to learn a very quick 2 minute routine. it was broken down into about 20 or 30 second bits which we literally went through twice, and once we had the whole dance basic routine done we went through it once and then had to perform it, i'm SO surprised people could even remember it because i looked like a right fool trying to remember the steps!
anyway yeah and back to the animation part of the audition, the choreographer basically says to come forward for 8 counts in a cowboy style, then turn round on the spot in a pirate style for 8 counts, then i think it was walk 4 counts left and strike an evil witch pose then 4 counts right and strike another evil witch pose, then stand on the spot for 8 counts and be one of the 7 dwarfs (e.g. some people did a big yawn and i did a dramatic sneeze, silently of course!) and then we had 8 counts to be a disney princess, i did a big curtsey, smile and wave as you run off to the left as if you're leaving the stage, hopping and skipping etc hahaha. it's all very fun. then you get split up into smaller groups to do it (instead of the whole 400 people or whatever) and i think the smallest group you do it in is 10 people which is cool. there are two people at the front and they have all your numbers on the table in front of them. i think they previously sorted out that judge 1 and judge 2 will look at either the left or right side of the auditionees (or whatever the word is!) so they have 5 to look at each. then when the music plays they spend 8 counts looking at each person and mark on their number if they wanna put them through, i think it basically went like this if you didnt get any of that!:
person 1: gets looked at by judge one on their cowboy
2: gets looked at by judge one on their pirate
3: gets looked at by judge one on their evil witch
4: gets looked at by judge one on their dwarf
5: gets looked at by judge one on their princess
6: gets looked at by judge two on their princess (i noticed this was when i was looked at)
7: gets looked at by judge two on their dwarf
8: gets looked at by judge two on their evil witch
9: gets looked at by judge two on their pirate
10: gets looked at by judge two on their cowboy

so basically each judge is looking from outwards to inwards!

gosh sorry i'm writing so much but i found it alot more helpful when someone wrote in every little detail about the audition!
if you wanna know anything else then don't hesitate to ask because as you can see, i don't mind writing at all LOL

 

Thankyou so much for that!
I'm really nervous, because i'd love this job more than anything.
can i ask, did you get through the audition, and get offered a contract?
and, how many people were there?
cheers!

 

i got to the final round then screwed up lmao. sucks really, i cried so much - dream job gone. and i dont think i can remember how many people, maybe like 800 or so? ALOT!
at the end they split us up into 3 groups, 20% of the final people got sent home (inc me) 60% got their files held on for when or if a position pops up for them, and 20% got offered an interview for that day there and then. me and this girl stuck together throughout and she got offered cinderella! i was gutted lol

 

hey everyone

just thought i would bump this thread up as there is a DLP audition tomorrow in london, and on the 21st in leeds. i'm going to the one tomorrow, just for a laugh. i went to the one in january and got to the last stage before fucking up big time hahaha.
anyway so i don't think anyone on here will be going as this site is all about the international programs but hey if anyone is then let me know!

 

OMGGGGGGGGG I PASSED THE FRICKEN AUDITION!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

but they dont have any positions for my height so i gotta wait until one pops up


STILL WOOOOOO!

 

Omg! congratulations! thats so cool
how was the audition this time, still really busy?
and can i ask how tall you are btw? haha
are they going to ring you when they've got a position for you?
congrats again!

 

noo there was like around 300 people there and there was about 800/900 last time haha! it was the same dance so i picked it up alotttt easier this time as i remembered some of it from 6 months ago
yeah when or IF they get a position for me they'll give me a ring, i'm on the waiting list for 6 months. i know some people who have been on the waiting list before and never got a call so had to re-audition again and again until they finally had something for them. fingers crossed i won't have to re-audition
yeah i'm 5'7" (170cms apparently!)

 

wow thats still amazing you go throught the auditions, im guessing you ahve to be kinda short for the costumes some of them ... 5'4? would i be right heighted lol x

 

well no i think before the audition starts they know how many positions they have available and need to look for for each height, and then they get the people they want. e.g. they might know they need 4 people at around 5'0", 3 people at around 5'6" and 5 people at 6'0" or so and a couple of people in between those three and then cast the people. those are the most common and needed heights for the characters. and then everyone else who passed but wasn't their first choice favourite, were put on the waiting list for a position to come up for that height. i hope i made sense i rambled a bit!

 

No you made sence lol x

 

Well, i'm 5"1 and apparently i'm just out of the height range for mickey and minnie and that.
but there are still costumed characters up to 5"4 and stuff. although i think its a bit harder to get those because its a popular height range. I'm not sure though, so don't quote me on that haha.

 

yeh i noticed wen i went to florida u stand for photos and i feel so tall next to ones like mickey and pinocchio there so small ;D

 

nope, there are characters at all different heights ranges, not just up to 5'4". look at this table:

3'10"-4'4" Ewok

4'0"-4'6" Dewey, Huey, Louie

4'6"-4'7" Daisy, Ewok, Grandma Duck, Ludwig Von Drake

4'8"-4'9" Chicken Little, Daisy, Donald, Dopey, Ewok, Jiminy, Mickey, Minnie, Oliver, Tito

4'9"-4'10" Daisy, Dopey, Donald, Ewok, Jiminy, Jose Carinoca, Lilo, Mickey, Minnie, Oliver, Panchito, Pinocchio, Stitch, Tito

4'9"-4'11" Chicken Little, Lilo, Stitch

4'10"-5'0" Abu, Baby Elephant, Bernard, Bianca, Br'er Rabbit, Chip the Teacup, Donald, Francis, Meeko, Mickey, Minnie, Mushu, Pain, Panic, Pete, Philoctetes, Piglet, Pinocchio, Roll, Tuck

4'11"-5'1" Abby Mallard, Francis, Gadget, Roger Rabbit, Teddy Bears

5'0"-5'2" Abby Mallard, Bashful, Darkwing Duck, Fiddler Pig, Fifer Pig, Georgette, Goliath, Grumpy, Hugo, Jojo, Kit Cloudkicker, Koda, Kuzco, Lampwick, Laverne, Maid Marian, Max, Mike, Jungle Book Monkeys, Perla, Pete, Pooh, Practical Pig, Quasimodo, Robin Hood, Roll, Scrooge McDuck, Sleepy, Sneezy, Stanley, Suzy, Teddy Bears, Terk, Thumper, Timon, Tuck, White Rabbit, Zowie

5'1"-5'2" All of the above + Chip, Dale, Yellow Rabbit

5'2"-5'3" Bullseye, Chip, Coach Mouse, Dale, Doc, Francis, Gideon, Gus Gus, Happy, Jenny Foxworth, Jessie, King Louie, Moliere, Jungle Book Monkeys, Olie, Penguin, Perla, Pooh, Sebastian, Suzy, Victor, Yellow Rabbit

5'3"-5'4" Bullseye, Coach Mouse, Doc, Francis, Gideon, Jenny Foxworth, Happy, King Louie, Chip, Dale, Gus Gus, Jessie, Moliere, Jungle Book Monkeys, Olie, Penguin, Sebastian, Victor

5'4"-5'6" Dodger, Fauna, Flora, Ginger Bread Man, Jaq, Kanga & Roo, Kermit the Frog, Merryweather, Rebecca Cunningham

5'5"-5'6" Chef Louis, Mr. Smee, Mrs. Incredible, Princess Atta

5'6"-5'7" B.E.N., Bo Peep, Buzz Lightyear, C3PO, Clara Cluck, Cogworth, Crocodile, Flik, Friar Tuck, Green Army Man, Lumiere, Monterey Jack, Mr. Smee, Mrs. Incredible, Ostrich, Owl, Pink Hippo, Pluto, Rafiki, Wendell

5'7"-5'8" B.E.N., Bo Peep, Buzz Lightyear, C3PO, Clarabelle Cow, Snow Cogsworth, Crocodile, Eeyore, Flik, Friar Tuck, Green Army Man, Lumiere, Monterey Jack, Ostrich, Owl, Pink Hippo, Pluto, Rafiki, Snow Man, Snow Woman, Wendell

5'8"-5'9" Banzi, Clarabelle Cow, Dumbo, Ed, Eeyore, Flounder, Green Army Man, Hippo, Kenai, Liver Lips, Miss Piggy, Monterey Jack, Mrs. Potts, Rhino, Shaker, Shenzai, Toy Soldiers, Tweedles, Walrus

5'9"-5'10" Banzi, Big Al, Dumbo, Fat Cat, Flounder, Geppetto, Green Army Man, Hippo, Kenai, Liver Lips, Miss Piggy, Mrs. Potts, Rhino, Shaker, Shenzi, Toy Soldiers, Tweedles, Wicked Witch, Yzma

5'10"-5'11" Big Al, Chimney Sweeps, Fantasia Alligator, Fat Cat, Flounder, Elephant-back, Foulfellow, Geppetto, Green Army Man, Peg Leg Pete, Sheriff, Stromboli, Tigger, Yzma

5'11"-6'0" Chimney Sweeps, Elephant-back, Fantasia Alligator, Flounder, Foulfellow, Green Army Man, King Leonidas, Melvin, Sheriff, Tigger, Tweedledee, Tweedledum

6'0-6'2" Baloo, Big Bad Wolf, Br'er Bear, Captain Hook, Genie, Goofy, Launchpad McQuack, Ratcliffe, Frollo, Queen of Hearts, Don Karnage, Elephant-front, Sweetums, Little John, Green Army Man, Vinny

6'1"-6'3" Baloo, Br'er Bear, Goofy, Green Army Man, Launchpad McQuack, Little John, Mr. Incredible, Sweetums, Ursula, Woody

6'2"-6'3" Baloo, Beast, Br'er Bear, Frozone, Goofy, Hades, Jafar, Kronk, Launchpad, Little John, Sulley, Sweetums, Ursula, Woody

6'3"-6'4" Beast, Frozone, Goliath, Hades, Jafar, Kronk, Launchpad, Little John, Sweetums, Sulley, Wild Wing

6'4"-6'5" Goliath, Sweetums

6'6"-6'8" Chewbacca

 

aww i wanna be gideon x

 

I'm not sure how strict they are on height ranges.
I know someone who works there, and she is about 4"10
and she gets to be friends with Mickey and that, but she's also Timon on the hub show.
so who knows, theres hope for everyone. i guess its just about what they need on the day like Briar Rose said.
Are either of you planning on auditioning next year?

 

I think it totally depends on numbers within the casting etc but I guess they'll make exceptions for the odd couple of people if they are in desperate need of another person for something.
I might be - but i'm gonna try get into doing some more college so if I go again in january (assuming nothing has been offered) then I will only be going for fun and to practice lol

 

i re-read this post today and realised just how helpful it was so thanks
i found out they do auditions like every three months, so if i don't get in, in january i've got april, july and september as well.
i got so nervous thinking about it today, until i told myself i've still got four months to prepare. man, i'm such a looser. haha.
was anyone else this nervous before an audition? got any advice on how to keep the nerves at bay?
i've done shows and stuff in the past, and i love the buzz you get from performing, but with auditions i freeeeak out.
so yeah, sorry for the rant. but i'm starting to loose my sanity somewhat. ;D

 

There's an audition in London for Disneyland Paris on September 16th... Why not go to that one? Even if you can't go out yet it will give you an idea of what to expect when you go for the audition in january