Jim Cummings

The only jobs I've had at Disney parks were in attractions. The attraction I worked on at Disney World was a live show called "Festival of the Lion King". The job varied by the hour, as my co-workers and I alternated theater positions, generally as ushers, but some of what we did included guarding the entrance, guarding the exit, supervising the rest of the ushers, or moving strollers (which usually didn't contain abandoned children).

One day, I stood at the exit. That place was always quiet and empty, so I prepared myself for an hour of monotony. Then I looked at the VIP list for our upcoming show and noticed a familiar name: Cummings.

VIPs are told to enter the arena theater space through the exit. They usually show up half an hour to a minute before the play starts, and we seat them in the very front row so they can publicly interact with the performers at the very start of the a show.

The name stared back at me... "Cummings". I know that name. But what are the chances that this is the "Cummings" I know? After all, anyone could be a VIP. They don't have to be rich or famous. Any area leader can radio us to put a new name and party number on the list, for whatever reason. Often it's because a guest complained about something else that day, or if they simply called in advance to get really good seats. What are the chances that Jim Cummings, one of my favorite voice actors and all-time idols, is coming to this show?

Jim Cummings has probably the most prolific voice entertainment history, a voice acting legend who has been in hundreds of movies, video games, and t.v. shows. Just to give you an idea, he's voiced Goofy's neighbor "Pete", Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore. He's been in "Pocahontas", "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", "The Little Mermaid", he even voiced Razoul from "Aladdin" (the town guard who tried to chop Jasmine's arm off).

"We just keep running into each other, don't we, street rat?"

I radioed to my fellow cast members that they need to leave the front row of "Elephant" section open for a party of 4 or 5 (I can't remember which) because that was my job, but more importantly, if it was Jim Cummings, we couldn't screw this up. When Jeremy Irons didn't do the voice for Scar in "The Lion King", Cummings took his place. "The Lion King" probably means a lot to the guy.

My manager for that day replied on his headset, telling me to keep the "chatter" to a minimum as they were loading the theater.

"Just make sure to leave the front of 'Elephant' open," I replied.

Eventually, I began to doubt that anyone would show up. The show would start in less than a minute, and just then, I saw Jim Cummings and his family walking towards me, accompanied with a guest relations tour guide.

"You guys still left the 'elephant' front row open, right?" I asked my crew on the radio.

"Nope. Filled it up," someone replied.

F%&#.

It's considered a "Disney courtesy" to never ask someone to move once you've seated them somewhere. I'm sure it's a courtesy in every service oriented line of work, but doing that at Disney Parks is close to sin.

"Well, Jim Cummings is here with his family and they're gonna need a seat."

"Who?" I hear on the headset.

Maybe I was more disappointed than I should have been. I recognize that not everyone who works for Disney Parks is a fan of the brand, but if you're going to work at "THE Lion King" show, you really should know the basics.

A few seconds later, I was standing face-to-face with the guy responsible for tons of my childhood memories.

The talented Jim Cummings.

He stopped for a second, looked around and asked "You guys have any water in there?"

His voice was smooth, unlike the raspy voiced characters he often plays.

"Well, not inside the theater," I started to reply. I wished I could have had even a few seconds to say anything else of value, but one of my co-workers beckoned him and his party inside. The guest relations cast member told him to go on in while she gets him a bottle. I watched as my co-workers awkwardly asked the guests they'd originally seated to move for a "higher profile guest".

After the show, one of my fellow cast members approached me and asked "Phil! Did you know Jim Cummings came to our last show?"

I was just glad to know someone I worked with appreciated the talent behind so many beloved Disney movies.

Thanks for reading,

-Philip