10 Years of Shanghai Disney Resort: The Global Cast Who Crossed the World to Open It

A decade after Shanghai Disney Resort opened on June 16, 2016, members of its Opening Task Force — cast from Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong — share the stories behind the launch, from trimming 300 gorilla costumes by hand to a marriage that began at a St. Patrick's Day pub crawl.

On June 16, 2016, the gates of Shanghai Disney Resort swung open and the world gained a brand-new Disney destination. Behind the spectacle stood the Opening Task Force — a handpicked group of experienced cast members who crossed continents to launch the park. A decade later, they're sharing the stories behind the magic.

They came from Disney parks and experiences around the world, left behind their everyday roles, and traveled thousands of miles to be part of something historic. Their stories are a reminder that Disney parks aren't just built with steel and imagination — they're built with heart, dedication, and the kind of magic only cast members can create.

Bringing the Magic from Around the Globe

Disneyland Resort costumer Hannah Black thought she was heading to Shanghai for a single role — but Task Force life rarely stays in one lane. "I had the time of my life opening Shanghai Disneyland," she said, recalling friendships forged abroad and the surprise of being thrown into new jobs "out of necessity." Officially the costumer for Eye of the Storm: Captain Jack's Stunt Spectacular — a show with a real wind tunnel that lets performers fly — she also stepped in as an Entertainment Costuming Operations manager and even learned the logistics of shipping costumes into the country. Her favorite memory? Watching former Disney CEO Bob Iger and fellow executives preview the wind tunnel: "When they saw a performer fly on the stage for the first time, everyone in the house went from 'professional executives' to 'teens screaming on a thrill ride.'"

For Disneyland Paris cast member Michael Pelozuelo, the opening was years in the making. A 17-year cast member, he first heard about the project in 2009 and set his sights on it; in 2016 he joined as a Red Carpet Producer, relocating for two months to produce celebrity arrivals for the Grand Opening. A proud moment came at the opening night of The Lion King Broadway production, where he designed a cinematic photocall on the theater's grand staircase. Today he tells Disney stories as a photographer for Communications at Disneyland Paris.

Walt Disney Imagineering's Frank Reifsnyder arrived in early January 2016 for a six-month mission: helping the resort's communications team transition from pre-opening to post-opening operations while giving park tours to key stakeholders and media. "It was a fantastic experience. I learned a lot about China, got to know the entire resort thoroughly, and made lifelong friends," he said — noting that many of the same teammates still work at Shanghai Disney Resort today.

The Small Moments That Stuck

Sometimes the magic wasn't the spectacle. Tarra Valcourt, a Walt Disney World cast member and 22-year Disney veteran who served as an Attractions Area Manager, still remembers a little girl in Fantasyland on opening day who simply wanted to wave at the team for a photo. "Her parents could not convince her to leave the spot," she recalled. "It was a great reminder of why we do what we do."

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort's Ronald Tam, a 16-year cast member, recalled guiding guests to Club 33 in the park's earliest days — even when the team wasn't entirely sure of the route themselves. "We worked together and made sure they arrived where they needed to go," he said, a moment that captured the Task Force spirit of adapting in real time.

Solving the Impossible, One Day at a Time

Walt Disney World's Jayson Savickas, a 28-year cast member, spent three months establishing several of Security's specialized teams — his first trip across the Pacific. Local leaders introduced him to temples, museums and his first Peking Duck, and the experience sparked a lifelong mission to visit every Disney park; he returned to Shanghai as recently as March 2026. Fellow Walt Disney World cast member Rodney Penson, with nearly 35 years of Disney magic, was invited overseas as a Security Leader: "Being selected for the Opening Team, seeing the beauty of Shanghai Disneyland... I will always cherish my time in Shanghai."

Disneyland Resort's Scott Line, a lead visual effects artist, can't pick just one memory — but watching the very first crowd react to the firework spectacular Ignite the Dream rises above the rest. "The smiling faces — and some weeping because it was their first time ever seeing something at such a grandiose scale," he recalled. Disney Live Entertainment's Michael Weyand, a 19-year cast member, arrived for a two-week audio assignment at the Mickey Mouse greeting location — then stayed seven more weeks to program the castle stage audio system. "On opening day, seeing all of the guests enjoying the hard work of so many — the hard work was worth it."

Creative Director Wendy Ruth, a 28-year Disney Live Entertainment veteran, spent four months working with three creative teams to ensure shows would resonate with Shanghai guests — making sure local writers and directors were part of development. Her proudest moment came during "Donald Tai Chi" in the Gardens of Imagination, when a grandmother stepped from the crowd to seriously imitate Donald's moves and others joined in. "The show didn't have a confetti burst or a big musical finale, but it created a shared moment."

Keith Beaver, a 32-year cast member, joined about three months before opening to deploy the park's FASTPASS multi-selection kiosks — walking active construction sites and leading pre-opening testing. "When I think back to Shanghai, I don't just remember launching a system — I remember watching a park rise from dirt and knowing I played a small part in bringing it to life."

Reyna Martin solved a last-minute crisis with sheer determination. A 26-year costumer, Reyna Martin discovered just weeks before opening that the Tarzan gorilla costumes were too heavy for the performers' acrobatics. With no time to rebuild, she trimmed the fringe by hand from five inches to two — then repeated it across the remaining 299 costumes to open the show on time. "I still carry a piece of the gorilla fringe with me," she said. "It reminds me that if I can get through trimming 300 costumes, I can get through anything."

Bonds Built Across Cultures

Disneyland Paris cast member Stéphane Cunnac supported the Events and Press team, helping recruit, train and manage hundreds of representatives for more than 800 media outlets on site. When there weren't enough reps to cover every outlet in person, local cast members built a clever WeChat-based system so a single rep could support a group of media in real time. "I was amazed at how clever, smooth, and efficient it turned out to be," he said.

Walt Disney World veteran Lito Morona, with 32 years at Disney, helped with crowd control on opening day and welcomed the very first guests into the park — "the highlight of my Disney career." Du Hongjin of the Disney University team helped transform an abandoned school into a satellite campus for the new-hire Traditions experience, training 10,000 cast members in four months ahead of the grand opening.

A Park — and a Marriage — Born in Shanghai

For some, the assignment changed the course of their lives. Walt Disney World cast member Jaclyn Grimault, a 21-year veteran supporting hotels and Task Force teams across Front Office, Housekeeping and Recreation, met a fellow Task Force leader from Disneyland Paris named Marc — by chance, at a St. Patrick's Day pub crawl. They dated through the opening, then long-distance, then married. "We just celebrated nine years of marriage this March."

Why This Matters for Disney Fans

Ten years on, Shanghai Disney Resort stands as proof of what happens when Disney's global cast pulls in one direction. These first-person memories — equal parts ingenuity, exhaustion and joy — are the human story behind a park that now welcomes millions. Happy 10th anniversary, Shanghai Disney Resort.