Disney Voice Over Project Recap: I’ve Been Training For This Job for 8 Years - One Bedtime Story at a Time
Some voice over bookings are just bookings. And then there are the ones that stop you in your tracks and make you go, wait... is this real life?
This booking was one of those!
I recently had the incredible privilege of narrating a series of read-along videos for the Disney Kids YouTube channel. We're talking Mickey, Ariel, Moana… the whole gang! These are characters I have loved my entire life. And getting to narrate these stories that I know and love was amazing.
But let me back up, because I actually have a long history with Disney…
I grew up as a Disney kid in the 80s. The Little Mermaid was the first Disney movie I ever saw in a theatre, and it has been my favorite ever since. I listened to the soundtrack non-stop, bought the video cassette (that’s right!) and nearly wore out the tape I watched it so many times. I memorized the lines, the voices, everything. I didn’t even know what a voice actor was but that’s when I realized that someday I wanted to be a voice in a Disney movie.
I also grew up in Florida so I've been to Disney World more times than I can count as both a kid and an adult.
Then came working for Disney in two places - Disney Cruise Line and the World of Disney NYC
Before I was a full-time voice actor, I performed on two contracts for Disney Cruise Line in a show called Disney Dreams and found myself on stage alongside Peter Pan, Ariel, Belle, Mickey, and Minnie, and more! Even as an adult, there was something magical about being in that world. I may or may not have cried when I hugged Mickey and Minnie on stage for the first time. The characters, the storytelling, the kids in the audience smiling and singing- it never got old.
In New York, I worked at the World of Disney store when it was open on Fifth Ave. Again, I spent my days with these characters doing meet and greets and performing in shows. I even got to know some friends VERY well (if you know what I mean, wink wink) like Minnie, Mickey, Timon, Alice, and Wendy. It was thrilling to really step inside that world and see how much joy it brought people to meet them.
Fast forward a few years and I’m a voice actor and a mama
In January this year, a really fun audition came in. I was already excited because I'd worked with this director before and had a great experience. The specs said it was for " a story book read a long for a well-known company's YouTube channel." No name, no hint.
But spoiler alert, when I opened the script I immediately knew exactly what it was!
The character names had been changed, but the story? I had read it a hundred times. It was a Moana story that I knew from one of my daughter's Five Minute Disney Stories book, one we pull off the shelf at bedtime on a regular basis.
Every night, I read to my daughter. I narrate the stories, I create the characters, I bring the pages to life. I do it without thinking about it, because I love it and so does she. And in that moment, looking at that audition script, I realized: those are exactly the skills they're looking for.
I knew what to do and … I booked it!
Watching it for the first time
When the videos went live, I sat down with my daughter to watch. She had the biggest smile on her face. And so did I! There's something magical about hearing your voice come out of a Disney video on an official Disney channel, with these characters that I’ve known since I was a kid. I was so proud of myself and the work. And my daughter told me she was proud of me too!
The full-circle moment
I started as a kid who wanted to be a Disney voice. I performed on stage with Disney characters. I even got to BE some Disney characters. I read Disney stories to my daughter at bedtime. And now I can officially say I’ve done voice over for Disney.
Children's media has always felt like home to me and projects like this are exactly why. The warmth, the imagination, the joy on a kid's face when a story comes alive - I love getting to be a part of that. And the fact that several of these videos already have over 100,000 views on a major brand’s YouTube channel is incredible to me! Kids all over the world are watching and hearing my voice telling them these stories. That is something I will never take for granted.
If you're working on a children's media project and you're looking for a narrator who doesn't just read the words but lives in the world of kids content, I'd love to connect. And here’s a playlist with all the videos to watch:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv042z7GzQ6tPiL-kwFtgEEZE7y6ZpmKk
Share them with the littles in your life and let me know what you think!
