Santa portrayed by Black cast members at Disney parks for first time New character reflects diversity in local, regional communities, company says
Santa, portrayed by a Black cast member, seen at Disney's Animal Kingdom on Dec. 4, 2021. (Landon McReynolds, Copyright 2021 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)
BAY LAKE, Fla. – For the first time ever, guests at Disney theme parks can see Santa depicted by Black cast members.
In a move that the company told CNN will reflect the diversity in local and regional communities worldwide, the new character sleighed onto the scene this holiday season with no official announcement from Disney, instead relying on park guests to spread the word.
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The first ever non-white portrayal of the Christmas icon at the parks can be seen out and about at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando and at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.
News 6 theme park expert Landon McReynolds snapped some pictures of the cheerful character at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on Saturday.
Santa, portrayed by a Black cast member, seen at Disney's Animal Kingdom on Dec. 4, 2021. (Copyright 2021 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.) Head on over to to CNN.com to read the full story.
Copyright 2021 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.
About the Author Brandon Hogan headshot
Brandon, a UCF grad, joined the ClickOrlando team in November 2021. Before joining News 6, Brandon worked at WDBO.
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