The loss of Walt Disney World Cast Member Austin Wuennenberg inspired an outpouring of sadness and respect from people across the Disney fan community. Though most had never met Austin personally or even knew of him until the accident, fans embraced the memory of this Cast Member as if he was an old friend of theirs at the Walt Disney World Resort.

On Monday, July 6, the day after Austin died, I watched (and participated) with scores of Disney fans as they tweeted to make #Austin a Trending Topic on Twitter. When it finally happened at 3pm, I admit I got a little choked up. This event, so simple in concept yet so difficult in execution, was all done to make sure that this one Cast Member had his name seen by the many thousands of other Twitter users online at that time.

The success of this Tweet event got me thinking: what is it about Disney's Cast Members that inspires fans of the parks so?

What's in a name?

Cast Members are, of course, what Disney calls its employees. Walt Disney felt christening his theme park workers with that title was important, as it establishes them as part of the elaborate show which creates the guest experience. This was a stroke of genius, in my opinion, as with just two words the title concisely describes just how employees of the parks are to behave. The additional labeling of "onstage" and "backstage" areas of the park similarly enforces the idea that Cast Members are part of a big show, and the audience is watching all the time when they are out in the open.

For park fans, the title of "Disney Cast Member" carries a prestige one usually ascribes to celebrities. From the cleaning crews to the ride operators to the ticket takers, no Cast Member is taken for granted in the Disney park fan community.

There's a good reason for this admiration. As employees of the parks, Cast Members have seen a side of the magic few get to see. They are, in effect, the magician's assistants. Their costumes (*not* uniforms) transform Cast Members into Disney World's red carpet welcome party, like the citizens that pampered Dorothy and company in the The Wizard of Oz's Emerald City.

Former Cast Member Garrett K. writes: "For some reason, cynics get on us for being so friendly, but really, it's not that difficult to act happy and put on a friendly smile when you're on the job at Walt Disney World. For many CMs, this is their dream job, and the day they eventually move on is a very, very sad day. It was for me. The job may not pay the most, but it commands a love and appreciation that simply can't be purchased -- the respect and admiration of families, children, couples. For a CM, a smile is a most valuable commodity."

"At the same time, though," Garrett continues, "CMs are always quick to downplay their work as anything extraordinary. We're definitely not rock stars!"

Faces of magic

In contrast to the audio animatronics they activate daily, Cast Members are the parks' human faces. You don't walk into Magic Kingdom park in the morning and meet Disney CEO Bob Iger. No, you meet John the greeter, or Ronnie the balloon seller, or Tim the sidewalk sweeper. These people -- real people -- are what make the Disney parks feel like such a warm, happy place to be.

This is not to say that CMs don't have bad days, or that all of them are angels, pure of heart. They are human, of course. But through good or bad their one common trait is their ability, on some level, to embody the spirit of Disney. To make the magic real.

So just what is this magic? Is it just a word created by Disney marketing to sell tickets? Absolutely not. Below are just a couple of stories submitted by readers which show the magic of Cast Members in action:

From Janet O.:

Many years ago, my family and some just un-boarded guests were waiting to get off the monorail platform at the [Ticket and Transportation Center]. For whatever reason, there was a a backup to get down the ramp, so several dozen guests were left waiting it out for a few minutes. Among us was a Cast Member, I think one of the monorail boarding crew, who I had seen earlier speak with a supervisor about ending his shift.

This kid looked slightly bedraggled and was no doubt eager to go home after a long day, but I watched him take a deep breath and carefully gain his composure in the slight crush of people. He proceeded to engage those of us around him in friendly conversation. He called out enthusiastically: "How many of you rode Haunted Mansion? It's the best isn't it? What about Alien Encounter? I think the alien spit on me!"

Those five or eight minutes went by like they were nothing thanks to that CM, and when the problem down below was cleared and we were able to walk back down, most of us had smiles on our faces.

From Lawrence P.:

In the mid-afternoon of our first-ever visit to Epcot, my family was eating ice cream along the promenade by the lagoon, right in front of France. An elderly Cast Member was sweeping the area near us. He approached us and asked how we were enjoying the park.

My dad replied: "We love it! I think we've almost seen it all today."

The cast member leaned against his broom and responded with an exaggerated frown: "All in one day? Impossible! You need at least two days!"

My dad assured the CM that we could do it, but the gentleman insisted that we come back another day. "I'll be waiting for you tomorrow, sweeping right there!"

We all had a laugh.

We ended up doing Disney-MGM Studios the next day, but the day after, we took the CM's advice and returned to Epcot. We had not really expected to find the CM in the same location two days later, but by sheer luck, in a large crowd we bumped into him without even thinking to look for him!

The CM looked so happy to see us again, and in fact we were happy to see him too. To my surprise he remembered our names. We told him about all the stuff we got to see on this second trip to Epcot, and he nodded and laughed with us, knowing he'd done a good thing for our family.

To this day we think of that CM as being Disney World's Most Valuable Player during that trip.

Pretty amazing, huh? What's even more amazing is that these two shining examples of Disney magic might be considered rather ordinary among Cast Members themselves.

From video recently released of Austin Wuennenberg onstage, it is clear that he too loved his job, and that he lived up to the image of the Cast Member that guests of the Disney parks value so much.

Do you have a story about a Cast Member who made your Walt Disney World vacation special? Send it in!