The Secret of Paco Films

The first time I rode Tokyo DisneySea’s Indiana Jones Adventure, I was disappointed in the safety video. Which is probably a ridiculous thing to say, but we’re talking about a place where theming is paramount, and, compared to the Indiana Jones safety video in Disneyland California, I thought DisneySea’s was a weak effort. There’s no Sallah, no backstory, no awesome 1930s newsreels. There’s just Paco and his one video, playing over and over in an endless, unforgiving loop.

But over time, Paco’s safety video wormed its way into my heart. I began to enjoy Paco’s homemade sign, his overacting, even his dubbed voice. I found myself wanting to shout “Sore de wa, ADIOS!!!” every time I heard someone say “Tabun ne.” And then, one day, when I was standing in the projector room in a particularly slow moving line, listening to Paco tell me about seatbelts over and over and over again … I noticed something.

Paco doesn’t have one video.

He has two.

Cool Story #4

On a busy day at Tokyo DisneySea, my dad and I were waiting in the single rider line deep inside the Indiana Jones temple. And the cast member who happened to be minding this part of the temple was pretty much my favourite Tokyo Disney cast member ever, because:

1) He was all-smiles the whole time. Of course!

2) When a guest wearing a Chip hat passed by, the CM exclaimed, “Aww, Chip!” and pet it bahaha.

3) I swear at one point he was standing at the point where the standy line splits into two, SINGING TO THE TUNE OF THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK THEME about how there was a ton of space for people in the left line.

I mean, my Japanese is pretty craptastic, but I swear that’s what I heard!!

4) When another cast member came to take his place, this amazing CM went to the nearest door, knocked on it in a mysterious pattern, listened for a moment, then opened the door and exited, waving good-bye to us until the door was about to close on his hand. A few moments later he returned, this time knocking mysteriously from the other side of the door.

I can’t remember ever seeing a Tokyo Disney cast member who wasn’t doing a good job, but the majority of them do their job in the super-trained, by-the-book way that many Japanese customer service employees do. This was one of the very few times that I saw a CM add to his role in a way that I think is more common in the American parks, and it was fantastic. Now every time I go on Indiana Jones I will be seriously sad if I don’t see him!!