Actress behind iconic Disney voices is visiting South MS. Here’s how to meet her
The fans who arrive to greet Kat Cressida usually want her signature. So for hours, at conventions and comic book stores across the country, she diligently signs figures and posters featuring her beloved characters.
“Yeehaww!!” the voice actress wrote recently on a sign depicting Jessie The Cowgirl from “Toy Story.” “So nice to meetcha.”
Cressida, who voices Jessie for Disney theme parks, will soon arrive on the Mississippi Coast for a three-day fan event. The voice actress is also behind another beloved character: Constance Hatchaway, the bride from Disney’s Haunted Mansion ride. And she voices Dee Dee from the Cartoon Network show “Dexter’s Laboratory,” among many other voice-over projects.
Cressida and Scott Innes, whose voice-over characters include Scooby-Doo, will appear at Three Alarm Comics in St. Martin Nov. 21-23. They are planning to sign collectibles, comics, posters and figurines.
Disneyland and story of survival
It all began at Disneyland.
Cressida’s father worked with Disney’s Imagineers, the crew behind the design of Disney theme parks, in the late 1960s and 70s when Cressida was young. She grew up hearing their stories and became enchanted with Disneyland.
“It seemed very magical,” she said, “or as close to magic as you could get.”
She remembers venturing through the park as a child and listening to the voiceovers included in various attractions. “I was fascinated with realizing that it might be the same voice talent taking on several different voices and bringing the stories to life,” she said.
Later, well into her voice-over career, she survived a rare form of cancer on her jaw that almost took away her ability to speak. The experience motivated her to give back, she said, and she now donates the proceeds from many of her fan events to charities. Cressida and Innes are planning to donate proceeds from their event on the Coast to the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation and Make-a-Wish.
Cressida is also planning a VIP event called “Hidden Secrets, Trivia, and Mysteries of the Haunted Mansion,” in which she will guide fans through a behind-the-scenes look at the early days of Disneyland. The event is limited to 40 tickets.
“I love storytelling,” Cressida said. “And I love knowing that in some small way, we’re also raising money for some critically ill children by just making some magic.”
Event details
Cressida and Innes will appear Nov. 21-23 at Three Alarm Comics at 15218 Lemoyne Blvd.
VIP early access is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21.
Free general admission is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22 and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23.
The ticketed Haunted Mansion event is scheduled Saturday evening.