Mirror Disneyland - An Alternate History

[MANEATINGWREATH]

Jason Surrell and Chef Mayhem have, once again, inspired this post with their detailed writing and reference.

If you haven't read the rest of this alternate version of the Haunted Mansion thus far on Page 5, please do so now.

***

The Library & Music Room

“Our library is well stocked with priceless first editions - only ghost stories, of course - and marble busts of the greatest ghost writers the literary world has ever known. They have all retired here to the Haunted Mansion.”

​

The second floor “Hall of Infamy” opens into the Library, which is filled from floor to ceiling by shelves lined with hundreds of books. Phantom hands pull books from the shelves. A chair rocks gently back and forth, and a ladder slides to and fro as an unseen force searches for some late night reading. A book “crawls” along the floor, whilst an open book by lamplight flips pages on its own accord. And among the shelves, ubiquitous marble busts glare at us as our Doom Buggy crawls past… Eerily, each bust follows our every move - up, down, backward, and forward. True to our Ghost Host’s word, the busts are indeed of “retired” ghost writers - Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, Robert Louis Stevenson, H.P. Lovecraft, Lord Byron, and Gaston Leroux.

The Moving Bust illusion was one of Rolly Crump’s so-called happy accidents. The Imagineers had previously created a mold of Abraham Lincoln’s face for the Hall of Presidents, an artificial life mask of sorts. One day, Rolly and Yale happened to stroll past the backside of the face, and, as they did so, realized that from the reverse angle it appeared as though Honest Abe’s eyes were following their every move. When lit from behind, the busts appear to be completely three-dimensional, facing out into the library.

​

A Rachmaninoff-style arrangement of “Grim Grinning Ghosts” fills the air as our Doom Buggy carries us from the Library and into the shadowy Music Room. A dust-covered square piano sits in the center of the room, playing by itself. Or so it seems… Bright moonlight streams through the Music Room window, casting a shadow of the pianist onto the floor as he pounds away at the melancholy keys.

The Spider Nest​

We ascend a second (and smaller) flight of stairs toward the Mansion’s third floor, but this time climbing the creaking steps in near-complete darkness - a short, gloomy ascension in which glowing, eyes stare from the inky blackness. The imposing cords of the phantom pianist echo through the shadow. Even more disquieting, huge cobwebs throughout the chamber house equally gigantic spiders aloft in their tombs of webbing. A horrid, bloodcurdling scream erupts from the since silenced wind - a decayed skeleton, still in tattered clothing, appears trapped in a web.

​

The glowing eyes blink and study our Doom Buggy, slowly revealing themselves to be coming from behind the demonic faces of the Mansion’s iconic, purple-and-black wallpaper…

The Endless Hallway

“We find it delightfully unlivable here in this ghostly retreat. Every room has wall-to-wall creeps, and hot-and-cold running chills… Shh! Listen…”
​

Our Doom Buggy rotates slightly to point us down what appears to be an endless hallway. Halfway down this corridor to infinity, a candelabra floats gracefully in midair, its three flickering candles lighting the way for an unseen resident of Gracey Manor. Somewhere beyond, chains rattle, a cat yowls, and a wicked spirit cackles. A large armchair and a suit of armor both keep their eyes on us… Suddenly, we feel an actual chill and hear footsteps coming from down the hall, drawing closer and closer...

​

The candelabra floats a short distance down the hallway, a creation of forced perspective, one of the oldest Imagineering tricks in the book. A few feet behind the candelabra stands a full-length mirror, which creates the illusion of an endless corridor. The back of the candelabra is painted black to minimize its reflection in the mirror. In addition to the scene’s low-lighting, our view of the reflection and the other effects is further obscured by a thin black scrim that stretches across the hallway a few feet in front of the candelabra, which also contributes to the corridor’s misty quality.

If one looks closely, they might be able to make out a face in the decorative pattern of the chair and armor. Eagle-eyed guests might spot many such eyes and faces throughout the Mansion, particularly in the nearby Corridor of Doors. This was part of the Imagineers’ effort to make guests feel as though they are constantly being watched, as well as create the sense that the house is alive.

The Conservatory

“All our ghosts have been dying to meet you. This one can hardly contain himself.”

​

We next glide into the Conservatory, where a somewhat premature funeral is taking place. A large coffin sits at the side, surrounded by decayed floral arrangements. Two gnarled hands protrude from within the coffin, desperately trying to pry open the lid and allow the undead occupant to escape. A cawing, red-eyed raven makes its perch near the coffin, seemingly warning us not to disturb the corpse. The conservatory’s expansive windows overlook a moonlit, fog-enshrouded forest, an appropriately sinister backdrop for the macabre scene.

X. Atencio, show writer, supplied the voices for the corpse trapped in the coffin as well as the attraction’s emergency “Please Remain Seated” spiel. The scene also marks the first appearance of the iconic Raven - X’s first choice for the Ghost Host - who would go on to become the attraction’s unofficial mascot.

The Corridor of Doors

“Unfortunately, they all seem to have trouble getting through…”

​

The spirits begin to grow more restless and make their presence known as our Doom Buggy turns down the long Corridor of Doors. Doorknobs and handles twist and turn every which way, and knockers in the shape of spiked maces bang against their doors - by themselves. Unseen presences pound unmercifully on doors from the other side. Otherworldly creatures snarl, growl, howl, shriek, laugh, moan, and groan, dying for escape - loudly. One door appears to breathe, bulging out as a powerful force acts upon it from within the room. Another door even has the face and hands of a tortured soul pressing against the wood, bulging out in a perfect outline. Some of the entities are not confined to their rooms: countless eyes glare at us from the corridor’s sinister wallpaper… The music has silenced. Dreary, post-mortem “family photos” line the walls, which, in actuality are black-and-white photos of many of the “pop-up” ghosts found later in the Mansion. A knitted sampler reads “TOMB SWEET TOMB.” A monstrous arm bursts through one final door in a relentless attempt to break it open. Perhaps most frightening of all, we catch the sight of a sorrowful female spirit, frantically pounding from behind the glass of an ornate mirror…

The Corridor of Doors is one of the darker and scarier regions of the Haunted Mansion, and clearly holds the influence of Claude Coats. His design of the original corridor and many of its effects, especially the “breathing” door, were inspired by Robert Wise’s 1963 thriller The Haunting. The eyes and faces in the wallpaper also reflect The Haunting’s influence, reinforcing the sense that the Mansion itself is watching you… An eerie red light is cast from each of the chandeliers, as if to almost blur the lines between reality and imagination.

​

In the mid 1980s, Imagineers teamed up with Entertainment to populate the Mansion with live performers for the first time, including a Phantom of the Opera-like character that would roam the queue, and a living suit of armor in the Corridor of Doors. The idea was for these characters to pop up in different places at different times, adding a decidedly unpredictable element to the attraction. Later, a vampire, bridesmaid, and groundskeeper were introduced elsewhere in the attraction. This experiment proved to be a little too scary for guests...and Cast Members. Some were so surprised by the knight’s sudden appearance that they unwittingly struck back at him. Unfortunately, the knight’s armor was not as protective as real armor, and he and all the other live characters were discontinued shortly thereafter.

As we depart from the frightening Corridor of Doors, we creep past an ornate grandfather clock that is perpetually struck on thirteen. The hour and minute hands spin madly around the face as the shadow of a claw scrapes over the clock. If one peers closely into the darkness, one might make out the top half of the cabinet to be the head of a demon; the clock’s face sitting inside its gaping maw, and the swinging pendulum the demon’s forked tongue…

“Perhaps Madame Leota can establish contact. She has a remarkable head for materializing the disembodied.”​

The Séance Circle

​

With the thirteen chimes of the grandfather clock still ringing in the air, we enter the dark Séance Circle, an eerie sanctum in which an age-old ritual is taking place. A mist-filled crystal ball floats high above a table littered with tarot cards. The red-eyed raven sits perched atop a chair directly behind the table. A large, ancient tome, Necronomicon: Book of the Dead, rests on a nearby bookstand, opened to pages 1312 and 1313 and a spell that summons those trapped in limbo. As we continue our slow circle around the table, we finally meet our medium, the disembodied spirit of Madame Leota, trapped in the crystal ball. She summons the Mansion’s restless spirits and encourages their arrival by reciting a classic:

“Serpents and spiders.
Tail of a rat.
Call in the spirits.
Wherever they’re at.

Rap on a table.
It’s time to respond.
Send us a message
From somewhere beyond.

Goblins and ghoulies
From last Halloween
Awaken the spirits
With your tambourine.

Creepies and crawlies,
Toads in a pond.
Let there be music
From regions beyond.

Wizards and witches
Wherever you dwell.
Give us a hint
By ringing a bell.”​

Musical instruments and other objects spin lazily through the air, as a wispy spirit begins to materialize in a far corner of the room. Among the objects: a frightened cat and a petrified rat.

Madame Leota is portrayed by the voice of Eleanor Audley (Maleficent) and the face of WED model builder Leota Toombs. The simple but effective illusion is accomplished by a projection of footage cast on a blank bust. Leota’s face and Eleanor’s voice are then combined to create Madame Leota.

***
​

More to come!

 

[MANEATINGWREATH]

Feedback is much appreciated! Since we are still in the midst of Halloween Time at Mirror Disneyland, we'll next, after this post at least, look into Haunted Mansion Winter Terrorland, alternate reality's version of Haunted Mansion Holiday. Again, Jason Surrell's The Haunted Mansion: Imagineering a Disney Classic and Chef Mayhem's DoomBuggies.com have directly inspired this ride-through experience, down to almost the minute detail.

Again, I'd love to hear some input! Even if it is a reconfigured version of an existing attraction.

The Grand Hall

“The happy haunts have received your sympathetic vibrations and are beginning to materialize for a swinging wake. (Chuckle) They’ll be expecting me. I’ll see you all a little later…”

​

The Doom Buggy leaves Séance Circle and travels onto a balcony overlooking a spectacular, panoramic view of the aptly named Grand Hall. A group of otherworldly revelers have gathered at a long banquet table to celebrate a swinging wake. The guests slowly fade in and out of sight, seemingly in time with the hostess’s repeated attempts to extinguish the candles on her “death-day” cake. Other swinging specters enjoy spirits of a different kind while sitting atop an ornate chandelier high above the table. Wispy wraiths fly in and out of the room through the upper windows as lightning flashes behind them. And a steady stream of ghostly guests pours in from a hearse parked just outside the ballroom, eager to join the jamboree.

At the opposite end of the hall, phantom couples dance the night away as a mad organist plays “Grim Grinning Ghosts,” this time arranged as a frantic waltz, on an enormous pipe organ. Screaming skulls, not musical notes, can be seen pouring from the pipes and vanishing into thin air. On a wall above the dance floor hang the portraits of two pistol-wielding duelists. Their spirits emerge from the portraits in an eternal attempt to settle their score long after their deaths. It is truly a party to die for.

The scene is a direct descendant of the ghostly wedding reception once planned in an early piece of Claude Coats’s concept art. The “Great Caesar’s Ghost” character called for in an early Ken Anderson treatment puts in an appearance, as do Antony and Cleopatra, an English King, and the elusive “Pickwick.” A close look underneath the table reveals another partygoer who is resting in peace, and from the mantel above the fireplace, a ghost with his arm around the bust of a stern schoolmarm. The eerie grandmother in the rocking chair made her first “mortal” appearance in Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress.

​

Contrary to popular belief and urban legend, it is not holograms, sophisticated laser effects, or even real ghosts that populate the Grand Hall. The scene is a true showcase for the art of Audio-Animatronics and illusions, namely “Pepper’s Ghost,” that Rolly Crump and Yale Gracey had perfected since 1959.

The organ in the Grand Hall scene at Disneyland is one and the same with Captain Nemo’s pipe organ (minus the pipes) from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The instrument was repainted and refitted with a bat-shaped music stand and other ghostly details. The organs in the subsequent Haunted Mansions are exact reproductions of the Disneyland original.

The Attic

​

The Grand Hall far behind, our Doom Buggy enters a dark, dusty attic, which is filled with cobwebbed bric-a-brac, lamps, crates and curios, and long-stored furniture, antiques and mementos of an illustrious lifetime that took place more than a century ago. Cool blue light and the sound of a beating heart permeate the space, and the ominous atmosphere is underscored by the various shrieks and screams that punctuate the dank air.

The macabre antiques include crystal, candelabra, porcelain dolls, china clowns, harlequin toys, old clothing, dinnerware, musical instruments and a deliciously disturbed ventriloquist dummy. Bats madly flutter about. Suddenly, from within an open trunk, a grinning ghost leaps upward with a shriek, disappearing as quickly as it came.

​

One “pop-up” ghost after the next transition into our encounter with the luminous, floating owner of the heartbeat - a forlorn bride, clutching a decayed bouquet in one hand and a lone flickering candle in the other. Her once beautiful face, a beacon in the dark, is punctuated with eyes that glow as embers - and with each heartbeat, her heart glows the color of blood… She glows in the light as her dusty bridal gown and veil flutter in a ghostly breeze.

One of the newest additions to the Haunted Mansion is also one of the oldest and most mysterious: an animated figure whose very existence fans theorized and argued about for years.

There was a character in the original Haunted Mansion which was deleted almost immediately. The mysterious bride has always been there, waiting for guests at the attic window, but earlier in the Mansion’s history, she had a suitor. But then, some short time after opening day in 1969, he vanished - from the figure to the tooling to make him. All that was left was a harpsichord where he was supposed to be in the Attic and a few photos and renderings to remember him by.

But why? Was he too scary? Did something happen? Was it his chilling visage that caused a reporter to have a heart attack during a preview of the attraction, a popular, but untrue rumor that has been circulating for years?

The real story isn’t that dramatic or scary. In fact, the illusion just outright didn’t work in 1969, or even in 1999. It would take forty-five years to make the effect work and a new generation of Imagineers who have something their forerunners did not: 21st Century “Illusioneering.”

​

Having joined the grim grinning cast of ghosts, ghouls and goblins in the Mansion for Disneyland’s 60th Anniversary in 2015, the infamous Hatbox Ghost stands just outside the Attic on a balcony overlooking the forthcoming Graveyard finale. He leans on a cane with his right hand and holds a hatbox aloft in his left - and that’s where the fun begins. In a mesmerizing sleight of hand (or is that head?), the Hatbox Ghost’s deathly pate disappears from his shoulders, reappears in the hatbox, and then returns to his body, leaving the hatbox empty - a head-scratching effect that takes place every few seconds. After more than forty-five years of mystery, intrigue and some horror, the Hatbox Ghost has finally found his place, if not his head, in the Haunted Mansion.

Briefly, in ‘93, WED revisited the Attic scene at Disneyland and decided to amplify the storyline to better play on the success of the recent Phantom Manor attraction at Disneyland Paris. The pop-up ghosts were dressed in tuxedos and labeled “groomsmen,” their shrieks and moans now ominous, taunting “I Do's!” A ghostly pianist was added, with a wispy shadow projected on the wall, seeming to play the “Bridal March” in an imposing, minor key. The original bride was given a makeover - a blue-tinted face with a tragic expression. Positioned fans made her dress and hair billow in the darkness. Her new name? Priscilla Gore, the ill-fated bride of the bloodthirsty Captain Bartholomew Gore.

This was, however, completely reverted in 2005 for the Park’s 50th Anniversary. By early 2006, the ominous pianist, “Bridal March” and shrieking groomsmen had been swapped for all the elements of the original Attic with a new, state-of-the-art bride appearing to float in mid-air. The scene has remained unchanged since the return of the Hatbox Ghost in 2015.

The Graveyard
​

After passing the lovelorn bride and her ill-fated suitor, our Doom Buggy “falls” out an attic window, all under the watchful, glowing red eyes of the cawing raven perched in a nearby tree.

​

“Grim Grinning Ghosts,” this time arranged as a jazzy, ‘60s-era jamboree, fills the air once again as we swivel past a terrified caretaker with quivering knees, obviously too frightened to speak, and his whimpering, near-skeletal hound dog. We will soon encounter what appears to be hundreds of ghosts rising from their graves in a tour de force of Marc Davis character designs and comedy. The spirits cross all boundaries of time and space, from a band of medieval minstrels to a properly paranormal English tea party and an Egyptian mummy. All are singing and playing along with their hosts for the evening’s festivities, a group of warbling marble busts. Madame Leota’s incantations have worked like a charm, and all of the Mansion’s 999 happy haunts have “come out to socialize” at last.

There are more Audio-Animatronics figures in the Graveyard than any other scene in the attraction. Many were built translucent and skeletal in appearance, further accented by fluorescent colored paint, props, and clothing, all of which glow brightly under the scene’s black light. In addition to these Audio-Animatronics apparitions, a number of Rolly and Yale’s “pop-up” ghosts are strategically placed throughout the Graveyard, wildly and loudly screaming at the end of each chorus.

Imagineers once again used forced perspective to make the Graveyard appear much larger than it actually is. Props and set pieces get smaller the farther away they are. Separate pieces of thin theatrical scrim hang between the Omnimover track and the set’s rear walls, which provide an eerie sense of depth and help create an ethereal, fog-like atmosphere.

​

First we encounter a band of medieval minstrels - a drummer (with bone-sticks), a flutist (upright in his coffin), a bagpipe player (in a kilt), a harpist (with a hook-nose), and a horn player (in his long pajamas). A gathering of scrawny cats and plump owls join the revelry and add their own harmonies. A skeletal hellhound bays at the moon. Nearby, a trio of Lonesome Ghost relatives (in design, not origin) await a mug of fresh brew - two transparent witches, ghost witches, respectively, are stirring a black cauldron of glowing, green soup. The witches cackle and hum. In the distance, added in 2015, a digital quartet of skeletons reanimate and dance to a “Skeleton Dance” of their own.

​

Of course, the minstrels would be most unimpressive without the frightful vocals of “The Phantom Five," a quintet of Singing Busts led by Uncle Theodore, played by Thurl Ravenscroft. The rest of the Phantom Five is composed of (left to right) Rollo Rumkin (Verne Rowe), Uncle Theodore, Cousin Algernon (Chuck Schroeder), Ned Nub (Jay Meyer), and Phineas P. Pock (Bob Ebright). The harmonic busts sing “Grim Grinning Ghosts” in a macabre barbershop arrangement.

Victorian spooks enjoy a chorus with a game of chess and a spot of tea alongside a cozy, crashed hearse - its occupant now upright and “la-la-ing” along. On the near horizon, a number of cloaked wraiths ride bicycles around a gnarled tree. A former French aristocrat tips his hat - and his head - to welcome our arrival. An Egyptian mummy sits upright in his golden sarcophagi, desperately trying to entertain a befuddled old man with an ear-horn.

​

A flapper of the Roaring ‘20s enjoys a spot of tea with a ghost laden in chains. In the open coffin below, a boney arm pours tea into the flapper’s removed shoe. A former pirate captain (Blackbeard?!) raises a pint o’ grog in toast of the swinging wake, joined by an incredibly short Viking perched atop a small tombstone. A presumably drowned flight attendant (as evident by the life-jacket) sings near the sight of a big game hunter and a spectral tiger - the hunter’s pants grasped in the tiger’s jaws. A headless knight and his executioner show there are no hard feelings as they sing “backup” for a pair of opera singers dressed as Vikings, the duo madly warbling in time with the music. It truly isn’t over until the fat lady sings… A short and bearded convict, who will soon attempt to hitch a ride with us, stands nearby. Also nearby, the occupant of a brick tomb attempts to seal himself within via concrete, perhaps too afraid of this paranormal activity.

The Exit Crypt

“Ahh, there you are! And just in time - there’s a little matter I forgot to mention - you must beware of hitchhiking haunts! These grim grinning ghosts are tagging along, determined to establish a permanent alliance with a favored mortal: You. You have been selected to fill our quota, and we will haunt you until you return. Now I will raise the safety bar, and a ghost will follow you home! (Laugh)” ​

The raven puts in one last appearance, glaring at us with its glowing red eyes as we enter a giant stone crypt. We then come face-to-face with the Mansion’s most popular characters: the Hitchhiking Ghosts.

​

From left to right, Phineas is the large ghost in a top hat carrying a carpetbag; Ezra is the tall, bony ghost tipping his hat; and Gus is the short convict with a bushy beard and the ball and chain. Our Doom Buggy continues deeper into the Crypt, passing in front of a series of large mirrors. We soon learn that one of the three ghosts has hitched a ride and is seated right next to us.

There is no Hitchhiking Ghost in the mirror, of course, but that is simply because guests are not looking into a mirror. The ghost in the Doom Buggy is an illusion similar to that seen in the Grand Hall - although with a twist, of course.

Rolly Crump’s influence can be seen one last time in the form of flickering torches held by faux human arms, which are attached to the stone wall next to the mirrors. “I was influenced by some avant-garde French films, like Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast,” Rolly recalls. “There were all these human body parts that were part of the architecture and came to life. I thought, Hey, that’s neat! So I started doing human body parts as part of the architecture.”

“Hurry ba-ack… Hurry ba-ack. Be sure to bring your death certificate if you decide to join us. Make final arrangements now. We’ve been dying to have you.”

​

A lit sign urges our return to the “World of the Living.” Since departed from our Doom Buggy and onto a moving walkway, we embark on an uphill climb through an old crypt, but not before we catch glimpse of one final tomb on the “ground level” - the Burial Crypt of Famous Ghosts and Villains. Dim torch-light and the ambient sounds of a subterranean realm set our stage for an omnipresent danger. A sorrowful, almost chantlike version of “Grim Grinning Ghosts” fills the air. From left to right, top to bottom, the buried “dead” include Nero, the foul Roman Emperor, Count Dracula, a centuries-old vampire, infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper, Medusa, the fabled she-beast of Greek Mythology, the horrific Attila the Hun, and Bluebeard, murderous 15th Century pirate. These wall-side interments breathe and bulge from within.

One last spirit beckons to us as we ride another moving walkway up and out of the Crypt. The tiny ghost, standing atop a narrow ledge, holds a bouquet of dead flowers and stares wistfully into the distance. The Ghostess, or “Little Leota,” beckons for our eternal internment at the Haunted Mansion, both portrayed and voiced by Leota Toombs. With a deep, gravelly laugh from an unseen specter ringing in our ears, we continue back and out into the relative safety of New Orleans Square.

​

The epitaphs on the walls of the crypt outside the Exit Crypt and in New Orleans Square are almost exclusively humorous. In “Spiritual Remorse,” eerie lamplight illuminates the expansive mausoleum further in respect for countless corpses. The humorous epitaphs prove that no one in the Haunted Mansion seemed to take death too seriously…

C.U. Later

Dustin T. Dust

Asher T. Ashes

M.T. Tomb

I.M. Ready

Rustin Peace

Pearl E. Gates

Levi Tation

Bea Witch

Izzy Dead

Hal Lusinashun

Hap A Rition

Manny Festation

Fester N. Rot

Clare Voince

Wee G. Bord

Rigg R. Mortiese

Paul Tergyst​

Then, the spectacular crypt of Ward Edwards and his many wives. Mr. Edwards, a wealthy railroad tycoon built the Mansion against the superstition of locals claiming the hill in which the Mansion sat was on that of an Indian burial ground.

1900
WARD EDWARDS

Railroad Tycoon
Here Lyeth his Loving Wives

Penelope Died 1894
Abigail 1895
Anastasia 1896
Prudence 1897
Phoebe 1898
Eugenia 1899
Lucretia ????

Seven Winsome Wives
Some Fat, Some Thin.
Six of Them were Faithful
But the Seventh Did Him In. ​

Anxious to leave the dark mysteries and prankish spirits of the Haunted Mansion behind, we briskly depart for the “World of the Living” and rejoin the bustle and color of Disneyland - but not before noticing the haunting silhouette of our Ghost Host, hatchet in hand, glaring at us one final time from an upper-floor window…

**********​

 

[MANEATINGWREATH]

Wow, thank you all for the positive reactions to Mirror Haunted Mansion! I suppose it's only fair to get started on Mirror Haunted Mansion Holiday.

Jason Surrell's wonderful The Haunted Mansion: Imagineering a Disney Classic and Chef Mayhem's DoomBuggies.com have once again been a huge source of reference and inspiration for this particular portion of the project. I highly recommend visiting the website and buying the book if you haven't done so already. Both are extremely useful and detailed works of art.

***

Haunted Mansion Winter Terrorland

​

In the late 1990s, inspired by the success of their seasonal enhancement “it’s a small world” Holiday, Disneyland officials began looking for other attractions to decorate for the holidays. Imagineers, initially, proposed a retelling of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol set inside the Haunted Mansion, but the park declined. Then the Creative Entertainment group suggested retelling ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. Steve Davison, creative entertainment director, recalls Tony Baxter suggesting the use of characters from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas instead of introducing Santa Claus into such a macabre environment. “We were walking by Haunted Mansion one day, and we’re like, 'Oh! What if Santa landed on that house? What might it be?' And that’s really how it all was born.”

The concept was put into development with Steve at the helm. The result: Haunted Mansion Holiday was Disneyland’s early Christmas gift to the world when it premiered in October 2001. The notion of overhauling the Mansion, at the time, was a "crazy idea. So crazy, in fact, that it took us over three years to get a go-ahead on the project," Steve recalls. "At first, the team thought that the concept sounded easy. But as we got into it, we realized it wasn't." Steve credits Tim Burton and Henry Selick's landmark film as a guide that would take the design team into uncharted waters for a Disney attraction. "The creative team set out to create a holiday attraction that was so over the top and ambitious, it would either succeed...or fail miserably!"

"You loved the movie, now live the nightmare during the Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland Park. Now through the holidays, the Haunted Mansion will be completely decked out from shrunken head to toe by Jack Skellington as Sandy Claws, and his crew of Yuletide ghouls. See what happens when holidays collide!"
- Disneyland Handbill, October 2001 ​

“We consulted Tim Burton on all the designs.” Steve says. “The director and designers of the film, who were there opening day, were thrilled to see some of their early concepts, like the ‘Countdown to Christmas’ clock, now in human scale with every detail that was in the film.” The overhaul was an immediate and much beloved success. However, the introduction of the seasonal Halloween Time event in 2005 called for a "reschedule" of Jack's Christmas misadventure. Disneyland had never before been seen as a "Halloween destination" in Southern California. Both Knott's Berry Farm and Universal Studios Hollywood had hosted "scare events" for decades prior, but Halloween Time would be Disney's first. Early promotion entailed the use of the Hitchhiking Ghosts and Bride of the original Haunted Mansion. In fact, the classic Mansion was advertised, alongside the newly opened Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, as the main attraction for the event. Thus, in 2005, Haunted Mansion Holiday did not materialize come October...or so it seemed.

A retooled version of the classic Haunted Mansion Holiday opened as the Haunted Mansion Winter Terrorland on November 18, 2005. The original attraction closed on November 1, following the conclusion of Halloween Time, and reopened a brisk eighteen days later in time for the Resort's Christmas and holiday offerings. The "new" overlay would allow the classic Mansion to remain open for Halloween, while thereafter offering a seasonal, but limited look into Jack Skellington's dark imagination. The timing just made sense. Thus far, Winter Terrorland has opened mid-November every year since 2005, leaving the classic Haunted Mansion well enough alone for that glorious All Hallow's Eve on October 31st.

​

The old Gracey Estate has never looked… Merrier? Truly, the devoted groundskeepers have transformed the desolate property into a spectacular winter wonderland. The walls of Gracey Manor have been decked “skull-to-toe” in a vibrant display of Victorian décor; evergreen garland, warm candles, and handcrafted, miniature ornaments of baubles, tin soldiers, holly berries, ivy and wreaths. If anything, this so called “Haunted” Mansion is nearly like a picture print by Currier & Ives…

What a nostalgic feeling.

Before us: twin columns kept under the watchful (red) eye of snarling, stone gargoyles. The gargoyles don gay apparel - festive eye-masks, garland and lace. Their fanged-mouths hold between them a vibrant and festive banner: "Haunted Mansion Winter Wonderland." Eerily, the “Wonder” of “Wonderland” fades to reveal a subtle, but gruesome transformation: "Haunted Mansion Winter Terrorland." On either column, the titular shields have been enveloped in the mouths of normal, unsuspecting wreaths. The intrigue of a holiday orchestral calls us ‘cross the threshold and into the festive world beyond.

The Grounds
​

The vibrant flowers, trees and "weeping" plant-life set our stage for a scattered, beautiful collection of ancient tombstones and monuments, each capped with a blood-red Christmas bow or ribbon. The holiday music of an old phonograph on the balcony is our underscore for a stroll through the beautifully appointed Grounds and Gardens. Of course, the holiday spirit has brought an extra "boo" of ambiance to our ethereal surroundings; dim candles, strands of garland, shimmering trees and ornaments, all Victorian, naturally, in their appointment and design. The old hearse is covered in garland and filled with age-old toys - tin soldiers, a ballerina, a jack-in-the-box, and a teddy bear. Of course, come nightfall, these toys have an unsettling glow about them...

Among the Gracey Family's seasonal décor and artifacts, a six-foot marble statue of the Central European "Krampus," carefully placed near Gracey's own tombstone, its claws poised in a perpetual attack. Ebenezer Scrooge and Jacob Marley, once business partners in life, have apparently retired to the Haunted Mansion for the holiday season; their graves now join the rest in the family plot. The vile Mouse King of The Nutcracker has also retired to the Mansion's Pet Cemetery, an odd three-headed monument amid the normal animals and fauna.

The once stately, reserved Mansion is ablaze in hundreds of candles and bulb-strung garland. Wreaths, garland and baubles consume each last gable, railing and rooftop, even the broken and disheveled window on the third floor. Above the center porch is the large "Countdown Clock" of Halloween Town with the months of the year in place of hours, and below that, a rusted sign counting down the days "Til' X-Mas." Peculiar...

The orchestral music of the outdoor phonograph has grown more frantic and ominous, before fading entirely. We now hear a familiar pipe organ joined by an unholy children's choir... The ancient front door opens with a slow and painful creak... "Enter, and make room for everybody..."

The Foyer

“‘Twas a long time ago, longer now that it seems, in a place that perhaps you’ve seen in your dreams. For the story that you are about to be told began with the holiday worlds of old. I know you’re curious to see what’s inside… It’s what happens when two holidays collide.”

​

The Ghost Host, the unseen presence that will escort our tour of the Mansion, begins his ominous, poetic narration in the musty but cheery Foyer, underscored by a slow, minor-key funeral dirge of “Up on the Housetop” backed by a creepy children’s choir. The Ghost Host is voiced by Corey Burton in lieu of Paul Frees, a remarkably similar (and sinister) performance to the timeless original.

Victorian garland, lights and ornaments illuminate the dust and shadow, all seemingly innocent and charming enough. Our attention is drawn to a formal portrait of Father Christmas standing proudly on a frosted rooftop, readied to slide down the chimney. As the Ghost Host delivers his narration, the portrait gradually transforms through a flurry of creepy snowflakes and into the image of Jack Skellington dressed as “Sandy Claws.” Behind him stands the iconic Spiral Hill and a number of snow-capped jack-o-lanterns against the backdrop of a harvest moon. Stockings are hung by the real chimney below the portrait with (s)care.

A panel in the wall slides open to reveal one of two identical Portrait Chambers.

***
​

More to come!

 

[spacemt354]

Sometimes just taking 20 minutes out of your day to read though this really brings back memories of the good ol' days of imagineering. Cheers to you MEW for continuing this amazing content!

 

[MANEATINGWREATH]

@spacemt354, thank you for the always kind compliment.

Continuing on with a tour of Jack's Winter Terrorland.

***

The Portrait Chamber
(The Stretching Room)​

The usual paintings in the Portrait Chamber have been taken down for cleaning and replaced with warm, stained-glass holiday scenes of a 19th Century Christmas. The octagonal ceiling panel has even been swapped for a monstrous, stained-glass wreath. The sinister gargoyles and panels are draped in garland and baubles. The eerie organ music continues as our Ghost Host leads on…

“Welcome, my friends to our Christmas delight! Come witness a ghoulishly glorious sight. It’s time for our holiday tale to begin. There’s no turning back now… Please, come all the way in.​

Our holiday tale is a tale that’s quite charming. But during this season, it’s sometimes alarming! So relax and reflect, feel free to take pause, while we tell you a tale about dear Sandy Claws…” ​

The stained-glass scenes have captions below them embroidered in “ribbon.” They are:

A view of the Mansion (“‘Twas the Nightmare before Christmas”); a tree with presents (“Not a creature was peaceful”); a fireplace with stockings (“The stockings all hung by the chimney with care”); and a boy and a girl in bed with toys floating above them (“The children nestled all snug in their beds”).

A macabre servant of Gracey Manor bids one final word of friendly warning… “To see how Jack has wrecked our halls, kindly drag your bodies away from the walls and into the dead center of the room…”

Suddenly, the panel slides shut, sealing us inside the chamber. Without warning, the entire room is cast into darkness. Glass shatters. A black light snaps on as the ceiling and walls begin to “stretch.” A dramatic underscore of strings and a macabre children’s choir fills the air in a theatrical crescendo of Halloween and Christmas spirit - together at last. The stained-glass “windows” have broken horizontally across the middle to elongate and reveal the comically grotesque images of a Halloween-skewed Christmas.

​

​

“‘Twas the nightmare before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was peaceful not even a mouse. The stockings all hung by the chimney with care when opened that morning would cause such a scare! The children nestled all snug in their beds would have nightmares of monsters and skeleton heads! (Laughs)”​

The paintings reveal:

Jack in his Sandy Claws suit with ghosts and nightmares rising behind him; evil toys, namely the soon-to-be recurring “Scary Teddy,” a vampire teddy bear; the vile Oogie Boogie and his sack full of foul treats and Christmas “candies”; a long, coiled orange-and-black-striped snake devouring gifts.

Skulls rise toward the ceiling with a crescendo of a familiar “Grim Grinning Ghosts.” Lightning flashes and children shriek. The stained-glass wreath on the ceiling breaks into a million shards to reveal Sandy Claws himself in the cupola high above: Jack Skellington. He waves to us below with a hearty “Happy holidays, everyone!” He wildly cackles for a moment, only to vanish in a blackout, but not before we catch glimpse of the Ghost Host’s corpse dangling from a hangman’s noose. The lights wink out, and a shrill scream fills the air.

At the scene’s conclusion, a panel in the wall opens to reveal one long, dimly lit corridor. Remarkably, the Ghost Host’s corpse still dangles by a noose in the visible cupola above, still in our sight as we depart from the chamber. Somewhere, albeit unseen, a childish spirit sings a few demented “la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la’s” to the minor key and tune of “Deck the Hall.”

The Portrait Corridor & Grand Staircase

“Now, hurry along, as they say, ‘Look alive!’ This is one holiday you will want to survive! (Laughs) And now a dark carriage will take you away. Sit back, rest in peace, in your black Christmas sleigh. Your sleigh will accommodate one or two more. We hope you’re prepared for what Jack has in store… ”​

​

The Portrait Chamber exits into a long, decorated hallway filled with portraits of holiday horror. The left side of the corridor is lined with windows that overlook a moonlit landscape in a rainstorm, intermittently illuminated by violent flashes of lightning. Portraits hang on the wall to the right, the subject of each transforming into a nightmarish image with each flash of lightning - an airborne Santa and his reindeer become Jack and his skeleton deer; a snowman in winter melts into a grinning “Pumpkin Man” in autumn; the foreboding Gracey Manor transforms into a snowy, holiday scene; Sally holds a miniature Christmas Tree, only to foresee fire and despair; a normal, unsuspicious nutcracker morphs into a hideous, zombified nutcracker. Dusty mirrors, framed certificates, macabre silhouettes and even tribal masks with horrific expressions fill the gaps between the portraits. At the far end of the hallway, an ominous-looking taxidermy mount of a grizzly bear stands against the wall, dangled in orange lights and bulbs, and, naturally, wearing a long and crooked Santa hat. The bear holds an arrow-shaped sign that reads “Free Slay Rides.”

The Mansion’s holiday décor, from this point forward, has been swapped from the Victorian style for a more “unique” taste - decayed harvest garland lined with purple and black ribbon, thorns, berries and cartoonish skulls. Orange and purple Christmas lights illuminate the eerie shadow that surrounds our path throughout the Mansion, including the very Portrait Corridor and Grand Staircase before us.

​

​

A supernatural choir and orchestra perform a sorrowful, holiday arrangement as we meander toward the beautifully appointed Grand Staircase. An enormous picture window at the top of the staircase looks onto a sinister, moonlit landscape illuminated by flashes of lightning. “Life-size” pumpkin men (a.k.a., snowmen-like jack-o-lanterns) stand on either end of the garland, skull and ribbon-draped staircase. A horribly decayed and near-rotted Christmas Tree stands at the top of the stairs, surrounded by hideously-wrapped packages. Oddly enough, the Tree has gnashing fangs, branch-like claws, and bulging, pinpoint-pupil eyes. The bizarre creature munches on the surrounding gifts, using a candy cane as a comical toothpick.

We board our “black Christmas sleigh” (a Doom Buggy) at the foot of the Grand Staircase.

“Don’t pull down the bar, it will float down with ease. And keep a close watch on all children - please. All good ghouls and boys must sit safe in their seats, and keep in their sleigh all hands, arms, legs or feets.”​

​

Our sleigh travels up and beneath a landing where Scary Teddy, the unofficial mascot of Winter Terrorland, sits on a tower of oversized packages and sinister decorations, using a fishing line to dangle a spider holding a gift.

The Hall of Infamy
​

The music carries well into a fluorescent corridor on the second floor before us, a rather sinister collection of macabre art and hideous decorations. The portraits, however, steal the show with their eerie, glowing eyes that follow our every move; the subjects being residents of Halloween Town, of course.

​

The Wolfman lurks from within an oversized gift box; the Mayor reads from a “Naughty or Nice” List; the Zombie Band butchers a holiday carol; Sally decorates a peculiar Christmas Tree; the Harlequin Demon stares down a gift-wrapped snake; Dr. Finklestein discovers a festive elixir; Undersea Gal decorates a tree of seaweed; the Vampire Bros. display vile decorations; the Clown holds his favorite fruitcake; the Witches stir a cauldron of glowing, ethereal eggnog; Jack stands on a snow-capped Spiral Hill, the only portrait not to follow our every move.

“Jack Skellington came here from Halloween Town. You’ll notice his handiwork scattered around. This year he’s decided to play Sandy Claws, but when Halloween creates Christmas, you might see a few flaws…”

***
​

More to come!

 

[MANEATINGWREATH]

The Library & Music Room

“Yes, down through the chimney Jack flew like a bat, clutching his magical Sandy Claws sack. He ripped open the sack and, in moments it seems, created a Christmas you have in bad dreams.”

​

The second floor “Hall of Infamy” opens into the Library, which is filled from floor to ceiling by shelves lined with hundreds upon thousands of books - all ghost stories, of course. Phantom hands pull books from shelves. A ladder slides to and fro as an unseen force searches for some late night reading. And among the shelves, those ubiquitous marble busts glare at us as our sleigh treads past, dimly lit by a twinkling strand of orange bulbs each. Zero and the chained Ghost of Jacob Marley (A Christmas Carol) have materialized and begun to decorate a spinning “tree” of floating books.

​

A frantic harpsichord-style arrangement of the sorrowful underscore fills the air as our Doom Buggy carries us from the Library and into the dusty Music Room. A dust-covered square piano sits in the center of the room, played by a shockingly talented Scary Teddy elevated on a large book. Sally, Jack’s lady love, sits in the adjacent armchair, enjoying the otherworldly concerto. A pathetic tree sits atop the piano, whilst a brilliant strand of orange bulbs and skulls outlines the large picture window.

The Spider Nest​

We ascend a second (and smaller) flight of stairs toward the Mansion’s third floor, but this time climbing creaking steps in near-complete darkness - a short, gloomy ascension in which glowing, evil eyes stare from the inky blackness. The music changes from that of a slow and mournful carol to that of “Kidnap the Sandy Claws,” as performed by a phantom orchestra and twisted children’s choir. A familiar laugh rings out. Even more disquieting, huge cobwebs embroidered in twinkling bulbs throughout the chamber house equally gigantic spiders aloft in their tombs of webbing.

​

A shimmering harvest moon has replaced the usual skeleton trapped in a web. The silhouette of Oogie Boogie slithers and dances on the surface of the moon, maniacally laughing as he transforms into a number of different holiday shapes and silhouettes. A few frightened bugs in gift-wrapped cages (addressed to Oogie) tremble at the omnipresent laugh of their approaching diner… Another familiar voice erupts from the shadow; it’s Sandy Claws (the actual Santa), in person, bound and tied to a large web. Old St. Nick pleads and barters for his freedom: “B-but there must be some mistake! Haven’t you heard of ‘Peace on Earth and Goodwill Toward Men’? Where am I? This can’t be happening!”

The Endless Hallway​

“More rapid than vultures, the Mansion was changed. All was soon covered, adorned and deranged. And what to your wondering eyes disappears? It’s Jack’s little friend, Zero, the ghost dog-reindeer!”
​

A familiar bark shatters a chill in the air. Our sleigh points down what appears to be an endless hallway, now framed with ribbons and garland of bones. Halfway down this corridor to infinity, the cheerful Zero floats gracefully toward his holiday treat - a pile of delicious doggie bones tied with a bow. The faint moans and cries for help of the usual Mansion ghosts intersperse the barking. The large armchair has been replaced by a monstrous vase of crooked poinsettias. The haunted suit of armor has been wrapped in flickering lights and given a jack-o-lantern mask.

The Conservatory

"Nothing here was forgotten, it all looked so pleasant. 'A coffin,' Jack says, 'makes a fine Christmas present!'"​

​

We next glide into the Conservatory, where a somewhat premature funeral has bloomed into a carnivorous holiday chorale. A large (and gift-wrapped) coffin sits at the side, surrounded by “gorgeous” poinsettias that have come to life as venus flytrap-like creatures with googly-eyes and gnashing fangs in a hectic “sing-along” of “Kidnap the Sandy Claws.” Two gnarled hands protrude from within the coffin, desperately trying to pry open the lid and allow the undead occupant to escape. The cawing, red-eyed raven has been swapped for the vampiric Scary Teddy hammering nails into the casket lid. A coffin-shaped tag on the casket reads “Do not open ‘til Christmas!"

The Corridor of Doors

“A man-eating plant makes a wonderful wreath… As long as you don’t get caught in its teeth.”

​

The spirits begin to grow more restless and make their presence known as our sleigh turns down the long Corridor of Doors. Doorknobs and handles twist and turn in every which way, each door capped by a festive skull & crossbones. Unseen presences pound unmercifully on doors from the other side. Otherworldly creatures snarl, growl, howl, shriek, laugh, moan, and groan, dying for escape. One door appears to breathe, bulging out as a powerful force acts upon it from within the room. Another door even has the face and hands of a tortured soul pressing against the wood, bulging out in a perfect outline. Dreary, post-mortem “family photos” line the walls… A monstrous arm bursts through one final door in a relentless attempt to break it open. Perhaps most frightening of all, we catch the visage of a sorrowful female spirit, wildly pounding from behind the glass of an ornate mirror…

Notably, huge tendril-like vines have overwhelmed the hallway from floor-to-ceiling. The singing plants continue their unholy “Fa-La-La-La’s” as we look up into the piercing, blinking gaze of a giant, fanged wreath, the granddaddy of all floral arrangements. The monstrous plant gnashes its fangs and stares in every direction, its claw-like vines enveloping the chandeliers and iconic demon-print wallpaper. The comparably small, menacing flowers continue to sing and chomp threateningly.

As we depart the frightening Corridor, we pass an ornate grandfather clock that is perpetually struck on thirteen. The clock is swept in garland and addressed as a gift from Sandy Claws to Madame Leota. A number of odd packages surround the demon clock as the shadow of a claw scrapes by…

“Jack’s holiday vision was unlike no other, so ring out the bells, there’s more cheer to uncover!”​

The Séance Circle ​

With the thirteen chimes of the grandfather clock still ringing in the air, we enter the dark Séance Circle, an eerie sanctum in which an age-old holiday ritual is taking place. A mist-filled crystal ball floats high above a table littered with tarot cards and strung in garland. Scary Teddy sits perched atop a chair directly behind the table, gleefully ringing handbells. A large, ancient tome, Necronomicon: Book of the Dead, rests on a nearby bookstand, opened to a spell that summons those spirits trapped in limbo. A festive tree made of fortune cards offers a wintry flare to the otherwise gloomy chamber. Colored lanterns and giant tarot cards replace the normal instruments found soaring through the air.

As we continue our slow circle around the table, we finally meet our medium, the disembodied spirit of Madame Leota, trapped in the crystal ball. Behind Leota, Lock, Shock and Barrel press against a large window, just dying to get in. Leota recites a holiday incantation:

“On the 13th day of Christmas, my ghoul love gave to me:
13 rings of power, embracing strength that never ends…
12 signs of the zodiac, that rule the future and transcend…
11 candles floating, their scent of mystery in the air…
10 telling tea leaves, that swirled with secrets yet to share…

On the 9th day of Christmas, my ghoul love gave to me:
9 magic crystals, that sparkled with a force that is pure…
8 balls of knowledge, that answer with a truth that is sure…
7 pearls of wisdom, to keep my love bewitched to me…
6 mystic mirrors, reflecting futures yet to be…

On the 5th day of Christmas, my ghoul love gave to me:
5 lucky charms, to understand the right from wrong…
4 wheels of fortune, to spin their rich and golden song…
3 lifelines, extending helps to those in need…
2 passion potions, that love and romance may succeed…

On the first day of Christmas, my ghoul love gave to me:
A star! A brilliant star for my fortune card tree!” ​

The giant tarot cards portray characters of Halloween Town who each represent a lyric of Leota’s incantation. For instance, Oogie Boogie displays the “four wheels of fortune,” whilst the Vampire Bros. portray the “6 mystic mirrors.” Kim Irvine, daughter of the original Madame Leota (Leota Toombs), bears a startling resemblance to her mother. So Kim performed Madame Leota’s eerie incantations as her mother had done more than fifty years earlier. Now mother and daughter are forever united, working together to create the magic of Madame Leota.

The Grand Hall

“With some treats and some games, you can make a scene merry. Why, even a gingerbread house could seem scary! All at once, happy haunts did materialize, like a nightmarish painting by Currier & Ives.”

​

The Grand Hall is the scene of the ultimate Christmas Party. A haunted, anthropomorphic gingerbread house - a new design each season - has overtaken the banquet table, plunging forks into terrified gingerbread men with its hulking claws; other gingerbread men already trapped in the dessert’s cavernous mouth… An enormous Christmas Tree - dead, as you might expect from Jack Skellington - decorates the middle of the dance floor. The dead evergreen is littered with skulls, jack-o-lanterns, candles and spiders. Odd presents and a demon train circle the base of the tree, anxiously awaiting Christmas Day - unless they grow hungry and escape before then… Zero hovers near the top of the tree, playing chicken with the pistol-wielding duelists. Brilliant lightning flashes reveal the silhouettes of Jack and Sally from behind a balcony window (presumably with a sprig of mistletoe). Couples waltz the night away (in and out of the tree) as a mad organist plays a deliciously demented version of “Carol of the Bells” in a frantic, melancholy waltz and choral spectacular. The pipe organ is decked in garland and jack-o-lanterns.

​

A group of otherworldly revelers have gathered at the beautifully decorated banquet table to celebrate the spirit of the season. The guests slowly fade in and out of sight, seemingly in time with the hostess’s repeated attempts to blow out the candles on a Jack Skellington-face cake. Other swinging specters enjoy spirits of a different kind while sitting atop an ornate chandelier high above the table. Wispy wraiths and skeleton deer fly in and out of the room through the upper windows as lightning flashes behind them, and that same old slew of ghostly guests pour in from a hearse parked outside the hall, eager to join the fun. Snow pours in through the ajar door.

The entire ballroom is decorated in a spectacle of lights and garland. Truly, nothing here was forgotten. Even some twisted stockings have been hung by the chimney with (s)care. The fireplace mantel is covered in grinning jack-o-lanterns, notably one in resemblance of Jack Skellington.

The Attic

​

​

“A bag full of toys Jack had slung on his back… They were strange and bizarre - hmm, hmm - and on the attack!”​

The Grand Hall far behind, our sleigh enters a dark, dusty attic, filled to overflowing with cobwebbed Christmas gifts and demented toys just waiting for Sandy Claws to deliver them on Christmas Eve. The Attic is an ideal spot for Jack to hide a few toys and presents until the big night, though some of the more eager gifts have already unwrapped themselves…

Most of the old familiar junk has been cleared in favor of the creepy gifts and toys, from some of which leap a giant skull, a jack-o-lantern-in-the-box, and an oversized cat. Black light and the screams of children permeate the space. The usual antique dolls, clowns, harlequin toys and ventriloquist dummy still haunt the clutter. Bats madly flutter about. Jack’s huge Naughty-or-Nice List spans the width of the entire chamber, draped over the boxes and abandoned artifacts. Of course, the names on the list pay tribute to the creative team behind Winter Terrorland…

​

One “pop-up” toy after the next transition into our encounter with a gargantuan, black-and-orange snake chowing down on the aforementioned list. The snake’s tail is coiled into a Christmas Tree on one end of the room, while its head on the other side stands in place of the infamous Bride. Other toys include an undead duck bloodied with bullet holes; a monstrous train on tentacle tracks; a basket of lit dynamite; a ghoulish puppet wielding an axe; a baby doll possessed by a demon; a petrified rocking horse; a tiny Oogie Boogie crashing cymbals; zombie tin soldiers; a twisted ballerina; a dolly hung by a noose; and, locked in a birdcage, Dan Dan the Gingerbread Man from Tim Burton’s Hansel & Gretel.

​

As we turn the final bend of the Attic, we come face-to-skull with the wayward Hatbox Ghost, fully materialized. He leans on a cane with his right hand and holds a ribbon-topped hatbox in his left - and that’s where the fun begins. In a mesmerizing moment, his deathly pate disappears from his body, reappears in the hatbox, and then returns to his body, leaving the hatbox empty. Of course, in the spirit of tricks and treats, old Hattie dons holly at the rim of his hat.

***
​

More to come!

 

[DisneyManOne]

I wonder, how much of this is taken directly from the current Haunted Mansion Holiday?

 

[MANEATINGWREATH]

I wonder, how much of this is taken directly from the current Haunted Mansion Holiday?

A lot is borrowed and a lot is original. It's a steady mix tbh. Let's finish this puppy.

***
The Graveyard​

“Sandy Claws worked his magic, both outside and in, but one final touch made his bony face grin. Now what better gift on my friends to bestow, than a graveyard that’s covered in ghostly white snow!”
​

Past the eerie visage of the Hatbox Ghost, our sleigh “falls” out an attic window, all under the evil, childlike laughter of Scary Teddy perched in a nearby tree, chewing feverishly on a strand of lights. Sparks fly and volts pop. Snowflakes tumble from the sky where ghosts once rose from their crypts, and orange lights, icicles and paper skeletons adorn the once barren trees. The Graveyard is blanketed in a sheet of ghostly white snow, where playful spooks are busy making their own unique Christmas trees. The vast plot is also home to a re-creation of Halloween Town’s landmark Spiral Hill, one of Tim Burton’s most iconic designs. The frosted hill is covered in grinning jack-o-lanterns flickering in time with the merry music.

A full-size Audio-Animatronics figure of Jack Skellington in his blood-red Sandy Claws suit stands at the cemetery gates, the loyal Zero by his side.

“It’s Christmas! Have you been good this year? Ho, ho, ho! I think I like this Christmas thing. See, Zero! I told you they would like my Christmas! Fruitcake, anyone? Ho, ho, ho! I really outdid myself this time! Look at all the happy faces! Seasons greetings, everyone! Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, hee, hee, hee… It’s Christmas time! Welcome to my Christmas delight! Look Zero, I think they like our Christmas. Have you been naughty or nice? I have a special present, just for you… Happy holidays, everyone! What’s your name? C’mon, don’t be shy!”​

​

Interestingly, the music in the Graveyard Jamboree alternates from one “scarol” to the next. The jazzy, swing-era “We Wish You a Scary Christmas” ends and is followed by an arrangement of the original “Grim Grinning Ghosts.” However, the vocals have been re-recorded and the instrumental backing (borrowed from John Debney’s score for Phantom Manor) has been given a holiday flare (sleigh bells and the like). So, in the finale to Jack’s Winter Terrorland, one might hear the classic “Grim Grinning Ghosts” in its entirety or the frightfully fun composition of Gordon Goodwin’s 2001 score and Steve Davison's lyrics.

/\ transitions into this \/



But, of course, with new vocals recorded to match the HMH vocalists. ​

In 2001, the original Haunted Mansion Holiday was scored by Gordon Goodwin, save for the additional variation on John Debney’s Phantom Manor score in the Graveyard. In 2002, the Goodwin soundtrack was replaced by an adapted score by John Debney. The new soundtrack was based on themes from the film’s score composed by Danny Elfman. Since 2005 and the arrival of Winter Terrorland, Goodwin’s original music has been reintegrated into several scenes in the attraction. To better detail, here is what plays where:

1. The Foyer: Gordon Goodwin
2. The Portrait Chamber: Gordon Goodwin
3. The Portrait Corridor - The Music Room: Gordon Goodwin
4. The Spider Nest - Corridor of Doors: John Debney
5. The Seance Circle: John Debney
6. The Grand Hall: Gordon Goodwin
7. The Attic: John Debney
8. The Graveyard: Gordon Goodwin & John Debney
9. The Exit Crypt: Gordon Goodwin

John Debney’s since deleted tracks for the Grand Hall, Stretching Room, Foyer and Graveyard can be heard in the French Market restaurant throughout the holiday season.

The spirits cross all boundaries of time and space, from a band of medieval minstrels bedecked for the holiday season to a properly paranormal English Christmas party and an Egyptian mummy. All are singing and playing along with their hosts for the evening’s festivities, a group of warbling jack-o-lanterns. Snow dusts every last tombstone, crypt and mausoleum, and some are even wrapped in cheery ribbons and macabre bows.

​

First we encounter a band of medieval minstrels in their minor-key rendition of “Jolly Old St. Nicholas” and “Grim Grinning Ghosts.” Sally leans on a headstone not far from the minstrels, longingly staring at Jack through the adjacent cemetery gate. Halloween Town’s own Wolfman has replaced the normal hellhound, howling at the moon whilst donning a little tiny party hat. Nearby, a trio of Lonesome Ghost lookalikes await a mug of fresh eggnog - two ghost witches, now joined by Halloween Town’s “living” witches, stir the bubbling, green goo in a black cauldron. In the distance, the grim quartet of dancing skeletons have been swapped for an animated projection of Lock, Shock and Barrel, gleefully enjoying a snowball fight.

Of course, the minstrels would be most unimpressive without the frightful vocals of “The Phantom Five,” now a gay quintet of living jack-o-lanterns. The warbling pumpkins sing a macabre arrangement of “Grim Grinning Ghosts,” “We Wish You a Merry (Scary) Christmas,” and “What’s This?”

​

Continuing on, we find a properly paranormal English tea party. Huge snow angels with jack-o-lantern heads span the cemetery path, their icicle-claws gripped onto massive trumpets. Victorian spooks enjoy a chorus with a game of chess and a spot of tea alongside a cozy, crashed hearse decorated in twinkling lights and garland. A skeleton deer hovers close-by with a tray of teacups, whilst a number of wraiths on bicycles chase another bone-deer in circles around a dead Christmas Tree on the near horizon. Another tree, made of bones and teacups, illuminates the macabre party, decorated by Halloween Town’s “adorable” Corpse Kid and Winged Demon. Halloween Town’s own two-faced Mayor welcomes our arrival. “How horrible our Christmas will be!” A former French aristocrat tips his hat - and his head - to also welcome our arrival. An Egyptian mummy sits upright in his sarcophagi wearing a twisted Santa hat, desperately trying to entertain a befuddled old man with an ear-horn (also in a Santa hat); the one-eyed Mummy Boy and Cyclops (of Halloween Town) try to decipher the conversation.

A flapper of the Roaring ‘20s enjoys a spot of tea with the chained ghost of a former convict and the bizarre Harlequin Demon in his “delightful” rat-hat. In the open coffin below, Undersea Gal holds a ribbon-capped fishbowl occupied by a skeletal fish. A former pirate captain raises a pint o’ grog in toast of the Christmas celebration, joined by an incredibly short Viking perched on a small tombstone. Their tree is built from ship-oars, pirate flags and buried treasure. A presumably drowned flight attendant sings solo to the sight of a big game hunter and phantom tiger - the hunter’s pants grasped in the tiger’s maw.

​

All throughout the Graveyard, the hideous pop-up ghosts have donned themselves in gay apparel - a Santa hat each. Their horrific screams are swapped in favor of demented “Ho, Ho, Ho’s!” A headless knight, executioner and tiny prisoner sing “backup” for a pair of opera singers dressed as Vikings, the duo madly warbling in time with the music. It truly isn’t over ‘til the fat lady sings… Nearby, the occupant of a brick tomb attempts to seal himself within his gift-wrapped crypt. A Christmas Tree built from executioner tools (namely axes) shimmers brightly nearby.

The Exit Crypt

“As Jack sprang to his sleigh, three hitchhikers he spied… They said, ‘Sandy Claws, may we please have a ride?’ But Jack waved goodbye, for he could not stay - he had much to deliver before Christmas Day!” ​

Scary Teddy puts in one last appearance, playing a miniature trumpet under the festive lights. The red-eyed raven - the usual Mansion mascot - remains near Teddy atop the giant stone crypt, holding a gifted candy cane in its beak and wearing a miniature Santa hat. We then come face-to-face with the Mansion’s most popular characters: the Hitchhiking Ghosts. A festive banner above reads: “We Wish You a Scary Christmas!” Surrounding our beloved hitchhikers are hideous packages, spider-web-snowflakes, and evil toys galore.

​

​

From left to right, Phineas is the large ghost dressed like the regal Ghost of Christmas Present; Ezra is the tall, bony ghost tipping his hat dressed in a manner similar to Ebenezer Scrooge; Gus is the short ghost with a bushy beard, currently dressed like a Christmas elf. Our sleigh pulls deeper into the Crypt, passing a series of ornate mirrors enveloped in the mouths of fanged wreaths. We soon learn that one of the three ghosts has hitched a ride and is seated with us.

“May Jack’s ghostly Christmas now follow you home, and stay in your heart where'er you may roam. For now you know what happens when holidays meet - you might get a trick, or a holiday treat… Mwahahaha!”
​

A sign urges our return to the “World of the Living.” A scattered snow drift gives even this dark depository a holiday glow, as do the few jack-o-lanterns grinning out from the empty vaults. Since departed from our sleigh, we embark on an uphill climb to an old crypt, but not before we catch glimpse of one final spirit: Sally (again). A sorrowful, almost chant-like version of “We Wish You a Scary Christmas” fills the air. Sally beckons for the return of Sandy Claws to the Haunted Mansion, with the silhouette of Jack and his coffin sleigh riding across a miniature harvest moon… With Jack's maniacal cackle ringing in our ears, we continue out into the relative safety of New Orleans Square

“Hurry back! Hurry back!
Be sure to bring your Sandy Claws sack!
I’ll be waiting to open my Christmas present…
Hurry back! Hurry back…”

“Merry Christmas, one and all!”

“Thank you, Sandy Claws, for bringing your cheer.
Please hurry back, we can’t wait till next year.
And I heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight…”

“This world will not forget my Christmas night! Hahaha!”​

Anxious to leave the dark mysteries and prankish spirits of the Haunted Mansion behind, we briskly depart for the “World of the Living” and rejoin the bustle and color of Disneyland - but not before noticing the haunting figure of Oogie Boogie glaring at us one last time from an upper-floor window…

**********
​

Up next:

 

[Twilight_Roxas]

This is really great, but where’s Oogie Boogie at least the animatronic Oogie Boogie that appears in the end?

 

[DisneyManOne]

Up next:

What is up next? You didn't specify.

 

[Suchomimus]

A lot is borrowed and a lot is original. It's a steady mix tbh. Let's finish this puppy.

 

[mickeyfan5534]

I do love me an overly privileged economics major

 

[MANEATINGWREATH]

What is up next? You didn't specify.

It was a joke. The theme of the post was ghosts, and since ghosts are technically invisible... Never mind lol.

 

[Twilight_Roxas]

Wonder what you plan to do after Alternate Disneyland, and Westcot?

 

[MANEATINGWREATH]

Wonder what you plan to do after Alternate Disneyland, and Westcot?

After I finish with attractions and other things I'd like to cover in Mirror Disneyland, I'll do a full overview of WESTCOT followed with attractions and other things I'd like to cover in there. After that, I'll move on to the hotels, the Boardwalk District and things like the Adventurer's Club and other attractions in the Boardwalk District.

 

[Twilight_Roxas]

Cool. I kinda meant like a Alternate Universal Studios or a Warner Bros World theme park were Six Flags & Universal Studios never had the IP rights to DC, Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera, and Harry Potter.

 

[MANEATINGWREATH]

Cool. I kinda meant like a Alternate Universal Studios or a Warner Bros World theme park were Six Flags & Universal Studios never had the IP rights to DC, Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera, and Harry Potter.

I've toyed with the idea of doing a Disney-Universal Studios Park in the past, so maybe I'll look into that again. Essentially, imagine a park where Galaxy's Edge, Marvel Land, Wizarding World, Diagon Alley, and Jurassic Park are all together. Maybe I'll do that after this project is complete! Of course, Mirror Disneyland Resort would not have this hypothetical park as part of the property since Hollywoodland exists.

 

[DisneyManOne]

I've toyed with the idea of doing a Disney-Universal Studios Park in the past, so maybe I'll look into that again. Essentially, imagine a park where Galaxy's Edge, Marvel Land, Wizarding World, Diagon Alley, and Jurassic Park are all together. Maybe I'll do that after this project is complete! Of course, Mirror Disneyland Resort would not have this hypothetical park as part of the property since Hollywoodland exists.

Haven't we all wondered what it would be like if Disney and Universal teamed up at some point? I certainly have entertained the notion...

 

[Twilight_Roxas]

Well what about a Warner Bros theme park?

 

[Evilgidgit]

Well what about a Warner Bros theme park?

I might create my own WB park in the future, though after I complete my Disneyland Paris project, and then tackle Universal Studios Hollywood.