Disneyland Australia: A Dream Resort

MANEATINGWREATH

Well-Known Member
Original Poster


It's October, baby! Halloween is my favorite time of year, from the pop-up Halloween stores to the reels of Classic Horror, October is the season of tricks and treats, and what better way to kick off this most magical time of year than by releasing the first update for my expanded and revised "Dream Disney Resort"? In fact, we'll be celebrating now through October 31st here with more than a few "spooktacular" updates... As to what these updates might be; well, you'll have to wait and see...

Instead of going straight into an overview of the Magic Kingdom, we'll be starting a bit unorthodox here, diving right into my all-time favorite attraction: The Haunted Mansion. This was going to be the very last thing I would post in this thread, but, given the spirit of the season, I really can't think of a better way to kick things off in the new thread than by sharing my take on Disneyland Australia's Haunted Mansion. Walt knew that fear was one of the most basic human emotions, and today, this holds true. In fact,

In a trip to the United Kingdom, Walt had mentioned in a report that one of the reasons for his trip was to comb the old castles and mansions for displaced ghosts… These ghosts were to hold a passion to continue their trade in a new “country club” environment, “built especially for them” at Disneyland. “The nature of being a ghost is that they have to perform, and therefore they need an audience,” Walt said.

As a sign had once read outside the entrance of Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion:

“Notice!
All Ghosts
And Restless Spirits

Post-lifetime leases are
now available in this

HAUNTED
MANSION

don’t be left out in the sunshine! Enjoy
active retirement in this country club
atmosphere the fashionable address for
famous ghosts, ghosts trying to make a name
for themselves...and ghosts afraid to
live by themselves! Leases include License
to scare the daylights out of guests
visiting the Portrait Gallery, Museum of
the Supernatural, graveyard and other
happy haunting grounds. for reservations
send resume of past experience to:
Ghost Relations Dept. Disneyland

Please! Do not apply in person.”

This same sign (penned by the late Marty Sklar) can be found in Disneyland Australia today, still soliciting spooks from around the world to take up residency in this undead retirement home of “Haunted Hollywood.”

The Haunted Mansion

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Have you ever seen a haunted house? You know the kind I mean…



That old dark house that’s usually at the end of a dimly lit street. The owners haven’t been seen for years; no one really knows why. The windows are dark and silent, yet the old clock tower still chimes. The gardens and grounds are well-kempt and groomed, though a single window appears cracked and disheveled. There’s a high moss-covered wall around the property. Is it there to keep somebody out, or is it there to keep something inside? It’s a house that people avoid walking past at night. Strange sounds come from within the walls, and it’s said that eerie lights have been seen both in the attic window and in the graveyard at the side of the house… It was always imposing, seemingly abandoned, and thoroughly rumored to be a Haunted Mansion.

Our story revolves around this mysterious Mansion…

With Jason Surrell’s The Haunted Mansion: Imagineering a Disney Classic and Chef Mayhem’s fantastic DoomBuggies.com as a guide, join me now for a tour through the boundless realm of the supernatural; a glimpse into my all-time favorite Disney Attraction. As they say, “look alive,” and we’ll continue our little tour…

Q4cr6_wDJ9KWlb7WdV8zl_Fe8MM-1tS2hf_nQKTfxlI-oasU7HLaLsC-VGBptgRoBHznupbwvah1QdYUbgoF4GcAtSFKTJ1btrJXfHjOSU0HuAgNIvZ4byc5YhhjRG7VFbm4en8f

The old Gracey Estate has been left as spectacular as it were before the untimely death of a young Gracey and his bride. Devoted groundskeepers abide by a distant relative’s wish to “Take care of the outside, and let the ghosts take care of the inside.” The walls of Gracey Manor hold within them a treasure trove of acquired antiquities, rare artifacts, priceless paintings, and a sight all too popular among the world’s richest: a private zoo. Beasts of the field, jungle, sea and sky once filled the Gracey Zoo, of course, all beasts have since vanished from the property… Or have they?

“I’ll be seeing you
In all the old familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces

All day and through…”

UYrri0jyCgB-vetZsINjQm00ySYXkIElGtPxu-0-WccFZ8ftSNKHp4EUTImClvdyObeE2O-LAs2Y1OFPwxJ-EGfppNeco35Hh43WBfWRA29E8X4lEbXgrC_eK4OoF1U6p4jltqdt



Our adventure begins in Gracey Square, a bereft relic of Old Hollywood. The ominous cobblestone and cracked pavement allude to the foreboding silhouette of Gracey Manor. Before us: twin stucco columns kept beneath the watchful (red) eye of snarling, stone lions. On either column: a bronze shield in which “The Haunted Mansion” is inscribed. Atop either shield, a horned skull appears frozen in a scream amid writhing hair and gnarled ribbon, carved of bronze. The ethereal distortion of a vintage jazz standard calls us ‘cross the threshold to enter the lonesome yet meticulously landscaped estate of Gracey Manor.

The Courtyard

The music of an old phonograph is our underscore for a stroll of the beautiful Courtyard. The vibrant flowers, succulents and palms set a stage for a scattered collection of ancient wonders: statues, fountains and art of Greece, Rome, Egypt and Spain. An Egyptian Anubis and Sphinx overlook an emptied swimming pool. The desolate hole remains cracked, dry, still enjoyed by a seldom few umbrellas and scattered lounge chairs.


Perhaps the abandoned zoo is most ominous of all… The empty cages and destroyed bars hint at an unfortunate finale. Rusted placards detail the animals that once held residence here, many having starred in Gracey’s films. It is said their faint cries might be heard in the still of an October night. Bones litter the empty tiger cage; somewhere unseen, a wolf howls…

As we draw near the Mansion itself, we glimpse a broken window on the third-floor. Come nightfall, an eerie light illuminates from beyond the shattered panes, gently bouncing rhythmically with a natural wind. The Mansion itself is of a Mission and Spanish Revival influence, a remnant of Hollywood’s Golden Age. The huge, “eight-story” house is an illusion itself; forced perspective at work. The iconic clock tower is eternally stuck at XIII (13).

xMvp480ka6ODyPDmg6BwQ3R7edNW7vDyY6XeyeZwigAm5M9FJ60nN7Y3JlJB_5nKSUEcehXjlZ6F2812o_ggNFJeyR_aO60oceBq8hbwtblf8ma8tAHw4xbYfATC-wMwDH_9tOsr

“We’ll meet again
Don’t know where
Don’t know when
But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day

Keep smiling through
Just like you always do

Til the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away…”

qXksDvlSczOjloTg2B30SKcxQ9eg7O_ojo3zwH0ctjmcF27etI3lrvqwjdmwMJUk1oCjdlf4I3Atu5o7B6EisELCTMHfWL66J4641sz4YTqKbEqxlF8JOaAnQ0q2-8NCHwjRiMTb

A gorgeous bandstand once held many a concert; classical, jazz or otherwise. Now, the old gazebo has been left for dust. An overturned chair and toppled bass set the stage for a lone piano and upright cello. Still, one might hear a subtle refrain of a familiar “Grim, Grinning Ghosts” coming from the instruments… After all, what would a haunted house be without a haunted piano?

A peculiar chill runs through us as we draw near the entrance of the eerie estate. The ethereal jazz continues from an (un)attended radio. A pair of invisible residents enjoy the night air; one stirs their coffee, while the other slowly flips the pages of a terribly outdated magazine. In fact, one might hear our spectral reader humming along with the crackle of Glenn Miller’s “Sleepy Time Gal."


-uwVlKW_FgaUYDgVnaQhci_Exlmk5wsu8yF636OipP0kUsWlz9Tu_NE_bhJrNp8znQ-EJTvTrvJruiF3fnNOdM7YAyzyVoxp1n3tSwD0qk2_-g2LC8m4M2NNnuj-K11UiayOZ2Cd


Our trail begins a slight descent as we travel past the shuttered front door and toward what appears to be the entrance of a Wine Cellar. A number of gardening tools and overgrown plants prelude a vast collection of barrels and kegs stacked neatly in a blanket of cobwebs and dust. The jazz has begun to fade in favor of a familiar funeral dirge… The ancient cellar doors open with a slow and painful creak... “Enter, and make room for every body.”

azh4BRt32U6exsjNOQF4QfYnbhvHSgOvZzoaqKo2sR29OulsMEWFVLj8eyA-aHNbrjtks1IrZVXGlesXYVtcTHZstgJkQuCUE92zwsQOlZJNJ_mKsCRGlKigcTknabSGSE16T3nL


==============================================
It should be of note that the featured concept art was designed by @Basketbuddy101 many years ago when the idea of a Hollywood Haunted Mansion first came into fruition. Having a Haunted Mansion set in a Magic Kingdom's would-be Hollywoodland has been an idea I've had since middle school, but not one I have tackled since the earliest roots of this Dream Resort. A native Californian myself, "Haunted Hollywood" is perhaps the most prevalent urban legend of my time, right next to San Diego's Waley House, the "most haunted house in America." To me, there is no better home for the Haunted Mansion than Hollywoodland...

Stay tuned for Part Two! Thoughts? Anyone excited for the Final-Final-Final Draft?!
 

Pi on my Cake

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes


It's October, baby! Halloween is my favorite time of year, from the pop-up Halloween stores to the reels of Classic Horror, October is the season of tricks and treats, and what better way to kick off this most magical time of year than by releasing the first update for my expanded and revised "Dream Disney Resort"? In fact, we'll be celebrating now through October 31st here with more than a few "spooktacular" updates... As to what these updates might be; well, you'll have to wait and see...

Instead of going straight into an overview of the Magic Kingdom, we'll be starting a bit unorthodox here, diving right into my all-time favorite attraction: The Haunted Mansion. This was going to be the very last thing I would post in this thread, but, given the spirit of the season, I really can't think of a better way to kick things off in the new thread than by sharing my take on Disneyland Australia's Haunted Mansion. Walt knew that fear was one of the most basic human emotions, and today, this holds true. In fact,

In a trip to the United Kingdom, Walt had mentioned in a report that one of the reasons for his trip was to comb the old castles and mansions for displaced ghosts… These ghosts were to hold a passion to continue their trade in a new “country club” environment, “built especially for them” at Disneyland. “The nature of being a ghost is that they have to perform, and therefore they need an audience,” Walt said.

As a sign had once read outside the entrance of Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion:

“Notice!
All Ghosts
And Restless Spirits


Post-lifetime leases are
now available in this


HAUNTED
MANSION


don’t be left out in the sunshine! Enjoy
active retirement in this country club
atmosphere the fashionable address for
famous ghosts, ghosts trying to make a name
for themselves...and ghosts afraid to
live by themselves! Leases include License
to scare the daylights out of guests
visiting the Portrait Gallery, Museum of
the Supernatural, graveyard and other
happy haunting grounds. for reservations
send resume of past experience to:
Ghost Relations Dept. Disneyland

Please! Do not apply in person.”

This same sign (penned by the late Marty Sklar) can be found in Disneyland Australia today, still soliciting spooks from around the world to take up residency in this undead retirement home of “Haunted Hollywood.”

The Haunted Mansion

mA6qMouNdqHnO8JaSttwetz4lWHgk38mRaz7s_HcIzmCsqX24d0Jmm-YIAzlxvxRaFQaM9TjSmXbUMjHBCa6IPvIqHhdpDKSn3qPHdXF0g6Yab9woVSQOgkYsX0wwGs9wEel_oAF

Have you ever seen a haunted house? You know the kind I mean…



That old dark house that’s usually at the end of a dimly lit street. The owners haven’t been seen for years; no one really knows why. The windows are dark and silent, yet the old clock tower still chimes. The gardens and grounds are well-kempt and groomed, though a single window appears cracked and disheveled. There’s a high moss-covered wall around the property. Is it there to keep somebody out, or is it there to keep something inside? It’s a house that people avoid walking past at night. Strange sounds come from within the walls, and it’s said that eerie lights have been seen both in the attic window and in the graveyard at the side of the house… It was always imposing, seemingly abandoned, and thoroughly rumored to be a Haunted Mansion.

Our story revolves around this mysterious Mansion…

With Jason Surrell’s The Haunted Mansion: Imagineering a Disney Classic and Chef Mayhem’s fantastic DoomBuggies.com as a guide, join me now for a tour through the boundless realm of the supernatural; a glimpse into my all-time favorite Disney Attraction. As they say, “look alive,” and we’ll continue our little tour…

Q4cr6_wDJ9KWlb7WdV8zl_Fe8MM-1tS2hf_nQKTfxlI-oasU7HLaLsC-VGBptgRoBHznupbwvah1QdYUbgoF4GcAtSFKTJ1btrJXfHjOSU0HuAgNIvZ4byc5YhhjRG7VFbm4en8f

The old Gracey Estate has been left as spectacular as it were before the untimely death of a young Gracey and his bride. Devoted groundskeepers abide by a distant relative’s wish to “Take care of the outside, and let the ghosts take care of the inside.” The walls of Gracey Manor hold within them a treasure trove of acquired antiquities, rare artifacts, priceless paintings, and a sight all too popular among the world’s richest: a private zoo. Beasts of the field, jungle, sea and sky once filled the Gracey Zoo, of course, all beasts have since vanished from the property… Or have they?

“I’ll be seeing you
In all the old familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces

All day and through…”

UYrri0jyCgB-vetZsINjQm00ySYXkIElGtPxu-0-WccFZ8ftSNKHp4EUTImClvdyObeE2O-LAs2Y1OFPwxJ-EGfppNeco35Hh43WBfWRA29E8X4lEbXgrC_eK4OoF1U6p4jltqdt



Our adventure begins in Gracey Square, a bereft relic of Old Hollywood. The ominous cobblestone and cracked pavement allude to the foreboding silhouette of Gracey Manor. Before us: twin stucco columns kept beneath the watchful (red) eye of snarling, stone lions. On either column: a bronze shield in which “The Haunted Mansion” is inscribed. Atop either shield, a horned skull appears frozen in a scream amid writhing hair and gnarled ribbon, carved of bronze. The ethereal distortion of a vintage jazz standard calls us ‘cross the threshold to enter the lonesome yet meticulously landscaped estate of Gracey Manor.

The Courtyard

The music of an old phonograph is our underscore for a stroll of the beautiful Courtyard. The vibrant flowers, succulents and palms set a stage for a scattered collection of ancient wonders: statues, fountains and art of Greece, Rome, Egypt and Spain. An Egyptian Anubis and Sphinx overlook an emptied swimming pool. The desolate hole remains cracked, dry, still enjoyed by a seldom few umbrellas and scattered lounge chairs.

Perhaps the abandoned zoo is most ominous of all… The empty cages and destroyed bars hint at an unfortunate finale. Rusted placards detail the animals that once held residence here, many having starred in Gracey’s films. It is said their faint cries might be heard in the still of an October night. Bones litter the empty tiger cage; somewhere unseen, a wolf howls…

As we draw near the Mansion itself, we glimpse a broken window on the third-floor. Come nightfall, an eerie light illuminates from beyond the shattered panes, gently bouncing rhythmically with a natural wind. The Mansion itself is of a Mission and Spanish Revival influence, a remnant of Hollywood’s Golden Age. The huge, “eight-story” house is an illusion itself; forced perspective at work. The iconic clock tower is eternally stuck at XIII (13).

xMvp480ka6ODyPDmg6BwQ3R7edNW7vDyY6XeyeZwigAm5M9FJ60nN7Y3JlJB_5nKSUEcehXjlZ6F2812o_ggNFJeyR_aO60oceBq8hbwtblf8ma8tAHw4xbYfATC-wMwDH_9tOsr

“We’ll meet again
Don’t know where
Don’t know when
But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day


Keep smiling through
Just like you always do

Til the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away…”

qXksDvlSczOjloTg2B30SKcxQ9eg7O_ojo3zwH0ctjmcF27etI3lrvqwjdmwMJUk1oCjdlf4I3Atu5o7B6EisELCTMHfWL66J4641sz4YTqKbEqxlF8JOaAnQ0q2-8NCHwjRiMTb

A gorgeous bandstand once held many a concert; classical, jazz or otherwise. Now, the old gazebo has been left for dust. An overturned chair and toppled bass set the stage for a lone piano and upright cello. Still, one might hear a subtle refrain of a familiar “Grim, Grinning Ghosts” coming from the instruments… After all, what would a haunted house be without a haunted piano?

A peculiar chill runs through us as we draw near the entrance of the eerie estate. The ethereal jazz continues from an (un)attended radio. A pair of invisible residents enjoy the night air; one stirs their coffee, while the other slowly flips the pages of a terribly outdated magazine. In fact, one might hear our spectral reader humming along with the crackle of Glenn Miller’s “Sleepy Time Gal."

-uwVlKW_FgaUYDgVnaQhci_Exlmk5wsu8yF636OipP0kUsWlz9Tu_NE_bhJrNp8znQ-EJTvTrvJruiF3fnNOdM7YAyzyVoxp1n3tSwD0qk2_-g2LC8m4M2NNnuj-K11UiayOZ2Cd


Our trail begins a slight descent as we travel past the shuttered front door and toward what appears to be the entrance of a Wine Cellar. A number of gardening tools and overgrown plants prelude a vast collection of barrels and kegs stacked neatly in a blanket of cobwebs and dust. The jazz has begun to fade in favor of a familiar funeral dirge… The ancient cellar doors open with a slow and painful creak... “Enter, and make room for every body.”

azh4BRt32U6exsjNOQF4QfYnbhvHSgOvZzoaqKo2sR29OulsMEWFVLj8eyA-aHNbrjtks1IrZVXGlesXYVtcTHZstgJkQuCUE92zwsQOlZJNJ_mKsCRGlKigcTknabSGSE16T3nL


==============================================
It should be of note that the featured concept art was designed by @Basketbuddy101 many years ago when the idea of a Hollywood Haunted Mansion first came into fruition. Having a Haunted Mansion set in a Magic Kingdom's would-be Hollywoodland has been an idea I've had since middle school, but not one I have tackled since the earliest roots of this Dream Resort. A native Californian myself, "Haunted Hollywood" is perhaps the most prevalent urban legend of my time, right next to San Diego's Waley House, the "most haunted house in America." To me, there is no better home for the Haunted Mansion than Hollywoodland...

Stay tuned for Part Two! Thoughts? Anyone excited for the Final-Final-Final Draft?!

Excellent and inspiring work as always!
 

MANEATINGWREATH

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Continuing on...

WITH A "BUMPER!"

You know, like the weird little animations or shorts that are briefly seen between commercials on Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network or Boomerang? I'm talking those weird vignettes of vintage toys and stop-motion characters that are often accommodated by weird music. I might as well just show you a bumper since I'm probably not making sense.



So think of this post as a bumper of sorts to span the length of time between Part One and Two of my Haunted Mansion overview. Yes, it is Halloween themed, how did you guess?

Haunted Mansion, Queue Music:

Most of this loop is a direct lift of the music heard in the queue for the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Distortion and all.

1. "Pyramid"- Johnny Hodges & His Orchestra
2. "Deep Purple" - Turner Layton
3. "Jitterbug's Lullaby" - Johnny Hodges & His Orchestra
4. "I'm in Another World" - Duke Ellington
5. "We'll Meet Again" - Vera Lynn
6. "When the Sun Sets Down South" - Sidney Bechet (feat. Noble Sissle's Swingsters)
7. "Delta Mood" - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
8. "The Walls Keep Talking" - Anita O'Day
9. "Bogey Wail" - Jack Hylton
10. "Inside (This Heart of Mine)" - Fats Waller
11. "There's a House in Harlem For Sale" - Henry Allen
12. "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" - Tommy Dorsey
13. "Jungle Drums" - Sidney Bechet
14. "Sleepy Time Gal" - Glenn Miller
15. "Mood Indigo" - Duke Ellington & His Cotton Club Orchestra
16. "I'll Be Seeing You" - Billie Holiday
17. "Wishing" - Vera Lynn
18. "Grim Grinning Ghosts" - Buddy Baker (Club 33 Arrangement)
19. "Dear Old Southland" - Sidney Bechet
20. "Monstro the Whale" - Kay Kyser


Haunted Mansion: Winter Terrorland, Queue Music:

As mentioned in a prior thread, this Hollywoodland Haunted Mansion will have a Holiday overlay of its own. Like its year-round counterpart, the Courtyard of the Mansion will be filled with atmospheric music. Albeit, music more fitting of the Halloween-Christmas holiday.

1. "Ice Dance" - Danny Elfman, Edward Scisshorhands
2. "Danse Macabre" - Camille Saint-Saens (Condensed Arrangement)
3. "Main Titles" - Danny Elfman, Sleepy Hollow
4. "Main Titles" - Danny Elfman, Corpse Bride
5. "In the Hall of the Mountain King" - Edvard Grieg
6. "Dr. Finklestein/In the Forest" - Danny Elfman, The Nightmare Before Christmas
7. "Seance Circle" - Gordy Goodwin, Haunted Mansion Holiday (2001)
8. "Ghostly Music Box" - John Debney, Phantom Manor
9. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" - Percy Faith & His Orchestra
10. "The Dance of the Witches" - John Williams, The Witches of Eastwick
11. "Nabbed" - Danny Elfman, The Nightmare Before Christmas
12. "End" - Danny Elfman, Edward Scissorhands
13. "Swan Lake (Main Theme)" - Tchaikovsky, Swan Lake
14. "Christmas Eve Montage" - Danny Elfman, The Nightmare Before Christmas
15. "End Title" - Danny Elfman, The Nightmare Before Christmas
 

MANEATINGWREATH

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Now... Part Two. Once again, this overview of the Haunted Mansion has been made possible with the guidance and spectacular detail of both Jason Surrell's The Haunted Mansion: Imagineering a Disney Classic and Chef Mayhem's DoomBuggies.com. Both sources are incredible for Mansion fans as myself, and I highly suggest you - yes, you - check them out at once!

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There is a popular quote attributed to Walt Disney: "We'll take care of the outside and let the ghosts take care of the inside." Despite an early design by Ken Anderson for a decrepit and dilapidated haunted house, the final Mansion in both Disneyland and Disneyland Australia was to ultimately remain frozen in time; in the case of our "Manse," a frozen capture of Hollywood's Golden Age; the Mission and Spanish Revival influence is prevalent in a fresh, clean and serene moment of a yesteryear fantasy. Only the broken window and drained swimming pool offer a hint of the macabre...

The actual ride building is, of course, separate from the Mansion itself. The actual building visible from Hollywoodland only contains the two load elevators ("The Screening Room"), Wine Cellar, and surrounding maintenance docks. The rest of the attraction is held in a large, well-hidden warehouse, or "Show Building," painted a dull green to blend with the adjacent vegetation.

The Wine Cellar

“When hinges creak in doorless chambers and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls… Whenever candle lights flicker… Where the air is deathly still… That is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight.”



*The music heard in the Wine Cellar can be heard from 0:00 - 0:55


The Ghost Host, the unseen presence that will escort our tour of the Mansion, begins his ominous narration in the musky Wine Cellar, underscored by “Grim Grinning Ghosts” arranged as a funeral dirge. The Ghost Host remains voiced by regular Disney voice artist Paul Frees, an iconic and beloved attribute of the original Haunted Mansion.

The dank cellar is littered with forgotten relics, storage, and near-hills of untouched wine and spirits, many covered by a tarp or over-sized cobweb. A closer glimpse at a misplaced bottle might reveal a macabre label: “Peaceful Crypt - Dist. 1869.” An antique chandelier flickers little light into the dark cellar, all too fitting of a haunted house. Our attention is drawn to a formal portrait (a photograph) of Roland Gracey and his wife, Emily Hutch hanging on the wall above a large chest. As the Ghost Host delivers his infamous narration, the image in the portrait transforms, Dorian Gray-style, from that of a former silent film star and his wife to that of a gruesome and decayed couple, now a pair of sorrowful corpses - a chilling premonition of the young lovers’ fate…


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A panel in the cellar wall slides open to reveal one of two identical Screening Rooms.

The Screening Room

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In the Screening Room, we find a private theater of sorts, a converted speakeasy of the Roaring ‘20s. A large (and blank) screen is the main focal point, surrounded on either side by six massive paintings of former guests in their “corruptible, mortal state.” A trio of warm chandeliers hang above. Large statues of Egyptian gods and goddesses stand between each painting on either side of the chamber. Our Ghost Host continues…

“Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion. I am your Host, your Ghost Host. Our tour begins here… Where you see paintings of some of our guests as they appeared in their corruptible, mortal state. Kindly step all the way in please, and make room for everyone. There’s no turning back now…”

A macabre servant of Gracey Manor bids one final world of friendly warning… “Kindly drag your bodies away from the walls and into the dead center of the room…” Suddenly, the panel slides shut, sealing us into the rectangular space complete with an evil glare from the Egyptian statues. Without warning, the entire room is cast in darkness… The entire room, portraits and all, begin to “stretch” with the screen flickering to life...


Part Three coming soon!
 

MANEATINGWREATH

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Part Three. Feedback, as always, is always appreciated. Please refer to Part Two, posted above.

**********​

The portraits - cast in an eerie light - elongate to reveal the comically grim fate of their subjects. The statues, with their eyes aglow, appear now as soaring giants, the ceiling not far behind them. The screen, rather than showing a classic film of yore, reveals a macabre slew of silhouettes - spirits, of course - wishing for escape. Their hands and faces calmly press against the screen, too often revealing the outline of a pitiful skull or unholy monstrosity. A dramatic underscore* plays while our Ghost Host narrates:

“Your cadaverous pallor betrays an aura of foreboding, almost as though you sense a disquieting metamorphosis. Is this haunted room actually stretching? Or is it your imagination - hmm? And consider this dismaying observation: this chamber has no windows, and no doors… (Chuckles) Which offers you this chilling challenge: to find a way out! (Laughs) Of course, there’s always my way…”

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*This is, of course, the same music heard in the Stretching Room of Phantom Manor, composed by John Debney

Lightning flashes. The screen suddenly rips in half to reveal a number of frightful phantoms trapped in the netherworld beyond. The hideous spirits moan and scream for a moment, only to vanish in a wisp of smoke. The silhouette of a corpse is seen dangling from a hangman’s noose across the screen from a chandelier. The lights wink out, and a shrill scream fills the air.

At the scene’s conclusion, a panel in the wall beneath the now-decimated screen slides open to reveal one large, dimly lit chamber.

Like Disneyland’s “Portrait Gallery,” the Screening Room was a creative solution to an operational problem. In order to meet capacity, the attraction is housed in an enormous show building. In the Screening Room, the ceiling remains in place while the floor lowers, taking guests fifteen feet underground to a large space that transports them under the railroad tracks and into the show building itself. In a note from the 2007 “Re-Haunting” of the Walt Disney World Mansion, the Screening Room boasts a three-dimensional audio system to create the illusion that the Ghost Host is gliding around the room as he delivers his infamous narration. When the room begins to stretch, a low rumbling emanates from the floor, and the walls begin to creak and groan as we hear and feel the chamber begin to stretch.

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In the Screening Room, the six portraits, four in which were conceptualized by Marc Davis, “stretch” to reveal the grim fate of a former film star(s). A plaque at the base of each frame establishes the star’s title. A beautiful woman with a parasol is shown on a frayed tightrope above the jaws of an alligator; a middle-aged man holding a document stands on a lit barrel of dynamite in boxer shorts; a smiling elderly woman holding a rose is shown sitting on the tombstone of her (murdered) husband; a confident man in a bowler hat sits on the shoulders of two frightened men waist-deep in quicksand; a big game hunter is waist-deep in the Amazon River, his legs skeletonized by piranha; a young woman in a tattered dress walks toward the waiting arms of a werewolf, a Transylvanian castle as her backdrop.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to frighten you prematurely. The real chills come later. Now, as they say, ‘look alive,’ and we’ll continue our little tour. And let’s all stay together, please.”

The Funeral Parlor

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“There are several prominent ghosts who have retired here from creepy old crypts all over the world. Actually, we have 999 happy haunts here - but there’s room for a thousand. Any volunteers? (Laughs) If you insist on lagging behind, you may not need to volunteer.

And now, a carriage approaches to take you into the boundless realm of the supernatural. Take your loved ones by the hand, please, and kindly watch your step. Oh yes, and no flash pictures, please. We spirits are frightfully sensitive to bright lights.”


The Screening Room exits into an oddity for any home: a Funeral Parlor. An enormous picture window looks onto a sinister, moonlit landscape illuminated by flashes of lightning. As the lightning flashes, the scene is drained of all color, becoming a melancholy, monochromatic grey landscape. The Funeral Parlor is filled with coffins and caskets of all manner and design. Portraits hang sporadically throughout, the subject of each transforming into a nightmarish image with each flash of lightning - the beautiful Medusa turns into a hideous Gorgon; a proud galleon devolves into a ghost ship; a gallant knight and his steed both become skeletons; a beautiful young woman reclining on a couch is transformed into a white tiger.

Before us: a “boundless realm of mist and decay.” The strange, cloud-shrouded landscape illuminates an endless train of Doom Buggies - our black carriage. A supernatural wind blows to the tune of “Grim Grinning Ghosts.” We board a Doom Buggy of our own… The ethereal outline of a hearse and its driver ride alongside our carriage in the adjacent window. We continue...


**********
So, much like the Disneyland Mansion, the Screening Room is an elevator that leads beneath the berm and into a warehouse beyond. However, the expected Portrait Corridor is not present. Instead, the Funeral Parlor pulls capacity into a large and relatively narrow room, one in which is large enough to pull beneath the railroad tracks and into the show building. The changing portraits are present still, just think of their location in conjunction with the "Sinister 11" of Florida's current Load Area.
 

DisneyManOne

Well-Known Member
Part Three. Feedback, as always, is always appreciated. Please refer to Part Two, posted above.

**********​

The portraits - cast in an eerie light - elongate to reveal the comically grim fate of their subjects. The statues, with their eyes aglow, appear now as soaring giants, the ceiling not far behind them. The screen, rather than showing a classic film of yore, reveals a macabre slew of silhouettes - spirits, of course - wishing for escape. Their hands and faces calmly press against the screen, too often revealing the outline of a pitiful skull or unholy monstrosity. A dramatic underscore* plays while our Ghost Host narrates:

“Your cadaverous pallor betrays an aura of foreboding, almost as though you sense a disquieting metamorphosis. Is this haunted room actually stretching? Or is it your imagination - hmm? And consider this dismaying observation: this chamber has no windows, and no doors… (Chuckles) Which offers you this chilling challenge: to find a way out! (Laughs) Of course, there’s always my way…”

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*This is, of course, the same music heard in the Stretching Room of Phantom Manor, composed by John Debney

Lightning flashes. The screen suddenly rips in half to reveal a number of frightful phantoms trapped in the netherworld beyond. The hideous spirits moan and scream for a moment, only to vanish in a wisp of smoke. The silhouette of a corpse is seen dangling from a hangman’s noose across the screen from a chandelier. The lights wink out, and a shrill scream fills the air.

At the scene’s conclusion, a panel in the wall beneath the now-decimated screen slides open to reveal one large, dimly lit chamber.

Like Disneyland’s “Portrait Gallery,” the Screening Room was a creative solution to an operational problem. In order to meet capacity, the attraction is housed in an enormous show building. In the Screening Room, the ceiling remains in place while the floor lowers, taking guests fifteen feet underground to a large space that transports them under the railroad tracks and into the show building itself. In a note from the 2007 “Re-Haunting” of the Walt Disney World Mansion, the Screening Room boasts a three-dimensional audio system to create the illusion that the Ghost Host is gliding around the room as he delivers his infamous narration. When the room begins to stretch, a low rumbling emanates from the floor, and the walls begin to creak and groan as we hear and feel the chamber begin to stretch.

smDSYyPwuIHcJhWtz6L6bKwbrGA0rG5KaRo7SxQnL0VZEl8BfLSpS30ObzRjjbFjnciCQp2fIvw1bM-kzE9zbr7UPZIaPZFlgGl-wsrJ936CY3yPyzrsGpeQ5Kt7IL57SCeNXeeo

In the Screening Room, the six portraits, four in which were conceptualized by Marc Davis, “stretch” to reveal the grim fate of a former film star(s). A plaque at the base of each frame establishes the star’s title. A beautiful woman with a parasol is shown on a frayed tightrope above the jaws of an alligator; a middle-aged man holding a document stands on a lit barrel of dynamite in boxer shorts; a smiling elderly woman holding a rose is shown sitting on the tombstone of her (murdered) husband; a confident man in a bowler hat sits on the shoulders of two frightened men waist-deep in quicksand; a big game hunter is waist-deep in the Amazon River, his legs skeletonized by piranha; a young woman in a tattered dress walks toward the waiting arms of a werewolf, a Transylvanian castle as her backdrop.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to frighten you prematurely. The real chills come later. Now, as they say, ‘look alive,’ and we’ll continue our little tour. And let’s all stay together, please.”

The Funeral Parlor

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“There are several prominent ghosts who have retired here from creepy old crypts all over the world. Actually, we have 999 happy haunts here - but there’s room for a thousand. Any volunteers? (Laughs) If you insist on lagging behind, you may not need to volunteer.

And now, a carriage approaches to take you into the boundless realm of the supernatural. Take your loved ones by the hand, please, and kindly watch your step. Oh yes, and no flash pictures, please. We spirits are frightfully sensitive to bright lights.”


The Screening Room exits into an oddity for any home: a Funeral Parlor. An enormous picture window looks onto a sinister, moonlit landscape illuminated by flashes of lightning. As the lightning flashes, the scene is drained of all color, becoming a melancholy, monochromatic grey landscape. The Funeral Parlor is filled with coffins and caskets of all manner and design. Portraits hang sporadically throughout, the subject of each transforming into a nightmarish image with each flash of lightning - the beautiful Medusa turns into a hideous Gorgon; a proud galleon devolves into a ghost ship; a gallant knight and his steed both become skeletons; a beautiful young woman reclining on a couch is transformed into a white tiger.

Before us: a “boundless realm of mist and decay.” The strange, cloud-shrouded landscape illuminates an endless train of Doom Buggies - our black carriage. A supernatural wind blows to the tune of “Grim Grinning Ghosts.” We board a Doom Buggy of our own… The ethereal outline of a hearse and its driver ride alongside our carriage in the adjacent window. We continue...

**********
So, much like the Disneyland Mansion, the Screening Room is an elevator that leads beneath the berm and into a warehouse beyond. However, the expected Portrait Corridor is not present. Instead, the Funeral Parlor pulls capacity into a large and relatively narrow room, one in which is large enough to pull beneath the railroad tracks and into the show building. The changing portraits are present still, just think of their location in conjunction with the "Sinister 11" of Florida's current Load Area.


Would it be alright if I added the big-game hunter stretching portrait into my Haunted Mansion?
 

MANEATINGWREATH

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
It should be remembered that Jason Surrell's The Haunted Mansion: Imagineering a Disney Classic was a huge influence in the creation of this Ride-Through. This is one of the - if not the - biggest ride-through I have ever crafted, so I have to provide credit to such a wonderful book and author. In today's update (Part Four), we will dive right into the innermost sanctums of this boundless realm of mist and decay...

**********
The Funeral Parlor well behind us, our Ghost Host continues:

“Do not pull down on the safety bar, please. I will lower it for you. And heed this warning: The spirits will materialize only if you remain safely seated with your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside. And watch your children, please.”

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In a small departure from the original Load Area, Australia borrows from Florida and Tokyo; our Doom Buggy travels beneath a landing where a candelabra floats in inky blackness before we descend into the inner sanctums of Gracey Manor. Oddly enough, an antique chandelier resembles that of a monstrous spider, complete with a “web.”

The sculpted bats that top the stanchions in the Funeral Parlor are original designs, another testament to the Imagineers’ commitment to detail. There are three styles of bats - two-winged, right-winged, and left-winged - to accommodate the various turns in the queue. The infamous stanchions continue well into the house, only ending now as we enter:

The Hall of the Arts

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The wind howls well into a dark corridor before us, a rather sinister collection of macabre art and rare antiquities; Grecian statues, exotic instruments, tribal masks, and cobwebs galore. The portraits, however, the “Sinister 11,” steal the show with their eerie, glowing eyes that follow our every move… The axe-wielding Ghost Host cut free of his noose; Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, the latter holding her removed head; the chained Ghost of Jacob Marley; the haggardly, once beautiful “December” in a formal portrait; Ivan the Terrible; the phantom of a Mariner lost at sea; Guy Fawkes with his favorite gunpowder; a fanged Dracula in his crypt; a stern and middle-aged couple; a grinning Jack the Ripper; the solemn Witch of Walpurgis and her trusted cat.

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Fawkes, Marley, Ivan, Henry and Anne join the original “Sinister 11,” replacing four of the original subjects. The new additions are also based on unused designs by Marc Davis. Marley is the exception, an artistic variation on the “Burning Miser” by Marc Davis. The eyes are cut out of the original portraits and the half-eyeballs are set behind the portrait and backlit, giving the impression that they are following the viewer. The new subjects allude to the one-time idea of having the Haunted Mansion house fictional and historical villains alike, a concept finally realized in Disneyland Australia…


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…”

A bloodcurdling scream shatters a chill in the air. Our Buggy rotates slightly to point us down what appears to be an endless hallway. Down this corridor to infinity, mysterious orbs materialize gracefully in midair, spirits wishing to return to our mortal world. Their faint moans and cries for help send a chill down our spine. Somewhere beyond, chains rattle and a phantom cackles. A large armchair and taxidermied grizzly bear stand near our path, both keeping their eyes on us, their houseguests. Is this haunted bear actually growling, or is it your imagination? Hmm? Suddenly, we feel an actual chill and footsteps coming from the hall, getting closer and closer…


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The spirit orbs are the clever result of projection mapping and fog. The Endless Hallway itself is a full-length mirror, which creates the illusion of an endless corridor. 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 about halfway through.

Those with a keen eye might notice a face in the decorative pattern of the armchair. What mansion could be haunted without a mysterious trophy animal? The grizzly bear itself has fiery red-eyes and lingering, pointed claws… A hidden air-conditioning unit and speakers in the floor accomplish the “arrival” of the invisible “chill ghost.”


The Library

“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.”

Our Doom Buggy sharply rotates forward and into the private library of Gracey Manor. But first, a brief glimpse into the film career of Roland Gracey, the Mansion’s lord & master. Three preserved posters portray the favorite films of Gracey’s career, seen just as we enter the Library:


Roland Gracey is…
“THE FOUR-ARMED FRANKENSTEIN”
In Petrified 3D!
“A Shock in the Arm!”

Master of the Silver Screen
Roland Gracey…
“WEREWOLF OF PRAGUE”
“His Howl was Love - Her Heart was His”

The Venerable Roland Gracey is
“THE PHANTOM OF THE SEWER”
Based on the Timeless Novel by Gaston LeChaney

In Technicolor

The vivid theatrical posters hearken to classic Universal Horror; bright illustration and dramatic font stir in one a sense of fear, intrigue and excitement. A classic monster - always portrayed by Gracey - is the center of attention. But curiously, the posters are possessed all their own - the Four-Armed Frankenstein Monster rattles the bars of his iron cage; the Werewolf of Prague transforms from man to wolf before our eyes; the deformed Phantom of the Sewer disappears and reappears in plain sight. Both the Frankenstein Monster and Werewolf leave their respective poster and follow our path into the third and final poster, pounding against the invisible wall of their containment, yearning for escape…

The sprawling Library 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 chair rocks gently back and forth, and 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 Doom Buggy moves past. True to the word of our Ghost Host, the busts are indeed “retired” authors: Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, Victor Hugo, Mary Shelley, Robert Louis Stevenson, H.P. Lovecraft, Lord Byron, and Gaston Leroux.

The Vault



Three additional posters bid a fond welcome as we pull into Roland Gracey’s private vault of film memorabilia, reels and more. The tiny vault is filled to overflowing with all manner of relic and ruin of Hollywood’s Golden Age. A ramshackle projector does its best to portray an old black-and-white trailer of Gracey’s final film: Murder in the Mansion. A dramatic announcer details the excitement of the film cast upon a tattered sheet. “The Yale Film Company Presents, Roland Gracey as you’ve never seen him before… ” Instantly, the projector stops. A flash of lightning briefly illuminates the silhouette of a cloaked phantom behind the sheet. The projector returns. “Murder in the Mansion! In terrifying… ” Just then, the projector stops again. Another flash reveals in full the grinning, evil-eyed spirit of Gracey himself, but only for a split second…

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The Grand Staircase

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A ghastly griffin crouched down on the banister of a Grand Staircase is the last sight we see as we depart for the Mansion’s second-floor. Our Doom Buggy ascends a nightmarish, “Endless Staircase.” To the left and right of the main staircase, additional flights of stairs float illogically - in midair, right side up, and upside down - leading nowhere, illuminated only by flickering candelabra. Even more disquieting, glowing green footsteps meander up and down the stairs. The unseen spirits blow out the candles in the candelabra, which then mysteriously relight themselves…

Having reached the top of the Grand Staircase, we enter a short, gloomy corridor in which glowing, eyes stare from the shadow. It is pitch black. Huge cobwebs house equally huge spiders aloft in their tomb of webbing… A horrid scream erupts from the since silenced wind: a ghoulish, decayed skeleton, still in tattered clothing, remains trapped in a web.

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

The Music Room

Now arrived on the second-floor, our Doom Buggy glides backward and into the Music Room, where a Rachmaninoff-style arrangement of “Grim Grinning Ghosts” fills the air. A dust-covered piano sits in the center of the room, playing by itself. Or so it seems… Bright moonlight streams through a picture window, casting a shadow of the pianist onto the floor. A grinning, red-eyed rat makes its perch from a music stand, seemingly in welcome of our arrival. The expansive window looks into a moonlit, fog-enshrouded forest, providing an appropriately sinister backdrop for the scene.

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

“This one”? Suddenly, and without warning, two gnarled hands erupt from within the piano, desperately trying to pry open the lid and allow the unexpected occupant to escape. “Let me out! Let me outta here! Let me out!” The shadow slams the lid shut - the pianist continues…


**********
The fun will continue in Part Five...
 

MANEATINGWREATH

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Feedback, as always, is appreciated. @mharrington, @DisneyManOne, @spacemt354, @MonorailRed, anybody? :p

**********

The Corridor of Doors

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“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 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…

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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… This Corridor of Doors borrows much of what made the Walt Disney World version of the scene so spectacular in 1971 - each chandelier casts an eerie red light, almost as if the line between reality and imagination has been blurred. The sinister lighting and increase in three-dimensional sound stirs in one a sense of danger, as if the house itself is possessed, ready to attack at any moment… The red light starts in the Music Room and ends well into the shadow of the darkened “Clock Hall.”

As we depart the frightening Corridor, we pass 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 Rat 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:

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“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 raven.

Madame Leota is, as always, 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 for the mystery and magic of Madame Leota.


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…”

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Now well beyond the Séance, we catch brief glimpse of a peculiar sight from beyond a second-floor window… Down below, a hearse has arrived at the Mansion. Magically, the once barren scene is stocked with a procession of spooks in line for a so called “swinging wake.” A spectral butler reads from a list as one spirit after the next floats out of the occupied hearse.

We then enter 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 blow out the candles on a “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 that same steady stream of ghostly guests from before pour in from a door outside the hall, eager to join the fun.

At the opposite end of the hall, 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 the wall above the dance floor hang the portraits of two pistol-wielding duelists. Their spirits emerge from the canvas in an eternal attempt to settle their score, even in death. Brilliant lightning flashes reveal the silhouette of Roland Gracey in the window above the staircase. It is truly a party to die for.

The scene is truly a descendant of the ghostly wedding reception once planned in an early piece of Claude Coats 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 shows 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 been experimenting with since 1959.

The Clockwork Room

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Our Doom Buggy enters a dark, dusty attic, filled with bric-a-brac, discarded furniture, gilded antiques, and long-stored gifts and mementoes of an illustrious film career. Giant gears, cogs and machinery hint that we have entered the Mansion’s clock tower, as seen earlier from the main Courtyard. Cool blue light and the sound of a beating heart permeate the space, and the ominous atmosphere is underscored by the low rumble of the dismal clock mechanism. Old scripts, props, posters and souvenirs detail Gracey’s career. Porcelain dolls, china clowns, harlequin toys, and a deliciously disturbed ventriloquist dummy hide among the clutter, most near an empty bassinet. The clock suddenly chimes thirteen. Bats madly flutter. A grinning ghost pops upward with a shriek, disappearing as quickly as it came…


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One “pop-up” ghost after the next transition into our encounter with the luminous, floating apparition of Emily Hutch, the departed love of Gracey’s life. She glows in the light as her bridal gown and veil flutter in an ethereal breeze. The owner of the heartbeat, she holds a decayed bouquet in one hand and a lone candle in the other. Her eyes glow as embers - and with each heartbeat, her heart glows red - blood red. Remarkably, the sorrowful bride floats in mid-air, seemingly jilted in death as she was in life.

As we turn the final bend of the Clockwork Room, we come face-to-skull once more with the wayward ghost of Roland Gracey, fully materialized. 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 moment, Gracey’s deathly pate disappears from his body, reappears in the hatbox, and then returns to his body, leaving the hatbox empty. Gracey is at last revealed: the legendary Hatbox Ghost.

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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 a cawing Raven perched in a nearby tree.

“Grim Grinning Ghosts,” this time arranged as a jazzy swing dance, fills the air once again as we pass a terrified caretaker and his hound dog and into the Graveyard at the side of the Mansion. Hundreds of ghosts rise from their graves in a tour de force of Marc Davis designs and sight gags. There are more Audio-Animatronic figures in the Graveyard than any other scene in the attraction. All were built translucent and skeletal in appearance, further accented by fluorescent paint, props, and clothing, all of which glow “purple” under the scene’s black light. In addition to these Audio-Animatronic apparitions, a number of Rolly and Yale’s “pop-up” ghosts are strategically placed throughout the Graveyard, screaming at the end of each chorus.

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The ghosts cross all boundaries of space and time. 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 pajamas). A gathering of scrawny cats and plump owls join the revelry and add their own harmonies. A boney hellhound howls at the moon. Nearby, a trio of Lonesome Ghost relatives (in design only) eagerly await a mug of fresh brew - two transparent witches (ghost witches, respectively) stir a bubbling green elixir in their black cauldron. The witches cackle. In the distance, a grim quartet of decayed skeletons begin to reanimate and do a “Skeleton Dance” of their own…


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Of course, the minstrels would be 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 warbling busts sing “Grim Grinning Ghosts” in a macabre barbershop arrangement.

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Continuing on, we find a properly paranormal English tea party. Victorian-era spooks enjoy a chorus with a game of chess and a spot of tea alongside a cozy, crashed hearse - its occupant now upright and humming along (the infamous “La La” vocalist). In the background, a number of wraiths ride bicycles around a gnarled tree. The former, now deceased mayor of Hollywood tips his hat - and his head - to welcome our arrival. An Egyptian mummy sits upright in his sarcophagi, desperately trying to entertain a befuddled old man with an ear-horn. Suddenly, gunfire! A masked bandit and his sheepish mule (both ghosts) attempt their getaway - the cowardly ghost of a rival sheriff hiding behind an obelisk ‘cross the cemetery, seldom firing back.


A flapper of the Roaring ‘20s enjoys a spot of tea with the chained ghost of a former convict. In the open coffin below, a boney arm pours tea into the flapper’s removed shoe. A former pirate captain (Bluebeard?!) 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 solo to the sight of a big game hunter and phantom tiger - the hunter’s pants grasped in the tiger’s maw. 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 until the fat lady sings… Nearby, the occupant of a brick tomb attempts to seal himself within via concrete.

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 Rat 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.

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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 pulls deeper into the Crypt, passing a series of ornate mirrors. We soon learn that one of the three ghosts has hitched a ride and is seated with us.

The image in the mirror is a remarkable variation on a 2011 addition to the Walt Disney World Mansion. The digital image is not of a subtle 3D cartoon, but instead of a more “realistic,” 3D approach. The portrayed interactivity is much creepier in tone; less cartoonish and more bewitching. The skeletal Ezra climbs over the top of the vehicle in a last minute attempt to hitch a ride home. The carpet-bagging Phineas mysteriously appears between passengers, throwing his arms around anyone close-by. And convict Gus floats overhead, dropping an uncomfortable load of chains - a la Jacob Marley - on the passengers below.

“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.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bpf8oeMJR8

A peculiar sign urges our return to the “World of the Living.” Since departed from our Doom Buggy, we embark on an uphill climb to an old crypt, but not before we catch glimpse of one final spirit: Little Leota. Little Leota beckons for our eternal internment at the Haunted Mansion, both played and voiced by Leota Toombs. With a deep, gravelly laugh ringing in our ears, we continue back and out to the relative safety of Hollywoodland.


**********
Attraction Run-Time: 15 minutes, 30 seconds
Location: Hollywoodland (Gracey Square)
Ride System: Omnimover
Trivia: Attraction borrows music from Phantom Manor, namely for the Screening Room and Graveyard. Everything else is pulled from the original Haunted Mansion. The organ waltz is an unused take by Gaylord Carter. The funeral dirge in the Wine Cellar is additionally an unused take. Paul Frees is still the Ghost Host, although bits of scrapped dialogue and recordings are finally implemented in this version of the attraction.
 

DisneyManOne

Well-Known Member
Feedback, as always, is appreciated. @mharrington, @DisneyManOne, @spacemt354, @MonorailRed, anybody? :p

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The Corridor of Doors

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“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 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…

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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… This Corridor of Doors borrows much of what made the Walt Disney World version of the scene so spectacular in 1971 - each chandelier casts an eerie red light, almost as if the line between reality and imagination has been blurred. The sinister lighting and increase in three-dimensional sound stirs in one a sense of danger, as if the house itself is possessed, ready to attack at any moment… The red light starts in the Music Room and ends well into the shadow of the darkened “Clock Hall.”

As we depart the frightening Corridor, we pass 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 Rat 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:

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“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 raven.

Madame Leota is, as always, 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 for the mystery and magic of Madame Leota.

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…”

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Now well beyond the Séance, we catch brief glimpse of a peculiar sight from beyond a second-floor window… Down below, a hearse has arrived at the Mansion. Magically, the once barren scene is stocked with a procession of spooks in line for a so called “swinging wake.” A spectral butler reads from a list as one spirit after the next floats out of the occupied hearse.

We then enter 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 blow out the candles on a “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 that same steady stream of ghostly guests from before pour in from a door outside the hall, eager to join the fun.
At the opposite end of the hall, 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 the wall above the dance floor hang the portraits of two pistol-wielding duelists. Their spirits emerge from the canvas in an eternal attempt to settle their score, even in death. Brilliant lightning flashes reveal the silhouette of Roland Gracey in the window above the staircase. It is truly a party to die for.

The scene is truly a descendant of the ghostly wedding reception once planned in an early piece of Claude Coats 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 shows 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 been experimenting with since 1959.

The Clockwork Room

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Our Doom Buggy enters a dark, dusty attic, filled with bric-a-brac, discarded furniture, gilded antiques, and long-stored gifts and mementoes of an illustrious film career. Giant gears, cogs and machinery hint that we have entered the Mansion’s clock tower, as seen earlier from the main Courtyard. Cool blue light and the sound of a beating heart permeate the space, and the ominous atmosphere is underscored by the low rumble of the dismal clock mechanism. Old scripts, props, posters and souvenirs detail Gracey’s career. Porcelain dolls, china clowns, harlequin toys, and a deliciously disturbed ventriloquist dummy hide among the clutter, most near an empty bassinet. The clock suddenly chimes thirteen. Bats madly flutter. A grinning ghost pops upward with a shriek, disappearing as quickly as it came…

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One “pop-up” ghost after the next transition into our encounter with the luminous, floating apparition of Emily Hutch, the departed love of Gracey’s life. She glows in the light as her bridal gown and veil flutter in an ethereal breeze. The owner of the heartbeat, she holds a decayed bouquet in one hand and a lone candle in the other. Her eyes glow as embers - and with each heartbeat, her heart glows red - blood red. Remarkably, the sorrowful bride floats in mid-air, seemingly jilted in death as she was in life.

As we turn the final bend of the Clockwork Room, we come face-to-skull once more with the wayward ghost of Roland Gracey, fully materialized. 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 moment, Gracey’s deathly pate disappears from his body, reappears in the hatbox, and then returns to his body, leaving the hatbox empty. Gracey is at last revealed: the legendary Hatbox Ghost.

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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 a cawing Raven perched in a nearby tree.

“Grim Grinning Ghosts,” this time arranged as a jazzy swing dance, fills the air once again as we pass a terrified caretaker and his hound dog and into the Graveyard at the side of the Mansion. Hundreds of ghosts rise from their graves in a tour de force of Marc Davis designs and sight gags. There are more Audio-Animatronic figures in the Graveyard than any other scene in the attraction. All were built translucent and skeletal in appearance, further accented by fluorescent paint, props, and clothing, all of which glow “purple” under the scene’s black light. In addition to these Audio-Animatronic apparitions, a number of Rolly and Yale’s “pop-up” ghosts are strategically placed throughout the Graveyard, screaming at the end of each chorus.

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The ghosts cross all boundaries of space and time. 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 pajamas). A gathering of scrawny cats and plump owls join the revelry and add their own harmonies. A boney hellhound howls at the moon. Nearby, a trio of Lonesome Ghost relatives (in design only) eagerly await a mug of fresh brew - two transparent witches (ghost witches, respectively) stir a bubbling green elixir in their black cauldron. The witches cackle. In the distance, a grim quartet of decayed skeletons begin to reanimate and do a “Skeleton Dance” of their own…

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Of course, the minstrels would be 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 warbling busts sing “Grim Grinning Ghosts” in a macabre barbershop arrangement.

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Continuing on, we find a properly paranormal English tea party. Victorian-era spooks enjoy a chorus with a game of chess and a spot of tea alongside a cozy, crashed hearse - its occupant now upright and humming along (the infamous “La La” vocalist). In the background, a number of wraiths ride bicycles around a gnarled tree. The former, now deceased mayor of Hollywood tips his hat - and his head - to welcome our arrival. An Egyptian mummy sits upright in his sarcophagi, desperately trying to entertain a befuddled old man with an ear-horn. Suddenly, gunfire! A masked bandit and his sheepish mule (both ghosts) attempt their getaway - the cowardly ghost of a rival sheriff hiding behind an obelisk ‘cross the cemetery, seldom firing back.

A flapper of the Roaring ‘20s enjoys a spot of tea with the chained ghost of a former convict. In the open coffin below, a boney arm pours tea into the flapper’s removed shoe. A former pirate captain (Bluebeard?!) 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 solo to the sight of a big game hunter and phantom tiger - the hunter’s pants grasped in the tiger’s maw. 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 until the fat lady sings… Nearby, the occupant of a brick tomb attempts to seal himself within via concrete.

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 Rat 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.

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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 pulls deeper into the Crypt, passing a series of ornate mirrors. We soon learn that one of the three ghosts has hitched a ride and is seated with us.

The image in the mirror is a remarkable variation on a 2011 addition to the Walt Disney World Mansion. The digital image is not of a subtle 3D cartoon, but instead of a more “realistic,” 3D approach. The portrayed interactivity is much creepier in tone; less cartoonish and more bewitching. The skeletal Ezra climbs over the top of the vehicle in a last minute attempt to hitch a ride home. The carpet-bagging Phineas mysteriously appears between passengers, throwing his arms around anyone close-by. And convict Gus floats overhead, dropping an uncomfortable load of chains - a la Jacob Marley - on the passengers below.

“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.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bpf8oeMJR8

A peculiar sign urges our return to the “World of the Living.” Since departed from our Doom Buggy, we embark on an uphill climb to an old crypt, but not before we catch glimpse of one final spirit: Little Leota. Little Leota beckons for our eternal internment at the Haunted Mansion, both played and voiced by Leota Toombs. With a deep, gravelly laugh ringing in our ears, we continue back and out to the relative safety of Hollywoodland.

**********
Attraction Run-Time: 15 minutes, 30 seconds
Location: Hollywoodland (Gracey Square)
Ride System: Omnimover
Trivia: Attraction borrows music from Phantom Manor, namely for the Screening Room and Graveyard. Everything else is pulled from the original Haunted Mansion. The organ waltz is an unused take by Gaylord Carter. The funeral dirge in the Wine Cellar is additionally an unused take. Paul Frees is still the Ghost Host, although bits of scrapped dialogue and recordings are finally implemented in this version of the attraction.


Very well done! I really liked how Roland was the Hatbox Ghost. But if he's the Hatbox Ghost, then why would Emily be so forlorn? Is he the one who killed her? Did he really kill his own wife? If so, that's kinda like my version, where the Hatbox Ghost is implied to be Emily's killer because he was jealous of her love for Ambrose and was basically like "If I can't have her, no one can!"

I think come Halloween, I'll do a post for what I'd do to celebrate Halloween at Disneyland Park, complete with an updated Haunted Mansion ride-through, with a few concepts borrowed from your Mansion...with all credit given due, of course.
 

MANEATINGWREATH

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Very well done! I really liked how Roland was the Hatbox Ghost. But if he's the Hatbox Ghost, then why would Emily be so forlorn? Is he the one who killed her? Did he really kill his own wife? If so, that's kinda like my version, where the Hatbox Ghost is implied to be Emily's killer because he was jealous of her love for Ambrose and was basically like "If I can't have her, no one can!"

I think come Halloween, I'll do a post for what I'd do to celebrate Halloween at Disneyland Park, complete with an updated Haunted Mansion ride-through, with a few concepts borrowed from your Mansion...with all credit given due, of course.

I'm leaving the fate of Emily and Roland to the rider's imagination. One can imagine that something horrible happened between the two, but it seems appropriate of the original Haunted Mansion to leave almost all backstory and content up to the imagination of the rider. True, Master Gracey is finally a canonical "master of the house," but I wanted to leave enough subtle that it's left for one to figure out on their own.
 

MANEATINGWREATH

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Since the Halloween event has mazes would there be two mazes that is only for teens & adults like American Horror Story, and Alien vs Predator?

No. Everything will be family-friendly (to an extent) and no scarier than Alien Encounter, the Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour or Snow White's Scary Adventures (the 1971 WDW version). Notably, the event will feature no gore, chainsaws, or the typical cliches of say Halloween Horror Nights or Knott's Scary Farm. The focus will be on spooky entertainment, not intense scares.

Each land will have a maze, but nothing will be as scary as the two mazes you had mentioned.
 

MANEATINGWREATH

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Next update will come tomorrow or Tuesday. We will instead visit Memento Mori Cemetery before we dive into Haunted Mansion Holiday (which, in my park, is named "Haunted Mansion Winter Terrorland").

Obviously, the next two updates have everything to do with the Haunted Mansion, and admittedly, that is all self-indulging pleasure on my end. The Haunted Mansion is my favorite, so what can I say? Combine Halloween and Christmas in the mix, and I'm sold.

The big question now is... What update would you like to see next? So, AFTER Haunted Mansion Winter Terrorland and Memento Mori have been posted. I can dive into an overview of the revised resort. I can cover another attraction or a show. What would you - the ever-so-faithful audience - like to read next? I fully intend to take your opinion and request in account. So please, be vocal!
 

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