Piano Ghost Effect

[DisneyAndUniversalFan]

Haunted Mansion has a ton of impressive old-school effects that make people to this day wonder how it's done.

One though that I have always been amazed by is the scene with the ghost playing the piano. It's such a neat effect and I still have no idea how it's done. How is the shadow on the ground moving? How is this effect done? Does anyone have a picture, or behind the scenes? I want to know.

 

[Master Yoda]

It is not a shadow. It is a projection. The floor essentially acts as a movie screen.

 

[DisneyAndUniversalFan]

It is not a shadow. It is a projection. The floor essentially acts as a movie screen.

I know it's not really a shadow, I'm saying in the ride, it appears as a shadow.

Also, where is this light at in the scene? Is it visible in the scene?

Where is it located exactly

 

[Master Yoda]

I know it's not really a shadow, I'm saying in the ride, it appears as a shadow.

Also, where is this light at in the scene? Is it visible in the scene?
View attachment 561477

Where is it located exactly

I believe it is on the wall to the right of the piano. @marni1971 will know for sure.

 

[marni1971]

The players shadow?

IIRC a simple mechanical gobo in front of a light up and to the right as you face the piano.

 

[Rob562]

The giveaway is that if the light shining on the floor were actually coming from outside the window, as the effect is trying to depict, the shadow of the stool would point away from the window, toward the doombuggies.
But instead, the stool's shadow is pointing to the left, which means the light source is above and to the right.

Rise of the Resistance took this idea and modernized it by using video projectors to project the "shadows" of video-screen Hux and Kylo in the interrogation rooms as if the light source were behind the actors.

-Rob

 

[BasiltheBatLord]

How is this done in Tokyo? The shadow there moves stiffly like a mechanical figure and you can hear the figure moving the arms up and down.

 

[DisneyAndUniversalFan]

The players shadow?

IIRC a simple mechanical gobo in front of a light up and to the right as you face the piano.

Yea.... sorry I don't know everything like you do

 

[marni1971]

Yea.... sorry I don't know everything like you do

Oh I don’t nearly !

 

[DisneyAndUniversalFan]

Oh I don’t nearly !

"WDW History nut"

 

[91JLovesDisney]

How is this done in Tokyo? The shadow there moves stiffly like a mechanical figure and you can hear the figure moving the arms up and down.

IIRC a simple mechanical gobo in front of a light up and to the right as you face the piano.