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/* The Queue */
{{Infobox Disney ride |
| image=Haunted_MansionHaunedMansion2.jpg
| caption='''The exterior of the Haunted Mansion'''
| opened=October 1st, 1971
==History==
===Origin in Disneyland===
Like many of the original Magic Kingdom attractions, the Haunted Mansion began as an idea for Disneyland. Before the park was even built, Walt Disney and artist Harper Goff were working on an idea for a haunted house type attraction. The original sketch by Goff was titled, "Church Graveyard and Haunted House" and featured a Gothic style mansion on top of a hill <ref> http://blogs.disney.com/insider/2015/06/08/the-horrifying-history-of-the-haunted-mansions-hatbox-ghost-part-1/ </ref>. The original haunted house attraction was originally envisioned as a walkthrough attraction, in which guests would see various haunted scenes <ref name= "DoomBuggies1"> http://www.doombuggies.com/history1.php </ref>. Some of the original ideas for the attraction included: a ghostly sea captain who killed his wife, an unfortunate family living in the mansion, and a ghost wedding which would have featured various Disney villains including, Captain Hook, the Lonesome Ghosts, and the Headless Horseman <ref name= "DoomBuggies1"/>.[[Image:MansionConcept2.png|350px400px|thumb|The idea of a ghostly bride was a part of the Haunted Mansion's early design]]When the addition of the Haunted Mansion was being planned for Disneyland, the Mansion was to be located off a crooked alley on Main Street <ref name= DoomBuggies1/>. Soon however, plans for the Mansion were put on hold and when Disneyland opened in 1955, The Haunted Mansion was nowhere to be found. Despite this, shortly after Disneyland opened the Haunted Mansion project was brought back into the spotlight. In 1958, Walt Disney decided that he wanted to create an expansion for Disneyland called “New Orleans Square”. The Haunted Mansion was chosen as one of the attractions for the new area <ref name= "DoomBuggies1"/>, and construction began in 1962 <ref name= "DoomBuggies2"> http://www.doombuggies.com/history3.php </ref>. From the beginning however, problems began to plaque the Haunted Mansion. Story line problems were a constant for the Haunted Mansion, and in 1964 Disney's attention was turned towards the New York World’s Fair. Another blow to the struggling project came in 1965 when Walt Disney, the driving force behind the project, died <ref name= "DoomBuggies2"/>. With Walt gone, Imagineers were divided about what tone to give the Haunted Mansion. Imagineer Marc Davis wanted to present the ride in a comical matter (giving the attraction a lighter tone) while Claude Coats thought the Haunted Mansion should be a real haunted house with a dark and ominous tone. Eventually, Imagineers decided on a compromise. The beginning of the attraction was given a darker tone while the latter half would be more "silly" and feature a "swinging wake" <ref> http://www.doombuggies.com/history4.php </ref>. Imagineers also decided to make the Haunted Mansion a dark ride, with "Doom Buggies" as the attractions vehicles (the change from walkthrough to dark ride helped solve the problem of guest capacity) <ref> http://www.doombuggies.com/history4.php </ref>.
From the beginning however, problems began to plaque the Haunted Mansion project. Story line problems were a constant for the attraction, and in 1964 Disney's attention was turned towards the New York World’s Fair. Another blow to the struggling project came in 1965 when Walt Disney, the driving force behind the project, died <ref name= "DoomBuggies2"/>. With Walt gone, Imagineers were divided about what tone to give the Haunted Mansion. Imagineer Marc Davis wanted to present the ride in a comical matter (giving the attraction a lighter tone) while Claude Coats thought the Haunted Mansion should be a real haunted house with a dark and ominous tone. Eventually, Imagineers decided on a compromise. The beginning of the attraction was given a darker tone while the latter half would be more "silly" and feature a "swinging wake" <ref> http://www.doombuggies.com/history4.php </ref>. Imagineers also decided to make the Haunted Mansion a dark ride, with "Doom Buggies" as the attractions vehicles (the change from walkthrough to dark ride helped solve the problem of guest capacity) <ref> http://www.doombuggies.com/history4.php </ref>. With the story line and tone finally decided, the Haunted Mansion officially opened in Disneyland on August 9, 1969. ====Museum of the Weird====One of the other ideas for the Haunted Mansion that Rolly and Walt explored, was the Museum of the Weird. The museum was to be a part of the entrance and queue to the Haunted Mansion. Showing guests various oddities "discovered" around the world, the Museum of the Weird would also have doubled as a restaurant (similar to Disneyland's Blue Bayou restaurant which is connected to [[Pirates of the Caribbean]]) <ref> http://www.doombuggies.com/history2.php </ref> [[Image:Crump.jpg|350px400px|thumb|Rolly Crump working on models for the Haunted Mansion]]. Rolly Crump came up with various ideas for the museum including: coffin clocks, candle men, man-eating plants, tiki busts, a mirror with a face, and a "living gypsy cart". With the death of Walt Disney and the subsequent uncertainty about the tone of the attraction however, the Museum of the Weird portion of the attraction was eventually scrapped.
Although the Museum of the Weird was never built, ideas from the museum can be found within the Haunted Mansion itself. Examples of this include:
===Disney World Construction===
During the time the Haunted Mansion was being finalized in Disneyland, plans were made for the creation of an identical version in (the (not yet open) Magic Kingdom. Unlike the Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion however, the Haunted Mansion in Walt Disney World was set in the American Northeast, not New Orleans (due to the fact that Liberty Square replaced New Orleans Square in the parks design). The change in location is evident when looking at the attraction’s architecture, which took on a colonial or Hudson River Valley style <ref> http://www.haunteddimensions.raykeim.com/index335.html </ref>. The Haunted Mansion opened with the rest of the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971 <ref> http://thisdayindisneyhistory.homestead.com/disneyworldgrandopening.html </ref>.
===Changes Since Opening Day===
Throughout the attractions first 35 years, the Haunted Mansion saw a relatively few number of changes. Most notably, during this period, the original bride figure was replaced first in the late 1970s/early 1980s and again in the mid 1990s <ref> https://longforgottenhauntedmansion.blogspot.com/2010/05/here-comes-bride-part-three-two-lost.html </ref>. In 2006 however, the Haunted Mansion closed for its fist extensive refurbishment. At this time,
* The exterior of the mansion was repainted
* The queue received a new canopy
* The foyer received new wood and carpet. Furthermore the Master Gracey portrait was digitized
* The Sinister Eleven portraits were moved to the load area and a couple other spots around the attraction. In their place (the first hallway that the Doom Buggies travel down), new portraits which change when lightning strikes were added.
Finally, at this time the Haunted Mansion also received two new scenes. The first scene replaced the Spider Staircase scene and features stairways that seem to go to different dimensions, denying the laws of physics. This scene was inspired by the lithograph print "Relativity" by M.C. Escher.
Most notably however, during the refurbishment the Haunted Mansion's attic scene was reworked. At this time, a new bride named Constance Hatchaway was added to the attraction, and the attic was rethemed to reflect her dark backstory. When entering the attic the Doom Buggies now passed three portraits of Constance and a different husband surrounded by their wedding gifts. As guests pass by, the heads of each groom disappear. At the end of the attic, guests come face to face with Constance who ominously references her wedding vows, while making a hatchet appear in her hands. With the addition of the Constance backstory, the original bride figure and the "pop-up" ghosts that were originally found in the attic were removed.
In October 2010 the Haunted Mansion closed for refurbishment. At this time, the attraction's queue was overhauled and given new interactive elements <ref> http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/03/video-sneak-peek-haunted-mansion-interactive-queue-at-magic-kingdom-park/ </ref>. When the queue reopened it featured an interactive cemetarycemetery, which now housed a sea captains's crypt, a composers crypt, a family of headstones, and a library crypt.
==The Queue==
The original queue for the Haunted Mansion featured a hillside graveyard full of humorous tombstones. In 2010 however, the queue was given an overhaul. Now when guests reach a certain point in the line (the former location of the turnstiles), they have the option of splitting off to the left or right. The path on their right leads guests directly into the attraction. If guests choose the left side however, they can experience what Disney calls the new "graveyard queue".
===The Family of Busts===
[[Image:Busts.jpg|thumb|350px400px|The family of busts in the new Haunted Mansion queue.]]
If guests choose the graveyard queue, one of the first things that they see is a family of marble busts. Besides showing the faces of the various family members, the busts have also a depiction of a small weapon and a humorous epitaph. When guests pass, each bust will whisper a clue as to who killed them. It is up to guests to solve the mystery and find out who killed who.
The family is comprised of (epitaph in quotes):
===The Composer's Crypt===
Continuing on through the queue guests pass by a series of crypts, beginning with the Composer's Crypt. Here, musical instruments are carved into both sides of the a crypt and when they are pushed; the instrument plays a portion of the attractions theme song "Grim Grinning Ghosts". One side of the crypt features basic instruments (such as those used by the band in the graveyard scene), while the other side features more ghoulish looking instruments. The Composers Crypt also features a large pipe organ (identical to the one in the Ballroom scene) with banshee heads and a red-eyed raven sitting atop it. When guests push the keys to the organ it plays “Grim Grinning Ghosts” while also shooting guests with a blast of mist. The organ is engraved with the name "Ravenscroft" which is a reference to Thurl Ravenscroft, the lead vocalist of the singing busts in the Graveyard scene.
===The Sea Captain's Crypt===
[[Image:sea.jpg|350px400px|thumb|The Sea Captain's crypt]]
The next crypt that guests come upon in the queue is the Sea Captains. An inscription on the crypt reads:
===The Library Crypt===
The final crypt guests come across in the Haunted Mansion queue is the library crypt. Two sides of this crypt look like the bookcases found inside the mansion, which hold haunted books that move in and out by themselves. Guests can also push the books themselves, adding some entertainment for younger guests. More importantly however the books on the cases are marked with ghostly symbols, which gives guests a letter, giving guests them the task of deciphering the message that the books spell out.
The third side of the library crypt features a glowing book surrounded by decaying flowers. In the book, the ghost of the "Poetess Prudence Pock" is working on her poetry. Prudence will usually need guests to help her finish the poems, by giving her rhyming words. Guests can speak to Prudence by using the "Spectrecom" which lets guests “speak with the nearly departed." A sign above the book says:
{{Quotation| "Her plaintive pleas can still be heard: O ' muse provide the perfect word"}}
The final side of the crypt has another plaque dedicated to Prudence which reads:
{{Quotation| "Here lies Poetess Prudence Pock, she died it's said from writers block}}
NOTE: If you want a key, to figure out what the haunted books are trying to tell guests, check out Inside the Magic's guide below:
http://www.insidethemagic.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/haunted-mansion-cryptogram-symbols.jpg
Main Article: [[Haunted Mansion Tombstones]]
The original graveyard in the Haunted Mansion queue is still in place, however during the 2010 refurbishment the headstones that paid homage to Marc Davis and X Atencio have been moved from the hillside to the middle of the interactive queue. Likewise, the tombstone marking the resting place of Master Gracey has been moved into the queue. Added to the hillside graveyards graveyard at this time were headstones for Gus, Erza, and Phineas (the Hitchhiking Ghosts) and Neb Nub (one of the singing busts found in the Graveyard scene) <ref> http://www.insidethemagic.net/2011/03/videophotos-inside-new-haunted-mansion-interactive-queue-at-walt-disney-worlds-magic-kingdom/</ref>.
==Attraction==
The Haunted Mansion is a dark ride which takes guests through an aging mansion, where 999 ghosts live and roam about.
===The Foyer===
[[Image:HauntedMansionFoyerPainting.gif|thumb|250px220px| The aging portrait in the Haunted Mansion's Foyer]]
The first room that guests see when entering the Haunted Mansion is the Foyer. The Foyer has orange wall paper, wood finish, and is dimly lit by candle chandeliers. Although not seen, guests may notice an organ playing in the background. On the left side of the Foyer is a fireplace with a portrait of a young man hung above it. If guests watch the portrait they will see that the man appears to be aging before their eyes, slowly turning from a young man into a rotting, skeletal corps. In the Foyer the Ghost Host greets guests for the first time, saying:
===The Stretching Room===
After the Ghost Host introduces guests to the Haunted Mansion, they are ushered into an octagonal gallery known as The Stretching Room. This room features vertically stripped wallpaper and menacing green gargoyles. The room also has four seemingly normal portraits of unknown people hanging on the walls. Inside the room the Ghost Host once again speaks to guests saying:
[[Image:Stretching.jpg|thumb|350px400px|The full portraits guests see after the room has "stretched". ]]
{{Quotation|"Welcome! Foolish Mortals, to the haunted mansion, I am your host, your ghost host. Hmmmm. Our tour begins here, in this gallery. 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!}}
===The Loading Area===
After leaving the stretching room, guests enter the loading area. Here they board their "Doom Buggies" and begin to ride through the Mansion. On the walls inside the loading area are eight of the eleven "Sinister Pictures". The Sinister Pictures are the portraits whose eyes seem to follow guests as they move, however since relocating to the loading area this effect has not been in use.
[[Image:sinister.jpg|thumb|350px250px|A portrait of Jack the Ripper, one of the Sinister Pictures found in the load area (Photo: Hoot Gibson)]]
The Ghost Host gives riders instructions in the loading area saying:
===The Grand Hall (Ballroom)===
[[Image:Dancers.jpg|thumb|400px|The ballroom dancers waltzing in the Grand Hall.]]
After leaving the Séance Room, guests enter perhaps the most famous scene in the Haunted Mansion, The Grand Hall (also known as the Ballroom). Here ghosts have begun to gather for a "swinging wake" (apparently arriving by hearse). The Doom Buggies actually look down into the Ballroom where guests can see ghostly couples waltzing as they disappear and reappear. Nearby, an organist plays a crazed version of the attractions theme "Grim Grinning Ghosts" on a large pipe organ. When the organist strikes the keys ghostly banshees come flying out of the pipes and then disappear.
===The Attic===
Following the Ballroom scene, the Doom Buggies go up one floor to the attic. Here guests see a crammed and dusty room full of wedding gifts and furniture. As the Buggies progress, guests see five wedding portraits of Constance Hatchaway and her different husbands. Next to each portrait are wedding gifts, which seem to increase in quality after each subsequent marriage. The portraits include:
*Frank Barks & Constance Hatchaway (1872) (if guests look closely at the cabinet near this portrait, they will see a female porcelain French aristocrat looking down on a fallen porcelain man, whose head has been removed)
[[Image:Brideimage.jpg|thumb|300px|Constance Hatchaway in the Haunted Mansion's attic. Photo by Rain0975]]
*Marquis de Doom & Constance Hatchaway (1874)
Upon entering the crypt the Ghost Host once again joins the guests:
{{Quotation|"Aaahh, there you are! And just in time, there’s a little matter I forgot to mention, beware of hitchhiking ghosts! They have selected you to fill our quota, and they'll haunt you until you return! hahahaha"}}.
[[Image:Hitchiking.jpg|thumb|300px400px|The Three three Hitchhiking Ghosts: The Prisoner (left), The Skeleton (center) and the The Traveler (right)]]
While hearing this warning, guests pass by the three hitchhiking ghosts (the prisoner, the skeleton, and the traveler) before venturing further into the crypt and encountering a mirror. When guests look into the mirror, they will notice that they are no longer alone. One of the three hitchhiking ghosts will be seen inside the Doom Buggies, and will interact with the guests (for example one of the ghosts will switch two of the rider’s heads).
===Pun Crypts===
Next to Bluebeard's tomb, a large crypt which houses various bodies can be found. Each of the names on the crypt create a pun. The names on the crypt are listed below, with the pun the name creates in parenthesis.
[[Image:Toad.jpg|thumb|250px|The statue of Mr. Toad located in the Pet Cemetery.]]
{| border="0" width="50%" style="text-align:center;" |
===The Pet Cemetery===
Located on guests left as they walk down the exit path, the Pet Cemetery houses the deceased animals of the Haunted Mansion. Some of the tombstones feature humorous epitaphs, while other are simply just headstones. The animals laid to rest in the Pet Cemetery include:
* A duck named Little Waddles. Died in 1928. The epitaph reads, "Little Waddles saw the truck, Little Waddles didn't duck".
* A snake who's epitaph reads "Here lies my snake whose fatal mistake, was frightening a garner gardener who carried a rake".
*A cat named Miss Kitty who epitaph reads “After losing eight lives you still had no fear. You caught a snake in your mouth and that's why you're here."
* A headstone of Mr. Toad. Added in 2005, this headstone is reference to the fact that Mr. Toad's Wild Ride was closed at Disney World in 1998. There was no official reason given for the addition of the statue.
==Cast<ref> http://voicechasers.com/database/showprod.php?prodid=95 </ref>==
Main Article: [[List of Haunted Mansion Ghosts]]
The primary cast of the Haunted Mansion is:
*'''Madame Leota'''- Leota Tombs (face) and Elanor Audley (voice)
[[Image:SingingBusts.jpg|400px|thumb|The Singing Busts in the Graveyard scene.]]
*'''Coffin Ghost (in the Conservatory)'''- Xavier Atencio
*'''Pineas P. Pock (Singing Bust)'''- Bob Ebright
*'''Graveyard Mummy'''- Akkan Allan Davies
*'''Renaissance Oracle (Graveyard)'''- Dal Dalllas McKennon
*'''Female Opera Singer (Graveyard)'''- Loulie Jean Normen
==Fun Facts and Trivia==
[[Image:MarcWalt.jpg|400px|thumb|Marc Davis showing Walt an early model of the Stretching Room]]
*There are two books on the table at the end of the library in the Haunted Mansion. They are both separate volumes from “The National Encyclopedia”, with book being open to the letter D, so that the word "death" is shown <ref name= "wdwradio"/>.
*The prisoner Hitchhiking ghost Ghost can also be seen in the Graveyard scene, near the executioner.
*Before the 2011 refurbishment of the queue, a fresh flower would be placed on the tombstone of Master Gracey every day <Ref> http://www.disneydispatch.com/content/columns/the-626/2011/06-the-13-tombstones-of-the-haunted-mansion/ </ref>.
*To keep the Haunted Mansion looking dusty, Disney buys 5 pound bags of theatrical dust known as “Fuller’s Earth” <ref> http://www.hiddenmickeys.org/wdw/magickingdom/secrets/ls/mansion.html </ref>.
* If guests look at the pavement in the Haunted Mansion's queue's emergency exit, they will see the footprints of the Caretaker found in the Graveyard scene, as well as the paw-prints of his dog <ref> Baham, Jeff. The Secrets of Disney's Haunted Mansion. N.p.: Doombuggies, 2006. Print. </ref>.
* According to small print found on the device, the "Spectrocom" found in the Haunted Mansion's Graveyard queue was patented by R. H. Goff. This is a reference to Imagineer Harper Goff <ref> http://www.mainstgazette.com/2012/01/speak-with-nearly-departed.html </ref>.
* Tombstones found in the Haunted Mansion's graveyard scene pay tribute to Imagineers Judy Gray, Fred Joerger and Harriet Burns. The letters that make up the names are scrambled however <ref> Yee, Keven. Walt Disney World Hidden History Second Edition. N.p.: n.p., 2014. Print </ref>
==For More Information==
For more information check out http://www.doombuggies.com/ our favorite Haunted Mansion site on the internet!
==References==
