Changes
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. The haunted house was originally envisioned as a walkthrough attraction in which guests would see various haunted scenes. 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 ghosts and villains including, Captain Hook, the Lonesome Ghosts, and the Headless Horseman.
When the addition of the Haunted Mansion was planned for Disneyland. The Mansion was going to be located off a crooked alley on Mainstreet USA. Soon however the planned Mansion was moved to Frontierland, but plans for the Mansion were eventually put on hold. When Disneyland opened in 1955, The Haunted Mansion was nowhere to be found. The project was brought back however, when Walt decided in 1958 that he wanted to expand Disneyland with a new land called "New Orleans Square".
Construction on the Haunted Mansion took place in 1962, but from the beginning problems plagued the new attraction. Story line problems were a constant for the Haunted Mansion, and in 1964 Disney's attention was turned towards the World Fair instead of Disneyland. Another blow to the struggling project came in 1965 when Walt Disney, the driving force behind the project died. With Walt gone, Imageneers 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. Another Imagineer, Claude Counts thought the Haunted Mansion should be a real haunted house and wanted to give the ride a darker tone. Eventually, Imagineers decided on a compromise. The beginning of the attraction was given a darker tone, and had scarier ghosts. Later in the attraction the ghosts would become more "silly" and the "swinging wake" would begin. 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.
With the story line and tone finally decided, the attraction opened on August 9, 1969.
===Museum of the Weird===
When the Haunted Mansion was originally being developed by Walt Disney and the Imagineers, Walt and Imagineer Rolly Grump came up with the idea for a Museum of the Weird. The Museum would have doubled as a restaurant and would have been located near the entrance to the attraction. Rolly Grump came up with various ideas for the museum including coffin clocks, candle men, man-eating plants, tiki busts, a faced 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, the idea for the Museum of the Weird 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:
*The wallpaper in the "Corridor of Doors" with various faces and eyes.
*The gypsy cart that sells merchandise outside of the Disney World Haunted Mansion {Originally originally a similar cart would have been located in the Museum of the Weird and would have interacted with guests}.
===Disney Imagineers===
The main Disney Imageneers Imagineers that worked on the designing and construction of the Haunted Mansion were:
*Harper Goff (original sketches and design)
===Disney World Construction===
During the time the Haunted Mansion was being finalized in Disneyland, plans were made for an identical version in the not yet open Walt Disney World. Props and sets for the Disneyland Haunted Mansion were copied and shipped to Florida. Unlike the Disneyland version however, the Haunted Mansion in Disney World was set in the American Northeast, not New Orleans (due to the fact that Liberty Square replaced New Orleans Square in Walt Disney World). The change in location is evident in the architecture. Unlike the Gothic feel of the Disneyland Haunted Mansion, the version in Walt Disney World is built with a colonial/Hudson River Valley architecture. In fact, the Harry Peacher Mansion in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania was the influence for the Disney World Haunted Mansion. The Haunted Mansion opened with the rest of the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971.
==The Queue==
===The Composer's Crypt===
The first of three crypts that guests will pass is the Composer's Crypt. Here musical instruments are carved into the sides of the crypt. When pushed on, the musical instruments play 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) which plays Grim Grinning Ghosts when they keys are pushed on. When played, the organ also shoots a blast of mist at guests, often surprising them. The top of the organ features banshee heads and a red-eyed raven.
==Attraction Plot==
The Haunted Mansion is a dark ride which takes guests through an aging mansion where 999 ghosts live and roam about.
===The Foyer===
The first room that guests see when entering the mansion is the Foyer. The Foyer has orange wall paper, wood finish and is dimly lit by candle chandeliers. Although none is seen, guests may notice a organ playing in the background. On the left side of the Foyer is a fireplace with a potrait 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. The potrait portrait of the man changes in a succession of steps from a young man, into a rotting skeletal corps. In the Foyer the Ghost Host greets the guests saying,
{{Quotation|"When hinges creak in doorless chambers. When strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls. Whenever candlelights flicker when the air is deathly still... That is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight."}}
===The Stretching Room===
After the Ghost Host introduces guests to the Haunted Mansion, guests are ushered into an octagonal gallery known as The Stretching Room. The room features verticly vertically stripped wallpaper and menacing green gargoyles. The room also has four seemingly normal portraits of a an unknown people. Inside the room the Ghost Host once again speaks to the guests saying:
{{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. Theres There’s no turning back now!}}
As the Ghost Host speaks, the walls begin stretch upwards. The paintings are also elongated to show the true nature of the portraits, a depiction of various Haunted Mansion "residents" deaths. When the room stops stretching the Ghost Host says:
[[Image:Stretching.jpg|thumb|The full portraits guests see after the room has "stretched". ]]
At this point lighting flashes above the room to show the corpse of the Ghost Host hanging in the rafters. (having apparently committed suicide).
During the 2007 refurbishment of the Disney World Haunted Mansion, the gargoyles that light the room were given dialog. After the Ghost Host tells guests to "stay together please" the gargoyles whisper "stay together" and then giggle like haunted children.
===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. Having guests ride through the attraction in Doom Buggies, allowed Disney Imagineers to control what scenes guests would see at a particular time.
On the walls inside the loading area are eight of the eleven "Sinister Pictures". The Sinister Pictures are the portraits who's whose eyes seem to follow guests as they move, however since relocating to the loading area this effect has not been in use.
The Ghost Host gives riders instructions in the Loading Area saying:
{{Quotation|"Do not pull down on the safety bar please, I will lower it for you. Heed this warning, the spirits will materialize ONLY if you remain quietly seated, at all times. Oh yes, and no flash pictures please, we spirits are frighfully frightfully sensitive, to bright lights."}}
To hear the loading area narration click play below:
Now in their Doom Buggies, guests exit the loading area, go up a stairwell and enter a landing. Here two more of the sinister portraits can be found, and various "changing pictures" can be seen. The changing pictures appear to normal enough at first, but when lightning strikes the pictures become much more ghoulish (an example of this: A portrait of a young lady changes in a portrait of Medusa when the lightning strikes). Guests also can see a floating candelabrum in the room, a sign of things to come.
The first room that guests tour in the mansion is the Library. In the library, books seem to be flying about by themselves. Ghosts are also present in the room as unseen ghosts stand on rocking ladders to reach and move books to and from the shelves. Another ghost is seemingly reading on a rocking chair in the corner of the room. The Ghost host introduces the library to the guests saying:
{{Quotation| "Our library is well stocked with priceless first editions, only ghost stories of course, hmhmh. And marble busts, of the greatest ghost writers, the literary world has even known."}}
===Conservatory===
As the Doom Buggies move onward, the guests are spun to face backwards. The room they find themselves in is the middle of a conservatory. At one time the room may have housed live plants and flowers, but now the plants are all dead and the flowers have rotted. In the middle of the room a wooden coffin is laid with a banner that says "farewell"farewell”.A large raven settles on the coffin and squawks as the corpse inside begins to push its way out! The corpse inside begins to yell "let me outta here!", but the Doom Buggies continue on.
===The Corridor of Doors===
After leaving the conservatory, guests find themselves in the mysterious Corridor of Doors. The wallpaper in the corridor is filled with demon eyes, who seem to be watching the Doom Buggies as they pass. Also on the walls, are various ghoulish family portraits which show different skeletons, ghosts and corpses. A sign next to the portraits reads "Tomb Sweet Tomb". A portrait of note features The Ghost Host wearing a noose around his neck as ''his shadow'' lifts a hatchet.
As the Doom Buggies moved down the hall guests will notice they are surrounded by various doors. The doors seem to be holding something inside, and some of the nobs knobs begin to turn. Knocking, moaning, pounding and even begging can be heard, and some of the doors themselves seem to be breathing! The last door guests see has two skeletal hands coming out from behind it, and a strange green light illuminates the doorway.
The Ghost Host once again speaks to guests in the Corridor of Doors saying:
The Ghost Host then tells guests:
{{Quotation| "The happy haunts have received your sympathetic vibrations, and are begining beginning to materialize. They're assembling for a swinging wake, and they'll be expecting me. I'll see you all, a little later."}}
Before advancing to the Grand Hall, guests may notice that there seems to be a green specter in the corner of the room.
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. An organist plays a crazed version of the attractions theme "Grim Grinning Ghosts", on a large pipe organ. When the organist strikes a note, ghostly banshees come flying out of the pipes and then disappear.
On the right side of the room, various ghosts have gathered around a table to celebrate a birthday party. The cake has 13 candles, and at the ghost sits at the end of the table, is apparently the ghost of honor. Directly across from him sits the ghost of Ceaser Caesar himself. Two drunk ghosts (an Egyptian and a solider) are seen swinging on the chandelier, while another ghoul lays under the table. Another ghost can be seen hanging on the chandelier by his cane. Various other specters pepper the room, including one sitting on the mantle of the fireplace, who shoots flames out his mouth and an elderly ghost sitting in the corner of the room knitting. If guests look up above the Ballroom they will see two portraits of duelists. The ghosts of these duelists emerge from their paintings from time to time and shoot pistols at each other. After passing the Ballroom the Doom Buggies head upstairs to the attic.
===The Attic===
*Reginal Gaine & Constance (1875)
*George Hightower & Constance (1877)-- (This may be the same George who's tombstone we see in one of the stretching room pictures. In the stretching room a widow sits atop a gravestone reading Beloved George, with a hatchet in it.)
When the Doom Buggies pass each portrait the head of the grooms disappear. The story goes that, Constance married and killed her husbands in order to gain money and social status. In fact, if guests look closely at Constance in the portraits they will notice that she gains a string of pearls after each husband. After passing all 5 portraits, guests come face to face with Constance herself, who is wearing a wedding dress and standing near the window. When the Buggies go by her, she says ominous phrases (Such as: "Tell DEATH do us part"). After passing Constance the Doom Buggies "escape" from the attic and fall below into the graveyard.
A melancholy version of Wagner's Bridal Chorus can be heard in the attic. The only song besides Grim Grinning Ghosts heard in the attraction. It has been suggested by some, that guests actually "die" after falling out of the attic, thus allowing them to see the ghosts celebrating in the graveyard. This has neither been confirmed or nor denied by the Disney company Company however.
To hear Constance's ominous vows click play below:
Following the close encounter with Constance, the Doom Buggies "fall" out the window and turn backwards. When they land on the ground, ghosts appear to be flying all around. Guests now find themselves at the gates to a graveyard located near the mansion. Outside the gates, a caretaker named Dick O’Dell quivers in fear as his dog "Boney" whimpers. After passing some scary looking trees, guests enter the graveyard where the ghosts seem to be having a party. A ghost band known as the Phantom Five is playing a jazzy version of "Grim Grinning Ghosts", as various other paranormal beings enjoy themselves. The band is made up of a drummer (banging on headstones), a flutist, a harpist, a bagpipe player, and a horn player. Various cats and owls harmonize with the band, and demon dogs can be heard howling in the distance. Near the band, a king and queen teeter on see-saw, while a duchess sips tea behind them.
As the Doom Buggies move through the Graveyard, they pass a group of singing marble busts. Located on the guests guest’s right hand side, these marble busts sing and express the song "Grim Grinning Ghosts". All around the graveyard, ghosts pop up and try to scare guests, while other specters simply enjoy the party. Those enjoying the party include, a mummy who is drinking tea, and Renascence era oracle, and various ghosts riding bicycles around tombstones.
Further down the graveyard an executioner and his victim (a headless knight) and the prisoner hitchhiking ghost stand singing. Standing next to the executioner are two opera singers. The female is overweight with pig tales and is wearing a viking Viking helmet, while the male is thin and wears a mustache. Near the opera singers, a skeleton is seeing paving a crypt, entrapping himself.
After traveling through the graveyard guests come across another crypt, leading to the attractions fianl final scene.
To hear the marble busts singing in Graveyard click below:
Upon entering the crypt the Ghost Host once again joins the guests:
{{Quotation|"Aaahh, there you are! And just in time, theres there’s a little matter I forgot to mention, beware of hitchhiking ghosts! They have seleced selected you to fill our quota, and they'll haunt you until you return! hahahaha"}}.
[[Image:Hitchiking.jpg|thumb|The Three Hitchhiking Ghosts: The Prisoner (left), The Skeleton (center) and 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 not alone! One of the three hitchhiking ghosts will be seen inside the Doom Buggies, and will interact with the guests (EgE.g. The ghost will switch two of the riders rider’s heads!).
Fan names given to the Hitchhiking Ghosts are Gus (left), Ezra (skeleton), and Phineas (traveler). And during the 2010 refurb of the Haunted Mansion queue, headstones with these names were added.
* 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 who's whose fatal mistake, was frighting frightening a garner who carried a rake".
*A cat named Miss Kitty who epitaph reads " "After “After losing eight lives you still had no fear. You caught a snake in your mouth and that's why you're here."
* A bird who died July 11, 1864.
* A poodle named Fi Fi.
* A dog with a basket in it's its mouth.
* 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 2005. There was no official reason given for the addition of the statue.
*Before the 2011 refurbishment of the queue a fresh flower would be placed on the tombstone of Master Gracey every day.
*Many of the real books in the library scene are actually law books, including “Modern Legal Forms".
*The organ played by the ghost in the Ballroom scene is an exact replaca replica of the one in Disneyland. This is important becuase because the organ in Disneyland was the same organ that Captain Nemo played in the 1954 film, 20,000 leagues under the sea.
*To keep the Haunted Mansion looking dusty, Disney buys 5 pound bags of theatrical dust known as “Fuller’s Earth”.
