Chapter 18 - Magic Kingdom – Liberty Square Part 4
                            The Haunted Mansion                                    posted 5/8/18 / updated 7/28/22

We’re still in Liberty Square touring the taunting Haunted Mansion. In Chapter 17 we left off on our tour at the Foyer doors, entrance to the Haunted Mansion, surrounded by an eerie cemetery with Madame Leota watching over us. Slowly the two menacing wooden doors open with a ghostly Butler ready to usher us in. Are we ready? Are we aware of what haunts await us? Well proceed if you dare and let’s see what this spooky place has to offer.

The Haunted Mansion

The Haunted Mansion has many tales and mysteries. There are many backstories attached to this attraction. Most have been created by the Imagineers who designed the Haunted Mansion, but some have been embellished by the dedicated fans, when it was missing or clear connections didn’t exist.
So as we enter this place of intrigue, we would like to try and tie some of the backstories together.
Through our researches we have found some very interesting links and websites that can help to identify the Who’s who, the Who done it’s and…….to Whom!
First, there is the Gracey Family Tree, the family that once ruled over the Haunted Mansion.
 
Since the Imagineers had never put together a complete outline of the Gracey family lineage, or complete comprehensive backstory for the Haunted Mansion; it appears to have been left to the hardcore Haunted Mansion fans to help tie it all together.

                                                          The Family Tree was drawn by Aristidus Twain (also known as ScroogeMacDuck)
Picture
https://scroogemacduck.deviantart.com/art/Haunted-Mansion-Gracey-Family-Tree-V1-620353287
A glossary of all these characters is given in his website. We’re going to use some of that data and make the connections as we tour through the Haunted Mansion.
Some references are to a few that we have already met in the graveyard in Chapter 17, so you may wish to go to the website and link up the relationships.


Just a short presentation on the major limbs of this Tree:
The DE CLAIRES: A noble French family in New Orleans, of excellent reputation.

The GHASTS: Wealthy family of vaguely Germanic origins.

The GRACEYS: A family of unknown origins. The first known Gracey was William, a gunrunner, who made the family rich and respected in the New Orleans area.


Another excellent source for the Who’s Who is:  
This website provides a flow through the Haunted Mansions and tries to recognize the characters in each room.
Both websites are well worth checking out.

The Tour

Now I believe we're ready to enter the Haunted Mansion. This is the flow our tour will take:




  • The Foyer
  • The Stretching Gallery
  • The Doombuggies Loading Area
  • Hall of Portraits
  • The Library
  • The Music Room
  • Endless Staircase
  • The Endless Hallway
  • The Corridor of Doors
  • The Séance Circle
  • The Grand Ballroom

Foyer

here the queue last left us standing in front of two intimidating wooden doors.
 
The doors mysteriously creak open as a servant ushers us into the dark Foyer.
 
In the background an organ moans a slow version of Buddy Baker's “Grim Grinning Ghosts” melody as funeral chimes echo.
Note: Buddy Baker as the music director and chief composer for Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and other Disney theme parks. “Grim Grinning Ghosts" the theme song for the Haunted Mansion attractions at Disney theme parks was composed by Buddy Baker.



The dark Foyer has lavish Victorian wallpaper, ornate chandeliers, and rich, elegant wood molding, to fit the grandeur of the Mansion’s architecture.
 
 From somewhere within the depths of the Mansion a slow, grim funeral dirge is playing on an organ, the notes traveling through the walls of this chamber, resonating in darkness.
Once all of the guests that the Foyer can accommodate have been ushered in to the room, the doors will be closed behind them.
 
In the front of the room, the guests are drawn to gather around the Victorian fireplace. There are still a few coals left in the fireplace, and their glowing embers seem to set the stage for what is to come. The face of the fireplace grate resembles that of a gruesome abstract skull.
Above the fireplace, a number of fashioned drapery curtains are hung around a large portrait. The portrait is that of a handsome young man in a stately tuxedo, smiling, for he is obviously a man of some import in this Mansion.
Suddenly, a deep, gloomy voice echoes through the chamber.

 "When hinges creak in doorless chambers and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls, whenever candlelights flicker where the air is deathly still, that is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight."

Gradually the portrait of the man begins to transform. He grays and shrivels with age, turning from a young man to a middle aged man to an old man to a mummified corpse, then finally to a still-decaying corpse with blazing, haunting eyes.
On either side of the fireplace a secret panel will slide open, revealing a large, and better lit, gallery. Guests are urged to file inside and begin their curious tour through this mysterious home to 999 happy haunts. Then once they walk through the hidden passageway to the next room, the panel will silently close………….
Note:
The Changing Man portrait was inspired by the Portrait of Dorian Gray, as in the novel of the same name by Oscar Wilde. Its prominent position in the Foyer has led to many fans believing that this portrait was that of the former "Master of the House”.
Contrary to popular belief, The GHOST HOST is not the character Master Gracey.
Fans have also associated this composite character with "Master Gracey," the name on a Tombstone in the Cemetery. The connection found its way into various merchandising items, and the Changing Man was used as the basis for the appearance of "Master Gracey" when he officially appeared, in the 2003 Haunted Mansion film with Eddie Murphy.

Master Gracey: Tribute
When guests wind their way through the queue for the attraction, they pass through an interactive graveyard where the tombstone of Master Gracey is permanently displayed. After entering into the Mansion, above the fireplace is a portrait of the man age from young adult to skeleton. Master Gracey was named after Imagineer Yale Gracey who create many of the effects for the Haunted Mansion. Gracey was influential in creating scenes and effects including the beloved ballroom where the ghosts are out for a swinging wake. As a tribute the master of the Haunted Mansion was named after Gracey.

The Stretching Gallery


In the gallery guests find themselves in a room with eight lofty walls. Sixteen gargoyles are perched on a ledge above guests' heads, each one holding in its hands two candles which barley illuminate the portraits, and each one leering down at the mortals below with hideous grinning faces.
 Above the ledge hang four portraits on a backdrop of striped wallpaper. 
A VOICE announces: "Welcome, foolish mortals, to The Haunted Mansion. I am your host. Your *ghost* host (chuckle). Our tour begins here, in this gallery, here where you see paintings of some of our guests as they appeared in their corrupt able, mortal state. Kindly step all the way in, please, and make room for everyone. There's no turning back now."

Note: The GHOST HOST is one of the first characters visitors to the Mansion meet, or should we say hear. The GHOST HOST is invisible throughout the tour of the mansion, but guides the guests with his sardonic voice (Paul Frees provides the voice).

 A servant instructs guests to "Drag your wretched bodies to the DEAD center of the room".

Gazing up at the 4 portraits around the top of the room.
In one you’ll see a young woman in her summer dress holding a parasol, the next is an older gentleman placing a document in the breast pocket of his stately tuxedo, the third shows a young man smiling with his arms folded, and finally, there is an old woman holding a rose.

All seem plain enough.
The Voice takes a slight pause, and suddenly, the room and portraits begin to change: the room begins to slowly expand, and the paintings are slowly revealed to be not quite what they seemed at first glance.
The GHOST HOST continues: "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, Hmmm?"

The portraits around the upper wall start to reveal their haunting mysteries:
  • The young woman is standing on a fraying tightrope over a river, with a hungry crocodile waiting patiently below with open jaws.
  • The gentleman is actually wearing only boxer shorts, slacks, and shoes from the waist down..... And standing on a barrel of Dynamite with a lit fuse.
  • The young man is actually sitting on the shoulders of another man, who is in turn sitting on the shoulders of another man, who is the only one aware that all three are doomed.... For he is waist deep in quicksand.
  • The old lady is sitting on her husband's gravestone, and we can see a bust of her husband at the base of the Grave... with his head split by an axe.
And, as these changes take place, The GHOST HOST point out another revelation.
    
"And consider this dismaying observation... this chamber has no windows and no doors. Which offers you this chilling challenge: To find... a way OUT!  Of course, there's always my way..."


 The lights in the room are suddenly blown out by some unfelt wind, and hanging directly above the guests is the rotting corpse of The GHOST HOST... hung by his neck in the previously invisible attic. Thunder and lightning illuminate this scene through broken windows.
 
After a few moments the lightning stops and we hear a woman commit suicide by falling down the room. We hear her scream as she falls, and finally hits the ground with a crash.
 
Jimmy MacDonald (the voice of Mickey from the 40s to 80s, and the Disney sound effects man) can be heard as the screaming voice in the stretch room.
Note:
Stretch Portraits
Here are some of the backstories to these portraits:
  • A pretty young brunette holding a pink parasol. This Ghost has had many names attributed to her. WDW cast members call her "Lillian Gracey" and say she strung her rope across to Tom Sawyer's Island from the Mansion grounds where she met her fate. More recent Imagineering projects have given her the name "Sally Slater", who is mentioned in one of Prudence Pock’s poems (see Chapter 17 - the Library Crypt).
  • A balding man with a brown mustache and beard, dressed in a black tailcoat, a white shirt, a red sash, and a black bowtie. He was an ambassador named Alexander Nitrokoff, who came to the Mansion one night "with a bang". In a backstory he was invited to a party at Gracey Manor. Once he arrived at the Manor, his glasses were flicked off by a Ghost. Due to his poor eyesight, he wandered the house completely oblivious to the ghosts, and ended up lighting a keg of dynamite with a candle.
  • A brown-haired man with his arms crossed, dressed in a brown suit and wearing a brown derby hat. When the portrait stretches, it is revealed that he is sitting on the shoulders of another man, who is sitting on the shoulders of yet another man who is waist-deep in quicksand. They were notorious gamblers, Hobbs, Big Hobbs, and Skinny Hobbs, and late one night were chased out into the bayou near the Haunted Mansion. They decide to play cards to see who will carry who across the quicksand, which they thought was mud, but while stacked up on top of each other, they sank into the quicksand and drowned.
  • An old woman holding a rose and smiling. When the portrait stretches, it is revealed that she is seated on top of the tombstone of her late husband, George, who is depicted as a marble bust with his head split by an ax. This is actually Constance which was painted later in her life, though an early script for the attraction named this character "Abigale Patecleaver;" it has been suggested that this was an alias chosen by Constance to marry one (or several) of her husbands to avoid him/them finding out that she'd already been married before. (we’ll meet Constance again in the Haunted House)
Unexpectedly, the candles in the room are relit. Looking up there is no sign of the corpse, and the ceiling is once again in place. Silently one of the panels slides open to reveal a dimly lit hallway.
 The GHOST HOST ushers the guest out with:

"Ohh... I didn't mean to frighten you... prematurely, hmm hm hmmm.... 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”

Once a way out of the Stretching Room is revealed, most Guests will rush to get to the Doombuggies. But wait a bit in the Stretching Room, and you'll hear something more. A creepy, ethereal voice whispers a haunting, "Get out."
It's will give you the chills.

The Doombuggies Loading Hall

As Guests slowly file into the very dim hallway which leads to the Doombuggies. Again take notice, it’s a hallway lined with doors. Flickering chandeliers hang high above. The walls are covered in a flowery wallpaper of Victorian design, and paneled in dark polished decorative wood near the floor.
Lining the Hall are portraits, known as the Sinister 11

Sinister 11

Prior to the 2007 refurbishment all 11 were in this. Now the portraits are scattered throughout the Haunted Mansion. As guests passed the portraits, the portrait's eyes would follow their every move. After the 2007 refurbishment, most of the portraits were relocated to the loading area, without the "moving eyes" effect. Many of them are based on unused changing portrait designs by Marc Davis.
The characters consist of:
  • Jack the Ripper—a stocky mustached man in a top hat, wielding a knife and a sickening grin. In the concept art, a human foot is seen sticking out of his pocket. (2nd Portrait in Loading area right after leaving the Stretching room)
  • A suspicious-looking wealthy couple—based on an unused changing portrait concept of the wife strangling her husband. (up the staircase just after loading area)
  • The Witch of Walpurgis—whose head turned from human to goat in an unused changing portrait concept. She holds a black cat and is surrounded by magical items and skulls stabbed with daggers. Wizards and witches are called forth in Madame Leota's séance, suggesting that many witch ghosts inhabit the Mansion. Walpurgis Night is when the Night on Bald Mountain sequence in Disney's film Fantasia is set. . (3rd portrait as you’re getting on Doombuggies)
  • A vampire holding a lantern—based on an unused Count Dracula changing portrait concept. (4th portrait as you’re getting on Doombuggies)
  • A large, ominous man with a blonde or white beard and his hands clasped—based on an unused Rasputin changing portrait concept. In the original concept, Rasputin's eyes would grow larger and larger, eventually joining to create one giant eye. (2nd portrait as you’re getting on Doombuggies)
  • Medusa in Gorgon form—from the Medusa changing portrait. This is still in its original concept. (last portrait in Hall of Portraits)
  • Captain Culpepper Clyne—a ghostly fisherman holding a harpoon in the midst of a stormy sea. He is dripping with seaweed and covered in barnacles and starfish. Clyne's body was interred in a brine-filled crypt (the "Sea Captain Sepulcher") seen outside in the Cemetery Queue. It is stated in his epitaph that he did not die at sea, but rather "drowned on land while taking a bath." The character's name first appeared in 2011, with the addition of the interactive queue. Previously, he was known simply as "The Mariner." (3rd Portrait in Loading area right after leaving the Stretching room)
  • An old hag—from the "April–December" changing portrait concept. No longer changes. (near the bottom of the staircase just after loading area)
  • The GHOST HOST—a ghoulish man with a noose around his neck and wielding a hatchet. (first portrait as you’re getting on Doombuggies)
  • A villager with a bag over his shoulder—who turned into a werewolf in an unused changing portrait concept. In the background of the portrait is a building set aflame, indicating that the man is an arsonist.(1st Portrait in Loading area right after leaving the Stretching room)
  • A mysterious blonde lady holding a black cat in one hand and a lorgnette in the other—based on concept art for a character that would eventually evolve into the Bride. (this portrait was moved after a 2007 refurbishment portrait of the Lady hangs on the wall between the Ballroom and the Attic very difficult to see)

Special Note: Thank you to our friends on Facebook (Sierra, Zory, and Beth) for helping us find this portrait. It’s not easy to locate, because you pass it too quickly. So watch out for it.
Proceeding down the Hall, the is path being guided by polished bronze bat figures on posts which support ropes on the tip of each wing.
 
And guests as directed to their strange carriages Doombuggies by ghoulish maids and butlers, they are surrounded by a melody -- or is it the wind?  moaning softly, accompanied by more distant bells.
Microsoft
Just as you approach the moving walkway The GHOST HOST informs you:

"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."

As you’re seated in the pod-like carriage, The GHOST HOST speaks once again as the lap bar is slowly lowered on its own accord:

 "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 quietly seated with your hands, arms, feet and legs inside... and watch your children, please!"

Guests are slowly drawn under the curtained arch and into a pitch black room.
 

The Doombuggies

Picture
The original concept was for the Haunted Mansion to be a walk-through attraction. But this would not have ensured a high enough capacity to allow each guest to fully experience all of the aspects in the Haunted Mansion. The Imagineers Team led by Bob Gurr developed the omnimover. This type of attraction vehicle consists of a continuous chain of ride vehicles which would move throughout the attraction as one unit. The individual vehicles would be able to turn in any direction.  The Haunted Mansion’s omnimover vehicles have been doved the Doombuggies.
These ride vehicles also allowed the imagineers the ability to tell guests exactly where to look and which show elements to focus on throughout the attraction. Each Doom Buggy has its own set of speakers which allows The GHOST HOST is to travel through the Haunted Mansion with you.
WDW's Haunted Mansion has 160 cars, due to its longer track, with a guest capacity of 3,200 guests per hour, a much higher number than a walk-through attraction would have allowed.
Note: Robert "Bob" Gurr is an Imagineer, Director of Special Vehicle Development and Disney Legend responsible for designing most of the ride vehicles for many early Disneyland attractions.
Gurr developed and designed the Autopia vehicles, the Flying Saucers, the antique cars and double decker buses on Disneyland's Main Street, U.S.A, the Haunted Mansion Doombuggies, the Disneyland Monorail, The Submarine Voyage, and the Matterhorn Bobsleds. Most of these designs were later used in the Walt Disney World attractions.
The GHOST HOST takes the guest in the Doombuggies through a small dark room. To the left is a staircase that leads to a balcony. On the wall going up the staircase are two portraits of the Sinister 11.
  • An old hag—from the "April–December" changing portrait concept. No longer changes. (near the bottom of the staircase)
  • A suspicious-looking wealthy couple—based on an unused changing portrait concept of the wife strangling her husband. (further up the staircase)
Most guests will miss this area because it’s small, dark and the Doombuggies are moving quickly through the area. So be forewarned for the next time you travel this way.
 
Up on the balcony there is a candelabra floating as if held by a curious ghost, wondering who has just intruded into its home.

The Hall of Portraits

The GHOST HOST continues:
"Oh yes! and no flash pictures, please! We spirits are frightfully sensitive to bright lights..."

The Doombuggies then turns into a corridor where on the left side are windows and it appears to be lightning and thundering outside.  And on the right are rather sinister looking portraits which show their eerie side whenever lightning flashes.

The portrait of the Horsemen depicts Edward of Woodstock, known as the Black Prince. He was the first Duke of Cornwall, the Prince of Wales, and the Prince of Aquitaine.

This is a portrait of the Flying Dutchman. Legend has it that the Flying Dutchman sailed over 300 years ago. The ship was attempting to make its way around the Cape of Good Hope when it was beaten back by storms. The ship's Captain Vanderdecken pushed the crew to keep sailing despite the treacherous seas, vowing that he would not stop until he made it 'round the Cape and cursing the powers-that-be for trying to halt him. The ship was eventually lost in the tempest, but Vanderdecken held true to his promise; some say that the ghost of the Flying Dutchman still sails the seas near the Cape, and whoever sees this apparition will be cursed with a streak of bad luck.

This portrait of Medusa is one of the original Sinister 11.

The portrait began as a piece of Marc Davis concept art that depicted the painting of a woman reclining on a couch turning into a complete panther.

Library

At the end of the Hall of Portraits, the Doombuggies enter a chamber of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, crammed with dusty volumes.  There is an appearance that Invisible spirits are pulling books from the shelves, and sliding a rolling ladder back and forth. A seemingly empty chair is rocking and pages of a book on a side-table is are turning.  Between the bookshelves are marble busts.
 And The GHOST HOST announces:

"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."

As guest pass through they’ll find the busts' gaze is unsettling, no matter where in the room the guests glance at the busts, they are following and glaring back at them.
Of the major effects in the Haunted Mansion, this is a simple optical illusion. The illusion is literally a trick of the light. The busts you see are actually not three-dimensional objects negative space.
Clarification?
You are actually looking at the inside of two "negative" busts that face away from you. These busts are made of a filmy, transparent material and are lit from behind the wall. Since the light plays over the outside of the face as if it were a "positive" image rather than a "negative" one, and you view the light through the bust from the other side, your mind assumes that the bust is a normal object. Then, by passing the busts, the changing perspective of the faces cannot be accounted by your brain by normal means, so it assumes that they are turning to follow you.
As we travel through the Library, there are a few things we want to point out:
  • On the table as you start to leave the Library are two books. They are from “The National Encyclopedia” and one is open to the entry for “Death”
  • Most of the library is actually fake. Only the top three shelves of real books, some of which slide in and out.
  • Some of the real books in the library include a dictionary and a number of legal titles, including “Corpus Juris” (which means “The Body of Law”), and “Modern Legal Forms.”
  • The rest of the books in the library are painted images!
  • According to the blueprints for the Haunted Mansion, this room was painted by R.L. Grosh and Sons, Inc., who has painted numerous Hollywood sets.
Note: R.L.Grosh Company has been making sceneries and backdrops for the over 80 years and still is. Definitely check out their website: This Company is the who’s who ‘behind’ the show business.       https://www.grosh.com/

Note: Aunt Lucretia
The only greatest ghostwriter Bust in the Library who has a name is stern looking woman. She was part of Marc Davis' concept art for the Haunted Mansion. Aunt Lucretia was originally intended to be a talking or singing bust.
Aunt Lucretia is a bust found three times in the Haunted Mansion, twice in the library as a ghostwriter bust, and she appears again in the grand ballroom.


Found:

The Piano Room

As the Doombuggies Move into a small room, guests can view a cobwebbed piano sitting amid rotting furniture.
As you enter the room is periodically lite by bright flashes of lightning outside the window which briefly illuminates a shadow of someone at the piano. The guests are treated to a Rachmaninoff-style arrangement of Grim Grinning Ghosts played by this invisible pianist. The ghost's shadow can be seen cast upon the floor and according to legend the invisible pianist is The GHOST HOST.
Picture
©Disney
Note: The ghostly piano, as heard in this scene is exclusive to Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion.
According the Imagineers the invisible pianist is The GHOST HOST.
 
Note: The ancient piano dates from the earlier 1700, which is fitting since the Haunted Mansion is designed after 1700’s Dutch-Gothic architecture.
As the Doombuggies begin their ascent up the staircase The GHOST HOST announces:.
"Actually, we have 999 happy haunts here, but there's room for 1000. Any volunteers, hmmm? If you should decide to join us, final arrangements may be made at the end of the tour."  

 At the base of the staircase banister a large bronze statue of a griffin greets them.


References:

The Endless Staircase Room

Picture
©Disney
Guests travel up a long staircase into the darkened area surrounded on all sides with numerous staircases that seem to run in every direction. Some seem to end at freestanding doors and others turning or leading off to points unknown. Sporadic green glowing footprints appear along the stairs, and candelabras float pass flickering off before mysteriously relighting.
The Endless Staircase is a surreal space found only within the Haunted Mansion at the Magic Kingdom.
 
The Endless Staircase was not originally part of the attraction, it was added in 2007. Originally the room was just a darkened space with cobwebs and large, glowing spiders on either side of the staircase.
 
The Imagineers designed this expansion from early concept art by Ken Anderson.
Notes:  Ken "Kenneth B." Anderson was an animator and imagineer who came up with most of the concepts for The Haunted Mansion. His work on the attraction included sketches, paintings, models, and even some audio recordings.
 
Additional Mentions:
  • The room’s seems to have an almost M.C. Escher feel.

                   http://www.mcescher.com/
Picture
M.C. Escher: RELATIVITY
  • Also, Doctor Who nostalgia fans may remember a Peter Davison episode called “Castrovalva” (1982). Where the Doctor seeks sanctuary in the peaceful domain of Castrovalva, only to discover that it is an illusory, dimensionally paradoxical trap set for him by the Master. This also took the concept from M.C. Escher’s Relativity artwork.
At the top of the stairs, guests will travel through another darkened area. And will be surrounded with blinking eyes and whispering voices. Unexpectedly these eyes become the patterns of the fiendish wallpaper of the Endless Hallway.

References:

The Endless Hallway

As the Doombuggies enter the next area the guests will note on one side what appears to be a moving suit of armor.
 On the other side of the hall, amid dusty, molding, dead potted plants, sits an overstuffed velvet chair which is embroidered with what looks like an abstract face. (Some fans have stated that it has the appearance of Donald Duck, but that wasn’t the intention).

Between these is a long, narrow hallway, with a candelabra spookily floating down the passageway.

We are again greeted by The GHOST HOST:

 "We find it delightfully unlivable here in this ghostly retreat. Every room has wall-to-wall creeps and hot-and-cold running chills... Shhhh - listen!"

Behind the chair a doorway has a curtain hung over it.  A chilling wind billows the curtains eerily. Moaning, screams, and shouts are heard from the darkest corners of the room, as guests pass through the "cold spots" before passing out of that ghastly chamber.




Photo Credit: Michelle Ludke

Conservatory

 The Doombuggies carry on as they turn to view the conservatory.
 
The windows of the conservatory only provide a view of a fog- shrouded landscape of austere dead trees. The conservatory glass seems to have a few panes cracked or broken. But most of the elaborate stained glass is intact.
 
Amid a dismal funeral flower arrangement that seem to have survived in the conservatory, with a Raven perches on top.
 
In the center of the conservatory resides a coffin. The lid of the casket is being lifted from within by a pair of skeletal hands! Ghastly green bony hands are raising it, while the occupant inside can be heard pleading:

                                                                 "Let me out of here! Let me out of here!

Notes:
The Raven
We’ve met the Raven in the cemetery, with the Decomposing Composer’s Crypt (see Chapter 17) He is inspired by Poe's short story The Raven. We’ll find this creature in many scenes throughout the Haunted Mansion, glaring at the guests with glowing red eyes.
In some of the original concept plans, the Raven was proposed to be the narrator through the Haunted Mansion instead of The GHOST HOST.
 
Coffin Occupant
The corpse in the coffin is voiced by Xavier Atencio, who wrote the attraction's script. Xavier had been an Imagineer involved in many of the attractions at Walt Disney World.

 Reference:

The Corridor of Doors

The Doombuggies slowly turns toward a long hallway is lined with to be locked doors on both sides.  
Dimly lit chandeliers hang from the ceiling giving a gloomy cast to the Hallway. The entire hall is wallpapered with bizarre leering demon faces on it.
 
As we move along, each door seems to come alive in the most horrid ways. Doorknockers clank, door handles twist, muffled pleading cries for help emerge from behind each and one is marked as "EXIT". The moans become slowly more insane and inhuman, degenerating into screaming and cries, then the last door has skeletal hands clasped it tightly and bending it outward.


Definitely not a welcoming scene.
The Doombuggies twists and the wallpaper changes here and in view comes what appears to be a grandfather clock. As the Doombuggies get closer, we see the frightful details of this clock. From a protruding tail it appears that demons are trapped in its mechanism and the hour hand is fixed on... 13 o' clock. But the minute hand spins backward out of control.
 As guests move past clock, they’ll see a shadow of a hand that appears to be reaching for the buggies.


Research:
Note: Marc Davis was one of the Imagineers who contributed considerably to the Haunted Mansion. While coming up with concepts for various scenes in the Haunted Mansion, Davis was inspired by the classic movie The Haunting, which features an ill-omened corridor of doors.  The “breathing door” in the Haunted Mansion’s corridor of doors is from the movie.
The Haunting is a 1963 British psychological horror film. It stars Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, and Russ Tamblyn. The film depicts the experiences of a small group of people invited by a paranormal investigator to investigate a purportedly haunted house. This movie always sends chills through me. (And so does the Door)

Captured:
Hat Box Ghost
One of the favor Happy Haunts in Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion is the infamous Hat Box Ghost. However in the Magic Kingdom only his portrait can be seen in the Haunted Mansion. As the Doombuggies moves through the corridor of doors, just passing the “breathing door”, you can see the portrait of the Hat Box Ghost hangings beside the door.
Worked on:

Seance Circle

The Doombuggies enter a circular room. The room is pitch black. In the center of the room a table and a chair. A 'Tiffany style' lamp hangs above the table dimly shining light on the table.
 
Around the room glowing tables, lamps, and musical instruments are appear to be floating and spinning aimlessly.
 
As the Doombuggies transverse around the room, we see that the chair is vacant. Only the Raven perches there, and as he caws and beats his wings. (Note: the glaring Raven seems to be following our progress through the Haunted Mansion)
 
On a stand next to the table tarot cards scattered on it.
But our attention is drawn to the crystal ball siting in the middle of the table.  Resting inside the crystal ball is the ghoulish ethereal head of woman, the Haunted Mansion’s resident medium, Madame Leota. Madame Leota’s wild hair is long and white and her face is glowing with an eerie yellow-green. She looks around the room and pronounces the following incantation:
Serpents, and spiders, tail of a rat,
Call in the spirits, where-ever they're at!
[moans and screams fill the room]


Rap on a table, it's time to respond,
Send us a message, from regions beyond!
[three slow knocks from the two tables]


Goblins and Ghoulies from last Halloween,
Awaken the spirits with your tambourine!
[a nearby hovering tambourine shakes and echoes]


Creepies and crawlies, toads in a pond,
Let there be music, from regions beyond!
[every instrument in the room plays in harmony]


Wizards and witches, where-ever you dwell,
Give us a hint, by ringing a bell!
[a nearby bell rings violently]


Madame Leota
Madame Leota has greeted the guest to the Haunted Mansion from the tombstone by the Foyer doors (see Chapter 17) and here in the Séance Room we meet her again as the medium of the Haunted Mansion.
 
Imagineer Leota Toombs was asked by Disney to be used as the face of the Madame, and thus was named after her. However he thought that her voice was too sweet for the sinister character. So the of voice of Eleanor Audley was used since she already voiced famous Disney villains like Lady Tremaine from Cinderella and Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty.
Leota Toombs’ actual voice was used at the end of the attraction as Little Leota who summons guests with “hurry back, hurry back.”

Explored:

The Grand Ballroom

As the guests leave the Séance Room and enter the Balcony above the Ballroom, the mayhem scene begins unfolds, as The GHOST HOST proclaims:
"The happy haunts have received your sympathetic vibrations, and are beginning to materialize. They've assembled for a swinging wake, and they'll be expecting me. I'll see you all a little later...."

Numerous spirits have materialized in the ballroom, seemingly celebrating a birthday.
A Hearse is backed to the open Doors and a coffin deposited from the rear with ghosts emerging to join the wild party taking place.
An old Grandmother in a rocking chair next to the fireplace seemingly reading, but watching the spirits leave the coffin.


On the fireplace mantle sits a portly ghost with his arm wrapped around a bust of Aunt Lucretia.
Above the entrance spooks are circling the ceiling.
 
From the high ceiling suspends a chandelier with a drunken Victorian era attired ghost swinging from the chandelier by his cane. He is one of the few named characters, Pickwick. He was inspired by the character from The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens.
 
On the same chandelier sit the drunken ghosts of a soldier and an Egyptian woman.
Symantec Corp.
In the center of the Ballroom sits a long table. On one end of the dining table sits "Great Caesar's Ghost."
At the other end, the red-haired "ghost of honor" blows out the candles on her cake. She is often referred to as "Ghostess," who has invited her friends of the spirit world to dance, play, and share her birthday cake. 
Most of the characters are based on concepts by Marc Davis.
 
On the rear wall above the staircase are two paintings of well-dressed gentlemen. Then suddenly their ghosts emerge from paintings of themselves and shoot each other. One of them is said to be Mr. Sewell, whose tombstone is in the cemetery with the tombstone proclaiming he died from a duel. (See Chapter 17)
Below in the ballroom, we see several couple doing an endless waltz to the tune emanating from the large pipe organ.
The sinister-looking but well attired organist is playing the "Grim Grinning Ghosts" theme as a macabre waltz. From the organ pipes ghostly vapors that appears as skull-like banshees stream out. We have seen these in the cemetery on the Decomposing Composer’s Crypt (see Chapter 17)
Note: The organ he plays is a copy of the prop of the organ used by Captain Nemo in the 1954 film, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea".
 
Searched:  
The illusion effect in the Ballroom is created by a magician’s trick called Pepper’s Ghost, an illusion created by using a mirror and glass.
 
                                  Spoiler: For more details on how this illusion is done follow the references:

I don't know I just found:

 
There is so much going on in this room that it’s difficult to take it all in. It’s the most iconic scene from the Haunted Mansion with happy haunts out socializing to a swinging wake; with waltzing, celebrating a birthday, swinging from a chandelier, playing music and even a duel to the death.



Note: Imagineer Blaine Gibson sculpted a number of human heads for Pirates of the Caribbean, Carousel of Progress, Hall of Presidents, and also for the Haunted Mansion. If you look carefully you may notice that many of the same heads were used in multiple places.
​
Deep thought:
During the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party you get an opportunity to see the Ballroom waltzers in the parade and many other characters from the Haunted Mansion.
At this point, we’re are going to stop our tour. No it’s not the end of the Haunted Mansion, just spirits have temporarily taken over. But we promise to continue in the next Chapter.

Going through the Haunted Mansion attraction takes about 8 minutes, about half is the queue. It’s amazing how much detail, special effects and history the Imagineers have put in this attraction. There is no way guests can possibly absorb it all with just one visit. That’s way we’ve included so much detail, information and references in these Chapter. Because of this, we’ve had to spread it out in several Chapters to try and cover most of the major details.
Afterword:
WDWMousing.com is designed to be a tour of Walt Disney World through photos. We have been to Walt Disney World countless times over the past 25 years and accumulated a magnitude of photos in that time. This website is an intention to combine two of our favorite pastimes, Walt Disney World and photography, and provide an insightful pictorial tour.
While doing so, we've done an extensive research of the internet and literary sources for background information on each area and attraction. The information is available, but most bits and pieces are scattered all over. WDWMousing doesn't intend to rewrite the stories, legends or data, but to try and collect it into one location with reference and links to the original articles and authors. And giving rightful credit. We've stumbled through quite a bit of mis-information, most of which came to life by fans because the origins were lost, forgotten or no one seems to remember. Over the past 25 years we've also lost most of the great Imagineers that helped develop, design and build the original concepts of Walt Disney World. So we believe it's extremely important to make sure that their efforts, intentions, details and creativity in making this Happiest Place on Earth isn't lost.
So we ask for feedback, insights, and suggestions.

Thank you
WDWMousing

    We would definitely like to hear from you.
    Let us know what you think, suggestions, ideas, and absolutely if we've missed anything.