It takes a lot of effort to get ghosts with creepy smiles to socialize. The latest installment of the Disney-produced YouTube series “We Call It Imagineering” delves into the details of the Haunted Mansion, a perennial spooky attraction at Magic Kingdom, Disneyland, and other theme parks.
We paid particular attention to the eye-catching wallpaper and the pitch of the wind sound effect. The 28-minute production features conversations with current and former Imagineers, including some who worked with Walt Disney himself. The show heads overseas aboard the Disney Cruise Line and features a Haunted Mansion Parlor aboard the Treasure Ship.
But here are five common facts about land-based attractions.
scratch it
The disembodied ghost host narrator heard throughout the ride was not part of the original plans for the Haunted Mansion.
Tom Fitzgerald, Portfolio Executive Creative Director at Walt Disney Imagineering, said in the episode, titled “Stupid People,” that “the narrator was originally going to be a cat, then a crow. We couldn’t get the crow to act as the narrator, so it was just the voice of the ghost host.”
Crows can still be seen inside the attraction. Other characters that didn’t make the cut include the witches surrounding the cauldron and the sheet-like ghostly hitchhiker. In one iteration, Constance, the Bride in the Attic, had no face.
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Breeze and spookiness
Something creepy is blowing in the Haunted Mansion.
“The Haunted Mansion’s composer was Disney legend Buddy Baker, who created a wonderful musical melody that woven not only the graveyard in the music but also the wind sound design,” said Greg Lotka, WDI’s audio media design manager.
“Much of the sound design was performed using actual physical props created by legendary sound artist Jimmy McDonald,” Lotka said. “He worked closely with Buddy Baker and was able to weave together the music and sound effects so the Haunted Mansion theme could be heard through the wind.”
It is also featured on YouTube programs. This is an outtake from a recording session of Paul Frees, the voice of the Ghost Host.
eye-catching
The Haunted Mansion’s famous throwback wallpaper was created by former Imagineer Tania McKnight Norris, who also provided the curtains and furniture to fill out the scenes.
“I couldn’t find any creepy wallpaper, so I remember sitting at my desk, doodling on my eyes, and working with a wallpaper company to create the exact wallpaper,” Norris said.
She has bragging rights that are impossible to imitate.
“I’m one of the few people who knew Walt Disney,” she said.
(Provided photo)
Laurie Crump (left) shows Walt Disney (right) and the Disney Ambassador’s haunted attraction design in a mid-1960s episode of “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color.” (Courtesy of Walt Disney Company)
melt and disappear
Another colleague at Disney was Laurie Crump, who came up with a creature that was a little too strange for Walt’s mansion plans. Instead, they dreamed up the possibility of a Museum of the Weird attraction, but that never materialized.
After Crump passed away in 2023, a miniature version of his melting Candleman character was placed in the attic of the Magic Kingdom ride. The ship’s Haunted Mansion Parlor also features melting busts and other strange concepts.
light club
Haunted Mansion’s outdoor lighting is designed to draw people in and soften the foggy atmosphere.
“We started talking about angles, shadows, colors and how it evokes different emotions, how green can make you feel a little bit uncomfortable,” said Ralphie Weisbecker, lighting design manager for Disney Live Entertainment.
“Bruce can get a little dark and creepy, trying to portray on the outside the story that the Imagineers have created on the inside,” he said.
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Another thing: a small spark
Characters from the Haunted Mansion pop up from time to time, especially during Mickey’s Boo to You Halloween Parade, one of the highlights of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom. Among the memorable actions is a choreographed gravedigger who hits the pavement to use a shovel for a special effect.
“When we were rehearsing, someone got a little tired and was dragging a shovel behind them,” recalls Tara Anderson, show director for Disney Live Entertainment. “And then there was a spark. That’s all I needed. We’re going to play with it. … We hear a sound, we hear a clank, and then we rub it and it sparks.”
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