The Haunted Mansion at Tokyo Disneyland.
The Haunted Mansion, which is inside the Magic Kingdom park at Walt Disney World, is one of the company's most enduring attractions. It can be found at Disneyland in Southern California, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris under different names. The Haunted Mansion is so popular that there are dozens of fan sites devoted to it.
History
Ideas for the Haunted Mansion date as far back as 1953. Walt Disney was eager to have a haunted house inside his theme park, which was then in the planning stages.
The mansion exterior was built at Disneyland in 1962. The engineers, however, were pulled off the project by Walt Disney to create "It's a Small World" for the 1964 World's Fair. They then returned to the project, which hit another roadblock when Walt Disney died in 1966. The Haunted Mansion in Disneyland opened in 1969, while the one in Disney World opened in 1971.
Hype
The Haunted Mansion's popularity at the time of its opening in 1971 had something to do with the massive publicity machine that was built around it. The exterior of the first Haunted Mansion was completed in 1961, and it stood in Disneyland, empty, for several years. This helped to create word-of-mouth publicity. Several billboard and television advertising campaigns for the ride added to the buzz, and the publicity led it to be added to other Disney parks worldwide.
Illusion Types
The Haunted Mansion has maintained over the course of its lifespan different optical illusions. The engineers responsible used classic special effect Pepper's Ghost, where the "Ghosts" are hidden in a secondary room away from public view and displayed on a mirror. This effect is used during the ballroom sequence of the ride. Audio-Animatronics, which were robots created by Disney for It's a Small World, helped to project the ride's image as state-of-the-art when it first opened its doors.
Today, there are some more modern techniques, including digital projection for the singing busts and two-way mirrors for the hitchhiking ghosts. The enduring appeal of the Haunted Mansion, however, lies in its ability to scare by using traditional methods.
Enduring Popularity
When the Haunted Mansion opened at Disney World in 1971, it was one of the theme park's most popular attractions. This has not changed over time, and the Haunted Mansion remains a popular attraction at Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland. The Haunted Mansion has gone through minor changes in different parks. For example, there is no graveyard sequence in the Haunted Manion at Disneyland Paris. The themes and story of the ride, however, have not changed, making it an enduring favorite with guests.
Legend
One of the most enduring urban legends is that Walt Disney's face is one of the "singing busts" in the Haunted Mansion. This is mere coincidence, as one of the cast members who recorded the singing busts bore a facial resemblance to Disney. This hasn't stopped the rumor from being circulated by Disney cast members.
