Happy Friday! I’m so glad it’s the weekend, and it appears it’s gonna be a cloudy one here, so it’s just perfect for Halloween! I have a feeling a lot of you are going to be having a movie fest this weekend, so why not start out with a kid-friendly flick like “The Haunted Mansion?” Check out some fun trivia on the film to get you in the mood. Have a great Friday night!
–Much of the movie’s plot is inspired by Phantom Manor, the version of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland Resort Paris. Unlike the Haunted Mansions in the other parks, Phantom Manor has a clear storyline of a bride, her lost lover, and her haunting the mansion.
–The chairs in the dining room were later added to both the Disneyland Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean attractions. In the Haunted Mansion, the chair appears in a portrait of the updated attic, belonging to one of the bride’s murdered husbands. In both the updated versions of the Disneyland and Magic Kingdom Pirates attractions, it is in the final treasure room scene as the chair Captain Jack Sparrow is sitting in.
–Following the massive success of Ghostbusters (1984), Disney green-lit the film in the mid 80s. However they at first would only give permission for the film to be made if either Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis or Rick Moranis would play the lead role.
–Previously, Eddie Murphy had developed a stand-up routine that lampooned the unrealistic premise of horror movies and specifically haunted houses in Eddie Murphy: Delirious (1983) suggesting that black people would never be featured in such a movie as they would immediately leave upon sighting anything supernatural.
–The Dapper Dans, a barbershop quartet that performs in Disneyland’s Main Street USA, make a special appearance as the voices of the singing busts.
–Despite her character having a 10 year old son & a 13 year old daughter, Marsha Thomason was only 27 when the film was made.
–The Gracey family that haunts the Haunted Mansion is named for Yale Gracey, one of the original Imagineers (Disney designers) of the Disneyland ride, which opened in 1969. Although a ghostly Gracey is never officially named in the ride narration or press, the name has long been associated with the disembodied “Ghost Host” in the attraction through fans’ speculated narratives (contrary to popular belief, the ride does not have a definite story).
–The “Welcome foolish mortals” voice-over during the opening titles was provided by an uncredited Corey Burton, who also voiced the Ghost Host for Haunted Mansion Holiday, a seasonal overlay of Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion attraction themed to The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).
–Originally, Don Knotts was cast as the Groundskeeper seen at the entrance to the cemetery in the ride. While the character was cut as the script developed, both the Groundskeeper and his faithful, fearful dog can be glimpsed among the ghosts populating the cemetery in the film.
–Several references to the Disney theme-park ride include: – the singing busts – the breathing door (even the doorknob is the same) – Madame Leota (and the spectral instruments) – the busts that follow Jim – the ghostly carriage (a prop outside the ride) – the old man and the dog in the cemetery – Master Gracy’s hanging – the ghostly ballroom dancers. – the Raven seen throughout the movie – the hitchhiking ghosts – the hangman – the eyes in some of the walls – morphing pictures in the hallway. – several lines throughout the movie that are also used in the ride’s narration, such as: “Welcome, foolish mortals”, “Final arrangements have been made”, “There’s always my way” – the floating candelabra in the credits – the bride’s dress in the attic – the screeching cat sound effect in graveyard scene – the skeleton’s hands that start to open coffin in the mausoleum – the knights in the hallway attacking Jim – the door knockers heard rapping in the bedroom hallway – the pipe-organ in the ballroom – the clock strikes 13 during the prologue
–Hidden Mickeys: – when Jim and Sara are at the gate to the mansion, Sara picks up the lock on the gate which is shaped like a Mickey head. – When Ramsley pours the powdered poison in Sarah’s drink, a Mickey forms when the powder and drink mix. – The couch in the library is vaguely shaped as Mickey’s head.
–Anthony Hopkins was asked to play part of Ramsley.
–The red couch in Gracey’s study was used in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954).
–Madame Leota, the medium whose head is enclosed in her crystal ball, was named for Imagineer Leota Thomas, who worked on numerous Disneyland projects in the 1960s.
–Gracey Mansion is located in the bayou of Louisiana. The Haunted Mansion attraction is located in New Orleans Square in Disneyland, CA.
–Many designs of the building designs were recycled from both of the Walt Disney attractions. The exterior was based off the original structure at Disneyland and the inside was a mix of both.
All trivia courtesy of IMDB
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