A Portrait of Screams To Come

Greetings Ghost Fans,

The Disneyland and Walt Disney World Haunted Mansions have several notable differences in terms of scenes, props, etc. One other thing is that small details in the ride also change from mansion to mansion. For instance, Disneyland has a series of photos lining their Corridor of Doors. These "family photos" are of dressed up popup ghosts later to be seen in the graveyard. Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion does not feature these great photos, or does it?

Riding through the attic, there is a large amount of antiques from all over the world. But wait! Is that a Main Street Horse Hitching Post?! It is! Oh wait, we already talked about that... But what is that on the other side of the photo amid some empty frames?



Why, it appears to be one of the family photos from the Corridor of Doors at Disneyland!

Yes, indeed it is! This begins a new mystery. Are there more hidden portraits in the attic? If so, were these to go into the Corridor? Why aren't they there now? Only time will tell!

Reginald Pirates from Jack

Greetings Ghost Fans,


continuing a topic from last week, we move onto Reginald, Constance's 4th husband. Reginald was an explorer. Many of his spoils are seen around his portrait in the attic. In his portrait he is seated in a very nice chair. This chair is the same as the ones featured in the Haunted Mansion Movie Ballroom.



What is more interesting is that, The Haunted Mansion is not the only attraction in New Olreans Square with this chair. Captain Jack in the Treasure Room at the end of Pirates of the Caribbean is lounging in one as well!



With my own bit of added speculation, Haunted Mansion is a present day affair. Pirates of the Caribbean happened in the past. Perhaps on one of his many adventures, Reginald stumbled upon an old ornate chair in a Spanish treasure room and decided to bring it home.

I want to give credit for the second photo to the amazing photographer Jack (a.k.a. Hollywood1939 from the MiceChat message board). Be sure to check out his other photos, they are amazing!

George the Imagineer and his Movie Style Wedding

Greetings Ghost Fans,



Many people who disliked the Haunted Mansion movie feared that all movie tie-ins to the actual mansion would be disasterous. Many people know my stance on the film, everything but the acting and story were massivly enjoyable. But it appears that one or more movie tie-ins slipped into the mansion without many people noticing.



In the new Disneyland Attic, Constance has displayed for us, the haunted portraits of her previous husbands. Her most recent husband George actually has a secret identity (like the other portrait characters). George's real name is Rick Rothschild. Rick is a Walt Disney Imagineer who has helped on such projects as Disney's Animal Kingdom and Stitch's Great Escape.

Click the image for a larger size.


It appears that his wedding to Constance was given quite the movie treatment as well. For their wedding photo was taken in the Ballroom of the Haunted Mansion movie. While its only a sketch, this artwork was the concept created by production designer Nathan Schroeder. His concepts alone for the movie were amazing and awe-inspiring.



Stay tuned for next week when we take another small look at something that has snuck into the mansion from its Hollywood counterpart.

Special Thanks to Daveland for the use of his attic photo. View his many photos at his blog, listed in our links section.

- Ghost Relations Dept.

Priceless Works of Art...

Greetings Ghost Fans,


this week we take a look at an aspect of the Haunted Mansion film. While many people dislike the movie because of the story and the acting, I feel it is a shame that people do not accept it on the merit of its sets, score, makeup, visual effects and costumes. These alone made me love the movie.


Some time ago, I posted about the Portrait, The Armageddon, which was never displayed in the film. However, all before stages of the changing portraits were based on real works of art.


First is Medusa. The original concept of the painting was "Portrait of a Roman Lady" done by Sir Fredrick Leighton. The image for the actual Medusa head was from a sheild painted by Carvaggio.


Next is the Horseman painting. This painting was entitled "Napoleon at St. Bernard", by artist Jacques Louis-David. This is possibly the most recognized painting of Napoleon to date.


The Armageddon. While the images don't perfectly match when they change, they are still similar. The original painting was entitled "Carnival Scene", by artist Giovanni Tiepolo.


Lastly is a mystery... I have done research but I cannot seem to find who created this painting. I assumed that it was Louis-David as well and perhaps it was a painting of Josephine Bonapart. In all of my searches, I have only found one painting, however, it is not this one. The painting in question actually features a man standing (possibly Napoleon), with this painting hanging in the background. However, this painting was part of a photoshop contest on the amazing website, Worth1000. The photoshopped version of the painting can be found here. I contacted the artist to find out more and I will update as soon as I know. If anyone out there knows, I would be grateful for any information.

NOTE! ManorRecluse has come forth with information about the painting. It is titled "Portrait Of Juliette Recamier" by Gérard, François-Pascal-Simon. A Million thanks goes out to you ManorRecluse for solving this mystery!


Until next time...

-Ghost Relations Dept.

No Strings Attached

Greetings Ghost Fans,

When the Haunted Mansion first opened at Disneyland, there were a few small enhancement props not there today.

One small enhancement to the attic were randomly placed black strings. In the shows low lighting conditions, the black strings were virtually invisible. As the doombuggies crept through the attic, the black strings would hit the guests giving the feeling of spiderwebs brushing against the skin.

According to X. Atencio, it was an impressive effect, but the more that guests would go through, they would soon figure out where the strings were and within hours, all of the strings would be gone.

NOTE: Thanks to the posters at MiceChat for giving a great idea for a topic!