Imagineering Stories Tie Disneyland's Haunted Mansion to Pirates of the Caribbean

Did you know there are Imagineering ties that bind Disneyland's 50 year old Haunted Mansion to its also iconic Pirates of the Caribbean? Read more below and you'll discover there were almost ties to these attractions and Tom Sawyer Island as well. That one never materialized, but oh what it would have been!

Beautiful, creepy- and just the beginning of what was planned.

Let's begin with a question- Why do these two beloved attractions have in common that cements them as fan favorites generation after generation? A great story, rich atmosphere, memorable music, and a chance to explore the mysteries of the unknown. All done without lessoning the experience of the guests by cutting corners. 

The very first generation of Disney Imagineers truly understood what Walt Disney was trying to accomplish at Disneyland. Why? Because Walt himself recruited men and women who came from a background in the film industry. He made sure they shared his heart for his new pet project! Storytellers and artists such as Marc Davis, Herb Ryman, Claude Coats created classic attractions, but they also prepared the next generation to carry on, including men like Tony Baxter who kept the torch burning until his retirement. This elite group also included the very gifted Eddie Sotto - the man with a great but unrealized attraction using Tom Sawyer Island to tie together three thrilling and different park experiences. 

Overhead look at Disneyland's Crown Jewel.

Disneyland was already an international sensation by the time New Orleans Square debuted at the park in the mid-60's. Imagineering then hit its stride with the masterpiece Pirates of the Caribbean. The new land was a stunningly beautiful recreation of the famed and colorful Louisiana city. Guests soon discovered its beautiful lacy ironwork, intricate back alleys, delightful shops, and restaurants with authentic food and drink. Seeing the Mark Twain riverboat round the bend from the land just brought it all together. It was so elegant, so unexpected, so Disney.

If Imagineering's stride was hit in 1967, the land itself hits its peak once more with the opening of the long awaited The Haunted Mansion in 1969. Being right next door to each other, Pirates and Mansion deliver a one-two knockout punch, giving park guests an experience unrivaled from any other land in any other Magic Kingdom park. The closest competitor is found in Disneyland Paris where the Phantom Manor works in unison with Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, where its Frontierland tells the story of the effect of the gold rush on a wealthy family doomed to disaster.

Imagineer Ken Anderson's concept art

for "Captain Gore". 

As originally planned, New Orleans Square would have its own story to tell, tying the newly opened Mansion to the Pirate adventure. The wicked sea captain pictured at the top of the article was an undeveloped character considered to bring the two together, one with a difficult part and a bloody intent. "Captain Gore" shown above was another direction that was considered, the groom of the mansion's wedding story who turned out to be a bloodthirsty pirate. Those stories remain untold with only a sailing ship - or is it pirate ship- weather vane that sits atop the mansion to this day.

Concept Art by Eddie Sotto for the unrealized new attraction.

Speaking of stories, Imagineering secrets and those ties that bind...

Back to Imagineer Eddie Sotto. Like others, he had once been involved in some new ideas to tie the two iconic attractions together. He offered up the idea of using historical references to real life pirate Jean Lafitte. This is where Tom Sawyer Island comes into play. There's still a remnant of Eddie's plan to be found in the park. Imagine entering into an old crypt for a brand new and very creepy walk through adventure...

Go to this incredible Long Forgotten Haunted Mansion post to see a number of photos and read the story in full.   

One more piece.

Do you want to find out more about the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean? Or perhaps more detail about Disneyland Paris' incredible Frontierland? This blog has more than 3,000 posts contains dozens of articles about the Disney parks including rare pieces of concept art, photographs, trip reports (like my recent visit to Disneyland's Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, found below) and more. Browse around and check it out!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Disneyland's Ghost Relations Department

Do you have a complaint to make about Disneyland? Make sure you go to the right place! Making a mistake and going elsewhere could be interesting...and scary! 

This sign from the 1960's seemed to catch everyone's attention. Restless spirits? Ghosts? What were those Disney Imagineers up to? Creating an enduring "E Ticket" iconic attraction, that's what! Would the journey be scary or funny or both? Imagineer Claude Coats envisioned one style and Marc Davis another. The end result would be a combination of each. One casualty: Rolly Crump's Museum of the Weird never made it off the drawing boards, however.

Marc Davis tried to tie in the Mansion

 to a previous blockbuster attraction.

The elegant old Southern home found in New Orleans Square sat empty for many, many, years until 1969. Then, the Haunted Mansion opened its doors to long lines of guests more than anxious to go inside.

Imagineer Claude Coats produced this piece.

Almost 50 years later, visitors to the park make their trek into the abandoned house and into mysterious unknown realms. Foolish mortals? Not really. The ongoing popularity of the Mansion proves once again that artistic high quality and a great story results in guest satisfaction and continued profitability.

(Art and photo copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

New Orleans Square and Tales from Lafitte's Crypt

Disney park fans, have you ever been to the real New Orleans? If so, the blend of charming mansions, lush vegetation, and incredible places to dine, shop, and listen to live music, make it a must see destination. So do the sacred places found in the wide variety of old churches and cathedrals. Of course, any place the sacred is found, the dark side of the spiritual world co-exists with the light. 

Disneyland's New Orleans Square is the epitome of Imagineering brilliance. When the brand new land finally opened at the park in the mid-60's, fans were amazed that theme park designers could create something so authentically charming and accurate, very faithful to the original. Here was a beautiful rendition of the city, calling visitors to explore its alleys and destinations. Watching the Mark Twain riverboat cruise the Rivers of America only added to the atmosphere.  

The masterpiece work still is Pirates of the Caribbean with its swashbuckling journey through grottoes, a burning village, and a bit of the ethereal. The opening of  The Haunted Mansion in 1969 filled out the land's roster, bringing some more obvious spirited fun for guests who dared to venture beyond its front door. Placed close to each other, Pirates and Mansion deliver the very best Imagineering has ever offered. In some ways, no other Magic Kingdom park delivers the Art of Imagineering as does this land. Even Tokyo Disneyland's mini land cannot compare to the original.

Concept Art by Eddie Sotto for the unbuilt original attraction.

It's a credit to the old school Imagineering team that folks like Bob Gurr, Marc Davis, Herb Ryman, Claude Coats continued to look for ways to further deepen the richness of the experiences found at the park. For New Orleans Square, however, it took a next-generation great, Imagineer Eddie Sotto, to come up with another thrilling attraction for an area so limited in acreage. 

These pieces of concept art reveal Eddie's proposal to add a walk through attraction into the crypt of famed Pirate Jean Lafitte. Think of Paris' famed catacombs, and you will not be too far off the mark from was proposed but never built. The mystery and stories of his exploits are still told today. Imagine exploring the creepy tomb with decayed bodies, leading to unknown adventures! 

It had been quite awhile since I thought about this project. There's  an interview with him on the subject. Go to this Imagineering Disney post to see a number of photos and the story in full.  Walt himself would have been thrilled to add this to the park. He always loved bringing some history into his kingdom.  In his day, the parks were viewed as living artwork to be enjoyed by families together, not solely a tool to increase profits and tie into the latest movies for merchandise sales. 

I found this to be the perfect piece for today! Imagine exploring the empty tomb of Jesus the Christ, His crucified body risen back to life to the glory of God the Father. Proving Jesus' own words that He would rise again- fully paying the price for my sin and yours. Owning this as eternal truth deep inside your heart leads to untold adventures of spirit and soul. It was truly a very Good Friday! His story is told to this day all over the world- and in spite of any opposition, it has never been able to be stopped.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8)

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Shag-a-Delic Haunted Mansion

Welcome Foolish Mortals! 

Perhaps only a handful of times in the life of the incredible Disney Imagineers that they get to be part of an attraction this beloved, and dare I say, immortal. Those involved in the creation of the beloved Haunted Mansion have this honor. The list of those involved reads like a Who's Who of Imagineering:  Marc Davis, Claude Coats, X Atencio, Ken Anderson, Yale Gracey, and many others.  

Disneyland's original spook house has thrilled guests since 1969, a full forty five years.  It's a record of popularity and accomplishment unmatched by any other Disney attraction with the exception of Pirates of the Caribbean and perhaps to a lesser degree, the Jungle Cruise. The enduring popularity of the attraction has spawned other versions, but in my opinion, although each are great, none match the original Mansion in California. Phantom Manor  at Disneyland Paris and Mystic Manor in Hong Kong Disneyland are world class attractions, no doubt, but they owe their roots to this one.

Artist and Disney fan Josh Agle, aka SHAG, designed this incredible piece honoring the mansion at its 40th Anniversary. It's just great! I cannot wait to see what he will create for the 50th!

Speaking of the 50th, perhaps the Imagineers that brought back the Hat Box Ghost are planning to surprise us with even more enhancements...

(Art copyright Josh Agle for the Walt Disney Company.)

Haunted Mansion Tour and Its Ties to Pirates of the Caribbean

Count me in as a fan of old school Disney Imagineering. The first generation of artists really understood what Walt Disney was trying to accomplish at Disneyland. It's that crew of folks like Bob Gurr, Marc Davis, Herb Ryman, Claude Coats and more that really mentored the now retiring greats of our day, including the current torch holder Tony Baxter.

When New Orleans Square debuted at the park in the mid-60's, Imagineering hit its stride with the masterpiece Pirates of the Caribbean. The new land was a beautiful recreation of the famed city, drawing in guests to discover its beautiful ironwork, intricate back alleys, and delightful shops and restaurants. Somehow, just seeing the Mark Twain riverboat round the bend from the cafes seemed so right. So elegant. So Disney.

If Imagineering's stride was hit in 1967, the land itself hits its peak with the opening of The Haunted Mansion in 1969. It remains the cherry on top of a stunning theme park sundae. At once completing the area and further defining its mystery and romance. Being right next door to each other, Pirates and Mansion bring a knockout punch, giving guests an experience unrivaled from any other land in any other Magic Kingdom park.

This video, above, is the absolute best visual presentation to be found. It's fairly recent, as fans of the attraction will know by observing the attic scene, but it's a complete tour with plenty of opportunities to stop the video and discover some secrets.

Art by Eddie Sotto for the unrealized new attraction.

Speaking of secrets and the ties that bind...

My two of my favorite Disneyland attractions: Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion have an additional but not fully realized connection in Walt's park. Imagineer Eddie Sotto had once been involved in some new ideas to tie the two together using historical references to real life pirate Jean Lafitte. (I had forgotten about this but had heard an interview with him on the subject awhile back.)  Go to this post to see a number of photos and the story in full.  In the old days, Walt would have jumped all over this (along with other ideas like creating a dungeon walk through for Sleeping Beauty Castle). The parks were viewed as artwork then, not solely a tool to increase profits and pimp out the latest movies. 

Want more about the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean? Being these are my two favorite park attractions, this blog of more than 1800 posts contains dozens of articles, rare pieces of concept art, photographs, and more. Browse around and check it out!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

A Disneyland Mountain for California Adventure?

In the long, long ago, there once was a mountain planned for Walt Disney's original Magic Kingdom. A fanciful mountain, one that would be a predecessor to the might Matterhorn and its thrilling bobsled ride. An attraction also planned for Fantasyland. Though not as spectacular in size or scale, this particular attraction as depicted by Imagineer Clause Coats was designed to look as if it was made of candy.

Rock Candy Mountain would have made quite a sight for sore eyes as Casey Jr. Circus Train would have made its way around. But logistics and a change of direction meant the mountain was never come to be.

An interesting tidbit of information came to light a few years ago that perhaps the mountain would materize in model form at a new candy shop in the new Buena Vista Street at Disney California Adventure! It would be quite the cool thing to see. but every Disney park fan knows plans change on the go. Maybe, just maybe, the mountain will appear in 2012 when the new entrance land debuts at the park. That would be one sweet treat!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Tired of Tim

The man is certainly visionary.

That said, I am just plain tired of the same twisted visual look of his films. From Nightmare Before Christmas to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Corpse Bride and onto Alice in Wonderland, Tim Burton's quirky style is becoming a bit boring- a one trick pony. His art used to be surprising but now has become almost cliche. It is unfortunate that his Alice would be predictable before the first images even became accessible! Maybe he should collaborate with someone other than the magnificent Johnny Depp to stretch him- and stretch Johnny as well!

Tim's presence at the Disney parks grabs the crowds but is in danger of being passe as well. The yearly transformation of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion into its Halloween meets Christmas form was once thrilling. Yet, last visit, I found myself sorely missing the attraction in its original Marc Davis and Claude Coats incarnation.

In order to assure his ongoing importance and enduring legacy, it's time for Mr. Tim to return to the drawing boards once again. Bring us something fresh. Bring us something bright, even something cheery. Surprise us and delight us once again.