I think it’s safe to lament that Disneyland has not been the same since Walt died. Sure, they’ve added some new
attractions. Space Mountain many years ago, and then California Adventure and what not more recently. But think about
some of those early rides, the ones that still operate and treat kids to the kind of real life…or, well,
animatronic…characters that make their eyes pop out. Think of the Pirates of the Caribbean or the Haunted Mansion.
Isn’t it odd that Disney never built anything as cool as these two rides ever again? Why is that? Are we too wowed
nowadays by digital effects, so the folks at Disney figure a new ride won’t sell? Or maybe it’s just too expensive to
build new rides like this. Or perhaps Disney has just lost its creative mojo.
Whatever the case, here we are on the cusp of Halloween, and I am thinking about the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland.
And so I do a little searching around, and lo, check out this fascinating site about the history and development of
Disney’s Haunted Mansion.
First, look at the section on layout to see how the
whole ride looks for an architect eye’s view. You can then
listen to actual sound effects from the ride (if these
don’t bring back childhood memories, I mean COME on). Finally, the
effects page is filled with fascinating information and
pictures about the Disney artists of yore pulled it off.