This week, my post is about one of my favorite Disney attractions: The Haunted Mansion. I love Jason Surrell's book The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies, which tells you everything you ever wondered about the Mansion, plus so much more! My copy seems to be sadly missing, but this week's trivia is one piece that I retained from this amazing book.
I found it extremely interesting that the raven, who appears in practically every scene of the attraction, was initially supposed to play the part of the Narrator.
Although this isn't a great picture (hard to get a good one on this ride!), you can see the raven's glowing red eyes behind Leota's head. This is just one of his many appearances.
The raven's role was cancelled, however, when they piped the audio directly into each Doombuggy rather than having it broadcast throughout the whole room. Now, he just sits there looking eerie, adding to the wonderful effect of the experience!
Thanks to +Magical Mouse Schoolhouse, Heidi's Head, +Disney Babies Blog, and +My Dreams of Disney for co-hosting this blog hop!
Man, I never even noticed the raven. It's only been in the recent years that my family has started riding and enjoying this attraction. I'd love to get my hands on that book!
ReplyDeleteYou can get a pretty good deal on EBay/Amazon. I also saw it for sale in MouseGear. It's worth the read, and it really enhances the ride!
DeleteWow, I have seen the raven, but didn't know about his narrator role. So cool.
ReplyDeleteOnce I learned this, I noticed just how often the raven shows up! I haven't seen him in the "attic" since the refurb, though... probably because the Imagineers knew he wasn't "necessary"!
DeleteI didn't know that - sounds like a book I should add to my collection!
ReplyDeleteIt is an extremely interesting read!
DeleteI never noticed a raven, either! Sheesh, I'm observant, lol! Guess I have something to look for in a few weeks :) Thanks for linking up!
ReplyDeleteRide it an extra time for me!! :)
DeleteI think it's so neat that the raven is still very much present throughout the ride; although, I'm glad the decided to go with the ghost host. I don't think the ride would be the same without him. I might have to read that book sometime!
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