You will never believe the real origin of Phantom Canyon's inhabitants !

All of you, Disneyland Paris fans, who ride Phantom Manor again and again might think - thanks to excellent "Phantom Manor" websites - that you know all about this DLP beloved attraction. But, today, you will learn amazing secrets you've never heard before.

In Phantom Manor "Phantom Canyon" is the last scene of the ride, after the doom buggy went through the graveyard and skeletons section. In a way, it's the grand finale of the ride. It's a totally different finale than the one you generally experience in the others Haunted Mansions. In Phantom Manor WDI Imagineers designed a surreal ghost town, and this ghost town have some rather unique Audio-Animatronics inhabitants. It is their story that I will tell you now.

In the early 1990's, while WDI Imagineers were building Phantom Manor's structure the Audio-Animatronics figures were made in WDI workshop, at Walt Disney World. At that time, Jeff Burke, DLP Frontierland's show producer, had to choose the "faces and bodies" of Phantom Canyon's future inhabitants. For the skeletons that guests meet in the previous scene, WDI purchased plastic skeletons from a company that normally supplies these "bony creations" to medical schools and colleges. For the "underworld" of Phantom Manor the skeletons were purchased in bulk and in different dimensions - larger for the men "crypt characters", smaller for the women.



And the largest skeleton acquired, used for the infamous Phantom character, was 6' 3" tall.



But for the "human" characters of Phantom Canyon it was a totally different challenge.
It's not well known but sometime - to avoid the expense of sculpting new heads and bodies for new kind of Audio-Animatronics characters - Imagineers can do a selection from masks and molds designed for AA characters of previous attractions. Then, with the magic of WDI designers and new costumes a whole new cast appear. For instance,some of the ghosts of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion previously showed up in Pirates of the Caribbean. Not only it's easier and less expensive, but the budget savings can be used to enhance lighting, special effects and other production values of the attraction.

Now, let's get back to Jeff Burke, WDW workshop, and the folks of Phantom Canyon. If you did the ride at DLP, you probably remember the bank robber and his donkey. Well, his face and body are from a mask and mold previously used for a character of EPCOT's World of Motion... as well as the donkey!



And the face and body of the scared sheriff hiding behind the lampost, is also featured as a skinny pirate in the auction scene of WDW Pirates of the Caribbean.



Mind you, Jeff's first choice was to used the terrified groundskeeper standing at the cemetary gates in Haunted Mansion's final scene. By the way, from that same scene, a howling dog among the tombstones has been turned into a snarling "hound from hell" lunging toward your doom buggy when you exit the Bride's bedroom.

Edited 10/1: Richard, a faithful D&M reader sent to me the pictures below of the DL Haunted Mansion organist. As i mention in my text that the scared sheriff's head was used previously for a Pirates of Caribbean character, Richard thought that it might be instead the head used for the organist in the Haunted Mansion, and looking at these pictures i must admit that the scared sheriff and the organist faces looks very similar.

The best was to ask my good friend Jeff Burke who was DLP's Frontierland show-producer and Jeff answered to me that "the AA head used for the organist and the scared sheriff in Phantom Manor is indeed from the same sculpture with some distinctive makeup variations. However, he was not sculpted originally with Phantom Manor in mind but rather was fashioned as one of the extra figures for "Pirates of the Caribbean"."

In two words, the same sculpted head was sculpted first for a Disneyland POTC character first, then used for the HM organist at Disneyland and then for the scared sheriff at DLP's Phantom Manor! Amazing, isn't it?





Other Phantom Canyon inhabitants includes the piano player...



...the bartender, the saloon girl...



...and the druggist. All of them began their AA "career" in various scenes of the now extinct World of Motion attraction.



But the biggest surprise probably comes from the Mayor character who welcomes us to Phantom Canyon. He's the one who greets you not only by removing his hat, but his head as well! You're not going to believe who he is really or should i say who "he" was in a previous "life": Believe it or not, but the mayor of Phantom Canyon is DREAMFINDER, the main character from the beloved Journey into Imagination attraction!



Quite frankly, I've ride Phantom Manor dozens of time and never noticed it before but indeed Phantom Canyon's mayor is/was the Dreamfinder character of EPCOT's Journey into Imagination! And the voice of this macabre mayor wishing you a "Welcome, foolish mortals..." is none less than the talented Paul Frees, who is the voice of the "Ghost Host" in Disneyland's Haunted Mansion.

So, next time you will ride through Phantom Manor and when your doom buggy will go down to enter Phantom Canyon, don't forget to say a warm "Hello!" to the "Dreamfinder" mayor and all the other characters who are versatile enough to scare you at DLP after they entertained guests in a previous "life" at others Disney theme parks.







If you're looking for a great gift to offer to anyone you love - including yourself - the "Disneyland Paris, From Sketch to Reality" book with its 320 pages and 750 pictures - including 250 renderings from Walt Disney Imagineering - would be a GREAT gift for any Disney fan! I still have some copies of this hard to find book and, as i am one of the two authors of the book, each copy will be sign specially for you or anyone you wish. Of course, don't forget to tell me the name to whom you wish he dedicates the book.

Price for one copy of the english updated edition (with the text in english) is 87 Euros + 15 euros shipping to any country. Payment can be done with Paypal.

You can see some inside pages of the book on this D&M page HERE and to order the book please email me at: lawrence55@wanadoo.fr

Paypal payment can be sent to: lawrence55@wanadoo.fr

Attraction poster: copyright Disney Enterprises Inc

Photos: Alain Littaye

The secret letters of Disneyland Paris Phantom Manor

What you'll see today are rare documents from Phantom Manor ...although anyone who do the ride pass each time at two feet from them! These letters are part of the theming, anyone can see them but nobody can read them because of the moving doom buggy!

Here is the whole story: When we prepared the Disneyland Paris, from Sketch to reality book back in 2000, we needed photos of Phantom Manor scenes. Disneyland paris photo library had thousands of photos, but not of every scene. So, as i am also a professionnal photographer, after the park was closed and with a DLP escort, i spent some nights shooting pictures not only inside Phantom manor, but also in Pirates of Caribbean, It's a small world, Peter Pan's Flight, etc..

And for Phantom manor i had the pleasure to walk around inside the manor, taking pictures of all the needed scenes. At one point i arrived near the "Bride in front of the mirror" scene. Right in front of it, on the other side of the doom buggy track, there is some furniture, and upon it, those letters. Simply by curiosity i shoot a picture of them....and forget all about it, until recently when i found back the slides.

And what is written on them is amazing! It took time for me to decipher the writing as the photo is not perfectly sharp, but you'll find the text below.

First these letters are written in FRENCH! I must remind you, that, although the park is in France, Phantom Manor is located in Frontierland which is supposed to be the old AMERICAN west, and so the letters should be written in english! Does this mean that we have here the first theming mistake in Frontierland? On a certain point, yes, but this does't matter really, what is interesting is why these letters are written in french, and most of all, what is the text talking about?



Here is what is written, first in french, and then in english with a translartion i did for you of two only letters where the whole text is visible. Hope that my translation is not too bad...

First letter, supposedly written by the son of Phantom Manor's owner, Mr Ravenswood:

Mon Père,

Je suis lasse de notre conflit.
Ce constat me mène à me rabaisser sans pudeur devant vous tellement il est difficile, je l’avoue, de vivre sans ( sous ) votre grande richesse.
Père, je vous prie d’accepter mes excuses les plus hypocrites que j’ai jamais pu faire.

Votre cher fils.

English translation:

Dear Father,

I am tired of our conflict.

This report leads me to decrease me immodestly in front of you, as it is so difficult to live under your great wealth.
Father, please accept the most hypocritical apologies i ever did.

Your dear son.

Second letter, supposedly written by Melanie Ravenswood lover - the one who will be - in Phantom Manor's mythology - killed by Mr Ravenswood:

Dear Mélanie,

Il est temps maintenant d’annoncer à votre père votre amour pour moi. Je ne supporte plus de voir votre beauté...(déchiffrage du texte impossible)...qui lorgnent sans cesse sur votre douce et volumineuse poitrine. Il est donc temps de vous offrir à moi.

Je baise...(déchiffrage du texte impossible)

English translation:

Dear mélanie,

It is now time to announce to your father your love for me. I can't stand any more to watch your beauty...(impossible to decipher the text)..who peer endlessly at your sweet and voluminous chest. It is now time to offer you to me.

I kiss...(impossible to decipher the end of the text)

Now, what do we have here? A letter - even a "hot" letter - from Melanie's lover who will be killed soon after this writing ( obviously it was not a good idea to suggest to Melanie to announce her love for him to her father, Mr Ravenswood ! ), and, two a letter written by Mr Ravenswood's son - so, Melanie's brother - with a "perfume" of coming suicide...

There is just one little problem: in Phantom Manor's story line, Mr Ravenswood don't have any "son", and Melanie don't have any brother!! Was it a real mistake or a private joke done by WDI props people?

So, what happen? Why are these letters written in french and not in english, and have a text who take some "liberty" with the attraction's story line?

Well, i asked a friend imagineer involved in the creation of Frontierland about this. After he thanks me for "sharing this interesting and seemingly provocative discovery from (my) archives" (!) he gave me the answer to this riddle...

During the final days of dressing the sets, not only for the Manor but overall Frontierland, the lead team of WDI Glendale prop people were assisted by French set and props dressing associates. This accounts for some of the "love letters" being written en français.

As to the questionable content, "your dear son", etc.., It seems that i figured it out perfectly. Because it was so far from the guests vision, it would only be discovered upon closer scrutiny - like me with my camera. So, it was the perfect kind of private, inside joke that someone working on the project could do. Some WDI designers always include hidden "Mickeys" in their work, but here we have a jokester who takes this practice to a completely different and cleverly humorous level. Hidden in plain sight!

So, next time you will ride Phantom Manor, instead to look at the bride and the mirror, have a look on the other side of the track. Because your doom buggy will be moving, you'll still won't be able to read those letters, but you won't mind, as now you are in the secret of what is written on them...

Disneyland Paris High-Res wallpaper pictures - by Maureen Chaffurin

I've promised it to you last monday so here it is, a new Disneyland Paris wallpaper pictures article. The pictures were shoot by the young and talented Maureen, using a Nikon D40 camera with a 18-55 lens although she also use a 55-200 lens.

The first picture above was shoot ten days ago, and yes, it shows the new stage for the Mickey's Magical Party show on Central Plaza. I like the walls of the stage which looks like the bottom of castle walls.

The next pictures show from the top: Boardwalk Candy Palace, Discovery Arcade, Phantom Manor, River Rogue Keelboats entrance, Thunder Mesa Mercantile, Captain Hook Pirate Ship, Adventureland Bazaar entrance, Story Book Land, La Confiserie des trois fées, Star Tours pre-show robots.













Let's end with a last goodbye to the castle winter lights and 15th Anniversary decorations.





All pictures: copyright Maureen Chaffurin whom i thanks a lot!

Disneyland Paris Halloween evening best themed costumes

Last night was the Halloween Night special at Disneyland Paris, and as usual, many people were there all dressed in Halloween costumes. I didn't attend the event as the weather yesterday in Paris was really too terrible, but here is some pictures shoot two years ago of Benoit and Marie Laurence, and i think they deserves the title of "best themed costumes".

Some others costumes may look more scary of course, but i think that Benoit and Marie Laurence costumes - a perfect tribute to Phantom Manor's bride and her unfortunate lover are really great!

On the top, Marie Laurence is on Main Street's with the Halloween eerie lighting, and below, Benoit and her are standing in front of the Manor.



They also had the good idea to took some pictures inside Phantom Manor, in the portrait hall. The photographer sent to me a new version of the photo with a special Photoshop "ghostly" effect!



And this picture with Marie laurence standing in front of the bride portrait show how good their themed costumes were!



Pictures by Randie Soul, a big thanks to Benoit and Marie Laurence for these great pictures!

Disneyland Paris Halloween 2008 Part One - Jack Skellington and Sally meet and greet at Phantom Manor graveyard

Here is the first part of my Disneyland Paris Halloween 2008 report, and let me tell you that those of you who love wallpaper pictures are going to be happy. The clear blue sky and the light of last saturday were so incredible - all this added to the "magic hour" effect - that almost all the pictures will be gorgeous wallpaper for your computer screen!

This first part is all about Halloween decor at Phantom Manor and the new Jack Skellington and Sally meet and greet at Phantom Manor graveyard. And, yes, you even have a video of them at the end of this article!

When you arrive at Phantom Manor, some of the Halloween decorations were there last year, but the park also added other elements, like these giant skull heads and other skeletons...









The Jack Skellington and Sally meet and greet at Phantom Manor graveyard appear four times a day, and an orchestra playing creepy themes is also there. Guests can have pictures with them and Jack and Sally signed also autographs, as it is always the case in a characters meet and greet area.








And now, let's have a look at the real thing with this video of Jack and Sally and the orchestra.




See you tomorrow for part two, which will be full of great pictures, just like this first part!

All pictures and video: copyright Alain Littaye - Disney and more

A great "simulation" web site allows you to become a cast member in charge of an attraction !

It seems that the imagination - and the talent - of Disney fans have no limits. On this great simulation “flash” web site Themagical.nl, Disney fans have created four simulations - one for the Florida tower of terror , and the three others for Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and Phantom Manor , all Disneyland Paris versions.



You choose one of them, and from that point, and with the help of a control center, you’re supposed to be the cast member in charge of the attraction, and of course to take care of the load-unload, the trains departure, etc...



You’re the one who decide when the train must leave the station, when the doors of the Manor open or when the Tower of terror elevators can “lift off”. You can see the train - or the elevators - or the doom buggies moving on the track , guests coming inside the building and the boarding room, and sounds from the originals attractions are even include. For Big thunder mountain, you even have the choice between a day or night version, but beware of the “thunder storms” , as they can be dangerous before you launch a train...



All of them are real fun, and i think we must congratulate those who did it, because obviously it was a lot of work to do it, and specially to do it intelligently as they did.

Enough talk, just click HERE to play with these great simulations!

Screen captures: copyright themagical.nl