Great stuff there, thanks so much for sharing!Originally Posted by HBG2
What's the story on your flicker name? I'm assuming it's from the tea-party headstone? But I thought that headstone wasn't "Nekeesorf" but was "Nekeesore" (with the weeds partially obscuring the last letter)--I thought the gag was a play on "Neck-is-sore" as if someone that was hanged. Set me straight!
Ok I have another photo request. Does anyone have a good quality flash picture of Reginald's tableau (preferably WDW but DL is ok too)? Thanks in advance.
OK, now that the Long Forgotten Haunted Mansion Collectibles Bashing Thread is over (hopefully)...
I've got a totally different question to throw out there. I'd like to know which of you actually believe in ghosts/the supernatural/the occult, or any other kind of spirit world stuff, and does that enhance your enjoyment of the HM?
Personally, I am an agnostic, and as such do not believe in any of that (although I used to, many, many moons ago) but that doesn't change my love for horror movies and for attractions like the HM. I'm able to suspend my disbelief and let the atmosphere of the Mansion envelope me, and I get a shiver of delight from taking that trip through the world of the supernatural. However, as I mentioned, I don't believe in ghosts or the supernatural at all!
I've heard that goths, for example, get a kick out of the Mansion, because of their personal lifestyle/beliefs. How do your own beliefs affect your enjoyment of the HM?
"Nekeesorf" is a tribute to Imagineer Ken Forsee.
That seems to be the right identification, except he has no wine glass on the album cover.
...but it's curious, because he's not at the table in Collins' illustration of the ballroom, although a somewhat similar character is, hoisting a wine glass. Collins usually follows the concept sketches by Marc Davis very closely, but he has a figure raising a glass and Davis does not. He also has birthday gal.
We've remarked before on how the birthday gal is not there yet in Marc's sketch. I think it was SmellyO who nailed it, suggesting that the birthday gal was brought in because her candle puffing facilitated the gag of the disappearing/reappearing guests. It's hard to say what happened between Davis's sketch and Collins' illustration and reality. The bowler-hatted guy may have originated elsewhere and was brought to the table to toast the birthday gal, eliminating the little hairy guy and ending up with his wine glass. Or something. It's a jumble, anyway.
Last edited by HBG2; 07-29-2009 at 07:10 PM.
Out of curiosity, and I apologize if I've just missed this in my studying the HM (), but does the Madame Leota character have any sort of official backstory? Or is she just a mystery?
Si vous voulez venir danser aussi, le ticket d’entrée n’est jamais gratuit.
Il faut payer de sa vie.
Madame Leota is a tribute to late imagineer Leota Toombs, who provided Leota's name and face.
Her back story is that she is the medium who does an incantation which allows the guests of the Mansion (us) to see the ghosts -- or allows the ghosts to reveal themselves to us. Before the sceance scene, no ghosts are visible in the ride.
Personally, I am not convinced in the existence of ghosts and other supernatural beasties, but I am very interested in such, and the stories and accounts of hauntings and the like, and the different purported sorts of "entities". However, never had a personal experience of my own, so can't say I really believe. But I don't disbelieve either.
Ok heres a quandry, If no ghosts are visible before Leota's incantaion, how do you explain the piano playing shadow in WDW's music Room?
That is a shadow of a ghost not a dimensional ghost.
IGER MUST GO!
I see nothing irrational or unscientific about the hypothesis that the unseen world is densely populated with a variety of non-human intelligences. In its favor is the fact that it is the simplest explanation for the global, never-ending reportage by people from all walks of life that they have encountered one or another such being. The objection that these beings don't exist because "there is no scientific evidence" is blatantly illogical, since there is no reason to assume that they are interested in jumping through the hoops we dictate to them, merely in order to prove their existence to us. In fact, there is no a priori reason to assume they care what any of us think about anything at all.
With regard to names and systems and categories, I am more agnostic. I do not know how I would be able to tell a fairy from an alien from a ghost from an angel. They may be truthful or liars, so it doesn't matter what they say (if they communicate), and they may appear as they really are or they may be shape-shifters or otherwise disguise themselves (for reasons known only to them). So if someone says they saw a leprechaun, I don't see any reason to believe or reject the report out of hand. Maybe they did. Who knows?
I recommend the books of Charles Fort.
True believer over here with real experiences, evidence and witnesses. And, sorry, I won't elaborate. However, I will say that none of it has been negative; and, to be honest, once you wrap your head around it, it's not all that strange. Based on what I know, the eerie/scary stuff is more in the mind and imagination than anywhere else. The Goths would probably be very disappointed.
I love the HM for its entertainment value, and the artistry and caliber of its presentation. It just works on so many levels. I feel the same way about Pirates of the Caribbean. Characters that wreak playful havoc are EXCITING and FUN.
H. B. GHOST wants YOU to be one of the 999 who sign:
The Petition to Restore the Hatbox Ghost to The Haunted Mansion
Thanks for your answers so far. My guess would be that I am unusual; I would presume the majority of horror fans, and fans of the HM, are people who tend toward a belief in the supernatural. Some people who are as skeptical as I am about it might react badly to a ride like that, unless they just appreciated its artistry, attention to detail, and execution.
One of the essential elements of the theme park experience is the feeling that you've been plunged into a different world, and that's what the HM does for me. I don't have to believe in the supernatural to get that thrilling feeling of being plunged into that environment; I guess for me it is a fantasy world.
However, ghosts do mean something to me; ghosts are a metaphor. The mythology of ghosts and the spirit world represents the influence of the past, of how the past has such a strong hold on the present, and even the future. I believe that is why ghost stories are so enduring. We are haunted by the past, in many ways, because we remember. We are haunted particularly by those who have touched our lives, but who are no longer with us.
In many ways, they are still with us.
Boo!
.
Those are fantastic. I was going to replace my current avatar with one of them, but the file is too big.
Too cool.
Wow! That looks 3D to me!
Thanks, HBG2. When I saw the D23 cover I thought about attempting the same thing (except the cloning because I'm not computer sauvey.)
How did you blow it up without it getting all pixilatted? (Sorry, I know you hate bad spelling)
I used to believe in ghosts and fairies. As a child I would swear that I saw a ghost raven and "Haunted Tom" the fictional ghost of my cottage. Howver, I have since given up on their existence. That being said, I rarely blinked the entire time I passed Loche Ness.
I really wish they were true. Greed is the deciding factor for my disbelief. There are agencies who are offering MILLIONS for concrete proof. Somebody would've collected if it was possible.
I do believe in hauntings though, but that is more about the person than the ghost.
However, to all the believers out there, good for you, don't listen to me.
Had I time right now, I could go on about the many theories I have. I love the supernatural and ghost stories.
Neil Gaiman said it best in one of this Sandman stories. It was something like "Stories needen't have actually happened to be true". This is true about everything.
Now excuse me because I have to pack so I can play with dragons for a week! (Seriously)
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