Long-forgotten Haunted Mansion Effect?

[BassBone]

Originally Posted by HBG2

I hope that Constance is not going to be intruding into the main narration.

Ooh, that's a scary thought... And not in the good way.

[BellhopPrincess]

Originally Posted by HBG2

Bellhop, are you perhaps thinking of the narrative that goes with the two rooms at WDW that are not at DL, the piano room and the library?These lines were never at DL.

No...I suppose it was merely my mind inserting the lines in after not going on the ride for a few years and only having the soundtrack to keep me company (this was ages ago, mind you, before I had a pass) and so I thought they were actually in it.

Originally Posted by HBG2

I have heard...from regions beyond...that the Constance theme is only going to be further reinforced as time goes on.

I hope that Constance is not going to be intruding into the main narration.

Amen!!! If Paul goes, I fully convert to a ToT fangirl.

[HBG2]

I keep bringing up the little blurb that Julia Lee (= Constance) has posted at her website. It's still there:

She has also been cast by Disney as the Black Widow Bride for the updated version of their Haunted Mansion ride at the California theme park. Her image will appear for approximately the next twenty years as a young woman from the late 19th century who marries five successive husbands for their money (each more wealthy than the last) and murders them on their honeymoons with an ax. Her final conquest is the owner of the Mansion, and at his untimely demise she becomes the Mistress of the Haunted Mansion, destined at her death to haunt the house forever.

http://www.julialeeactress.com/

GRD and I give slightly different weight to this. If you read any of the Kat Cressida (= the other Constance) interviews, especially the recent one at GRD's blog, it's obvious that Disney's Imagineers keep a very tight lid on info they don't want spread around. Well, here's this rather detailed backstory at Julia's official site, unmolested and unretracted after all this time. GRD thinks Disney may not be happy with it but has decided to tolerate it. I think that if they weren't happy about it in the slightest way, it would be gone. Even if they only gave her a frown, Julia herself would drop it for her own career's future health. You don't want to get on the Mouse's bad side. So I tend to think it's pretty damn official stuff. Maybe it's the story that will be more fully articulated in Florida?

(edit to add: not that it matters, but we're about to go 40,000 views)

[HBG2]

Just an addendum to the report by "ghosthost01" that Smelly cited. wdwcaretaker, a very reliable, very knowledgable source, confirms that everything in that report is true. He adds a few more details: the Ectoplasm (wandering light) effect in the Séance room is history. Whether that means it will be replaced with a Face effect like DL's is not clear, but the old, original effect has gone to Yesterland.

[2DieFR]

Just another tidbit about the ghost host's spiel. Sometime recently, like in the past two years or so, the place where you hear the following line was changed:

"Ooh, I didn't mean to frighten you prematurely, hm-hm-hm-hm! The real chills come later. Now, as they say, 'look alive,' and we'll continue our little tour. And let's all stay together, pleease."

This line used to be heard after the stretch room doors opened in the hallway entrance; however, now it is heard in the stretch room itself immediately when the lights come back on. I remember liking the change because you're a lot more likely to hear it and it works better with what just happened.

[bytemaster]

Originally Posted by AwesomeMan33

I wouldn't say they took out narration, I would say they take out the dead air in the narration from the soundtrack

True... The Haunted Mansion is full of dead air.

[HBG2]

wdwcaretaker is now reporting that the attic pop-ups at WDW will not be transplanted. They're simply gone, like the ones at DL. There are also going to be changes of some kind to the Sinister 11 (= eyes-follow-you portraits).

With regard to the earlier report about ghosts now joining you via the audio system, I wonder if that has anything to do with the rumors of interactive HHG's coming our way?

[AwesomeMan33]

we're taking our honeymoon at WDW in October just as they're referb ends which I believe around Sept, so we will get to see whats up first hand which will be cool.

[GRD999]

The Sinister 11 is being repainted from what I have heard. Not so sure about interactive HHG's at this point though. They are really toying around with 3D audio as much as they can and also directional audio (audio you can only hear from certain spots). So, dunno. I know its an all new system.

[SmellyOrangutan]

I wonder if, with this new audio system, they can somehow make it where you don't hear the Ghost Host audio in other people's buggies

[AwesomeMan33]

its not that bad, I don't even notice it, just try not to listen to others buggies and you should do fine

[SmellyOrangutan]

from Screamscape:

2007 - Haunted Mansion Refurbishment - (6/6/07) A Screamscape reader encountered a survey group asking questions at the exit of the Haunted Mansion the other day. Rather than asking the typical marketing questions, these were all focused on the Haunted Mansion itself where they wanted to know guests favorite parts of the ride, what they thought of the queue, the cast member interaction, the current audio system, if the Mansion appealed to kids under 5, 5-12 or more to an older audience and so on. Sounds like they’re trying to gauge better about what to tweak and what may be considered taboo.

[HBG2]

That's interesting, but I don't see much justification for the specific conclusion they draw, based on the questions they describe. Sounds like the kind of data they would always be interested in collecting and updating.


Okay, trivia question time.

Who is Big Jake?

[AwesomeMan33]

"Here lies my good dog Jake. Chasing a toad down a well was his fate" the tomb stone reads....or are we talking about the John Wayne film?

[SilentDante]

Are you talking about the Big Jake from the Pet Cemetary? Or is there a more detailed answer?