Son of "Long-Forgotten Haunted Mansion Effect," or The Thread 2

[Datameister]

"A footstep (and shadow) effect that Anaheim doesn't have?" What could this be? Is this possibly the original incantation of the Endless Hallway that was intended to feature speakers echoing heavy footsteps down the hall before ending with a rush of cold air blowing into the faces of the doombuggy occupants?

That was my first thought, but I kind of doubt it. At least, I doubt that'll be added to the endless hallway, since the gag was replaced by the now-popular floating candelabra.

What I think is more likely is this: somewhere in the ride, a video projection of a shadow (a la our attic's phantom pianist) will walk across a room. The floor will be made of a material that can either be sucked downward in footstep shapes, giving the illusion of dirt or the like being compressed by footfalls. Alternatively, the floor could appear to be stepped on by bloody or muddy feet. It'd be a cool effect, and I think it's doable.

[MaryAnn in Wndrlnd]

Though this is explicitly the Disneyland Resort section, I thought it fitting to bring up the updates on the WDW HM mentioned in Kevin Yee's "Tips Ahoy" article on MiceAge.com:

UPDATED! Haunted Mansion enhancements. In addition to fixing broken and worn-out effects throughout the attraction, the summer 2007 rehab will also introduce the crystal ball "floating Leota" effect from Disneyland. Also, the spider webs at the top of the staircase (near the start of the ride) will be removed, and a new "maze of staircases" effect will be added, channeling either Escher or Hogwarts, depending on how cynical your outlook is! The attic’s bride will be the black widow seen in California, and new graveyard animatronics will replace tired and worn ones. A footsteps effect (and a shadow effect) will provide new items to the ride that even the Anaheim version does not have.

"A footstep (and shadow) effect that Anaheim doesn't have?" What could this be? Is this possibly the original incantation of the Endless Hallway that was intended to feature speakers echoing heavy footsteps down the hall before ending with a rush of cold air blowing into the faces of the doombuggy occupants?

If anyone has any "light" to shine upon this new revelation, please share. This is exciting stuff for any HM fan, despite their coastal residence.

You stole my post!!!! HAHA. I was thinking the exact same thing. Reflecting on the endless hallway original plan.

If it ends up being the indentation in the floor gag that DataMeister mentioned, where do we think that would happen?

Edit: Also, how would that work with the DoomBuggies constantly moving across the scenes. Unlike the Fantasyland style dark rides, which can allow for one vehicle watching at a time, there is no time to reset the effect. Hmmmm.

[Datameister]

Edit: Also, how would that work with the DoomBuggies constantly moving across the scenes. Unlike the Fantasyland style dark rides, which can allow for one vehicle watching at a time, there is no time to reset the effect. Hmmmm.

I got that figured out, too. I was hoping someone'd ask. See, the invisible spirit would walk around the room in a loop, eventually ending up where he started and starting the same path all over again...but it would be a rather long loop, so each guest doesn't just see him going over the same spots over and over again. The footprints start "fading away" (i.e. the floor very slowly resets itself to being flat again) as soon as they are made, but it's such a slow process that it would hardly be noticeable unless you got stuck in that scene, watching an invisible ghost amble around in circles. Normally, all you'd see is the shadow moving along slowly, with a trail of footsteps behind it that gradually fades away into nothing. Creative lighting might be able to solve the fading trail problem--perhaps a spot that slowly follows him, taking your attention away from the faded parts of the trail.

Anyway, it's just an idea. It'd be a cool effect if it worked. As to the location...I dunno. The graveyard is currently the only part of the ride that features dirt on the ground, but the density of the scene would make it very difficult for most people to notice the effect. Perhaps a modification to the conservatory scene would be better--there could be an open grave with dirt around it, and the spirit could wander around the grave. This would work nicely with the coffin on display, since it obviously has been ready for burial for some time. The backstory could be that for whatever reason, this coffin never got placed in that grave, and the guy inside eventually got sick of waiting to be buried and become a ghost, so he started trying to get out on his own. Maybe the wandering shadow spirit is his killer?

Just throwing ideas out there. Who knows...maybe the effect was poorly described in the article, or it won't even come to fruition at all. There are precedents.

[HBG2]

The ghostly footprints/footsteps almost sounds like a throw-back to one of the oldest ideas, as in this 1957ish Ken Anderson sketch:

[Datameister]

I thought the idea seemed to come from "somewhere beyond"! I saw that piece in Surrell's book.

[aashee]

They sure have the technology to pull off a great footprints scene. I'd hope if it works well in Florida they'll bring it to Anaheim with an extra year of experience to make it awe inspiring. Wishful thinking but it could happen.

Chad

[Ess-Eff-Aitch]

I got that figured out, too. I was hoping someone'd ask. See, the invisible spirit would walk around the room in a loop, eventually ending up where he started and starting the same path all over again...but it would be a rather long loop, so each guest doesn't just see him going over the same spots over and over again. The footprints start "fading away" (i.e. the floor very slowly resets itself to being flat again) as soon as they are made, but it's such a slow process that it would hardly be noticeable unless you got stuck in that scene, watching an invisible ghost amble around in circles. Normally, all you'd see is the shadow moving along slowly, with a trail of footsteps behind it that gradually fades away into nothing. Creative lighting might be able to solve the fading trail problem--perhaps a spot that slowly follows him, taking your attention away from the faded parts of the trail.

Anyway, it's just an idea. It'd be a cool effect if it worked. As to the location...I dunno. The graveyard is currently the only part of the ride that features dirt on the ground, but the density of the scene would make it very difficult for most people to notice the effect. Perhaps a modification to the conservatory scene would be better--there could be an open grave with dirt around it, and the spirit could wander around the grave. This would work nicely with the coffin on display, since it obviously has been ready for burial for some time. The backstory could be that for whatever reason, this coffin never got placed in that grave, and the guy inside eventually got sick of waiting to be buried and become a ghost, so he started trying to get out on his own. Maybe the wandering shadow spirit is his killer?

Just throwing ideas out there. Who knows...maybe the effect was poorly described in the article, or it won't even come to fruition at all. There are precedents.

I really like that idea... it would be quite spectacular to behold if it got implemented correctly.

Perhaps, also, if the footsteps kicked up a bit of "dust" while they were made, to accentuate the abandoned, decrepit elegance of the mansion? The way I'd see that working is if there was like, a small fog layer over the footprints, not really moving too much, but when the ghost "steps" a little fog is kicked up to make it look like dust is becoming unsettled.

Although, having been on Indy and other fog-intensive rides more times than I can count, we all know how reliable those things are ("not" being the word that comes to mind here). But hey, the Davy Jones fog screen seems to stay somewhat operational, right? But if it worked right, it would really accentuate the depressed footprints well.

Anyway, just a thought. But a great idea IMO.

[HBG2]

The footstep effect will be on the new staircases. Look at this upcoming pin:

http://p080.ezboard.com/Upcoming-New...cID=2553.topic

[HBG2]

Okay, here's a fun one, at least for the hyper-geeks.

Back on The Thread, posts 1761-64 (p. 147), I talked about a pair of almost-but-not-quite identical pix of the graveyard band, and speculated that maybe they were the left and right sides of a 3-D View-Master photo, just like the two similar Organist shots which ended up as a 12 Funtastic Scenes postcard and as a Pana-Vue slide. Since the Organist shot is indeed on the HM View-Master reel, the theory was easily proven in that case. But there is no shot of the graveyard band on the HM reel.

Well. Just for fun, I played around and paired the two graveyard shots like so:



And I viewed the results with one of these stereoscopic viewers:



And it works beautifully. The 3-D, "View-Master" quality is clear. They apparently used the negatives from an unused View-Master shot for pix in souvenir books and magazine ads. I've discovered, and recovered, a "lost" View-Master shot. If you print off that picture and view it with a stereoscopic viewer, you can see it too. I'm going to play around with the Organist shots, and I expect to have similar results.

What? You don't have a stereoscopic viewer? Well, you can just buy one from a supplier like this: http://www.berezin.com/3d/Optio3DViewer.htm
It'll set you back about ten bucks. OR, if you don't mind a suggestion, get on Amazon and buy one of Bob Zeller's Civil War in Depth books. These come with a viewer exactly like the one pictured above, and you can look at dozens and dozens of fascinating pix from the Civil War era, in full 3-D stereoscope, including lots of famous pictures of Abe Lincoln that you've seen countless times and did not know were originally 3-D (did you?). Gives you something amazing to look at with that stereoscopic viewer after you've sated your Haunted Mansion lust on this one picture of the graveyard band.

[Datameister]

Perhaps, also, if the footsteps kicked up a bit of "dust" while they were made, to accentuate the abandoned, decrepit elegance of the mansion? The way I'd see that working is if there was like, a small fog layer over the footprints, not really moving too much, but when the ghost "steps" a little fog is kicked up to make it look like dust is becoming unsettled.

I thought of that, too, but I'm sad to say it wouldn't work. The Haunted Mansion can never make use of real fog or smoke effects because of the projection effects throughout the ride. If they were to install this very cool effect with the dust being kicked up, a little bit of it would always stay in the air, and the projected nature of the shadow would become sadly obvious. This is one reason why the graveyard uses scrims instead of real fog.

The footstep effect will be on the new staircases. Look at this upcoming pin:

Ooh, good find. I suppose it's still possible that the footsteps will be located elsewhere in the ride, but I doubt it. I just hope that whatever it is, they really do a good job...

[pianoman13]

i can't wait for the new HM at WDW to come out so i can go online and search youtube for it(and if they update ours to be like theirs)

[HBG2]

Maybe we should file this one under "Imagineering never throws any ideas away."

The new effect as depicted on a new WDW pin:



Detail of a Claude Coats concept painting of the Ballroom:

[DarthDucky]

Okay, here's a fun one, at least for the hyper-geeks.

Back on The Thread, posts 1761-64 (p. 147), I talked about a pair of almost-but-not-quite identical pix of the graveyard band, and speculated that maybe they were the left and right sides of a 3-D View-Master photo, just like the two similar Organist shots which ended up as a 12 Funtastic Scenes postcard and as a Pana-Vue slide. Since the Organist shot is indeed on the HM View-Master reel, the theory was easily proven in that case. But there is no shot of the graveyard band on the HM reel.

Well. Just for fun, I played around and paired the two graveyard shots like so:



And I viewed the results with one of these stereoscopic viewers:



And it works beautifully. The 3-D, "View-Master" quality is clear. They apparently used the negatives from an unused View-Master shot for pix in souvenir books and magazine ads. I've discovered, and recovered, a "lost" View-Master shot. If you print off that picture and view it with a stereoscopic viewer, you can see it too. I'm going to play around with the Organist shots, and I expect to have similar results.

What? You don't have a stereoscopic viewer? Well, you can just buy one from a supplier like this: http://www.berezin.com/3d/Optio3DViewer.htm
It'll set you back about ten bucks. OR, if you don't mind a suggestion, get on Amazon and buy one of Bob Zeller's Civil War in Depth books. These come with a viewer exactly like the one pictured above, and you can look at dozens and dozens of fascinating pix from the Civil War era, in full 3-D stereoscope, including lots of famous pictures of Abe Lincoln that you've seen countless times and did not know were originally 3-D (did you?). Gives you something amazing to look at with that stereoscopic viewer after you've sated your Haunted Mansion lust on this one picture of the graveyard band.

Or if you don't have one of those nifty tools you can try this method, best of all it's free.
http://www.angelfire.com/ca/erker/freeview.html it's the same principal as a stereogram

[HBG2]

Or if you don't have one of those nifty tools you can try this method, best of all it's free.
http://www.angelfire.com/ca/erker/freeview.html it's the same principal as a stereogram

Hey! I just tried it right off the screen here, and y'know, Ducky, it works. Go ahead and try this one at home kids.

3-D images from the 1969 HM, only on The Thread 2.

[PleaseRemainSeated]

Lovely! It takes me back to being a kid - we had all those Magic Eye books (there was a Disney one!)
I always could 'get' them. This really works - looks cool, too!