Since August 9, 1969, the Haunted Mansion has been a staple ride of the Disney Theme Parks. Nearly every park has their own version, with France sporting the Phantom Manor and Hong Kong featuring the Mystic Manor. No matter which Haunted Mansion you go to, though, there are always 999 Happy Haunts spending their afterlives within its walls.
With so many potential guests to choose from, the upcoming Haunted Mansion film has a big job. While we have seen a number of the more well-known spirits featured in the trailers, there are some we have yet to see. Others appear in the trailers, but only as cameos, making their roles in the film uncertain. These 10 ghosts in particular are some of the biggest characters from the Haunted Mansion ride, and as such, they deserve a spot in the upcoming film.
10 Madame Leota
"Serpents and Spiders, tail of a rat; call in the spirits, wherever they're at." Madame Leota is one of the most famous ghosts from the Haunted Mansion ride. A spectral head in a crystal ball, Leota floats above a séance table in the center of one of the Mansion's rooms. From this vantage point, she calls on the spirits, asking them to present themselves to the viewer as you leave for the ballroom.
Madame Leota is already confirmed to be in the film, played by the incredible Jamie Lee Curtis. Leota is seen speaking with the group of exorcists and investigators, saying that she will help them for three dollars. However, we have also seen Curtis' character in another form. Alive and well, Madame Leota seems to come to the Mansion early in the film.
This seems to match the story told in the Disney Kingdoms' Haunted Mansioncomic. In that story, Leota's great supernatural power comes from her dying inside the powerful supernatural building. Given Curtis' pedigree and Leota's role as guide and summoner of the spirits, we are almost guaranteed that this character will play a major role in the film.
9 Hitchhiking Ghosts
In one of the final scenes of the ride, just after visiting the Mansion's graveyard, guests are given a warning by the Ghost Host. "Beware of Hitchhiking Ghosts! They have chosen you to fill our quota, and they'll haunt you until you return." As the guests' Doom Buggies pass by a series of mirrors, they find that they have been joined by these horrifying passengers.
Chained Gus, top-hatted Phineas, and skeletal Ezra are three of the most famous and marketed characters from the Haunted Mansion ride, so it only makes sense for them to make a big appearance in the film. Luckily, we have seen a brief glimpse of these three in some of the trailers but only as a passing cameo. We don't know what role, if any, these characters will play in the film, but they have made only minor appearances in Muppets Haunted Mansion and The Haunted Mansion films. Maybe the 2023 reboot will bring these characters into that spectral spotlight.
8 The Changing Portraits
In one scene from the Haunted Mansion trailer, we see LaKeith Stanfield's Ben walking through a hallway. A painting is constantly repeated, each iteration more and more macabre. This is but one example of the Haunted Mansion's famous Changing Portraits. The ride takes a detour through the Mansion's Portrait Gallery, and in the flashes of lightning, the paintings change. A knight on horseback becomes the Headless Horseman; a beautiful woman sprawled on a couch shape-shifts into a monstrous were-cat. While these and several others look like simple paintings, these portraits are actually members of the ghostly gang that spends their afterlife in the Mansion.
The Changing Portraits themselves would be fairly simple to include in the film, and given that we have seen the Ghost Host's portrait featured in the trailer, there's a good chance that the rest of the paintings from the ride will make an appearance. We have also seen the Portrait Gallery from the ride featured in posters and other marketing materials. While the paintings themselves might not play a big role in the film, the place where they hang most certainly will.
7 The Sinister 11
Another group of haunted portraits, the Sinister 11 don't actually exist as a group in any of the rides anymore. Some of these dark, macabre portraits still appear in the queue and in the Portrait Gallery, but they likely were too dangerous to keep together. For you see, the Sinister 11 were a group of murderers and monsters, their spirits staring at guests with glowing eyes as they pass through into the Mansion's library.
Again, the Portrait Gallery has been seen in many marketing materials for Haunted Mansion, so these paintings will likely make at least a cameo appearance. However, there is one character from the Sinister 11 that seems guaranteed to play a major role. In one scene from the first trailer, Ben is attempting to sleep in the Mansion, but as he opens a door in his bedroom, he finds an ocean behind it. A harpoon comes flying at him, one that is eerily similar to the harpoon wielded by the Mariner. This sea drenched, and coral-encrusted monster is a notable member of the Sinister 11, so it is possible that the other members might step free of their portraits in the film.
6 The Singing Busts
Uncle Theodore, Phineas P. Pock, Rollo Rumkin, Cousin Algernon, and Ned Nub are some of the most famous characters from the Haunted Mansion ride, though chances are you've never heard their names. Known as the Singing Busts, every adaptation of the ride has brought these characters to life. The Busts are known for singing the title song "Grim, Grinning Ghosts" in the graveyard sequence, showcasing some of the best holographic technology in the parks. They all also make a second appearance in the ride, their names found amidst the pun-filled tombstones outside in the queue.
While their famous song will likely make it into the film in some way, there are other opportunities for these beloved characters. In 2003's The Haunted Mansion, they were responsible for one of the film's funniest moments. As Eddie Murphy's Jim Evers tries to find his way around the Mansion's grounds, he stumbles upon the group and asks for directions. In true barbershop fashion, the group sings their directions in perfect a cappella. While it is unlikely the 2023 reboot will repeat the same joke, there is still a good chance for these characters to make another big screen appearance.
5 The Ballroom Dancers
Swinging through the air to the song of the ghostly Organist, the ballroom dancers are an example of one of the Disney company's oldest and most famous optical illusions. While the Dancers don't necessarily have any major backstory, their appearance in the ride is iconic. The first time you see the glowing ghosts of animatronics spinning in the air is unforgettable. While Madame Leota is by far the most recognizable name on this list, few other characters from the ride are as beloved by theme park goers as the Ballroom Dancers. As such, they deserve a large role in the movie.
Admittedly, we have seen the Ballroom Dancers shown in the trailers for the film, with the scene itself seeming to move beyond the waltzes we see in the ride to other cultural dances. In one sequence from the trailer, we even see some Spanish flamenco dancing portrayed by a massive group of dead dancers. The chance to push the limits with the CGI in this dance sequence is exciting, as the large cast and the subsequent effects will likely play a big role in the film.
4 The Executioner
The Executioner is as his name suggests: a hooded, medieval executioner with a giant axe. He appears in the graveyard party scene alongside Gus, one of the hitchhiking ghosts mentioned earlier, and a headless knight. The knight is a reminder that while the group stands singing the title track jovially, the Executioner is likely responsible for many of the spirits trapped in the Mansion.
While most of the characters featured in this list are well-known names to fans, most have probably overlooked the Executioner. More than his obscurity, though, his existence in the film would likely rely on what role the Hitchhiking Ghosts play. Gus is also known as the Prisoner, captured and awaiting execution by this character. If Gus and the other hitchhikers play even a remotely major role, then the Executioner should as well. We at least need to see him cameo alongside some of the other more obscure spirits in the bigger group scenes.
3 Madames Renatta and Carlotta
Renatta and Carlotta are wholly unique on this list. While the other characters introduced in the Haunted Mansion ride are paintings, animatronics, or holograms, these illustrious Madames are living, breathing people (playing unliving, ghostly characters). Madame Renatta and Madame Carlotta are a pair of sisters that appear once a year during the Halloween events at the Disney World park. Played by cast members, these spirits are a fun Easter egg for fans of the parks visiting during the spookiest time of the year.
While these twin sisters have yet to appear in any other media outside the ride itself, Renatta and Carlotta would be perfect for the Haunted Mansion film. After all, if Disney wants to draw in fans of the ride, packing in as many Easter eggs as possible makes sense. Renatta and Carlotta, while incredibly obscure characters, are also two of the only characters that can appear outside the Mansion. This could give the filmmakers plentiful opportunities to inject some scares or silliness into the film by having the twins follow the characters out of the mansion.
2 Pickwick
This pudgy, Dickensian gentleman has been a part of the ride since the very beginning. Pickwick can be seen above the Ballroom Dancers, swinging from the chandelier, long before singer Sia ever got the idea. While the ride version of the character is rather "blink-and-you'll-miss-it," other media gives Pickwick his proper due. In the Disney Kingdoms Haunted Mansion comic book series, Pickwick acts as a guide for the young protagonist, taking him deeper into the Mansion and defending him from the villainous Captain.
While we do see Pickwick briefly in the ballroom sequences in the trailers, he is like so many of the other characters on this list in that we don't know what role if any he will play in the film. Given that he is little more than a small detail in the ride, chances are that we will only see him for the brief cameo from the trailers. However, for those who have read the Disney Kingdoms' comics, it would be a great reference to see Pickwick have a bigger role in the film. After all, other than Madame Leota, Pickwick is one of the few named members of the Happy Haunts, suggesting that he has some importance to the story of the ride.
1 Captain Gore
The pirate Captain Gore is singularly unique on this list because, unlike even Renatta and Carlotta, he doesn't actually appear in any of the Haunted Mansion rides around the world. In fact, Gore never made it past the concept art stage. Conceived by Imagineer Ken Anderson, Gore's only appearance outside Anderson's paintings is in the Disney Kingdoms comic book. Here, the Captain is transformed into the main villain of the series, trapping and manipulating the spirits of the Mansion with his dark magic. Like Madame Leota, he died in the Mansion walls, giving him great control over its dark energies.
The inclusion of Captain Gore in Haunted Mansion is unlikely beyond a cameo appearance. Given that Jared Leto's Hatbox Ghost is acting as the villain of this movie, Gore's inclusion may confuse matters. Nevertheless, paying tribute to Ken Anderson's creations, responsible for so much of the ride's aesthetic and so many of its characters, would be satisfying for fans of the ride. While Gore himself may not make his big screen debut, perhaps others of Anderson's unused concept art will make it into the film.
Comments
Post a Comment