A PC Haunted Mansion ?! Now that's scary

Pssh.  This is nothing new.  When I worked at Great Movie Ride in the early '90s, we were regularly taken to task by the Show Quality Police for not delivering the script word-for-word.  I even got into a friendly argument with him because he objected to where I hung a verbal comma in my word-for-word correct delivery of one particular line.

Hope it's not Surrell. That guy killed the Great Movie Ride.

I don't know about this. If it's a good script then lets see if it works. I have a few puns of my own that I have stated to cast members over the years such as: "Is Master Gracey still...hanging around?"

Now if guests are really offended by various thing cast members say, well lets try this change to the Paul Frees recording: "Where hinges creak in doorless chambers, and strange and frightening odors waft through the halls, whenever candle light flickers where the air is deathly still, that is the time when farts are present...get the idea?

Disney makes changes based on the mainstream consumer climate. The customer may be wrong in complaining about something, but they don't have to be going into a park and spending their money. Disney is a business, first and foremost, and they've never been about doing things that would discourage attendance. I mean, is it too pc of CMers to point with 2 fingers instead of 1?

Ugh...

I am torn. I am a themed phrasing nut and while I put effort into making every Guest's experience memorable I fully understand that this is not the same for a majority of the CMs working at the Park these days. Hopefully the changes will drive the lazy CMs to putting on a better show without constricting the great maids and butlers that the mansion already has. And it sounds like this is only for the show script itself, so the CMs can still put their own spin on answering questions etc.

In regards to guest complaints... a majority of guests do not realize that Disneyland is a heavily orchestrated system of shows and rides where every employee is playing a part, thats why their called CAST MEMBERS. The first thing that popped into my head when I read todays article was an experience I had last week. A Lead and I were flipping through guest comments for the previous few days and got to a concern (complaint) about the Mansion.

It read, "Not a single employee was happy."

They are servants at a mansion that's haunted, would you be happy?

On the note of PC...

Were going to hell in a handbasket if Political Correctness begins to dictate all our actions. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals , the dreams and the hard facts that have created America. Last time I checked most American guests point with one finger, the middle one, and upwards. "Yes, Mam, thats where the fireworks are tonight at 9:25, have a great day..." serves as my standard reply to their finger pointing habbits.

Once those spiels get in your head, they don't go away, after saying them 16 times a day.  I was a Disney tour guide 17 years ago, and every time I drive past the Disney Studios, I find myself saying, "Take a look off to your left and you'll notice the Earful Tower, which is capped off by a set of mouse ears in a size 342 3/8"...

Who do I want making decisions as to what happens at any Disney Park? In order: 1) Imagineers  2) Customers  3) Cast Members  4) the Suits in Team Disney or Burbank

Once upon a time, when only one out of ten applicants were hired as cast members and they got some hardcore training, higher standards, and constant inspections, I might have been persuaded to rank cast members higher on the list. Today? Just can't do it.

I see this as a matter of providing consistently good guest experiences. If the rumor was that a cranky guest complained - great - as with any service company, I want them listening to the paying customers. Isn't that why a lot of us complain/suggest/implore anyway, hoping against hope someone with power will actually be able to do something about it? (hey, slow down mission space; do something with dca, mr gorbechev tear down that wand)

Last few years, both in Orlando and Anaheim, Mansion cast member performance has been hit-or-miss, with an extra helping of miss. I was always amazed in Tokyo that a Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour was even attempted, being a walk-through attraction. The fact that the cast members could give such a consistent presentation visit to visit was mind blowing.

My guess is that someone with connections actually (fingers crossed) walked the park (gasp) and observed cast member/guest interactions (faint). Managing by walking the park and listening to guests...hmmmm...now who was it that started that?

Melanie sez, "Apparently some guests of Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion have been complaining about the "offensive" ad-libbed lines spoken by the interactive staff in the foyer of the building so someone has decided that the staff will now undergo

Wouldn't a PC Haunted Mansion experience involvea "Living Impaired"-type term being used instead of ghost? :P

I honestly think this is a good thing. I go to the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland several times a year. While there is occasionally a cast member who delivers a good performance in character, many times they are delivering cheesy lines in a poorly acted voice which just makes the experience feel cheap. I think this is encouraging cast members who want to make an enjoyable experience for guests by providing them with acting lessons, and it provides a crutch for cast members who are not as outgoing and creative as the other cast members.

I, too, remember the Jungle Cruise "1930's-only" fiasco.  In time, they relaxed the requirements for the attraction, but for a while, it was pretty "dead on the water".

But yeah, mandatory acting lessons for all CMs would be an excellent thing.

Wonder what Maynard would have done?

"Please move to the dead center of the room, squeezing in like a haunted bowl of mashed potatos...Squishy, Squishy, Squishy!"

one of many adlibs I will miss thanks to Disney, once again bending over and taking it from the vocal minority of the world. I think one good thing of the adlibing both here and at JC is that every time you come you are almost assured something new.

It's silly that the quoted Imagineer thinks the new script will top all future complaints.

But isn't it also silly to pass judgment on the changes before you actually hear them?

Oh my gosh I'm going to miss how the cast members used to ad-lib. Some of them were mediocre at it, but some of them were hilarious! (Especially the ones working the queue to the doom buggies.) It was the difference in each experience that gave it that "Jungle Cruise"-y charm. For example, one time when the line was getting blocked up with large groups talking and not moving, one of the maids said -- in a really bad English accent:

"Please continue moving. If the person in front of you stops, assume they are dead and walk around them." Like that'll get in to the new lamo script.

I, too, am of the opinion that if the CM's are to be subjected to acting classes, learn blocking, and can be written up for not being funny (What the H*#$ is that!!?!?) they should be paid a higher rate...also, there's not much "show" left at Disney, since you can see the JC skipper or HM CM in full uniform pumping gas at the local Chevron, or smoking a cigarette outside the local supermarket.  Yes, I said uniform, and not costume...you don't see the guy playing Simba walking home through Times Square wearing his Simba costume...little by little, things are eroding at WDW, and probably at DL, and it's sad to me.  As a part-time CM there (WDW) I still try to keep the same magic alive as there seemed to be when I started in 1990.