A special what-might-have-been version of Why For

Jim Hill

18 years ago

First up is Dan Ling, who wrote in to ask about the Imagineers’ initial concept for the Haunted Mansion:

Jim,

Jeff Lange’s “Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party” story earlier this week got me thinking about the Haunted Mansion. Especially the early, early version of this attraction, back when Walt wanted to do the Haunted Mansion as a walk-through. Do you have any stories to share about that version of the Mansion?

Dear Dan,

Well, just as Disneyland‘s Jungle Cruise was inspired by a non-Disney film (I.E. John Huston‘s 1951 classic, “The African Queen”), the Imagineers’ very first pass on the Haunted Mansion was actually inspired by two Bob Hope films, 1939’s “The Cat and the Canary” and 1940’s “The Ghost Breakers.”

Copyright Paramount Pictures

Hope co-starred with Paulette Goddard in both of these very popular Paramount Pictures releases. Which skillfully mixed spine-tingling thrills with big belly laughs. Walt hoped that a walk-through attraction that tried to replicate the feel of “The Cat and the Canary” and “The Ghost Breakers” would prove to be popular with Disneyland visitors.

So — with this concept as their leaping-off point — WED’s story guys worked up a scenario where small groups of people would be taken on tours of a haunted house by this smart-alecky tour guide. And the basic running gag of this version of the attraction was — as you toured the mansion — your tour guide would continually be menaced by mysterious creatures …

… Yet he’d always manage to avoid being attacked by these ghouls through skill and/or just plain dumb luck.

Anyway … Just as it does today, a trip through this early, early version of Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion would have featured some very elaborate set-pieces. Here you seen a sketch of a scene where guests would have looked down from above to first observe an invisible musician enter the hall. Then this unseen organist would begin playing a sinister solo.

Sound like a pretty intriguing take on the Haunted Mansion, don’t you think? So why didn’t Disney actually go ahead with this version of the attraction? Well, to be honest, Walt’s main concern was capacity.

To explain: If the Haunted Mansion had been done as a walk-through attraction, then meant that only a fraction of the people who were visiting Disneyland each day would have actually be able to experience this attraction. Which wouldn’t have gone over all that well with the paying customers.

Mind you, the wizards of WED tried for a number of years to come up with a way to make the walking-tour version of Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion work. Among the ideas that were floated in order to increase this attraction’s hourly capacity was building two identical versions of the walk-through. So that — in theory — twice as many guests could then enjoy touring this haunted house every hour.

Another intriguing aspect of this early, early version of the Haunted Mansion is that Walt didn’t want people to be bored while they were waiting for their tour to begin . So — borrowing a page from Disneyland’s Enchanted Tiki Room (Where guests waiting in that attraction’s Tiki Gardens area are treated to an elaborate pre-show featuring the Tiki Gods) — the walk-through version of the Haunted Mansion was also supposed to have featured an elaborate pre-show, the Museum of the Weird.

Designed primarily by Disney Legend Rolly Crump (Who — appropriately enough — had just finished sculpting all of the Tiki God statues that appear in the Enchanted Tiki Room’s Tiki Garden area when Walt handed Rolly this Haunted Mansion-related assignment), this outer lobby area would have featured some truly bizarre creations. Take — for example — this aquarium which was supposed to have had a pair of ghostly fish swimming around inside of it.

Sadly, after Walt’s death in December of 1966, the entire Haunted Mansion project went through some pretty radical revisions. And when the dust finally settled … What was once supposed to be a walk-through was now an omnimover-based ride-through attraction.

And as for the Museum of the Weird … Well, for a while back in the early 1970s, the Imagineers gave some semi-serious thought to resurrecting many of the creatures & effects that Rolly Crump had originally created for the Haunted Mansion’s pre-show as part of Professor Marvel’s Gallery. Which was a ” … a tent show of mysteries and delights, a carousel of magic and wonder” that was supposed to be built as part of Disneyland’s Discovery Bay expansion area.

And speaking of things that never got built, Whitney G. just sent me this note concerning her recent visit to the Disneyland Hotel.

Jim,

This past summer, while my family and I were waiting to get into Goofy’s Kitchen, we killed some time by wandering around the Disneyland hotel. Have you seen all of the concept art that’s on display there? There are some really amazing pieces there. Stuff I’ve never seen before in either the Disney Gallery or in any of the Disney history books that I own. Perhaps you could sometime do a story about all of these paintings for JHM? Let your readers where they could go to see specific images at the hotel.

Just a helpful suggestion from a loyal reader,
Keep up the great work!

Whitney G.

Dear Whitney G.

You know, I’ve actually been toying with doing something like for a few years now. In fact, two years ago, Nancy and I spent a very pleasant afternoon wandering around the Disneyland Hotel snapping pictures of various paintings in preparation for doing a piece just like that.

And — you know — you’re right, Whitney. The concept art that’s on display at this Anaheim resort really is out of this world. It ranges from rides that were originally supposed to be opening day attractions at Disneyland. Elaborately rethemed versions of old amusement park favorites like this Monstro shoot-the-chutes …

Or — better yet — this Donald Duck-themed bumper boats ride (Please note the “Old Mill” -themed ferris wheel — where the guests would have ridden inside of enormous wooden shoes — just off to the right of the bumper boat pool) …

… to this circus-themed outdoor dining area that was initially supposed to surround Disneyland’s Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride.

Sometime it makes you kind of sad to look at these images. Why For? Because they then make you realize what Walt had originally hoped to do back in 1955. Take — for example — the much more elaborate, ornate version of Fantasyland that Disney had hoped to build …

Or the Imagineers’ first pass on the park’s Peter Pan fly-thru attraction. Which was originally supposed to have had guests enter this dark ride by first walking by the Darling House …

Then — once they were aboard their pirate galleon — these Disneyland visitors first would have flown over London town, then transitioned to Neverland by soaring through the Second Star to the Right …

Which is a pretty cool idea, don’t you think?

Speaking of cool ideas: You’re right, Whitney. A series of photos that document all of the concept paintings that are on display at the Disneyland Hotel would be a great addition to JHM. Let me see what I can do about getting a series like that up out of the ground fairly quickly.

And speaking of things that come up out of the ground, Robin M. writes in to ask:

Can you please settle a bet for me? I keep telling my friends that the Imagineers were going to build a Space Mountain type roller coaster at Epcot back in the 1990s out behind the Japanese pavilion. Yet nobody ever believes me.

You’ve got access to all that cool WDI concept art, Jim. So could you please post some images of Mount Fuji so my friends will finally believe me.

Thanks!

Robin M.

Dear Robin M.

Ask and ye shall receive! Here’s a concept painting for Mount Fuji (Which was also known as Fire Mountain)

Here’s a photograph of several Imagineers working on the model for this proposed World Showcase addition …

… as well as a painting of the interior of this thrill ride. Which should give you some sense of what the track layout for this indoor roller coaster would have been like.

And — finally — here’s a photo of a model for the proposed post-show area for Mount Fuji. Which was supposed to have been modeled after Tokyo’s Ginza shopping district.

Hopefully, these four photos will give you all the evidence you need to prove to your pals that — at one time — Epcot’s World Showcase really was slated to get its very own Space Mountain-like indoor roller. Unfortunately, like so many attractions that were proposed as part of the ambitious “Disney Decade” project, Mount Fuji never actually made it off the drawing board.

And that’s it for this week at JHM. Here’s hoping that you enjoyed this week’s assortment of stories and that we’ll see you all back here again on Monday morning.

Have a great weekend, okay?