Just a Dream Away- The Imagineering Thread*Are you curious, imaginative, dedicated?

[marypops!]

So I know you don't go on the HM George, but that means you've never seen this neat-o effect on the outside of the doorway.

http://www.martinsvids.net/?p=514
^ That video, about 7:05-7:40 in, is the Leota tombstone.

The effect is so well done and so quick that it leaves guests lingering with the feeling of "Did I just see that?"

Or it's gone by the time children try to point it out to their parents, making their parents think they're seeing things.

(Eyes open, head protrudes a bit)

I have actually seen that I saw it when I was in line for the ride. Well I think I did. Didn't see the eyes open, but I did see the head move forwards slightly. Didn't go on the ride of course They also show it on the Disney Vacation Club channel in the hotels.

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

I have actually seen that I saw it when I was in line for the ride. Well I think I did. Didn't see the eyes open, but I did see the head move forwards slightly. Didn't go on the ride of course They also show it on the Disney Vacation Club channel in the hotels.

Oh good!

Yeah it's really one of my favorite HM effects.

(Okay, that's a lie, the ballroom ghosts and madame Leota are my favorite effects )

Little known fact:

The birthday girl has audioanimatronic LIPS as she blows out her candles, you can't see the effect, though.

 

[marypops!]

So... They're lips that float in midair, or is it hidden air cannons? Because that's the pepper's ghost technique so she's not actually there. If she blows the candles out, do they relight by themselves?

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

No see... underneath and above the doombuggy track is a a black box with lights and figures inside to produce the Pepper's Ghost effect. (the glass, obviously, is right in front of you). The figures are AAs, but instead of having a static head (like most) she can actually pucker/protrude her lips.

The candles are either LED or some sort of metal mechanism. When she blows the candles out, all the ghosts disappear.

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

My favorite picture of the dancers (inside the black box under the track), the actual figures, not the reflection.

They're on turntables to seem like their dancing... funfact: because of the reflection of the glass, the women lead the men!

 

[marypops!]

Oh, OK. That makes more sense.

Hah, you can kinda see the unofficial hidden mickey in that photo.

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

Then there's the Hitchhiking Ghosts... a WAY simple effect.
1-way mirror, anyone?
A small spotlight shines on the HHG (Ezra in this picture) from behind the mirror, illuminating him to appear inside the doombuggy.

I usually give them bunny ears, put my arm around them or kiss them xD It entertains me.

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

*self promotion*

xD

Anywho, the reaason I'm focusing on the HM today is because the merch event is today in DL to celebrate the 40th (999 Happy Haunts.. 9/9/09)

And hopefullllly the HBG will be annnounced for January D

 

[marypops!]

There's so much about 9s today. They released a few Beatles things today because of the song Revoution 9. There's also the movie 9.

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

True.

The HM actually opened 8/9//1969, but to match up with 999 Happy Haunts/Room for a Thousand, merch chose to do it today.

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

To get the effect of the stretching room...
Scroolll slowly
...

.

.

 

[marypops!]

I always wondered what the stretching room was about. I thought the room stretched (like everything got longer and thinner as it grew), but now realise it's just the decorations appearing more, if that makes sense.

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

Yep, pretty much. The stretching room moves in 3 parts (cleverly hidden by the striped wallpaper). As the walls go up, the portraits "unroll" from behind the wall

I (think) the middle moves first, revealing the portraits, then the ceiling and part of the wood raises. (at least at DL, elevator-wise)

The scrim on top needs to be high enough for the hanging man gag to work.

 

[marypops!]

Interesting.

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

Hmm.. wait. That info is totally wrong, ignore!
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/disney-faq/haunted-mansion/
^ That has the real way the elevator/stretch room works.

I must say, it's a tossup between which version's Stretch room is better. WDW has the "float around" speaker effect, and some sound effects, but DL's is much more opressive because the wood is raised.

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

"The elevator starts down. This of course lowers the bottom part of the wall, since it is attached to the floor of the elevator.
As it lowers, the upper wall behind the lower wall becomes exposed. At the same time, the vertical parts of the picture moulding (which is flexible rubber-like stuff) unroll around pullys behind the lower picture frame corners. I think the pictures likewise unroll, but they may be held flat; I really can't tell easily. If you are wondering how the upper wall can be going down behind the lower wall, when the bottom of the picture frame is attached to the lower wall, look closely at the nice *vertical stripe* wallpaper right at the outside edges of the picture frames in the distance between the frame and the lower wall. If you look closely, you will see that the wall below the pictures is about 1/4" in front of the rest of the wall. The vertical stripes on the wallpaper hide the split in the two pieces of wall, as the split is right on the edge of a stripe.

After about 4 feet of unrolling the pictures, the entire picture is exposed. And all of the upper wall that was hidden below the lower wall is used up. But you aren't far enough down to get to the lower floor, so the elevator has to somehow continue downward. This is the point where people claim the top starts up, but that isn't what is happening. When happens is that the lower wall part of the upper wall is used up, and hits stops on the back of the lower wall. This effectively attaches the upper and lower walls and makes it one piece. Since the lower wall is still going down, the upper wall has to follow. And it does! It starts exposing the top several
feet that are hidden up beside the attic.

Eventually the elevator is near the bottom of travel (within several inches.) The upper wall, which when up would have partially blocked the openings out of the attic, is now down and clearing them. The crossfade effect occurs showing the skeleton, lit from the side. As the lights black out and the scream crossfades, the elevator, when it is in adjustment, reaches the bottom level and the doors open. (Of late it has been mmuch out of adjustment, and hunts for the level for several seconds, thus the doors open late after the lights come up and the sound stops.)"

 

[marypops!]

I just know one goes up, the other goes down

There are chess pieces on the roof

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

WDW's manse is currently the best of the bunch, though I'm partial to Phantom Manor's much more haunting, romantic storyline and music.

I'm not sure how I feel about Constance yet:

 

[marypops!]

Her face is kinda creepy...

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

The projection is done poorly.. it's on a flat face instead of a sculpted one.