Tag: Disneyland

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Haunted Mansion What?

Kali and friends at the Mansion's 30th anniversary festivities, 1999.
Kali and friends at the Mansion's 30th anniversary festivities, 1999.

So I’ve been woefully out of touch with the Haunted Mansion scene lately, partly because I don’t have time and partly because I’m sick to death of the merch-o-rama effect that surrounds every attraction milestone.  I didn’t attend the 40th anniversary festivities that coincided with the D23 Expo back in September, but I did find this cute interactive Haunted Mansion feature at the Disney site.  It features a version of Rolly Crump’s Corridor of Doors wallpaper (for your desktop – basically a larger version of what I offer at Better Haunts & Graveyards), a video clip on the mansion, a stretching portrait gag, little photo galleries, and more.  Oh, and it also features my Disney alterego,  Marc Davis’ April D., morphing from April to June to September to December.  🙂

Go there…

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Fortuosity, that’s me byword!

This weekend, I partook of two Disney classics from the 1960s: The Happiest Millionaire (1967) and Bon Voyage (1962). Both star Fred MacMurray.  The latter also stars the S.S. United States, upon which the fictional Willard family of Terre Haute travels to France! There’s a cute scene during which MacMurray’s character remarks about five carefree days at sea, which spurred this immediate response from me: “But she could do it in three-and-a-half!”

Speaking of the Big U, the SSUS Conservancy blog linked us for linking them.  😀

But I digress!

According to Disneyland lore, some of the stained glass from the “Let’s Have a Drink on It” set of Millionaire found its way into Cafe Orleans in New Orleans Square.  This makes sense, as the film and the cafe opened around the same time.  Further, the glass in situ at Cafe O appears to be a match!

For the sake of completeness, I should also mention that Mr. Drexel Biddle’s home phone booth – also featured in the film – is now located in Club 33.  If it’s not the original from the Millionaire set, then it’s a very good copy!

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Haunted Mansion 40th Anniversary Events

I’m not a news service, but as I learn stuff, I post it. Right now, there are several Haunted Mansion 40th Anniversary merchandise events planned for Disneyland in 2009.   There’s a June pin event, an August cocktail event and product signing with Shag, and a September “Wedding”-themed merch event.

Plan your involvement soon; the September anniversary event begins registering on January 20.  It appears to borrow the general format (and pricing philosophy, puke) of the old Haunted Mansion Holiday dinner weekends (snooze) and plays to the new Constance/black widow bride angle (snooze-puke-choke). It falls on 9/9, a month after the actual anniversary, and on a thursday freaking night to boot.  Boo.

The Josh Agle cocktail events occur on the real 40th anniversary weekend.

More information at DisneyGallery.com.