Syndicated from the Web

Now I will Raise the Safety Bar…

by on Oct.08, 2011, under Syndicated from the Web

Reposted from Master Gracey’s Haunted Mansion | Go to Original Post

…and a Ghost will follow you home.

Dearest readers and foolish mortals,
The time has come. This blog, my friends, will officially be closing on our anniversary, October 28th. I want to thank you all for making this a wonderful three years.
Both the blog and website will be vanishing from the internet, in result, all posts will be disappearing. However, if you do wish to read a specific post contact me, for I will be keeping files of each one.

Thank you again, for reading and enjoying.

For the last time…

RIP,

Master Gracey
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D23 Hitchhiking Ghosts Auction 2011

by on Jul.19, 2011, under Syndicated from the Web

Reposted from Haunted Mansion Collectibles | Go to Original Post

For the right price, these hitchhiking ghosts WILL follow you home!

So, who’s bidding?! :)

Gotta love Disney and their small print. Could these animatronic torsos really be confused for a childcare article?!

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Hatbox Ghost 1969 video clip

by on Jul.09, 2011, under Syndicated from the Web

Reposted from Haunted Mansion Collectibles | Go to Original Post

Finally, finally.. a video of the Hatbox Ghost has materialized in the Haunted Mansion… from August 1969.

Sam and I were clutching each other’s hands, sitting on the edge of our seats while watching this video.. and now we are grinning ear to ear like a couple of grim grinning ghosts, ourselves! How awesome is this!!

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Hiatus

by on Jun.02, 2011, under Syndicated from the Web

Foolish Mortals,

The blog is going to be on hiatus for a little while. I am not sure when I will get back to posting so keep an eye out. I’ll be sure to keep you all “In the Loop”.
I’ll see you all a little later…
-Master Gracey

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Haunted Mansion 2011, A Full Report

by on Apr.25, 2011, under Syndicated from the Web

Welcome Foolish Mortals,

The following WDW report is going to be quite different then some of my others, in that it will be based mostly on the recent changes rather than a full scene by scene breakdown. With that, lets get started.
The mansion’s facade and grounds (not including the new queue) are in tip-top shape. Never better, actually. The Mansion line is supposed to split when approaching the new queue. By going to the right you are able to go the “Normal” way and walk right up to the door, and by going to the left you are directed into the interactive queue. Choosing which way to go is supposed to be up to the guest (and the main argument “pro-queue” people are trying to tell Haunted Mansion fans that are against the additions). Ah, but this is not the case, at least at night and in the morning. From 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 A.M the shorter way was chained off, forcing myself and others, to take the long way to get to the ride. I, in my totally unprofessional opinion, think this make no sense whatsoever. If there is no line for the ride, why not chain off the interactive queue and let guests get right into the Mansion. And when the line begins to lengthen, why not open up both lanes?
OK, for the most part this is forgivable, but when it is mid-day, the line for the ride is long, and both lanes are open, why is there NO CAST MEMBER DIRECTING TRAFFIC. Absolutely NO GUEST realized that both lanes are open causing the entire line to be backed up. There is no cast member, no sign, no anything identifying how you can use both lanes.
Anyway, moving into the new queue…
The divider between the lanes is tall, cramped and tacky. it should be replaced by some sort of a low fence. Oh, I almost forgot:
The Following Description is a bit harsh, those who like/worked-on, the new queue should scroll down to the positive points.
When entering, you run into those over-the-top cartoonish busts. Personally, I like the way they look and are executed, but it does not fit in the setting.

You are supposed to read each of their plaques’ and decide who killed who, but the average guest doesn’t realize this, and think that they are just a photo opportunity. Next up are Marc and X’s tombstones. Please, don’t even get me started on how many people continuously leaned on them or had their children (get this) sit on them for a photo! *Shivers*
The Composer’s tomb, despite it’s faulty art design, is the best of all 3 crypts. It’s music is loud, the “touch pad” does not feel like stone (and actually bends when pressed too hard), and it has ghosts carved into it ( but I already get into that in THIS post). The biggest downsides are the “Crazy” sounds that the Crump inspired side has and the fact that the organ’s keys are soaking wet. “WaltzingGhost” on MiceChat overheard a child say, after pressing the organ’s keys’, “Eww, it’s wet, thats not cool”. To the far left of Harriet’s tombstone is this large green “T” thing,

I have no Idea what it is, but it gets in the way. Venturing forward there was, in fact, a rose sitting on my tombstone. But alas, I was unable to take a nice picture of it because the guest in front of me was leaning on it. The whole area surrounding the Captain’s tomb is disgusting. the ground looks unfinished, everything is soaking wet, and his voice is ridiclious and needs to be removed. Guests avoided this area like the plague, and, as I’ve stated before, it is an accident waiting to happen.

The overall design of Prudence’s tomb is lovely, and actually looks good. The “Whack-a-book” effect is un-doubly the most popular interactive feature. My only beef is that they come out to rapidly, and nothing happens after you push them in. Prudence herself is obnoxious. She sounds like a second grade teacher screaming at you for an answer to her low-class poem.

When exiting the New queue you can see Collin Campell’s tombstone shoved in a corner, which is EXTREMELY disrespectful since he passed away so recently (April 2nd, HERE is a nice article remembering him and his legacy)
Overall, the queue feels cramped and dirty. The water effects will obviously not last, and its sound pollution is horrendous. Yes, the Captain’s goofy singing and and prudence’s yelping carries out of the interactive queue and up to the mansion’s front doors.
My favorite guest quote after exiting the new queue:
Person 1 : “That was kinda weird”
His friend: “Yea, they are trying to make it more like the Eddy Murphy Movie”
OK, lets get positive!
The all of the new tributes, including Harriet’s tombstone (even though it is a bit hard to read) are very nice and long overdue. The hill and all of the headstones that were added to the old section of the queue look FANTASTIC (despite most of them not having full names/do not fit in a family plot). It adds so much depth and perspective that was so desperately needed in that area:

Another, odd, positive point is the lighting fixtures that positioned under the canopy:

I also adore the view of the Rivers of America that the new queue provides.
Unfortunately, that is it. If you are a Haunted Mansion Fan and have the option of bypassing the interactive queue, I suggest you do so. Other than the sound bleeding of the captain’s singing and sneezing, you will be able to have the whole mansion experience the way it was supposed to be.
The mansion’s interior is looking better than ever. Remember how we’ve been complaining for a while about how no one is ever able to see my full portrait transformation? Well, it seems like someone is trying to address it. Instead of one Maid/butler manning both the foyer and stretching galleries there are now two. One stays in the foyer while the other guides you into the gallery. By doing this one maid/butler does not have to rush to the front doors before the GH’s spiel starts. The new process is effective, but only operates when crowd capacity is at moderate-large.
I mentioned in an earlier post that construction was going on in the former “Chicken’s exit” to become a possible “Photo opportunity” with the HHGs. Thankfully I was wrong. The door to the chicken’s exit has been expanded to reveal two passageways. There is a sign between the two that says “For those of you too full of fear, there’s one last chance to exit here” and points to the right. Underneath that, there is a wheelchair symbol and an arrow to the left. Thats right folks, the foyer and stretching galleries are finally wheelchair accessible. When a guest accommodating a wheelchair exits the gallery, they are directed into the new passage that guides them into the exit crypt so that they can board safely:

:
The passage from the loading area.

The passage from the exit crypt
The passage does give off a little too much light, but I don’t really mind.
I think I will move onto the new HHGs.
They really do look great. They are surprisingly three dimensional and very fun. When there is no guest in a buggy they revert to a generic animation, Phineas waves while his head slowly begins to float off his shoulders, Gus sits atop a buggy, looses his balance and falls, and Ezra tips his hat causing bats to fly out of it. Due to some odd circumstance, the computers were unable to detect I was in a buggy 2/3 times, leaving me with one of the generic animations. I wasn’t really upset, because I think all of that head-switching is overly flashy and would be happy with more simple animations, but still. Otherwise everything seemed to be working just dandy. WaltzingGhost, who I mentioned before, recently went to WDW and was able to see these effects first-hand. But alas, things did not go well. She said that the effect broke mid-trip and was replaced with those goofy floating-by ghosts and also stated that under the ghosts were computer codes, since they weren’t prepared for the breakdown. Oh well.
Finally, all previous bat shaped “Servants Quarters” signs have been replaced with these wonderful antique-looking plaques, a very good job by imagineering!

So, all in all the mansion is in good shape, at least if you ignore the fact that the new queue is trying to take you out of the “real world” and set you up in some sort of made up land.
If only management would shell out the money to fix the new queue.
If only…
On a less sour note here are some non-flash pictures from the trip:
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DO NOT SHARE/USE ON YOUR OWN WEBSITE
I am going to be uploading more *Nice* photos of my trip on Facebook, and eventually to my website. A full ride-through of the Mansion will be posted on Youtube ASAP. Both links are in the sidebar.
RIP,
Master Gracey
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New Hitchhiking Ghosts

by on Apr.22, 2011, under Syndicated from the Web

I know the new queue at the WDW Haunted Mansion is now old news and still a sore spot for most mansion fans, but the new Hitchhiking Ghosts are unbelievably cool!

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Corey Burton on voicing the ‘Ghost Host’

by on Apr.10, 2011, under Syndicated from the Web

burton_as_ghost_host.mp3 Listen on Posterous

DoomBuggies.com’s Chef Mayhem, along with the rest of the Mousetalgia podcast crew, recently interviewed Disney voice actor Corey Burton for the April 18, 2011 episode of the Mousetalgia podcast. In this advance excerpt, Burton discusses channeling legendary voice actor Paul Frees to voice the Ghost Host for the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay, which has been installed annually at Disneyland since the fall of 2001.

Posted via email from DoomBuggies.com’s posterous

** Get DoomBuggies’ official Guide to the Secrets of Disney’s Haunted Mansion: Just $14.95! **
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You think It can’t get any worse…

by on Mar.26, 2011, under Syndicated from the Web

Mortals,
If you read my facebook page you are aware the the Hitchhiking ghost animatronics are back, and looking better than ever. You also are aware that some props are added next to Phineas, such as luggage and a portrait. But Dan Olson (aka HBG2) has uncovered the most disturbing photo I have seen in my entire (after)-Life
Take a look:
(Photo Credit: Dan Olson)
Yes, the portrait next to Phineas is of one of the busts sitting in the new queue.
Speculation believes that portraits (or some other likeness) of all five of the busts will be added to different parts of the mansion, as part of their “story”.
A cartoon queue, flat Hitchhiking ghost “follow you home” projections, photo opportunities.
This is bad mansionites, very very bad.
-MG
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Fanmade Friday | Queenie-Pocket Full of Posiez

by on Mar.22, 2011, under Syndicated from the Web

I met Queenie at the Haunted Mansion Art Show at Halloween Town in June.  Actually, I stalked her down after seeing her pieces on exhibit.  I fell absolutely in love with her version of the Tightrope Girl and just had to meet the artist! Now I want you all to meet her, too!

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Tell us about your yourself… your work

I am the artist and creator of Pocket Full of Posiez™ and have been a staple on the LA spooky art scene for a number of years.  Since I was a young girl, I’ve always dreamt of one day being an artist and making my own line of toys and sharing my vision of black and pink stripes with the world.  Now I finally have found my niche as a playful gothic doll maker, painter, and digital artist. I love painting in acrylic so much and it was so exciting to be able to paint one of my characters inside the mansion for the Halloween Town show! One of my dreams as an artist is to have a painting inside the Disney Gallery, how cool would that be?! :)

You can find my characters, as dolls, paintings, and on various handmade merchandise in eclectic stores worldwide. I’m currently working on my 3rd limited edition doll, the deadly cute Delilah. She is a pink and black cutie with her skull topped cup cake – guaranteed to melt your heart when she is released in late 2010 – early 2011.

I also do a weekly internet live on cam chat show called QueenieTV with my boyfriend Hideousboi on ustream. We’ve been on for 2 years now talking about various topics. We end up talking a lot about Disneyland since we’re there all the time.

Would you say the Haunted Mansion influenced your artistic style?

It is definitely up there as an influence. It’s not so much the style of the mansion as the idea of haunting things being so lively.  The graveyard scene is another favorite. Despite being dead, they still know how to have a good time.  The Haunted Mansion is dark and spooky with enough of a twist of humor that makes it non-threatening, that’s what I strive for in my art and my world.  I still get giddy every single time I ride it.

Was the tightrope girl your first Disney inspired art piece?

Yes it was :) I’ve wanted to do disney art for a VERY long time, but I really wanted to establish my own style as an artist first.

Can we look forward to more tribute pieces in the future?

I’ve been thinking about more pieces that I would love to do.  I’ve always loved the tea party cemetery scene.  I’d like to do other Disney tribute pieces as well. The Evil Queen especially!

Do you remember your first ride on the Haunted Mansion?

I think I was about 6, I remember being terrified but loving it. The stretching room amazed me so much and actually believing it was stretching!

Who is your favorite character in the mansion?

My absolute favorite is the tight rope girl. The colors in the portrait are all my favorite and I love her outfit. It wasn’t until a couple years ago that i started identifying with her. A girl on a tightrope with a crocodile waiting to gobble her up. There is so much to be said with that picture. That’s why in my version, she turns the tables. That croc didn’t have a clue what he was getting into trying to threaten her. *giggle*


I wish I had taken more pictures of the art show, but due to certain space constrains and other restrictions, I barely got any good pictures of the art on display (as evident by the awfully cropped picture of Queenie’s “A Ghost Will Follow You Home” painting).  But I’m thrilled to have come home with a copy of Queenie’s Tight Rope Girl on canvas, signed by the lovely Queenie, herself.  Isn’t the expression on the girl’s face just perfectly mischievous?  But my favorite details are the tiny skull and crossbones in the striped background.  So stinkin’ cute!  Thank you, Queenie, for sharing your talents with us and for your wonderful art!

A full collection of original paintings, prints, dolls, handbags, buttons, jewelry, cards, stickers and more can be found at pocketfullofposiez.com and you can join the Pocket full of Posiez™ Facebook Fan Page for daily updates on merchandise, art shows and the internet chat show.

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Disney to remake the Haunted Mansion movie!

by on Mar.22, 2011, under Syndicated from the Web

This one has got to be for the fans!!

Guillermo del Toro will direct a new movie remake of Disney’s “Haunted Mansion.”

The Oscar winner made the announcement Thursday at Comic-Con, San Diego’s annual pop culture convention.

Del Toro said his film will be a scary 3-D, live-action take on what he called “the most precious real estate on Earth.”

Read the whole story here.

I’m so happy I could swing from a chandelier!!

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