Horror of the Handles

DF'82 adores the Disney Details throughout all the Disney Parks. Today, we will have a close look at these fantastic details. Can you tell where they are from?

Of course, these are the handles from the main doors of the Phantom Manor in Disneyland Paris. Don't they look scary to the touch?

Fantastic and frightening!

Experiencing A Little Phantom

Halloween may have past a few weeks ago, but I don't think we need an excuse to visit the Phantom Manor in Disneyland Paris, and a chance to explore the grounds.

The entrance to the Manor welcomes us, but warns us that the scenes may frighten 'les plus jeunes', or young children!
The queue area winds around the grounds of the Phantom Manor, passing the gazebo and the pond area, which seems eerily empty.And once we reach the Manor itself, we can have a look at the beautiful Manor grounds.

Mother Is Watching

I adore Boot Hill in Disneyland Paris, next to the Phantom Manor in Frontierland. And back in October 2008 we looked at some of the tombstones in the cemetery area. There were two specific tombstones that we looked at:

The two that belonged to Mary Murphy - the possible daughter of the owner of Phantom Manor - and Frank Ballard. As you can see, these two died in the same year (1859), and at quite a young age, so perhaps theirs was a tragic romance?

Well, if we look at the tombstone that is quietly placed behind Mary and Frank we may get a better idea of their stories.

Ma Ballard

1800-1859
"Over My Dead Body"

We can deduce from this that Ma Ballard, presumably Frank's mother, was not happy about Mary and Frank's relationship. Could her death in 1859 have any connection to the couples' deaths? Only the Imagineers will really know.

Back to the Boot

Let's revist Boot Hill Cemetery at Phantom Manor, Frontierland in Disneyland Paris. This area is a fantastic hidden treasure, which I have spoken about before, and really love to visit. It is located behind Phantom Manor and gives great views of Big Thunder Mountain, and the surrounding Phanom Manor area. You can also get some lovely views of the Riverboat as it passes by the geysers.

Today we have a look at another gravestone which has clearly been on Boot Hill for several decades, judging by the state of the graves. They are as follows:

Jasper Jones

Loyal Manservant
Died 1866
"Kept the Master Happy"

Anna Jones
Faithful Chamber Maid
Died 1867
"Kept the Master Happier"

What great tongue-in-cheek humour in this g-rated Parc!

More Around Boot Hill

Carrying on with our brief Halloween look at the Boot Hill Cemetery at Phantom Manor, we are introduced to several new tombstones...


One of my favourite sets of tombstones ever (?!), these introduce us to the infamous humour of the Imagineers. Can you get the running joke amongst these graves?

These ones tie in nicely to the Frontierland setting of the Manor:

HERE LIES LEADFOOT FRED

"DANCED TOO SLOW

AND NOW HE'S DEAD"

1802 -1866

Complete with his Cowboy Boots.

BARROOM BENNY

"SEEMS HE TOOK

ONE DRINK TOO MANY"

Buried with a very apt item - some bar-room doors.

Our final graves for this trip show Mary Murphy and Frank Ballard. Now, with every Haunted Mansion there are hundreds of stories attached to the attraction, but only the Imagineers know the real answers. I have heard that Mary Murphy Ravenswood is actually the daughter of Henry and Martha, not Melanie as in my previous post.


I may need a research trip to figure this out more, but I personally think Melanie is Henry's daughter, and that the sole unmarked grave on Boot Hill could be her resting place. But as I said, that's a story for another time.

Not Quite Boot-Strap Bill...

In the approach to Halloween, where better to be than the Boot Hill Cemetery at the Phantom Manor in Disneyland Paris?

The Graveyard is one of my favourite places in Frontierland, and the resort itself. It's so full of detail and descriptions, that it really puts you in the right frame of mind for the Manor. Tying up to the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad across the river, the entrance to the Cemetery shows the following motif:

No. 39

THESE MINERS WERE TOLD

ABOUT DIGGING TOO FAST

THEY LOST ALL THEIR GOLD

IN A DYNAMITE BLAST

And if you look carefully, you can still see some sticks of dynamite that have been left behind amongst the rocks.

Of course, don't get too comfortable with the area - we are in a Cemetery attached to the Phantom Manor. Things are bound to get spooky sooner or later...

If you enter into the Boot Hill area, you will be met with a large mausoleum for Martha Ravenswood and Henry Ravenswood. The plaque below stating:

QUARRLED AND FOUGHT

AS MAN AND WIFE

NOW SILENT TOGETHER

BEYOND THIS LIFE

Those of you Disney geeks will recognise those names as being integral characters in the Phantom Manor legend. Henry struck gold in the town and bought himself a large Victorian Mansion - Phantom Manor - but both he and his wife were killed in a devastating earthquake that shook the town of Thunder Mesa. They had a daughter, Melanie, who's story is also a very interesting one - but I'll leave that for another day.



So, it is here that Henry and Martha have been buried. That means they're dead, right? Well you would think so - but at night you can hear some very strange noises indeed coming from inside the graves. It couldn't be someone knocking, could it?

Something Spooky This Way Comes...

The general area around the Phantom Manor is really what makes this Haunted Mansion stand out from all the rest. The fact that it is set in Frontierland, also, plays a role in the spookiness and eeriness of the Manor.

Just past the Manor itself, and the nearby Boot Hill Cemetery - which I will be discussing tomorrow - is Geyser Plateau. This Plateau is best viewed from the Thunder Mesa Riverboat, where you can experience the hot springs and steam that rises from the Geyser and the mud puddles. The landscape is very similar to that of the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming - tying in nicely with the Frontierland theme of the area.

Of course, I don't think Yellowstone has quite the same boneyard that we have here. It really is an eerily silent place...

Even though it's right next door, sometimes it's very hard to see the Phantom Manor through the steam and the spray. It's almost as if it's trying to hide itself from us... But it's just a building, and these are just special effects - right?

The Garden Pavilion

To enter the Phantom Manor, you must first go through the Garden, which intensifies the mystery of the manor through whispering winds, laughter and jovial voices heard in the distance, with the faint sound of clinking glasses and folks enjoying a banquet.

One of my favourite parts of the Garden is the Garden Pavilion, an area in which I'm sure the inhabitants of the manor enjoyed afternoon tea several times. Of course, what makes it all the stranger is that the Pavilion has been left untouched since the last tea party was held. With all the dust and the strange noises, it looks as though that last tea party was a long time ago...



By seeing the Pavilion in the night rain, you can see another reason why Phantom Manor in Disneyland Resort, Paris, is one of the most haunting of them all.



The Manor itself houses 92 Audio-Animatronic characters, 58 special effects and 54 animated props. You access the ride in the Manor through Doom Buggies - similar to other Haunted Mansions throughout the world.



Without going into too much detail, the attraction starts in the Foyer, which then moves onto the Doorless Chamber. Following the bride and the spooks, you travel through the Music Room, the Wedding Reception area, the Bride's Boudoir, the Graveyard, a Western town called Phantom Canyon featuring a Saloon and an Apothecary, finally travelling through the Manor's Garden and into the Wine Cellar.

The Phantom Awaits

To coincide with Halloween, I thought it would be interesting to have a little look at the Phantom Manor - the Haunted Mansion of Disneyland Paris. Over the next few days, I'd like to introduce you to some of the interesting aspects of the Phantom Manor, inside and outside the building. Hopefully it won't get too scary for all of us!



The Phantom Manor opened with the park back in 1992, and is situated high up on a hill in Frontierland, overlooking the Rivers of the West. Of course, similar to its brothers in the other Disney parks, the Manor is home to 999 happy haunts - with room for a thousand, of course.

Here is what the Berlitz Guide to Euro Disney tells you about the story of Phantom Manor:
Home of one of Thunder Mesa's founding families during the gold rush, it fell into decay after the patriarch's daughter was jilted on her wedding day and never seen alive again. [p50]
As you travel throughout the manor, you are introduced to the woes of the bride-to-be and the wicked Phantom that torments her (who, interestingly enough, is played by Vincent Price).



The Ghost Host and the commentary are all in French, which can make it a little hard to follow for all non-French speakers. But, in a way, that can make it all the spookier...

Of course - the perfect time to visit the Phantom Manor is at night. Enter, if you dare. The Phantom awaits.