Once upon a time, just outside the gate to the right of the Haunted Mansion's entrance was a pet cemetery. It was hidden from public view and created in the early 80s by Imagineer Kim Irvine. Kim has a spiritual connection to the Haunted Mansion as her mother is Leota Tooms - Madame Leota as well as little Leota inside of the attraction.
The idea was such a hit with the Imagineers that they moved them to the public queue in 1993. The cemetery has been expanded over the years. Let's take a closer look.
Memorial wall.
Here lies Long Legged Jeb
Got tangled up in his very own web.
In memory of my rat
Whom I loved
Now he resides in the realms up above
Beloved Lilac
Long on curiosity...short on common scents
1847
Roddy
Our friend until the end.
FiFi
Old Fly Bait
He croaked
August 9, 1869
Rosie
She was a poor little Pig but she bought the Farm
1849
This little bunny has a nice view.
The Mansion's favorite feline and her little...friends?
During the Holidays, Oogie Boogie pays a visit to the Pet Cemetery.
In 2009,Disney hired the artist SHAG to celebrate the attraction's 40th anniversary. As you can see, SHAG was also inspired by our poor departed friends.
Great shots! Thanks for reproducing all of the text.
ReplyDeleteFits perfectly with the season! Great post, Sam.
ReplyDeleteAbout four years ago a friend of mine told me that he saw at one of the NFFC collector Show and Sales what was represented by the seller as art done as a possible concept for giving the Mansion exterior and grounds a more aged, rundown look. Unfortunately, it was mentioned to me after the fact, so I didn't have a chance to go back and see it. It had interested me because an Imagineer had once told me that they were considering giving the Mansion a more "haunted" appearance on the outside. Ultimately, they did that with the landscaping, but, didn't age down the house. I have searched on the Internet, but, have not been able to find any such art. Would love to see it and hear what the plans had been!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I live in Pasadena, too.
The original concept, as drafted by Ken Anderson and then made famous in a painting by Sam McKim, showed the Haunted Mansion as a run down building. It was Walt who stated that he wanted it clean. He figured the ghost can do whatever they want inside but at Disneyland everything is clean and fresh. In the end, they implemented a run down version at Disneyland Paris. You can find the illustrations in the book "The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies" by Jason Surrell.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading the blog.