Gather for a swinging wake as former Disney Imagineer Tania McNight
Norris, part of the original Haunted Mansion interior design team (and designer of the iconic Haunted Mansion purple wallpaper), and current Disney Imagineer Daniel Joseph (Principal Special Effects Designer, Illusion Development Lead and 2023 inductee into the Florida Inventors
Hall of Fame), meet for the first time, materializing for a middle-of-the-night visit with Disney Files Magazine Editor Ryan March inside the Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom Park (marking Tania’s first return to Walt Disney World Resort since she visited the Florida Project site with
Walt Disney himself!).
A grim-grinning Ryan looks on as Tania shares her shock in learning about
the enduring appeal of her and her team’s work (a realization that was more recent than you may think), Daniel discusses the pride and pressure that comes with breathing new life (or…afterlife?) into such a beloved attraction, and the two artists share what they believe drives the attraction’s enduring appeal.
00:01 – 01:01 Introducing Disney Imagineers Past and Present
01:02 – 04:33 Meet Tania McNight Norris
04:34 – 07:31 Meet Daniel Joseph
07:32 – 10:05 The Legendary Hatbox Ghost
10:06 – 14:18 The Legacy of The Haunted Mansion
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24 Comments
I’m surprised that Disney did not WOKEFUCK this movie.
🥰🌎🌌👻
Disneyland needs to get rid of reservations!
The Haunted Mansion is the result of creative people and visionary executives working together to make AN ORIGINAL concept into what has become a classic attraction. LET THE CREATIVES BE CREATIVE. That always pays off.
great video😃
This is hands down the most amazing and timeless ride ever created at any park! No other ride after 50+ years will still be captivated people young and old and having them ask, "how'd they do that?" Sorry Star Wars, not even you can do that!
She has a beautiful Hollywood Glamour speaking voice and I’m in love with her necklace. ❤️
❤❤my fave ride
At Disney World now, this ride is a timeless classic
What a fascinating episode!!! I can’t think of anything better than talking to Imagineers – legends and future legends.
I love Disney World
These two dudes walk all over Tania’s importance in this piece. They should be listening to everything she says and learning from her. Of the 14 minutes these guys talk the most, when Tania’s thoughts, experience, and contributions far exceed theirs.
Remember when Disney created attractions with original stories and weren’t creatively bankrupt?
This company has no shame…. They have ripped apart timeless classics and bastardized every single character Walt has created. Disney corporate is an example of a dystopian corruption.
so sad to see we cant have black ghost respresentation. or a queer ally spirit. Hollywood is still stuck in 2021 and isnt woke enough despite what the media says. If you dont have a mis gendered ghost in a haunted movie you may as well not even bother because I wont enjoy it.
Really love this segment ❤ really want to visit the Haunted Mansion @ Disneyland.
Every HM fan needs to know about legendary Imagineer Tania McNight Norris – the brilliant creator of the HM wallpaper, the Club 33 sign, just to name a few. And she worked with Walt! Thank you for this fascinating interview with Ms Norris. #imagineer #disneylegend
🍀
Me gustaría trabajar en la empresa
I wish the interviewer asked Tania McNight more questions about her creative process and how did the project evolve until opening day. Especially since the interior design of the Haunted Mansion is so unique. There was wayyyy too much boot licking that took half of the video. How are u going to have one of the last Imagineers alive that worked on the OG Haunted Mansion and ask them such simple and broad questions?
Like haunted mansion video can’t wait to see 🍿 big fan❤
Leave the hat box ghost in Disneyland!!! Let each ride have it’s own special things that sets it apart for the other rides. I hate that they are bringing it to here in Orlando. Leave HM in Orlando alone! Its perfect the way it is!!!
Would like to hear more from Tania! She must have many stories to tell as an original Haunted Mansion team designer/imagineer. This interview should have been exclusively with Tania!
Current imagineers should look to original designs when “improving” the ride (for example candle ghost and other Museum of the Weird ideas could be implemented in subtle vignettes throughout the ride. And please update those heads that pop up from behind the tombstones! Mechanism and heads are extremely primitive. Face of bride figure at Disneyland is also a very ineffective and primitive projection effect and was not original to the ride. Use new technology to enhance original designs please, but try to avoid pure digital projections onto a flat surface—they always look flat, cheap, and fake. The hatbox ghost at Disneyland is a brilliant updated original. A ride like the Haunted Mansion is a piece of history that should only be carefully enhanced and maintained. The dancing figures and other figures in the ballroom might be enhanced by adding additional finer animatronic movements. Dancing figures appear too static with spinning movements only. Give them the life-like animatronics like some of the pirates in the Pirates ride. Robotic technology of today can do much to enhance this ride. Classic Disney rides are what keep people coming to the parks. They’re the true magic and deserve careful, expensive, high tech enhancements. Disney, don’t waste billions by building new rides, just make the classics better. Believe me, guests notice and love careful enhancements and new little details to classic rides. I think the Nightmare Before Christmas holiday overlay to the mansion is a big mistake. If you want a holiday mansion why not just decorate things like the doors, ballroom, etc. with classic vintage Halloween and Christmas decorations appropriate to the season? Would love to see things like paper mache pumpkin lanterns, old German die cuts, etc, you could even reproduce these items in a larger size for impact. Who doesn’t love vintage Halloween? Nightmare before Christmas has been overly represented in merch, etc. and has lost it’s original appeal for many of us. Our childhood Halloweens bring us magical memories. Use this in your overlays. You could decorate outside of mansion with Trick or Treaters, classic Halloween decorations, anything that brings back our happy memories as a Halloween overlay. Disneyland is all about nostalgia and happy childhood memories to me and millions of others.