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Following up on my thread regarding exploring the real life Caribbean locations used for the attraction, Pirates of the Caribbean, I thought I'd take a closer look at just one section of the Haunted Mansion in some of the Disneyland parks - Madame Leota, and the seance room.
The word comes from the French word for 'seat', 'session', from Old French seoir, 'to sit.' In English, the word came to be used specifically for a meeting of people to receive spiritualistic messages (a sense first recorded in English in 1845). In French, it is much more general: one can say In this part of the mansion you'll note three things in particular - Madame Leota, a disembodied head projected inside a crystal ball, the musical instruments that spirits play at her command, and a newer effect, the spirit writing and face.
Madame Leota: Madame Leota's face is that of the late imagineer Leota (Toombs) Thomas, and the voice that of Eleanor Audley, who also provided the voices of other well-known Disney movie characters like Maleficent and Cinderella's stepmother.
Leota Toombs Thomas, (Leota's Face), and 
Eleanor Audley, (Leota's Voice)
Most people know that Leota's head used to be static, that is, stayed in one place, and had an internal projection device. The head was projected internally in 1995, and as of October, 2001, Leota's head has external projection, and moves about the room.
Madam Leota says the following while in the room:
http://www.hauntedportraits.com/grap...978216-003.gif
The Musical Instruments: By the mid-1850's, mediums had advanced far beyond just rapping on tables. One of the most famous and successful mediums, Scotsman D. D. Home, had "spirits" play an accordion during seances. Tambourines, drums, even trombones were used to convince an audience that the spirits were present.Scientific AmericanFurther reading:
"The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies," by Imagineer Jason Surrell.
Goldsmith, Barbara, Other Powers: The Age of Suffrage, Spiritualism, and the Scandalous Victoria Woodhull. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1998.
Doombuggies.com and grimgrinning.com are also excellent websites for further information.
The word comes from the French word for 'seat', 'session', from Old French seoir, 'to sit.' In English, the word came to be used specifically for a meeting of people to receive spiritualistic messages (a sense first recorded in English in 1845). In French, it is much more general: one can say In this part of the mansion you'll note three things in particular - Madame Leota, a disembodied head projected inside a crystal ball, the musical instruments that spirits play at her command, and a newer effect, the spirit writing and face.
Madame Leota: Madame Leota's face is that of the late imagineer Leota (Toombs) Thomas, and the voice that of Eleanor Audley, who also provided the voices of other well-known Disney movie characters like Maleficent and Cinderella's stepmother.
Leota Toombs Thomas, (Leota's Face), and Eleanor Audley, (Leota's Voice)Most people know that Leota's head used to be static, that is, stayed in one place, and had an internal projection device. The head was projected internally in 1995, and as of October, 2001, Leota's head has external projection, and moves about the room.
Madam Leota says the following while in the room:
Serpents and spiders, tail of a rat
call in the spirits wherever they're at.
Rap on a table, it's time to respond,
send us a message from somewhere beyond.
Goblins and ghoulies from last Halloween
awaken the spirits with your tambourine.
Creepies and crawlies, toads in a pond
let there be music from regions beyond.
Wizards and witches wherever you dwell
give us a hint by ringing a bell...
call in the spirits wherever they're at.
Rap on a table, it's time to respond,
send us a message from somewhere beyond.
Goblins and ghoulies from last Halloween
awaken the spirits with your tambourine.
Creepies and crawlies, toads in a pond
let there be music from regions beyond.
Wizards and witches wherever you dwell
give us a hint by ringing a bell...
http://www.hauntedportraits.com/grap...978216-003.gif
The Musical Instruments: By the mid-1850's, mediums had advanced far beyond just rapping on tables. One of the most famous and successful mediums, Scotsman D. D. Home, had "spirits" play an accordion during seances. Tambourines, drums, even trombones were used to convince an audience that the spirits were present.Scientific AmericanFurther reading:
"The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies," by Imagineer Jason Surrell.
Goldsmith, Barbara, Other Powers: The Age of Suffrage, Spiritualism, and the Scandalous Victoria Woodhull. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1998.
Doombuggies.com and grimgrinning.com are also excellent websites for further information.
Aren't those better than this:
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