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[Josh]

This is only a small idea, but I've been thinking about how the backstory for the Phantom Manor is so under-presented in the parks. This could make the queue a bit more interesting, as well, with very low cost.

They could place signs chronologically along the queue that explain the backstory. The top-half would be in French and the bottom-half would be in English.

A man once called Henry Ravenswood (born 1795) struck gold here in Big Thunder Mesa and founded the Thunder Mesa Mining Company...

...He used his gold to build this very house with his wife Martha and raised their daughter, Melanie Ravenswood (born 1842)...

...After many years, Ravenswood's luck soon ran out when there was no more gold left, and the mining company dug deep tunnels under the mountain...

...Meanwhile, Melody had fallen in love with a young man at the mine, who soon asked her to marry him. However, her father did not approve...

...Mr Ravenswood did everything in his power to stop the wedding. Perhaps that was a mistake, because they say you should be careful what you wish for...

...A horrific earthquake struck Thunder Mesa on the day of the wedding, killing Henry Ravenswood and his wife. The groom had disappeared, and Melanie was never seen again...

...Some say she stayed in the house on her own, wandering the halls and waiting for her love to return. No one knows, however, because each night, strange laughter could be heard inside the house, so men have been too afraid to to enter... until today...

The signs would probably used a more spookier tone than I've used, but it would basically be something like that. Hopefully, guests would look forward to seeing each sign, so they won't get bored in the queue.

This might not be such a good idea, though, because it was the Imagineers' intentions to let guests speculate what the backstory is. Plus, the actual backstory has never really been revealed.

[CafeFantasia]

I like this idea. It's a good idea. It would make the queue more interesting, it would give you something to do/read while you wait, and it would help setup the story of the attraction before you enter it. And best of all, it would be really cheap to implement.

Does anyone know the name of the person in charge of Disneyland Park? Does Disneyland Paris have a "president" the way Disneyland does in Anaheim? Whoever they are, they need to read this and do it right now :-)

[Josh]

Thanks.

[DGRavenswood]

I think something in this line might be a good idea.... as you state, however, the Imagineers intentionally didn't make it that easy. It would also be rather "in your face" and not very much in theme.

I'd propose something more subtle. The tagline of Phantom Manor is "Discover the secrets" -- What if you actually could? What if the Imagineers hid clues in the queue and the walk-through part of the attraction (and since it's all connected in one story, why not in the rest of Frontierland as well) which lets guests find out the story on their own? Documents, letters, photographs.... piece by piece, they would add up to tell the story. This is already the case to a certain extent, but I'd propose a compromise between what's there and your idea.

If they managed to build the planned but discarded carriage-house in the queue while they were at it, all the better!