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[Ezra]

Posted this on the Haunted Mansion forums but then thought... 'Hey might get some interest on magicforum due to all the Manor fans.'

Okay I've noticed that some folks wonder why the end sequence of the Manor doesn't have the ghost-effect that the Mansion has. Well... its because there's a difference between ghosts and ghouls. And the animatronic residents of Phantom Canyon are not ghosts (well apart from the poker players and the spirits flying around the sky); they are ghouls. Ghouls are solid, they are undead (usually... there are a number of different types) and are most often cannibalistic.
 
A friend of mine says she gets disturbed by the Canyon sequence as she feels they're all just smiling and waiting to eat her. Perhaps this is the idea? I dunno; just speculation. In the Mansion there seems to be two options... leave and get haunted by a Hitchhiker forever, or return and fill the quota of the Mansion. The Manor... well perhaps there's three options... either escape the Manor, become one of the ghoulish residents of the Canyon... or be eaten?
 
Also... its my belief that Phantom Canyon is not the underworld. Its basically a ghoul town (with some ghosts). The town is the old part of Thunder Mesa that fell into the canyon which opened up during the earthquake (pretty sure something like this was stated somewhere too). Its said people fear to go down there as noises and stuff are heared at night. Kinda makes me think that Phantom Canyon is located on this plane of existance. Clue's in the name too. Not to mention you can see the Manor up high before you go to the wine cellers on a cliff. Oh and I'm pretty sure you can see Thunder Mountain somewhere during the Canyon sequence? Maybe? Need confirmation.
 
BTW Phantom's are a different matter, be they ghost or ghoul or both. Melanie on the other hand is a ghost during the Manor sequences, but it seems to be just telling the story. Once we're outside the Manor she's skeletal and looks more like a ghoul to be honest...
 
Of course these are just my opinions. Thought I'd share them.

[perrollaz]

Wow thank you for sharing- next I will see the ride with different eyes!
The earthquake you mentioned came from the dynamite at Thounder Mountain, right?

[Ezra]

Wow thank you for sharing- next I will see the ride with different eyes!
The earthquake you mentioned came from the dynamite at Thounder Mountain, right?

Its unknown whether the earthquake was either natural or it was the Thunder Bird's doing (a deity that lives on Thunder Mountain), angered at the mining.

[david]

You can indeed see BTM in the 'ghoul town' and since you exit the manor through the back (you can see the rear of the house behind you), you might be right about it being another part of the town..... (roughly where main street is in real life!!!!)

[Ezra]

You can indeed see BTM in the 'ghoul town' and since you exit the manor through the back (you can see the rear of the house behind you), you might be right about it being another part of the town..... (roughly where main street is in real life!!!!)

Ah thanks for the confirmation. I haven't been on the ride for five years (though hoping to visit DLRP this year!).

Yes I heard that the canyon is located somewhere to near to the Manor; but I can't remember whether this source said it was to the east or west.  You can kinda gather where its located during the ride though. I'd like to know exactly where everything is located in a canon sense to the story... like the catacombs etc. Apparently the canyon opened up during the quake and took that part of the town. So all those buildings in Phantom Canyon would be the old town buildings. As we know Thunder Mesa was rebuilt and is thriving again even after the mine was closed.

[sailorsun2008]

Hi, I was just wondering after reading through your posts, does this mean that the town you go through on the ride is supposed to be the old town of Thunder Mesa and the ghouls or ghosts are the towns people that died in the earthquake?

[DisneyManiac]

So is the canyon town of old Thunder Mesa still behind those trees opposite to Big Thunder Mountain?

[sailorsun2008]

I thought the old town had been destoryed in the earthquake and the site had been rebuilt as part of disneyland?

[Ezra]

The town you go through is I believe the old part of Thunder Mesa that was lost during the quake. And yes I guess it would be located behind those trees considering where Thunder Mountain is located during the ride. It has been named Phantom Canyon.

[sailorsun2008]

Oh ok, I think I get it now, thanks

[DisneyManiac]

I can see a Halloween Event going on here...

[Ezra]

Actually I do wonder why they don't have a Phantom Manor themed event for Halloween...

[DisneyManiac]

So Thunder Mesa that we see now is in fact has been rebuilt? I thought that only a half of Thunder Mesa was gone and the other half of the old town is what we call Frontierland.


Also where Phantom Canyon is is where the the train tracks are that lead to Thunder Mesa Station, so maybe there could be a backstory for that, like the Mayor of Thunder Mesa was in the middle of connecting Thunder Mesa to the other towns in the region when the 'incident' struck and as the 'incident' was mysterious and no-one knew how it happened the Mayor continued the construction of Thunder Mesa Station and put the train tracks in front of Phantom Canyon to try and 'cover it up'.

[Ezra]

It was rebuilt some of it after the quake, but some of the old buildings survived too; so its a mixture.


Thunder Mesa Depot used to be located somewhere else before the quake, as we go by the old station at the beginning of Phantom Canyon, they must of then rebuilt it in a different location. You even hear a ghost train going by just before you get to Ezra selling tickets... so a train might of been lost in the quake as well.

[DisneyManiac]

And the Ticket Ghoul is called Ezra? Like your Profile?