Oh god, I have no idea how many times we visited Phantom Manor over the last 12 years. But it have been many times :twisted:
Over the years - we tried to find out more and more about the story of PM and Thunder Mesa.
But does anybody know, if there is a complete story? Do the imagineers tell more, than DLRP Magic! writes at its PM-review?
For example - who is the Phantom? Is it the husband? The bride´s Dad? What happend on that unlucky day?
Would be great to hear your stories :D
There is a few Phantom Manor fansites (Ravenswood manor is one, happy haunts is another but i can't get happy haunts working) they might have the story but here's the story from Wikipedia.
QuoteAfter the original Thunder Mesa town was abandoned, the new Thunder Mesa was built, along with a manor. This manor was owned by Henry Ravenswood, an industrial baron who owned the Big Thunder Mountain gold mines. He had a daughter named Melanie, who had a beautiful singing voice. One day, an earthquake shook the town of Thunder Mesa causing many of the residents to leave. It is often said that the earthquake was caused by restless spirits in the Big Thunder Mountain Mine, which was in truth a sacred Indian burial ground. With hardly any money left, Henry was left in near poverty.
The day came when Melanie had to choose a groom; she chose an engineer, who was planning to leave town and take Melanie with him. Henry wouldn't have it, determined to stop the wedding at all costs. At this point, a mysterious cloaked figure appeared and hung the suitor by the rafters in the attic.
Melanie then waited for her dead groom, refusing to take off her bridal gown in case he appeared. She aged, then perished in the wine cellar. Meanwhile, 999 other ghosts and ghouls moved to the manor, and Ravenswood Manor gained the title of "Phantom Manor".
Happy-Haunts has a longer story but it's not working on my computer.
If you type in Happy-Haunts into Google i think you'll get the website.
Hope this helps.
I didnt no there was an earthquake ! :P
I didn't know any of this, thanks for enlightening me!! :D
Yes there are few variants about the story. Some has the earthquake and some not. In some henry and his wife died of the earthquake some weeks before the wedding and came as ghost back to hung the suitor.
I read the first time that henry left in poverty :lol:
But all the stories has the same ending: The groom get hang by the phantom/henry and melanie is waiting all the time. (Some say she´s waiting also today for her groom and you can see her time by time at the windows)
And for the never happening wedding the phantom has invited his ghost friends to accompany Melanie and to party a bit. You can see them dancing in the house :D
I didn't know any idea of the story. Thanks! It's so interesting :wink:
Wow that's really cool! I go on PM a couple of times a day when I'm there!
Yeah. It´s really fun to ride PM and find out more and more about the story.
There are so many details there. You just have to find them :shock:
As many have mentioned before Happy Haunts has the story translated from an official Disney document and while it never outright declares the Phantom to be Melanie's father, it clearly suggests it. And that Wikipedia story isn't exactly correct:
QuoteAfter the original Thunder Mesa town was abandoned, the new Thunder Mesa was built, along with a manor.
I don't know where this information is from, but there was never an 'original Thunder Mesa' that was abandoned. The town simply grew from a pioneer settlement at Fort Comstock once gold had been struck.
QuoteThis manor was owned by Henry Ravenswood, an industrial baron who owned the Big Thunder Mountain gold mines. He had a daughter named Melanie, who had a beautiful singing voice.
Okay, this part's correct. Henry Ravenswood made his fortune from the gold mines and had 'Ravenswood Manor' built in the wealthy end of town.
QuoteOne day, an earthquake shook the town of Thunder Mesa causing many of the residents to leave. It is often said that the earthquake was caused by restless spirits in the Big Thunder Mountain Mine, which was in truth a sacred Indian burial ground. With hardly any money left, Henry was left in near poverty.
The miners ignored the Native American's warnings that the land was sacred and the 'Thunderbird' struck them down with an earthquake (as experienced in the third lift hill on Big Thunder Mountain). This earthquake did not leave Henry in near poverty but dead, along with his wife Martha (their graves can be seen in Boot Hill).
QuoteThe day came when Melanie had to choose a groom; she chose an engineer, who was planning to leave town and take Melanie with him. Henry wouldn't have it, determined to stop the wedding at all costs.
This actually occured before the earthquake but with Henry now deceased, the wedding could go on.
QuoteAt this point, a mysterious cloaked figure appeared and hung the suitor by the rafters in the attic.
This part is true, except it occured on their wedding day.
QuoteMelanie then waited for her dead groom, refusing to take off her bridal gown in case he appeared. She aged, then perished in the wine cellar. Meanwhile, 999 other ghosts and ghouls moved to the manor, and Ravenswood Manor gained the title of "Phantom Manor".
I'm not actually sure if the 999 ghosts idea was ever officially adopted for Phantom Manor... there's no mention of it on the website or any park maps.
Yeah, so I need to get a life... :lol:
Quote from: "SkySurfer"There are so many details there. You just have to find them :shock:
You should head to Boot Hill next time you visit. Ckeck out the heartbeating grave and look for the Phantom in the Manor windows.
The story of Phantom Manor, actually involves the whole concept of frontierland. What I like about phantom manor is it's detail. As for the storyline, you can get a fairly good detailed outline from grimghosts.com.
Here's the link:
//http://www.grimghosts.com/phantom/legend.html
*note: this website may take a short time to load on IE.
Hope this helps,
dlrp-mad :mickey2:
Quote from: "dlrp-mad"The story of Phantom Manor, actually involves the whole concept of frontierland. What I like about phantom manor is it's detail. As for the storyline, you can get a fairly good detailed outline from grimghosts.com.
Here's the link:
//http://www.grimghosts.com/phantom/legend.html
Yeah, this is the alternative 'Phantom of the Opera'-esque story that has the Phantom fall in love with Melanie. However, the 'Henry is the Phantom' story is the official one. When Happy Haunts comes back online I'll post a link to it. :wink:
I'm actually writing a story regarding the legend around 'Phantom Manor'. I'm taking eveidence about the story etc from all the websites around dedicated to it, and writing it all up.
If anyone would like to read it, I will gladly post it if it's wanted!
I'm really enjoying writing it, as the detail given about the ride is so wonderful and full of legend. Great fun!
Quote from: "Lordofthemightybeasts"As many have mentioned before Happy Haunts has the story translated from an official Disney document and while it never outright declares the Phantom to be Melanie's father, it clearly suggests it. And that Wikipedia story isn't exactly correct:
QuoteAfter the original Thunder Mesa town was abandoned, the new Thunder Mesa was built, along with a manor.
I don't know where this information is from, but there was never an 'original Thunder Mesa' that was abandoned. The town simply grew from a pioneer settlement at Fort Comstock once gold had been struck.
QuoteThis manor was owned by Henry Ravenswood, an industrial baron who owned the Big Thunder Mountain gold mines. He had a daughter named Melanie, who had a beautiful singing voice.
Okay, this part's correct. Henry Ravenswood made his fortune from the gold mines and had 'Ravenswood Manor' built in the wealthy end of town.
QuoteOne day, an earthquake shook the town of Thunder Mesa causing many of the residents to leave. It is often said that the earthquake was caused by restless spirits in the Big Thunder Mountain Mine, which was in truth a sacred Indian burial ground. With hardly any money left, Henry was left in near poverty.
The miners ignored the Native American's warnings that the land was sacred and the 'Thunderbird' struck them down with an earthquake (as experienced in the third lift hill on Big Thunder Mountain). This earthquake did not leave Henry in near poverty but dead, along with his wife Martha (their graves can be seen in Boot Hill).
QuoteThe day came when Melanie had to choose a groom; she chose an engineer, who was planning to leave town and take Melanie with him. Henry wouldn't have it, determined to stop the wedding at all costs.
This actually occured before the earthquake but with Henry now deceased, the wedding could go on.
QuoteAt this point, a mysterious cloaked figure appeared and hung the suitor by the rafters in the attic.
This part is true, except it occured on their wedding day.
QuoteMelanie then waited for her dead groom, refusing to take off her bridal gown in case he appeared. She aged, then perished in the wine cellar. Meanwhile, 999 other ghosts and ghouls moved to the manor, and Ravenswood Manor gained the title of "Phantom Manor".
I'm not actually sure if the 999 ghosts idea was ever officially adopted for Phantom Manor... there's no mention of it on the website or any park maps.
Yeah, so I need to get a life... :lol:
Quote from: "SkySurfer"There are so many details there. You just have to find them :shock:
You should head to Boot Hill next time you visit. Ckeck out the heartbeating grave and look for the Phantom in the Manor windows.
Yes that´s the story I´ve read too so much time. Thank you for the corrections!
Quote from: "Atlantica"I'm actually writing a story regarding the legend around 'Phantom Manor'. I'm taking eveidence about the story etc from all the websites around dedicated to it, and writing it all up.
If anyone would like to read it, I will gladly post it if it's wanted!
I'm really enjoying writing it, as the detail given about the ride is so wonderful and full of legend. Great fun!
i would love to read it!! post it for us! :D
definately! it would be great to read!
Me too!!!
Hey there! :wink:
I can't tell that much about Phantom Manor, because I have never been at Disneyland. But i'm very interested in knowing the story about this attraction that so many people talk about. I already watched some videos on the youtube site, and I must say it seems a very cool attraction. In my opinion I think that the version about Melanie's father being the phantom is not very logical, I mean, which father would do such a horrible thing to his daughter? I think the version about the phantom falling in love with her is more convincing. But of course, this is only my point of view! :P
Quote from: "Lordofthemightybeasts"You should head to Boot Hill next time you visit. Ckeck out the heartbeating grave and look for the Phantom in the Manor windows.
Wow I never knew there was so much backstory behind my favourite attraction! Very interesting to read! :) And I'll definitely head to Boot Hill when I'm at DLP in August - is that the bit with all the graves next to the Manor?? Or am I completely wrong??
Quote from: "Snow_White_Girl"And I'll definitely head to Boot Hill when I'm at DLP in August - is that the bit with all the graves next to the Manor?? Or am I completely wrong??
No, you're completely right!
I love Boot Hill. Theare are plenty of jokes around the graves - and you get nice views over BTM and Frontierland... It's usually fairly quiet, as well, so it's also a nice break from the crowds...
It's definitively worth a visit!
I have been searching for more information about this attraction on the websites "Phantom Manor" and "Happy Haunts", but I didn't find anything special. What is written in these websites is what we already know, that was supposed to be a wedding but the groom didn't show up, and Melanie is still waiting for him. There is no reference to who may be the phantom or what really happened to Melanie. I guess we will have to discover by ourselves. :mrgreen:
Please feel free to fix the Wikipedia article!
I like this version of the story. It's very convincing and has great details about the wedding day.
QuoteThere once was an old mining town, back in the days when able frontiersmen were settling in the American Wilderness searching for gold, named Thunder Mesa. In the old days, it was a small town with only one street, a few houses and shops, a casino and a saloon. Eventually the gold in the area dried up and the settlers were forced to move up north, where the gold was. There proved to be more than enough gold in old Thunder Mountain, and a booming old west town sprung up right around the river - the richest in the old west. The town's new mayor and founder, Mr. Ravenswood, built a huge, glorious manor on the hill high overlooking the town on the south border of the settlement. In this house he raised his young daughter, Melanie, and the opulent family lived happily for many years.
The young girl grew into a young woman, and it came time for her to take a husband and raise a family. She chose a bright young man who was an engineer on the Thunder Mesa Railroad, and a date was set for their marriage.
On the wedding day, a terrible thing happened. While the young bride was preparing in her boudoir, a horrible phantom materialized inside the house. Evil and deranged, he fell madly in love with the bride to be. Seeing the groom so enraged his insane mind that he dragged the young man into the attic and hung him, laughing maniacally.
In the ballroom the bride sat alone. Hours went by with no sign of the groom. The guests slowly filed away, leaving the bride alone in the house with the staff of maids and butlers. "Some day", she told herself, "he will come". And so, having never taken off her wedding dress or dropped her bouquet in preparation of her loved one's return, she wandered the house aimlessly, singing melancholy songs of lost love.
The phantom was still in the house, laughing at her humanly devotion to her intended husband. One by one he invited his dead, demonic friends from the afterlife to fill the house in an eternal party. The shape of the house was slowly transformed surreally by the evil forces.
Years passed.
Inside and outside, the house was decaying. Dusty cobwebs cover every inch, the disheartened staff caring not, for it was rumored that the young bride had lost her mind. She wandered the house for years and years, singing softly to her groom while all around her demons and ghosts reveled and danced. Everywhere she went she was reminded of the wedding. The phantom's eternal laughter still carried through the walls of the house. Outside, the once beautiful grounds were falling apart and crumbling. The gilded staircase and structure was dotted with mold and trees and every plant on the grounds died. As if sensing the evil inherent in the house, nothing living treaded there.
An earthquake cut a huge gouge in the west half of the property and the crumbling ghost town of the old Thunder Mesa. The deserted buildings were rumored to be haunted, and anybody who entered the ghastly old town at night never came back.
Today, nobody knows if Melanie Ravenswood is still alive in that old house on the hill. If she is, then she's well over 100 years old. Although no human being can live that long, her beautiful voice still carries over the town at night, though the walls, and night air. And sometimes, people still see lights in the house.
Some nights, when the moon is full and the sky is clear of clouds, you can still hear the lonely mourning of the bride, the maniacal laughter of the phantom, and the faint tinkle of glass and laughter of party guests. Whether she's alive or not, what is well known is that poor old Melanie never really left the crumbling mansion. She waits for her groom 'till judgment day.
You can find a very good video in four parts about the story of Phantom Manor on Youtube:
Link to Part 1:
//http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyG8WcavZwc
Enjoy!
Nice videos!
I also have a little treat for you PM fans: http://disneyandmore.blogspot.com/2008/ ... manor.html (http://disneyandmore.blogspot.com/2008/05/secret-letters-of-dlps-phantom-manor.html%22%20onclick=%22window.open(this.href);return%20false;)
It's the secret letters of Phantom Manor. You can't read actual letters from the ride!
Enjoy!
The story version I put up on Ravenswood Manor (//http://www.ravenswood-manor.com/legend1.html) was assembled from three types of sources: official documents and releases, direct evidence (signage, spiels, ride scenes, etc.) found in the park, and personal correspondence with the ride's creators. For the moment I reckon it's the most complete account which doesn't take any liberties of its own.
Keep in mind, though, that the Imagineers wanted each guest to figure out their own story, which means that there's not really any true or false version, only different interpretations. For example, when I asked about the Phantom's identity, Jeff Burke (//http://www.ravenswood-manor.com/jb_interview.html) (the Imagineer in charge of creating Phantom Manor) replied: "The Phantom is possibly the father of the Bride or just possibly the elusive and shadowy embodiment of all that is evil - or possibly both!"
To some questions you won't find any concrete answers... And maybe it's better that way!
Nice video Simba and like the interview DGRavenswood, i have to say Ravenswood Manor is one of my favourite DLRP sites :D
Kinda off-topic but it's still about PM. Does anyone know why they change the stretch room audio from Vincent Price to the French guy (don't know his name)? I never heard the Price audio in real life but from videos i've seen it sounds great, surely they still have the audio and could just select which one to play, would love to hear it in real life someday.
I've read somewhere that it was because of some french licensing problem. I can't remember where though.
QuoteDoes anyone know why they change the stretch room audio from Vincent Price to the French guy (don't know his name)?
The Phantom speaking was recorded with the voice of Gérard Chévalier in french. To be honest, I prefer the first version of the narration, the one made with Vincent Price. He had a sweet, kind voice, but also very creepy, like a grandfather telling his grandson a story before he goes to bed. That's what it makes that version so interesting, because you feel scared and strangely happy at the same time.
The only thing I can't understand is why they changed the narration to french?! I mean, nowadays most of the european people speaks english, so why did they changed the narration to a language that only a small number (France, Switzerland and Luxembourg) of people in Europe speaks?
It was actually planned to be in French from the very beginning. They tried to have Vincent Price speak in French at first but it didn't work out. So they recorded him in English instead and later replaced it with French actor Gerard Chevalier... You can find the full story in my making of (//http://www.ravenswood-manor.com/making1.html).
I was just listening to the full music loop from The Haunted Mansion Holiday and I am amazed how good it is! They have kept a lot of the famous ghost host quotes, but added tons of new stuff.
The video I saw didnt do any justice, so closing my eyes listening to it, I can see every scene. The streatching gallery's are very creepy.
I was just wondering if Phantom Manor will ever see such a grand re-theme for the Christmas season.
It would mean a few week down time for dressing, but what do we think?
I've never seen this in real life before, but apparently there are grave stones outside the house with the imagineers who built Phantom Manor's names on, and apparently there is another one where if you listen to it, it soudns like a heartbeat!
Quote from: "MinniesBestPal"I've never seen this in real life before, but apparently there are grave stones outside the house with the imagineers who built Phantom Manor's names on, and apparently there is another one where if you listen to it, it soudns like a heartbeat!
Ah yes in boot hill, from what i heard the one with the imagineers names on it is the "Hole in the Wallet Gang" one, from what i heard they called it that because of how much they went over budget in making the manor :)