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Credit: Inside the MagicThe Walt Disney Company has existed for a literal century and has had its Mickey Mitts in many movies. However, a Phantom of the Opera attraction at a Disney park sounds more like a Universal Studios move than anything else.
With several cinematic attractions residing at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort, a tribute to one of cinema’s landmark features certainly wouldn’t be out of the ordinary. However, the Opera Ghost himself not only has a claim in Disneyland but a Character Meet-and-Greet and an entire dark ride as well.
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Based on the novel by Gaston Leroux, The Phantom of the Opera (1925) was a landmark film in the horror genre, and Lon Chaney’s performance as the titular role was a monster for the ages. However, before Universal Studios was even a thought, he skulked through Disneyland, scaring guests silly. @disneycicerone has all the details in the footage below.
Disney’s Phantom of the Opera
@disneycicerone It’s probably for the best this character doesn’t exist anymore 🙈 There used to be quite a few more atmospheric characters that would appear in Disneyland, including the space couple, a court jester, the organ grinder monkey and his keeper, and even a clown for a short period of time when Walt Disney wanted a circus as part of Disneyland. 😂 The idea of having famous ghosts retire in the Haunted Mansion came from Ken Anderson’s early scripts. Marc Davis then developed all kinds of concepts for his changing portraits featuring these famous ghosts. Among them were Dracula, Rasputin, Henry the Eighth, Jack the Ripper, Guy Fawkes, and Ivan the Terrible. A few of these did end up in the portrait gallery in Walt Disney World’s version of the Haunted Mansion in the sinister 11 (notably with Jack the Ripper missing the severed foot from his pocket that had been in the concept art) but many of them never made it into the final attraction at all. The most famous ghosts we have today include Julius Caesar seated at the table in the ballroom, and Mark Antony and Cleopatra up above him on the chandelier. #hauntedmansion #roastietoasties #phantomoftheopera #disneycharacters #mainstreetusa #disneyhistory #disneyland #disneyparks #disneyghosts #disneytrivia #disneyfacts #phantommanor #disneystories #mainstreet #disneysecrets #disneypopcorn #popcornturner #disneylandpark #mainstreet #disneyhauntedmansion #disneyland #obscuredisney #retrodisney #disneylandsecrets #disneytiktok #disneynerd #disneynerds #disneytok
The Phantom of the Opera himself has appeared several times at Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights, and has even been featured as a central character. However, the idea of him being featured at the Happiest Place on Earth is more than a little bizarre.
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As demonstrated in the footage above, the Phantom wasn’t just utilized as one of the Roasty Toasty figurines in Disneyland’s popcorn machines, but was a meetable character all throughout the ’60s and well into the ’80s before he was ultimately retired. Even though fans haven’t seen him wandering through the parks since, his career is far from finished.
The Phantom Lives Beyond Disney
Disneyland’s Phantom might have gone out with silent movies, but his influence can still be felt in the parks today. At Disneyland Paris, guests can find several nods to the Phantom’s story at Phantom Manor.
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While the ride takes more influence from the Vincent Price horror films of the ’60s and ’70s, there are several notes to the Opera Ghost scattered throughout the ride. With the Ravenswood Phantom’s penchant for destruction, black hat, and flowing cape, all he really needs is a shattered chandelier.
Although the attraction has received a few tweaks since it first opened, the Phantom hasn’t just been skulking around Disney’s property. In fact, he’s recently traded the Majestic Theater for the rollercoaster business.
No, that’s not EPCOT’s Spaceship Earth in the background, but rather the Phantom’s new place of residence. After the iconic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical closed on Broadway, Europa Park received an immersive VR rollercoaster inspired by the iconic stage variant of the Opera Ghost.
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Of all the horror characters to have a theme park influence, it’s honestly surprising that the Phantom has had the most vibrant career across not one but three different brands. It’s safe to say the Music of the Night is far from finished.
Did you encounter the Phantom at Disneyland? Tell Inside the Magic about it in the comments below!