Haunted Mansion - Soundtrack

Soundtrack

Narration

The foyer, stretching room, and ride narration was performed by Paul Frees in the role of the Ghost Host. For the Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom versions of the ride, different recording sessions were used in some places. The Magic Kingdom version of the ride includes a library scene, in which a unique piece of narration is used. At Tokyo Disneyland, whose mansion is a replication of the one in Florida, both inside and out, the narration is provided by Teichiro Hori, a movie producer from Toho Studios (Hori also provides the voice of the talking skull in Tokyo's version of Pirates of the Caribbean). In 2002, an imitation of Paul Frees (by Joe Leahy) could be heard in the Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom versions instead of the original safety spiel, giving a more detailed warning in the load area, followed by a Spanish spiel. In Tokyo, the safety spiel is done by the Ghost Host himself.

Theme song

Grim Grinning Ghosts was composed by Buddy Baker and the lyrics were written by X Atencio. It can be heard in nearly every area of the ride, with various instrumentations and tempos. Contrary to popular belief, "Grim Grinning Ghosts" is not performed by the Mellomen, but rather by a pickup group. The only member of the Mellomen heard is that of the deep bass voice of Thurl Ravenscroft (best known for voicing Tony the Tiger in television commercials), who sings as part of a quintet of singing busts in the graveyard scene. Ravenscroft's face is used as well, projected onto the bust. His face is oftentimes confused with that of Walt Disney himself.

Releases

• The Music of Disneyland, Walt Disney World and Epcot Center - "Grim Grinning Ghosts"
• A Spooky Night in Disney's Haunted Mansion - "Grim Grinning Ghosts"
• The Haunted Mansion - 30th Anniversary - 22-minute ride-through and many elements of the ride
• Walt Disney World Resort: The Official Album (1999 CD) - Foyer, Ballroom, Graveyard, & Exit
• Walt Disney World Resort: Official Album (2000 CD) - Foyer, Ballroom, Graveyard, & Exit
• Official Album: Walt Disney World Resort Celebrating 100 Years of Magic (2001 CD) - Foyer, Ballroom, Graveyard, and Exit
• A Musical History of Disneyland - 13-minute ride-through
• The Disneyland Resort: Official Album (2008) - Foyer, Ballroom, Graveyard, and Exit

"Grim Grinning Ghosts" has also been used in various shows in Disney theme parks:

• Fantasy in the Sky
• Remember... Dreams Come True
• HalloWishes
• Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
• Halloween Screams
• Disney's Nightmare in the Sky

The Story and Song From The Haunted Mansion

Disneyland Records released The Story and Song From The Haunted Mansion as a record album in 1969. It featured the story of two teenagers, Mike (Ron Howard) and Karen (Robie Lester), who get trapped inside the Haunted Mansion, with Thurl Ravenscroft as the Narrator, Pete Reneday as the Ghost Host, and Eleanor Audley as Madame Leota. Some of the effects and ideas that were planned but never permanently made it to the attraction are mentioned here: the Raven speaks in the Stretching Room, and the Hatbox Ghost is mentioned during the Attic scene. It was reissued in 1998 as a cassette tape titled A Spooky Night in Disney's Haunted Mansion.

A second reissue was released on CD in 2009 for the Halloween season. It used the original title of The Story And Song From The Haunted Mansion and used the original cover artwork. Along with the story from the record, the CD also contained the song "Grim Grinning Ghosts" in its entirety as a separate track. The CD was also enhanced with high resolution artwork drawn by Collin Campbell. The CD's case doubled as a story book depicting various scenes from the attraction with illustrations by Collin Campbell.

Previously, as the Haunted Mansion attraction was in its planning stages and still known as "The Haunted House," Disneyland Records released the album Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House (1964), a collection of sound effects and brief "stories in sound" introduced by a narrator, Laura Olsher. Many of the sound effects, originally created for the vintage Disney cartoons, were later used in the Haunted Mansion ride. Disneyland Records used the same title in 1979 for a new album of sound effects and story situations.