Why I love The Phantom Manor
My history with Phantom Manor is a chequered one. I remember riding it when I was eight, or nine, and only dimly understanding what was going on. It also absolutely terrified of it. So, when I went back to the park as an adult my response to seeing the ride was an almost visceral one. I was excited to be riding Phantom Manor again, sure, because I’d done my research and I knew the backstory this time. But the first time I saw the ride again I remembered how much it’d scared me. If anything this made me realize just how effective Phantom Manor is as an attraction. And why I fell in love with it as an adult.
The Immersion
From the first time you’re confronted with the outside of Ravenswood manor you know this isn’t like any other Disney attraction. The manor looms on the hill casting a shadow over the whole of Frontier land. Tonally, It’s almost a complete shift from the bouncy, exciting, music of thunder mesa which fades by the time you reach the overgrown gardens and see the manor up close. Walts initial injunction that, “We‘ll take care of the outside and let the ghosts take care of the inside” has been sacrificed for effect and, for the most part, it works. This makes the Paris Manor different in both house style and execution to the American parks. The only nod to a pristine exterior of Phantom is a painting in the ballroom scene which shows the house before the fall. The outside of the house is in ruins, just like the inside.
Which goes to show the first thing I adore about the attraction – the immersion. With Phantom Manor the devil, as they say, really is in the details. The outside of the house is perfectly crafted and the line music is subtle and unnerving. There are unsettling details that suggest the manor has seen happier days. All of this adds to a sense of unease before you even cross the threshold. This level of detail is something that carries on through the ride and continues to suck you in. From the doom buggies to the animatronics everything is perfectly created to immerse you in the Manor and create atmosphere.
The Story
The fact that the ride has an intricate backstory, even if you don’t know it, is one of the things I love as well because it feeds into the rides immersive elements. The story of Melanie, and Henry Ravenswood, and Big Thunder is unlike any of the other versions of this ride.
It centers around Melanie, the daughter of Henry Ravenswood, who owned Big Thunder Mine. Melanie’s husband is killed by the phantom on their wedding day. Melanie haunts the manor prompting the ghost-host to tell you that ‘beauty lived here once, and beauty lives here still’, locked in an endless battle with the phantom. This central story is the focus of the ride and elevates it above most of the other rides in the park. It becomes an exercise in telling a story visually, as well as trying to render emotions. Something other rides do, absolutely, but this arguably does i t the most effectively. If anything it makes the ride more like a film. The ballroom scene in particular speaks to that.
You can absolutely argue about how successful Phantom is at story telling. Sure, it may not convey all the details of the story to those that don’t know it. But the reason it works so well is that the ride doesn’t hinge on you knowing the story at all. Phantom works just fine without it, but it rewards extra knowledge. A large part of this visual story telling technique is, of course, down to the language barrier. The original ride had a fantastic narration by Vincent Price. But telling you the whole story in two languages would ruin the experience, I think, and slow the whole ride down. Instead, the Imaginears trust the audience to understand whats going on – even if only on a basic level. The renovation might add a few more hints though and spell out how the ride interacts with the rest of Frontierland.
The Cast Members
The cast members are a huge part of creating this immersion and, for the most part, are an asset to the ride. Much like they are at Tower Of Terror because they become part of the story. And, therefore, so do you. If you don’t know the backstory well they can also be your route into that particular set of lore. The first time I heard a cast member refer to it as Ravenswood Manor I was delighted. The more involved the cast members are in their performances the better the ride works from this point of view.
Final Thoughts
For my money Phantom Manor is one of the most effective attractions around. It’s not the most high octane but I think it’s the one that rewards paying close attention to detail and absorbing the atmosphere. It’s an attraction you should, ideally, spend some time with. If there are going to be story-line changes during it’s refurbishment I hope they just tighten the story up and won’t involve any major scene changes. This is one of the last few Disney rides that hasn’t been themed to fit in with an IP. And the day’s of these rides being created seem to be long gone I hope we can keep the spirit and atmosphere of Ravenswood Manor going for a long time.
What do you guys think of Phantom Manor? Do you prefer it to the other, similar rides? Let us know in the comments!