The Grim Grinning Singing Busts of the Haunted Mansion
An effect projecting moving faces on busts, percieved as the first use of moving mapping
Near the end of the Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland, there are 5 singing busts, designed by Yale Gracey. These characters (left to right) are Rollo Rumkin, Uncle Theodore, Cousin Algernon, Ned Nub, and Phineas P. Pock. 5 experienced and talented singers were chosen to record Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion theme song, “Grim-Grinning Ghosts” written by Xavier Atencio and composed by Buddy Baker. Initially, these men were chosen simply to record the song in Burbank on February 14th, 1969, and 5 other actors were meant to be hired to portray the “singing busts” heads. But according to the HauntedMansion.com, the vocal director Allan Davies decided it would be best to have the men who sang the song, also be the faces on the busts. The 5 men shot photos and videos of their faces a week later on February 21st, 1969. The “Phantom Five” are Thurl Ravenscroft, Verne Rowe, Chuck Schroeder, Jay Meyer and Bob Ebright.
The first public display of projection mapping was in 1969 when Disney used the technology as part of their Haunted Mansion ride at Disney land. The ride comprised of numerous spooky optical illusions, including 5 singing busts known as the ‘Grim Grinning Ghosts’. The Ghosts would appear to sing the theme tune thanks to the use of projection mapping, videos of actors singing were projected onto the busts which made them look as if they were animated.
The first known instance of projection onto a non-flat surface dates back to the 1969 opening of the Haunted Mansion ride in Disneyland. The dark ride featured a number of interesting optical illusions, including a disembodied head, Madame Leota, and 5 singing busts, the ‘Grim Grinning Ghosts‘, singing the theme song of the ride. These were accomplished by filming head-shots of the singers (with 16 mm film) and then projecting this film onto busts of their faces.