The Original Disneyland Hearse (with Splash Mountain in the Background)
The Hearse is a set-piece found outside of the Haunted Mansions in California and Florida.
Disneyland[]
History[]
The Hearse was bought by Disneyland in the early 1990s from Malibu antiques dealer Dale Rickards. It was originally intended for an Indiana Jones themed stunt show which was never made and so imagineer Bob Baranick (who convinced the Disneyland heads to buy the hearse in the first place) proposed that they use the Hearse for decoration outside of the Haunted Mansion.
However, believing that a hearse on its own didn't make enough sense story-wise, Imagineer Tony Baxter proposed that they hitch the Hearse to a girdle made so that it appears to float in midair, making it look as if there was a phantom horse wearing it. Baxter here was inspired by a gimmicked toy which was made to look like a leash and collar connected to an invisible dog.
Urban-Legends[]
A popular myth revolving around the Hearse is that it was originally used to transport the corpse of historic Mormon patriarch Brigham Young. This myth is however completely untrue as in reality Young's remains were carried on a platform by clerks and employees, as stated in his will.
Appearance[]
The Hearse found outside of the New Orleans Mansion is bone white and decorated with ornate carvings surrounding windows which look into the casket area revealing a sign from the Haunted Mansion's Ghost Relations Department which reads, "Reservations Accepted. Ghost Relations Department, Disneyland. Please do not apply in person!". Its most distinguishing feature is the girdle mounted on what appears to be an invisible phantom horse. Every so often, the hearse plays an audio track of a horse's whinny.
The Magic Kingdom's Hearse
Walt Disney World[]
History[]
This hearse was previously a movie prop used in the western film The Sons of Katie Elder (1965).
Urban-Legends[]
Just like its Disneyland counterpart, the hearse of Liberty Square has its own urban-myths surrounding it. Namely, the hearse is said to have held (or still secretly be holding) the bones of child-actor Bobby Driscoll (1937-1968). This is however untrue as his remains are located on Hart Island, New York.
Driscoll is well known for the roles which he performed at Disney including the likes of Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island (1950), the protagonist Johnny in Disney's infamous film Song of the South (1946), and for voicing Peter Pan in Peter Pan (1953). After a troubled adulthood, Driscoll died at the age of 31 in New York City from heart-failure brought on by the usage of narcotics (mixed with alcohol).
Appearance[]
The hearse outside of the Hudson River Valley Mansion is much more gothic than its Disneyland counterpart. It is all black and features none of the ornate carvings of the original but ultimately appears much darker than its California equivalent.
While not having the Ghost Relations Department sign, this hearse features the addition of a lead attached to the girdle which is floating as if being held by a phantom hearse driver. Also, when exiting the ride, guests can see horseshoe prints in the pavement leading to the spot where the phantom horse is positioned. During special times at the Magic Kingdom such as Halloween or the Haunted Mansion's anniversary, guests can take a photo in front of the hearse which reveals a ghostly figure sitting atop it in the driver's seat, holding onto the reigns.
In Other Media[]
2003 Film[]
A hearse is featured in this film, albeit being pulled by a skeleton horse rather than an invisible one. The hearse is lead by the ghost Ezra who fights with his wife Emma for control of the reins. The two of them use the hearse to transport the Evers family through the graveyard and inadvertently pick up some Hitchhiking Ghosts.
Trivia[]
- Phantom Manor in Disneyland Paris was planned to have its own adaptations of the hearse and invisible horse. The planned queue for the attraction would have been the Ravenswood Family's carriage-house and outside the carriage-house would have been a hearse belonging to Thunder Mesa's undertaker J. Nutterville. It was planned for cast-members portraying Nutterville to sometimes make appearances by the hearse, taking the measurements of guests as they pass by so he could best make their coffins. Within the carriage house itself there would have been an invisible horse named Black Thunder which would have been heard in its stall alongside the ride's villainous Phantom laughing.
- In the 2023 movie, a ghost horse follows Harriet.