3. The Hatbox Ghost

Attraction: Haunted Mansion
Location: Disneyland

When it comes to memorable characters, the Haunted Mansion has them in spades. That's largely thanks to Marc Davis, one of Disney's "Nine Old Men" animators turned Imagineer, and Walt's personal go-to for improving Disneyland's earliest rides with a filmmakers eye. Davis had a particular eye for character, and scenes that bear his touch can be instantly pointed out by fans of Imagineering for their perfectly-staged vignettes and impossible to forget characters... think of the Jungle Cruise's elephant bathing pool or the trapped safari ("They always get the point in the end"), the caricatured casts of the Modern Marvels: Country Bear Jamboree and Carousel of Progress, and even the would-be wonder that was meant to be Magic Kingdom's masterpiece, the Possibilityland: Western River Expedition.

Image: Disney

Just as he'd done for Pirates, it's Marc's definitive style that fueled the second half of the Haunted Mansion, with Madame Leota, the Hitchhiking Ghosts, the singing spooks of the graveyard, and the original Bride all easily identifiable as remains of Marc Davis' style. But then there's the one that got away – the Hatbox Ghost. A relatively simple set-up, the Hatbox Ghost was a genuinely unsettling spirit – emaciated, grimacing, and hunched over, balancing on a wobbling cane and holding out a hatbox. Brought to life as a physical effect, the Ghost's head would disappear from his body and re-appear in the hatbox – a haunting effect that would've bamboozled audiences.

While the effect amazed designers in Glendale, when installed in the Mansion for Cast Member previews, the ambiant light from the surrounding scene spoiled the effect, leading to the ghost's disappearance before he'd ever been seen by the public, and generating a viral cult obsession with the lost ghost. That made the Hatbox Ghost an invisible anchor of the attraction, appearing on merchandise for years

Image: Disney

Finally, in 2015, a cutting-edge version of the Hatbox Ghost materialized inside of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion, completing the character's 46 year journey. That said, another anonymous spectre must've moved on to "the other side," because the Haunted Mansion is still home to only 999 happy haunts with room for a thousand. And most of them are iconic across generations thanks to Davis and his peers.

It's also worth noting that Disneyland Paris' version of the dark ride is unlike the rest. Located in the park's Frontierland, Phantom Manor wraps the ride in an entirely original story that draws from the romance and intrigue of the Old West and tells the tale of the beautiful Melanie Ravenswood, who falls for a lowly miner working at her father's gold mine – Big Thunder Mountain. Yes, the land-encompassing tale of Thunder Mesa is one of the more spectacular stories Disney Imagineering has ever told, and we chronicled the ride's design and explored what's inside in its own standalone feature, Modern Marvels: Phantom Manor.

2. Albert

Image: Disney

Attraction: Mystic Manor
Location: Hong Kong Disneyland

Speaking of Haunted Mansions, when Hong Kong Disneyland opened without one, fans instantly began to wonder if – or where – one might materialize inside the tiny park. Especially since the ride had never been built in the same land twice in its four prior installations, rumors suggested Hong Kong might one day welcome a Haunted Mansion in Adventureland – a clever idea! Clever enough, in fact, that Disney did one better, creating an entire new land centered around a new kind of Mansion.

Mystic Manor again draws from the story of S.E.A.: The Society of Explorers and Adventures but leaves the dastardly Harrison Hightower behind in favor of the much gentler Lord Henry Mystic, a world traveler who earned his treasures the good-natured way, and met a new friend along the way – the mischievious monkey Albert. Mystic eventually decided to retire to his eclectic estate deep in the jungles of Papau New Gineau, and that's where we come in. Lord Mystic and Albert have opened their home to weary travelers to gaze at the wonders gathered there by way of his newest invention: the Mystic Magneto Electro Carriage (in truth, a trackless LPS-guided dark ride technology).

Image: Disney

Mystic's newest find is an ancient music box whose enchanting song is said to grant life to the lifeless. Naturally, it's emblazoned with golden, gem-encrusted primates and Albert just can't keep his hands off. The result is a harrowing and enchanted journey through Mystic's international collections as they come to life, with poor Albert at the center of each supernatural scene. Some Disney fans suggest that Mystic Manor is the best ride Disney's ever made, and their reasoning becomes clearer with each subsequent room, ending in a magical finale whereby Albert's actions literally tear the house apart around you before – at the last possible second – the music box's melody is recaptured before your very eyes.

Image: Disney

Mystic Manor may be one of the best Imagineering projects ever and certainly shows exactly what Imagineering is capable of when untethered from box office reciepts and intellectual property. But Albert has elevated even above the ride itself, with his signature 

Read the in-depth Modern Marvels: Mystic Manor feature for the full story!

1. Figment and Dreamfinder

Image: Disney

Attraction: Journey into Imagination
Location: EPCOT Center (closed)

“One little spark of inspiration is at the heart of all creation! Right at the start of everything that’s new, one little spark lights up for you!” That’s the mantra of the enigmatic, red-bearded Dreamfinder, who pilots his blimp-like Dream Machine through the universe collecting sounds, colors, ideas, and other “sparks” of creativity and imagination.

One of his own creations is made of “two tiny wings; eyes big and yellow; horns of a steer, but a loveable fellow! From head to tail, he’s royal purple pigment, and there, voila! You’ve got a Figment!”

Image: Disney

Both Dreamfinder and Figment were developed especially for the park, its Imagination pavilion, and the headlining Journey into Imagination dark ride. Along the 11-minute epic journey through realms of Art, Literature, Performing Arts, and Science, guests came to know and love the duo – literally an embodiment of imagination itself – and both became de facto icons of Epcot (and the only characters present in an era when EPCOT Center was intentionally designed to omit Disney cartoons and characters in favor of realism and industry).

So when Journey into Imagination closed unceremoniously in 1998 and re-opened as the horrible, laughably-bad Declassified Disaster: Journey into YOUR Imagination with neither Dreamfinder nor Figment anywhere to be seen, fans rioted. The ill-fated journey through the sterile “Imagination Institute” starring Eric Idle was shuttered after only two years.

Image: Disney

When the doors re-opened in 2002, the ride was called Journey into Imagination with Figment, but make no mistake – the sad Imagination Institute story and setting remained, simply inserting Figment (or an annoying, unlikable version of him) into the ride. So while Epcot continues to sell Figment-inspired merchandise, for all intents and purposes you won’t find the real Figment anywhere in the park… a sad end to an iconic character.

Read the in-depth Lost Legends: Journey into Imagination feature for the full story of the characters, the making of the ride, and an attraction video!