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disneyscott
11-25-2003, 01:13 PM
This is a link for todays USA todays news paper.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2003-11-24-haunted-premiere_x.htm

Here it talks about if the movie does well they will be changing the head of Madame Leota




Murphy's Mansion co-star, Jennifer Tilly plays Madame Leota — a disembodied head floating in a crystal ball. She negotiated her contract to stipulate that, if the film is a hit, her head and voice would replace the decades-old theme park versions in Disney Haunted Mansion rides.

"It would be a shame," Tilly conceded. "The (original) voice is the same woman who did the voice of the evil queen in Snow White. I hate for tradition to fall by the wayside, but I would rather it was me!"


I dont know if I want this change. let them change WDW first. Or will it be like when the PC POTC?

Ghoulish Delight
11-25-2003, 01:20 PM
Heard this way back when the movie was first being pushed......and my reaction remains the same (even thought I haven't even seen the movie). NOOOOOOOO!!!! That would be truly tragic.

I mean, I loved PotC. LOVED it. But if they stuck a Johnny Depp animitronic in there, I'd be sick. It's just not right!

hbquikcomjamesl
11-25-2003, 01:36 PM
Hmm. For all the rabble-rousing I did for writing protest letters about the PotC preview, I never did get one into the mail myself :blush: :sheepish grin: But if somebody else cares to start a letter-writing campaign to convince Ms. Tilly to renounce that part of her contract, and posts an address to which to send the letters, I'll try to get off my equus asinius (not to mention my gluteus maximus) and send something like:

Dear Ms. Tilly:

You're quite right, it would be "a shame" to hold Disney to the stipulation to insert your face and voice into the original theme park attractions. If you really "hate for tradition to fall by the wayside," then please don't let it. Please renounce that stipulation of your contract. Your career will be so much the better for having done so.

Hyperboy
11-25-2003, 01:41 PM
You can bet that that the complaints will come flooding in if Jennifer "Don't Speak" Tilly puts her mug into the ride.

I will be sure to have my spitballs ready for that room!! And if you hear anyone yelling DONT SPEAK at Jennifer Tilly... it might be me :D

iwannabeanimagineer
11-25-2003, 02:23 PM
Originally posted by Ghoulish Delight
Heard this way back when the movie was first being pushed......and my reaction remains the same (even thought I haven't even seen the movie). NOOOOOOOO!!!! That would be truly tragic.

I mean, I loved PotC. LOVED it. But if they stuck a Johnny Depp animitronic in there, I'd be sick. It's just not right!
"Disneyland will never be completed as long as there is imagination left in the world." Walt Disney

I welcome the changes. I like seeing things freshened up. I have my HM CD with all the old Eleanor Audley recordings, including the ones that weren't used.

You do know that the auctioneer pirate is changed from time to time as audio-animatronic technology advances, don't you? Why not make the next version look like Jack Sparrow?! I think it would be fantastic!

You know, I'm sure the imagineers always feel there are things they could have improved. So why not let them improve things? Why be stuck in the past?

Ghoulish Delight
11-25-2003, 02:30 PM
Originally posted by iwannabeanimagineer
"Disneyland will never be completed as long as there is imagination left in the world." Walt Disney
Changes driven by blatant commercialism and "synergy" are not what I would like to see.

iwannabeanimagineer
11-25-2003, 02:47 PM
Originally posted by Ghoulish Delight
Changes driven by blatant commercialism and "synergy" are not what I would like to see.
That's funny. Walt changed the name of the castle to "Sleeping Beauty Castle" to promote his new animated film. If he had waited until after the park opened, I guess the change would have been just money-grubbing; but since he changed it before the park opened it is inviolable? Nostalgia I understand, but stagnation is hideous.

SzczerbiakManiac
11-25-2003, 03:01 PM
I don't mind change (honestly), but does anyone think Tilly could possibly do a better Leota than Eleanor Audley? It's one thing if an attraction gets updated because of improvements in technology, the old one just wore out, or even to accommodate societal changes. Throwing out a wonderful performance just because some vacuous, egotistical, questionably talented "star" wants to be immortalized on an attraction is ludicrous! :mad:

tod
11-25-2003, 03:07 PM
If the movie is a big success, let's cut her head off and put it in the bowl. It should add just the right gruesome touch, especially after the flies find it...

An added advantage is that she won't make any more movies.

--T
:fez:

Important note: This is a joke, not to be taken seriously by The Walt Disney Company, or Ms. Tilly, or their lawyers.

zapppop
11-25-2003, 03:37 PM
I would personally decapitate the man/or woman who made the decision and shove their head in a crystal ball.

iwannabeanimagineer
11-25-2003, 03:56 PM
Originally posted by zapppop
I would personally decapitate the man/or woman who made the decision and shove their head in a crystal ball.
Wow! Imagine how mad it must make you that the fiber optic technology and the table wobble are incompatible, resulting in the sacrifice of the wobble. Really people. Bringing Leota a little more into the 21st century with a face and voice that's a little more widely recognized is nothing to get so upset over. I saw Phantom of the Opera performed by Robert Guillaume. It wasn't Michael Crawford, but it was good and different.

Cadaverous Pallor
11-25-2003, 04:12 PM
Change is great. REPLACING one actor for another is not change, it's ego.

I'd be ok if new figures were added to the mansion, as long as they match the rest of the place and were cool-looking. But not representations of actors, and definitely not if they kick out the very thing that inspired their movie role!

Hyperboy
11-25-2003, 04:13 PM
So why not let them improve things? Why be stuck in the past?

I beg to differ that Jennifer Tilly would be an "improvement" over Eleanor Audley. Change simply for the sake of change is not good. (For instance, the Tomorrowland re-do).

Madame Leota is a classic scene (one of my favorites) in a classic attraction. The voice and image hearkens back to the days when Walt Disney was a "real" part of the company.

I love the Holiday overlay, but I also love knowing that the whole thing will go back to the classic attraction we are familiar with. The attraction has stood the test of time for a reason.

Two other things:

1) I thought that Sleeping Beauty castle was ALWAYS called Sleeping Beauty castle.

2) Robert Guillaume was a different Phantom, but a lousy Phantom. The man cannot sing. I personally don't like things that are different simply because they are different. There has to be a judgment call attached as well. (For a better Phantom, see the touring production which is currently at the Ahmanson Theatre thru next week.)

hbquikcomjamesl
11-25-2003, 04:26 PM
I thought that Sleeping Beauty castle was ALWAYS called Sleeping Beauty castle. So far as I know, it always has been, with the possible give-or-take of a possessive. And while I missed Guillaume as the Phantom (the timing just wasn't good for me), I did catch both Crawford and Gaines. And by all accounts, including my own, Dale Kristien was a much better Christine Daae than Sarah Brightman ever was (and, many years earlier on the same site, Pam Dawber was, by all accounts, a much better Mabel [The Pirates of Penzance] than Linda Ronstadt ever was).

At any rate, though, what we have with Ms. Tilly is a woman who is acting like a spoiled brat, demanding that Disney fix something that was never broken, just for the sake of her ego. Then again, I found the "Nightmare" overlay to be completely and utterly LAME.

zapppop
11-25-2003, 04:31 PM
Originally posted by iwannabeanimagineer
That's funny. Walt changed the name of the castle to "Sleeping Beauty Castle" to promote his new animated film. If he had waited until after the park opened, I guess the change would have been just money-grubbing; but since he changed it before the park opened it is inviolable? Nostalgia I understand, but stagnation is hideous.

Wrong.

It was always Sleeping Beauty Castle. In a old clip, Walt ACCIDENTALLY called it Snow White's Castle.

merlinjones
11-25-2003, 05:52 PM
>>"It would be a shame," Tilly conceded. "The (original) voice is the same woman who did the voice of the evil queen in Snow White. I hate for tradition to fall by the wayside, but I would rather it was me!"<<

Actually, Eleanor Audley, the voice of Madame Leota was the voice of Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty and Lady Tremaine (Stepmother) in Cinderella - - NOT the Wicked Queen in Snow White. Tilly doesn't even know who she'd be replacing!!!

If they do this I will scream. Eleanor is irreplacable, a Disney legend! Tilly is just another flash in the pan supporting actress.

MonorailMan
11-25-2003, 06:05 PM
NO! NO! Just no!

Can APers go on strike?

EandCDad
11-25-2003, 06:42 PM
Originally posted by MonorailMan
Can APers go on strike?

Yes, I call for a general strike on certain days in December....the fact that these days coincide with trips the family plans on taking is just a coincidence.

I think this is a bunch of baloney. I hope they don't change it because Tilly has a pretty annoying voice. If they do, though, it's just one actress being substituted for another, I mean, the one lady did a good job voicing some animated characters, but it's not like she's Katherine Hepburn.

Cadaverous Pallor
11-25-2003, 06:46 PM
Originally posted by MonorailMan
NO! NO! Just no!

Can APers go on strike? Yes. But will you?

APers can also make lots and lots of noise with letters/email/visits to City Hall. :~D

Mark Goldhaber
11-25-2003, 06:52 PM
And remember, it's not just the voice of Eleanor Audley that would be replaced, but the face of Imagineer Leota Toombs.

MonorailMan
11-25-2003, 07:06 PM
Originally posted by Cadaverous Pallor
Yes. But will you?

Maybe starting Dec. 15. :D

SweetAurora
11-25-2003, 07:27 PM
Well, this doesn't surprise me. It would be most unfortunate to see Eleanor Audley's wonderful voice replaced. And thank you to the previous post for clarifying that she was NOT the voice of the Evil Queen in "Snow White"...to me, she has the most enchantingly evil voice (Malificent/Evil Stepmother) and Jennifer Tilly's voice sounds like Renee Zellweger in a headclamp. (No offense to Ms. Zellweger.) If this happens, I'm going to be paying more visits to the queue area of the Tiki Room (where Eleanor Audley's voice is also heard).
Oh, and all this Phantom talk is just mahvelous. I just saw Brad Little and Lisa Vroman a couple of weeks ago in L.A...it's my favorite musical now. Just so beautiful. Too bad I couldn't see M.C. and S.B.

Maybe Disney should make a Phantom animated feature. Mwahaha!!!!!

Love and Laughter!!

GoldenEars
11-25-2003, 08:05 PM
OMG! Why would Disney even allow her to stipulate something like that in her contract? Why not just get another actress who would not demand such a ridiculous stipulation? Disney sucks if that go through, and I'll be very disappointed. But then again, what do you expect these days with Disney?

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

All we can do right now is wait and see what happens.

disneydreams
11-25-2003, 08:38 PM
Originally posted by hbquikcomjamesl
At any rate, though, what we have with Ms. Tilly is a woman who is acting like a spoiled brat, demanding that Disney fix something that was never broken, just for the sake of her ego.

Same thing I was thinking...

But would DL really do that?
I don't think think they would dare do that




Wrong.

It was always Sleeping Beauty Castle. In a old clip, Walt ACCIDENTALLY called it Snow White's Castle.

Yeah, Mr. Disney did accidentally call it "Snow White's Castle" in some kind of early TV show about DL.

I'm glad it's Sleeping Beauty Castle, one of my most favorite movies :)

*Pretend this is a smaller size*Mines won't work properly at the moment*
*edit*: is zappoop a girl or guy?
if you must ask why, i'm curious and it's an interesting name:D

DisneyFan25863
11-25-2003, 09:30 PM
Originally posted by disneydreams
*edit*: is zappoop a girl or guy?
if you must ask why, i'm curious and it's an interesting name:D

Guy.



I could really care less. I never liked HM anyway.......:|