‘Haunted Mansion’ Crew Reveals Easter Eggs Hidden in Film’s Haunted House
variety.comJazz Tangcay Artisans Editor When “Haunted Mansion” production designer Darren Gilford was working with director Justin Simien to bring the beloved Disney ride back to the big screen, he had a rather unique perspective.
As a former Imagineering intern, Gilford had learned first-hand how the Disneyland attractions were conceived. Gilford’s design entry point for the film was a bible devoted to the ride from Imagineering. “I got to know what was canon for Disney,” he says. “We really tried to be as true as we could to the original Haunted Mansion from Disneyland.
It was going to be heavily based on all the icons from the ride.” The film stars LaKeith Stanfield, Danny DeVito, Tiffany Hadish, Jamie Lee Curtis, Owen Wilson and Rosario Dawson as the crew who try to rid a stately old home in New Orleans of its 999 ghosts.
But the exterior of Gracey Mansion was actually built on a backlot in Atlanta. Gilford spent hours going through the ride at Disneyland, wanting to recreate the experience of entering the ride for cinemagoers, “but on a much larger scale.” Gilford and his team gave the front yard a swampy vibe, and the house’s large, looming exterior build allowed Simien to play on the eerie shadows to create a haunting effect.
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