Disneyland Magic: Pepper's Ghost

Disneyland is rightly known as "The Magic Kingdom." But you may not have thought of Disneyland as a place to view magic, of our time-honored conjuring variety and beyond Disney's pixie-dusted brand, but it's definitely here. Leave it to the imagineers, Disney's creative engineers, to seamlessly integrate magic into the park experience.

Ghostly Presence
A brilliant adaptation and arguably its finest presentation is that of "Pepper's Ghost," which creates the appearance of translucent and moving ghosts and images. The effect is used in a variety of Disneyland attractions including: the beginning of the dream sequence in "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh," where Pooh appears to rise out of his sleeping body; and in "Pinocchio's Daring Journey" when the blue fairy briefly appears and disappears near the end.

Nearby, at Disney's California Adventure, the effect is used to make Randall appear and disappear in "Monsters, Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue," in the locker room. Most stunningly, the effect is best used in the Grand Hall of Disneyland's "Haunted Mansion" where ghosts appear to waltz and make merry in a "swinging wake" - a jaw dropping and impressive illusion.

Ghostly Beginnings
"Pepper's Ghost " is named after John Henry Pepper, a professor of chemistry at the London Polytechnic Institute in the mid-1800s. While Henry Dircks actually invented the effect, calling it "Dircksian Phantasmagoria," it was Pepper who is remembered for publishing the effect and making it practical for use in theaters. It was the amazing special effect of its day and was featured in theatrical productions of Charles Dicken's "Haunted Man" and "A Christmas Carol."

I can't imagine how effective the illusion played in its earliest versions, but the application at Disneyland's "Haunted Mansion" may very well be the effect’s pinnacle as it's perfectly attuned to the ride and executed on a stunning, large scale. The Disney imagineers did this one right when they developed it in the 1960's.

At Hollywood's Magic Castle, you'll find a display that shows a working prototype of "Pepper's Ghost" that was used to evaluate its application to Disneyland's "Haunted Mansion." "Pepper's Ghost" also formed the basis for an impressive magic effect that followed it known as the "Blue Room."

Disneyland's magic comes in its parades, shows, rides and atmosphere. And when you see a ghost there, remember that it was a magician, and later an imagineer, who made it happen.