Source Materials: Ghoul Love

As part of last week's criticism of Haunted Mansion Holiday, I mentioned the Séance Circle's weird grab bag of themes and imagery, to wit: Madam Leota recites an occult-themed, thirteen-verse spinoff of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” wherein divinatory tools have romantic functions, while giant Tarot-esque cards featuring characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas swirl around the room. It's three or four completely disparate things just mashed together because they needed to give Leota something Christmas-y to do and include more of of the Burton characters. The scene is appropos of nothing.

Or is it?

Readers, I have a confession to make. I may have—may have—misrepresented that scene. It may actually make more sense than I originally gave it credit for. See, I was thinking of it as a Christmas-related scene, but if we consider that the invading characters see everything through the lens of Halloween, it's possible that the Imagineers who designed it were alluding to some genuine, if nearly forgotten, old traditions.

Possible, not definite. It could be a coincidence. Then again, even Disneyland's coincidental design choices sometimes end up being profound.

Beyond Blue Sky: The Plaza Hub as a Magic Circle

Welcome to Beyond Blue Sky, where I pull out all the stops and share my very wildest and wackiest ideas and observations. Attention, Bobsled riders: thar be squalls ahead and there's no turning back now!

Boy, those Disney marketers sure love to spam the word magic, don't they? (Also dreams and wishes and believe, but magic is our focus here.) Disneyland is the Magic Kingdom, even if the name officially belongs to its Orlando counterpart. Advertising invites you to “experience the magic.” Or “share the magic.” Or “bring home the magic.” The short street running alongside the main parking area for the resort is called Magic Way. The year 2000 brought us the 45 Years of Magic Parade and the fireworks show “Believe...There's Magic in The Stars.” The holiday fireworks are still called “Believe...in Holiday Magic.” “Mickey and the Magical Map,” currently showing in the Fantasyland Theatre,” draws full audiences (and deservedly so—I'm not claiming that the mere presence of an overused word automatically taints anything associated with it). We're due to have the MyMagic+ system imported from Florida, thereby allowing guests to reserve time on attractions, appointment-style, with their Magic Bands. And that's just what comes off the top of my head.

That's a whole lotta “magic.” And the irony is that those marketers are probably completely unaware that the very geography of Disneyland hearkens back to ancient traditions of real magic, in the sense of mysticism and spellcraft.