Summarize the project for the following case study

INTRODUCTION The Haunted Mansion attraction opened to the public August 9, 1969. One week after opening. more than 82,000 guests had seen the attraction. During the rst busy season, the time to stand in the queue to see the attraction was three to four hours. Eventually, an army of diehard fans claimed that the Haunted Mansion was their favorite attraction. Today, stores and websites are dedicated to the sale of souvenirs of the Haunted Mansion and its inhabitants. WHY STUDYTHE HAUNTED MANSION? Some projects have unique characteristics that can make them more difcult to manage than other projects. Projects that involve imagination and creativity fall into this category. Years ago, project managers believed that, if you understood the concepts of project management, you could work in just about any industry. But today, we recognize the importance of these unique characteristics that may make changing industries more complex. Disney's Haunted Mansion opened to guests in 1969, the same year that the Project Management Institute (PMI) was formed. The Haunted Mansion THE TIME CONSTRAINT Walt Disney thought up the idea for the Haunted Mansion in the early 1950s. It took almost 18 years for the idea to become reality. To understand the time constraints and complexity of the project, including the interrelatedness of the questions asked previously, we should look at a brief history of the attraction. The Haunted Mansion is a haunted house dark ride located at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom (Walt Disney World), and Tokyo Disneyland. Phantom Manor, a significantly reimagined version of the Haunted Mansion, is located exclusively in Disneyland Paris. Another Disney attraction involving the supernatural and set in a mansion, Mystic Manor, has opened at Hong Kong Disneyland. The Haunted Mansion features a ride-through tour in Omnimover (or people-mover) vehicles called "Doom Buggies," preceded by a walk-through show in the queue. The attraction utilizes a range of technology, from centuries-old theatrical effects to modern special effects and spectral Audio-Animatronics. The attraction predates Disneyland, to when Walt Disney hired the first of his Imagineers. The first known illustration of the park showed a Main Street set- ting, green fields, a western village, and a carnival. Disney Imagineering Legend Harper Goff developed a black-and-white sketch of a crooked street leading away from Main Street by a peaceful church and graveyard, with a run-down manor perched high on a hill that towered over Main Street. Walt Disney assigned Imagineer Ken Anderson to create a story around Goff's idea. Plans were made to build a New Orleans-themed land in the small transition area between Frontierland and Adventureland. Weeks later, New Orleans Square appeared on the souvenir map and promised a thieves' market, a pirate wax museum, and a haunted house walk-through. Anderson studied New Orleans and old plantations and came up with a drawing of an antebellum manor overgrown with weeds, dead trees, swarms of bats, and boarded doors and windows topped by a screeching cat as a weather vane._ Walt Disney, however, did not like the idea of a run-down building in his pristine park. He visited the 1llv'inchester Mystery House in San Jose, California, and was captivated by the massive mansion with its stairs to nowhere, doors that opened to walls and holes, and elevators. When the decision was made to begin full-scale development of the Haunted Mansion, imagineer Marc Davis asked Disney if he wanted the house to look scary. Disney replied: No, I want the lawn beautifully maniCured. I want beautiful owers. I want the house well-painted and well cared for so that people would know that we took care of thing in the park, and it's a clean, good park for families to come and have a good time. You can put all the spider webs inside that you want, I don't care about that . . . but the outside has to be pristine and clean at all times.4 Anderson came up with several possible stories for the mansion. Some of the stories included: 0 A wedding gone awry when a ghost suddenly appears and kills the groom. The man that eventually appears hanging from the ceiling in the attic could be the bride's husband. 0 Similar to the above story. a ghost appears and kills the groom. The bride then commits suicide and appears hanging in the attic. I A newly married bride discovers that her husband is really a bloodthirsty pirate. The pirate kills his bride in ajealous rage, but her ghost returns to haunt him. He could net live with himself for what he did to his true love, so he hangs himself in the attic rafters. 0 Another story focused on calling the Haunted Mansion \"Bloodmere Manor.\" which may have involved more bloody scenes and body parts. People would look as if they had been violently murdered. The story would end with the Headless Horseman in the graveyard. The number one rule in Imagineering is that the attraction must tell a story. Unfortunately, no one could agree on what the story should be or whether the attraction could be described by just one story. In the meantime, other Imagineers were developing illusions for the Haunted House without having any story to go by. It appeared that no rm SOW existed other than the fact that the Haunted House attraction w0uld eventually be built. There were still too many questions that were unanswered. In 1961, handbills announcing a 1963 opening of the Haunted Mansion were given out at Disneyland's main entrance. Construction began a year later, and the exterior was completed in 1963. The Haunted Mansion was actually a replica of a preexisting building. Even though the facade of the Haunted Mansion was completed, the project was put on hold because of Disney's involvement in the of a preexisting building. Even though the facade of the Haunted Mansion was completed, the project was put on hold because of Disney's involvement in the 19641965 New York Werld's Fair. Similar to what happens in most companies when priorities change, all of the resources that were assigned to the Haunted Mansion project were reassigned to efforts to suppo the World's Fair. Changes in priorities caused efforts on the Haunted Mansion to wax and wane over the years. In 1963, inspired by Disney, Marty Sklar, former vice chairman and principal creative executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, created a sign inviting ghosts to continue practicing their trade in active retirement in the Haunted Mansion. The sign is shown in Figure 11.5 The intent of the sign was to keep people focused on the fact that the Haunted Mansion would eventually be built even though the sign hung for many years in front of an empty building. The public's perception of the abandoned construction project took on a life of its own even though there was still no story line to accompany the abandoned building. The sign became quite popular. Some Disney literature stated: The world's greatest collection of \"actively retired" ghosts will soon call this Haunted Mansion \"home.\" Walt Disney and his \"Imagineers\" are now creating 1001 eerie illusions. Marble busts will talk. Portraits that appear \"nonnal\" one minute will change before your eyes. And, of course, ordinary ghost tricks (walk- ing through solid wails, disappearing at the drop of a sheet} will also be seen . . . and felt. Here will live famous and infamous ghosts, ghosts trying to make a name for themselves . . . and ghosts afraid to live by themselves!6 When the project started up again in 1966, a new team of Imagineers was assignedthe fourth Imagineering team to work on the Haunted Mansion pro- ject. Marc Davis and Claude Coats were responsible for the continuity of the ride and the backgrounds. The responsibility for the special effects was placed in the hands of two lmagineers who were also referred to as lllusioneers, Rolly Crump and Yale Gracey. Crump was an artist who loved stage magic and illu- sions, and Gracey was an animator, mechanical genius, and considered the father of Illusioneering. Disney could select from an army of talented people in various Organizations. He had a knack of putting people \"in conflict\" together and telling them to work as a team, knowing full well that the results would be exceptional, despite the ego problems that typically exist with highly talented teams. Following Walt Disney's death in 1966, many of the lmagineers clashed over the direction of the project. lmagineer Xavier Atencio was brought on board to put together a coherent story. Without such a story for direction, there was a fear that the Haunted Mansion would simply be a multitude of special effects and illusions. Even with Atencio's focus, there was still the question of whether the Haunted Mansion should be a scary attraction or not. Disney's original dream was to scare people, but in a pleasant sort of way. That meant that there would be no oozing of blood, missing eye sockets, gory body parts, or horrifying decaying bodies that some guests might see as offensive. The decision was made that the animation sh0uld focus on the lighter or cartoon- like tone of a Haunted Mansion rather than the scarier tone. The lrnagineers also decided that, instead of looking like an \"old spook house" that may have been Ken Anderson's original thoughts, the Haunted Mansion would be full of illusions. The Haunted Mansion's long development was rife with discarded story con cepts, disagreement on the type of scenes and effects to be used, conflicts over how many viewers shOuld be carted thr0ugh the attraction par houreven as basic an idea as whether the attraction should be scary or not. Egos were bruised, tem- pers flared, and at the end of the day, itjust seemed that there were \"too many cooks in the kitchen," as Imagineer Marc Davis often recalled. ? Making the attraction cartoonlike rather than scary and having the outside of the Haunted Mansion pristine was certainly in line with Disney's original idea for the attraction. But haw do y0u then make the Haunted Mansion structure look for the attraction. But how do you then make the Haunted Mansion structure look somewhat scary? John Hench was regarded as the color expert at Disney's Imagi- neering Division. According to Hench: We wanted to create an imposing southern-style house that would look old, but not in ruins. So we painted it a cool off-white with dark, cold blue-grey accents in shadowed areas such as the porch ceilings and wrought iron details. To accen- tuate the eerie, deserted feelings, I had the underside of exterior details painted the same dark color, creating exaggerated, unnaturally deep cast shadows, since we associate dark shadows with things hidden, or half-hidden. The shadow treat- ment enhanced the structure's other worldliness.There was still another critical decision that had to be made. Should the attrac- tion be a walk-through or a ride? There were pros and cons to each approach. With a walk-through, it would be easier to create a single story line for the entire attrac- tion. Believing that Ken Anderson's approach in the 1950s of a single story and a walkthrough attraction would be selected, the Imagineers created some illu sions where the guests could he more actively involved with the ghosts. However, walk-throughs required a live host as a tour guide, the speed of the tour might be difcult to control, and there would always be the risk of vandalism or damage to props and equipment in the attraction. The decision was made to go with a ride. This meant that, instead of a single story line that would work with a walkthrough, the ride would have several sto ries. Story lines would be needed for each of the ghosts. The tour guide could now be one of the dastardly ghosts. The total attraction, and each individual story, had to be unique and with some degree of weirdness. ADDITIONAL TIME CONSTRAINTS For most project managers, \"time management\" refers to the duration of the pros ject, which for the Haunted Mansion would be 18 years from Disney's original concept to the date when the attraction was opened to the public. But for the Imagineers, there were two other time management issues once the decision was made that this would be a ride rather than a walk-through: 1. How much time will people need to view each of the scenes? 2. How many people can we service each hour? Writer Bob Thomas interviewed Carl Walker from Disneyland and Dick Irvine, representing WED, the early name of the lmagineering Division: \"Then there was the matter of how to conduct people through the ride,\" said Walker. \"At rst, it might be a walkthrough. with 30 on a conducted tour. But that was difcult to manage, and besides, people don't scare as easily in crowds. So we made it a ridethrough, with three people in a cartheir crypt so to speak.\" said Irvine. \"The cars could be programmed to face the right direction. tilt back and keep moving. They provided the capacity we need for rides at Disneyland 2,300 per hour." 9 The people-mover system was called the \"Doom Buggies.\" It was a modica- tion of the Omnimover system that Disney used in the 1964 New York World's a1r. 1nce t e guests were seate , t e magmeers cou orce t em to watc precisely what was intended. The Doom Buggies were programmed to control the angle (i.e., line of sight) at which the guests would see the set without being able to see the supporting animatronics. It also kept the guests at a distance where they could not touch any of the props used in the scenes. Like other attractions at Disney's theme parks, the Haunted Mansion had now become a controlled envi ronment for the guests. This concept also allowed the designers to place infrastructure elements of the attraction, such as lighting and projectors, behind, above, or below the vehis eles without concern for having the attraction's illusions revealed to the guests. The system consists of a chain of vehicles operating on a track, usually hidden beneath the floor. The chain of vehicles maintains constant motion at a specic speed, thus controlling the viewing time. The duration of the rides varies from 5:508:20 minutes, at a maximum speed of 3 miles per hour."J One of the features that differentiates this system from other people~mover systems is the ability ofthe vehicle to be rotated to a predetermined orientation. In addition to the main ride rails, each vehicle also has two control rails attached to a wheel. One controls swiveling, allowing the vehicle to face in any direction at any point on the track. The other allows the vehicle to tilt in relation to the inclining and declining portions of the track. Because the entire attraction is in a controlled environment, the lmagineers can control what the guests see. The Imagineers can make it appear that a ghost is in the Doom Buggy with guests. THE COST CONSTRAINT The Haunted Mansion was completed at a cost of $7 million. In today's dollars, that would be equivalent to approximately $50 million. When the Haunted Man- sion was built, mainframe computers were just entering the marketplace. Cost control software did not exist, and all cost control was done manually. attraction was completed without the use of the PMBOK Guide or Project Man- agement Professionals, since these did not appear until the mid-19803. Many of the individuals assigned to the Haunted Mansion Project were the most creative and inventive people in the world. So, how did project management take place on such an endeavor as the Haunted Mansion? What were some of the unique char acteristics needed for the project? In the Disney (A) Case Study, we identied some of the characteristics that differentiated Imagineering project managers from traditional project managers. We will now look more closely at Imagineering project management in action using Disney's Haunted Mansion Project. The literature abounds with both authorized and unauthorized stories of Walt Disney's Haunted Mansion. Unfortunately, all of the versions do not directly dis cuss project management, thus mandating some assumptions and interpretation. The comparison of Imagineering project management with traditional project management and the accompanying conclusions are solely the author's interpreta- tion and may not necessarily represent Disney's conclusions. The material in this case study was extracted from numerous sources that are referenced throughout this case study. CONSTRAINTS All project have constraints. For almost 50 years, project managers were taught to focus on the triple constraints of time, cost, and scope. But for the projects at the Disney theme parks, the constraints of safety, quality, and aesthetic value also must be included. The PMBOK Guide did not begin discussing the importance of competing constraints until the fourth edition was released in 2008. Prior to that time, only the importance of the traditional triple constraints were discussed. Yet even as early as the 19505 with the design of the Disneyland theme park, Disney under- stood the imnortance of competinu constraints and the. fact that thev must be There is a misconception that, when imagination and creativity are allowed to run wild on projects, budgets must he unlimited. That certainly is not the case. The Walt Disney Company monitors all costs. Budgets for each attraction are established during the ideafconceptual phase. The larger the project, the greater the chance for scope changes and increases in the budget. Unfortunately, the literature does not provide any infor- mation related to the original budget or the number of scope changes. The cost of each attraction at Disney theme parks is generally regarded as proprietary knowledge. THE SAFETY CONSTRAINT Safety is the main concern at Disney parks. As mentioned, Disney himself wanted the Haunted Mansion to be scary but in a pleasant sort of way. The term \"scared to death\" could lead to wrongful-death lawsuits. Since the Haunted Mansion is a controlled environment, repeat visitors rec- ognized the predictability of the attraction. An attempt was made to have some cast members dress up in a knight's armor suit and wield an axe (actually made of rubber). Some people were very frightened, and there were complaints. Disney parks discontinued this practice. THE AESTH ETICS CONSTRAINT Aesthetics and quality go hand in hand. Ali Disney theme park attractions must be aesthetically appealing to the guests. The Haunted Mansion was no excep- tion. The lmagineers were be able to convert ideas into reality. lmagineers, and especially lllusioneers. are often considered dreamers. inventors. and even mad scientists. They must have an obsessive commitment to detail and quality. Nightly maintenance takes place in the Haunted Mansion to make sure that every prop is in place. All of the props are real. Some of the props were used elsewhere; for example. the pipe organ was used in the lm 20,000 Leagues under the Sea. Even the cobwebs and dust must be in place. A liquid cobweb spinner makes the cobwebs. There must also be a proper amount of dust (which is actually a rubber cement that cannot induce allergies in guests). A tour of the Haunted Mansion includes: The Grounds The Foyer The Stretching Room The Portrait Corridor The Portrait Corridor The Library and Music Roorn The Endless Staircase The Endless Hallway The Conservatory The Corridor of Doors The Sanee Circle The Grand Hall The Attic The Graveyard The Crypt 00.0.0.0... When the decision was made to have a notsoScary Haunted Mansion, Imagineersliuaioneers Gracey and Crump read ghost stories and watched ghost movies to decide what type of ghosts they could create. The men created numer- ous effects and often left the special effects running all night long. The night cleaning crew were often spooked and complained to management, which asked the Imagineers not to scare off the cleaning crew. But instead of leaving the lights on and the special effects off, the two Imagi neers decided to connect their special effects to a motion-detector switch. When the duo came to work in the morning, they found a broom left in the middle of their studios. The Imagineers had to clean their studios by themselves from that point on, as management told them that the night cleaning crew were never coming back. Special effects in each location support the aesthetic constraints. Some of the special effects include: Digital projections Computer-controlled effects Audio~Animatronics Holograms (although they were not used) Special lighting Real props Many of the special effects and illusions are based on Pepper's Ghost, an illu- sion that dates back to the 1800s. Pepper's Ghost is an illusion technique that has been used in theatres, haunted houses, dark rides, and magic tricks. It uses plate glass, Plexiglas, 01' plastic lm and special lighting techniques to make objects seem to appear or disappear, become transparent, or morph into something else. It is named after John Henry Pepper, who popularized the effect. For the illusion to work, two rooms are required. The viewer must be able to see into the main room but not into the hidden room. The edge of the glass sepas rating the rooms is sometimes hidden by a cleverly designed pattern in the oor. its reected image matches the main roOms; this approach is useful in making objects seem to appear or disappear. This illusion can also be used to make one object or person reected in the mirror seem to morph into another behind the glass (or vice versa}. The hidden room may instead be painted black, with only lightcolored objects in it. In this case, when light is cast on the room, only the light objects reect the light and look like ghostly translucent images superim- posed in the visible roOm, In the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Tokyo Dis- neyland, the glass is vertical to guests rather than in the normal angled position, to reect animated props below and above guests that create the appearance of three- dimensional, translucent \"ghosts\" that appear to dance through the ballroom and interact with props in the physical ballroom. The apparitions appear and disappear when the iights on the animations turn on and off. Some of the special effects created for the Haunted Mansion include: A ghost host Exploding ghosts Talking and singing statues Furniture that comes to life A man made of dripping wax A grandfather clock that looks like a cofn A graveyard band of ghosts playing music A pet cemetery An invisible ghost horse with only a saddle and reins A ghost poetess creating a poem Dancing ghosts Ghosts that fade in and out Ghosts that suddenly become headless A ghost playing a piano Portraits that change from reality to the supernatural Wallpaper patterned with monster faces Hanging ghosts A crypt that plays music if you touch the instruments Some of these speciat effects are discussed below in more detail." GHOST HOST The Ghost Host is one of the rst characters guests meet at the Haunted Mansion, so to speak. He remains invisible throughout the tour, guiding \"foolish mortals" with an ominous voice. The voice is that of Paul Frees, a popular Disneyland announcer and vocal talent (well-known as the voice of the Pillsbury Doughboy, Ludwig von Drake, and Boris Badenov in the popular cartoon series The Adven announcer and vocal talent (well-known as the voice of the Pillsbury Doughboy, Ludwig von Drake, and Boris Badenov in the popular cartoon series The Adven- tures of Rocky and Bullwinkle). Frees's gleefully sardonic narration often features death-related puns and maniacal laughter. In the Stretching Room scene near the beginning of the tour, it is revealed that he committed suicide by hanging himself from the rafters in the cupola. AGING MAN Above the fireplace in the foyer of the Walt Disney World and Tokyo Haunted Mansions is a portrait of a former owner of the house. The painting gradually changes from a handsome blue-eyed, black-haired young man to a withered, bald- ing old man and finally, to a decaying skeleton. This portrait can also be found inthe changing portrait hallway of the Disneyland Haunted Mansion, but it morphs from the young man to the skeleton with ashes of lightning. CHANGING PORTRAIT CHARACTERS Lightning ashes transform the paintings at the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Haunted Mansions from benign to frightening. The portraits consist of: A beautiful young princess reclining on a couch who changes into a werecat. A gallant knight {identied as \"The Black Prince" in concept art) atop a rearing horse, who both become skeletal. A handsome young man who decays into a ghastly corpse. The beautiful, red-haired Medusa, who becomes a hideous Gorgon. STRETCHING PORTRAIT CHARACTERS These characters are depicted in the portraits of the Stretching Room: 0 A balding man with a brown mustache and beard, dressed in a black tailcoat, a white shirt, a red sash, and a black bowtie. When the portrait stretches, it is revealed that he is not wearing pants (only red and white- striped boxer shorts), and he is standing atop a lit keg of dynamite. In an early attraction script, which named the characters in the stretching portraits, he was an ambassador named Alexander Nitrokoi'f, who came to the Mansion one night \"with a bang." Constance Hatchaway, an old woman holding a rose and smiling. When the portrait stretches, it is revealed that she is seated on top of the tomb- stone of her late husband, George Hightower, who is depicted as a marble bust with his head split by an ax. The ghost of Constance as a young woman is later seen in the attic. mmmmmmvmm O A brownhaired man with his arms crossed, dressed in a brown suit and wearing a brown derby hat. When the portrait stretches, it is revealed that he is sitting on the shoulders of another man, who is sitting on the shoui- tiers of another man who is waist deep in quicksand. O A pretty young brunette woman holding a pink parasol. When the portrait stretches, it is revealed that she is balancing on a fraying tightrope above the gaping jaws of an alligator. COFFIN OCCUPANT In the center of the Conservatory is a large cofn occupied by a possessed corpse attempting to break out. He calls for help in the voice of a feeble old man, and his skeletal bands can be seen attempting to pry open the nailed-down cofn lid. He is voiced by Xavier Atencio, who wrote the attraction's script. MADAME LEOTA Madame Leota is one of the iconic characters of the ride. She is the spirit ofa psy- chic medium, conducting an otherworldly seance in an attempt to summon spirits and assist them in materializing. Her ghostly head appears within a crystal ball on a table in the middle of her dark chamber, from which she speaks her incantations. Musical instruments and furniture levitate and make noises in response. lmagineer Leota Toombs was chosen for the face of the medium in the crystal ball. Toombs also plays the Ghost Hostess who appears at the end of the attraction, though it is unknown whether she and Madame Leota are meant to be the same character. In 2002, a tombstone for Madame Leota debuted at Walt Disney World's Mansion. The epitaph reads: \"Dear sweet Leota, beloved by all. In regions beyond now, but having a hall.\" Madame Leota summons the Mansion's restless spirits and encourages them to appear by reciting suitable surreal incantations. DUELISTS The ghosts of two top hatwearing gentlemen emerge from paintings of them- selves and shoot each other. HITCHHIKING GHOSTS The Hitchhiking Ghosts\"The Prisoner,\" \"The Skeleton," and \"The Traveler" are often considered to be the mascots of The Haunted Mansion. They alone have the most merchandise, including pins, stuffed toys, action gures, and bobble heads. The Hitchhiking Ghosts are a tongue-in-cheek send-up of urban legends involving phantom hitchhikers. They are seen standing together inside a crypt, thumbs extended. They hitch a ride with guests traveling in Doom Buggies and appear altmgside them in mirrors. \"They have selected you to ll our quota, and prioritized. The most important constraint at Disney was, and stili is, the safety of the guests. This constraint is never sacriced at Disney. In the author's opinion, qual- ity and aesthetic value were probably tied for second and third behind safety. If trade-offs had to be made on certain attractions, it appears that the trade-offs took place on time, cost, and scope but not on safety, aesthetic value, or quality. Today safety. aesthetic value, and quality are attributes of the Disney image. The impor- tance of these constraints is discussed further in this case study. LIFE-CYCLE PHASES When companies strive for some degree of project management maturity, they usually begin with the creation of an enterprise project management methodology WITHIOS CATCHOCU. They Thitell a Tide with guests wavering I Doom Duggies and appear alongside them in mirrors. "They have selected you to fill our quota, and they'll haunt you until you return," says the Ghost Host. In 2011 at Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion, the mirror scene was updated with digital effects that enable the ghosts to interact with the guests. Fans often refer to the Hitchhiking Ghosts as "Gus" (Prisoner), "Ezra" (Skel- eton), and "Phineas" (Traveler). These names first appeared in fan fiction created by cast members who worked at the Walt Disney World Haunted Mansion. Since then, the names have appeared on merchandise for the characters and in various media licensed by Disney. REFERENCED CHARACTERS On numerous tombstones and crypts at the Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Tokyo Haunted Mansions (and in the Servants Quarters of Walt Disney World'sHaunted Mansion) are the names of characters who may or may not appear in the attraction. Most of the names are actually tributes to Imagineers who were involved in the creation of the attraction. Outside each Mansion are crypts labeled with pun-based names. At Tokyo, they are identified as "Restless Spirits." Asher T. Ashes (Ashes to ashes) . Bea Witch (Bewitch) Clare Voince (Clairvoyance) C. U. Later (See you later) Dustin T. Dust (Dust to dust) G. I. Missyou (Gee, I miss you) Hail N. Hardy (Hale and hearty) Hal Lusinashun (Hallucination) Hap A. Rition (Apparition) Harry After (Hereafter) Hobb Gobblin (Hobgoblin) L. Beback (I'll be back) Emma Spook (I am a spook) M. Mortal (I am mortal) or (immortal) M. Ready (I am ready) Trudy Departed (I truly departed) Trudy Dew (I truly do) Levi Tation/Lev Itation (Levitation) Love U. Trudy (Love you truly) . Manny Festation (Manifestation) Metta Fisiks (Metaphysics) M. T. Tomb (Empty tomb) Paul Tergyst (Poltergeist )Paul Tergyst (Poltergeist) Pearl E. Gates (Pearly gates) Ray. N. Carnation (Reincarnation) Rustin Peece (Rest in peace} Rusty Gates (Rusty gates) Theo Later (See yOu later) U. R. Gone {You are gone) Wee G. 30rd {Ouija board) 00...... SPECIAL EFFECTS AND MUSIC The special effects were groundbreaking for the time. The},r included an attic with the ghost of a spurned bride, a crypt and a cemetery, halls that appear endless, and the mystical fortune teller Madame Leota, who appears as a disembodied head inside a crystal ball with musical instruments oating in the air around her. Finally, the guests are shown that a \"hitchhiking ghost\" has hopped into the Doom Buggy with them. Although the setting is spooky, the mood is kept light by the upbeat \"Grim Grinning Ghosts" music that plays throughout the ride. The music was composed by Buddy Baker and the lyrics were written by Xavier Atencio. The deep voice of Thur] Ravenscroft sings as part of a quartet of singing busts in the graveyard scene. Ravenscroft's face is used as well as it is projected onto the bust with a detached head. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS All theme park attractions undergo continuous improvement efforts. According to Bob Zalk, Walt Disney Imagineer and show producer: The idea of going back into an iconic attraction and adding, changing, adjusting. removing eiementsthe standards are extremely high when you reach the n- ish line. We have to deliver. Uniike new attractions, r'e-imagining an established attraction carries with it its own sense of history and tradition that the entire team has to take into account. It's a big challenge. but an exciting one.l2 Construction Leads to & Landscaping Leads to Special Effects Small, Large & Leads to Computerized Mock-ups Leads to Storyboarding "Blue Sky" Brainstorming Idea Generation Mock-ups Construction FIGURE I Typical life-cycle phases developed around required life-cycle phases. The literature does not identify any project management methodology or identify any life-cycle phases for Disney's theme park attractions. However, the literature does identify many of the various steps in creating an attraction. From these steps, we can assume that typical life- cycle phases might appear such as shown in Figure I. Some of the detailed stepsdeveloped around required life-cycle phases. The literature does not identify any project management methodology or identify any life-cycle phases for Disney's theme park attractions. However, the literature does identify many of the various steps in creating an attraction. From these steps, we can assume that typical life- cycle phases might appear such as shown in Figure I. Some of the detailed steps that are performed in each life-cycle phase are described in the Disney (A) Case Study. The life-cycle phases shown in Figure I appear as sequential phases. However, in reality, many of the phases can overlap. As an example, special effects activities can take place in any or all of the life-cycle phases, including construction. THE SCOPE CONSTRAINT Most project managers are accustomed to having a well-dened SOW at the onset of a project. The SOW serves as the scope constraint. Even though the SOW may be highly narrative, the accompanying work breakdown structure and specica tions can provide signicant detail to support the narrative 80W. Well-dened SOWs are based on a well-dened business case where the con" cept for the project is understood. If the concept is not well understood, then the SOW may not appear until the end of the concept development or idea generation iife-cycle phase in Figure I. On a project such as the Haunted Mansion, we must remember that, rst of ail, it is an Imagineering project, and lmagineering efforts will continue throughout the life of the project and beyond due to continuous improvement efforts. Expect- ing a welldened SOW at the beginning of a project like the Haunted Mansion, and having it remain unchanged throughout the project, is highly unlikely. The SOW is most likely a constantly evolving document, possibly nalized as the opening day of the attraction approaches. To understand the complexity of creating a formal 80W, we must rst look at the questions that had to be addressed during the concept development phase of the Haunted Mansion Project. Typical questions include: Should the attraction be based on a single ghost story concept or several stories? Should it be a scary or humorous attraction? What should the Haunted Mansion look like? What colors and type of landscaping shouid be used? Should it be a walk-through attraction or a ride using a people-mover? If it is a ride, how many people can we have in the people-mover at one time? How long should it take to go through the attraction? How many ghostly special effects will be needed? Will a script be needed to accompany some of the special effects? Will we need a host to guide people through the ghostly attraction? If a host is needed, will a live person or a ghost do the hosting? Will there be eerie music to accompany the special effects? Does technology exist for the ghostly images, or must new technology be created? .0... LIL. Lrl uutuu . 0 How much should be budgeted for the attraction? These questions were not easy to answer at the onset of the project and were also inuenced by who was working on the project at that time. Walt Disney assigned some of his seasoned veterans to the project. Many team members had worked with him for decades and had been highly creative on other projects. They brought with them their own unique ideas that often created ego problems. If people were reassigned during the Haunted Mansion Project, which they were, their replacements came with their own ideas, and then the answers for many of the listed questions could change. To understand the complexities of creating a SOW for the Haunted Mansion, many of these questions could not be answered until the project was well under ~"" way. The questions were, as expected, interrelated and not always easy to answer even in later life-cycle stages. The answer to one question could cause the answers to several other questions to change. If the answers to some questions could not be made until well into the project, then there could be a signicant amount of scope changes. SCOPE CHANGES To understand the interrelatedness of the questions and how scope changes can occur even near the completion of the project, consider the Hatbox Ghost special effect. The Hatbox Ghost was a character that was planned for the Haunted Man sion at Disneyland but was removed shortly after the attraction's debut. Located in the ride's attic scene, the gure was described as \"an elderly ghost in a cloak and top hat, leaning on a cane with a wavering hand and clutching a hatbox in the other.\"l The idea behind the Hatbox Ghost was for his head to vanish from atop his shoulders and reappear inside his hatbOX,2 in time with an adjacent bride gure's beating heart. According to Imagineer Chris Merritt in an interview with Doom Buggies.com, the effect was never completely successful due to the illusion's close proximity to the ride vehicles: The gag was based purely on lighting. The ghost's head was illuminated by black lighting. A light inside the hatbox he held would rhythmically illuminate and hide the head in the hatbox, while, in tandem, the actual head on the ghost's shoulders would be hidden by extinguishing the black lighting. W The Hatbox Ghost illusion was installed inside the Haunted Mansion and in place for cast member (park employee) previews on the nights of August 7" and 8, 1969:1 Almost immediately, it became apparent that the effect had failed, as ambi ent light in the attraction's attic scene prevented the specter's face from disappear- ing fully, even when its designated spotlight was turned off. Attempts were made to remedy technical problems, but the effect was not convincing enough, and the ghost was decommissioned after a few months. This was just one example of how things can change well into the project