In the process of creating Disney’s new movie, Haunted Mansion, the visual effects (VFX) team drew inspiration from the iconic Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland. Immersing themselves in the ride, which first opened in 1969, the team aimed to capture the familiar look and feel of the attraction. Led by production VFX supervisor Edwin Rivera, in collaboration with Industrial Light & Magic and Opsis, the team completed nearly 2,000 VFX shots for the film. Rivera expressed his excitement about bringing to life something that is iconic from people’s childhood.
The Haunted Mansion ride, first introduced in 1969, features clever low-tech special effects to create the appearance of ghosts. This technique, known as Pepper’s Ghost, uses reflections to create a 2D illusion. Named after John Henry Pepper, who employed the method for entertainment in the 1800s, Pepper’s Ghost resurfaced in the entertainment industry when it was used to project performers onto a live stage, like when Tupac Shakur “appeared” at the 2012 Coachella Festival. Although often referred to as a hologram, it was not.
To create the ghostly effects for the movie, Rivera and director Justin Simien studied various techniques used in Hollywood to create ghosts. They then developed their own recipe to achieve the desired apparitions.
While the team did not use the Pepper’s Ghost effect directly, they sought to understand its ultimate effect. Rivera explained, “When you’re on the ride, it’s not like it’s CG. But it feels like it’s see-through. They inspired us as to how to make [actors playing the ghosts] feel like they’re both there and not there, both physical and ephemeral at the same time.”
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Simien and Rivera wanted real actors dressed in full costumes and makeup to portray the ghosts on set during filming to maintain a grounded feel. To enhance the ethereal quality of the ghosts, the team used a technique Rivera referred to as “ectoplasmic effervescence.” He compared it to placing a hand in bioluminescent algae, where nothing happens when it’s still but agitation causes the particles to light up. Similarly, as the ghosts moved through space, they created ghost-like particles. Another layer involved adding a transparency to the body, which revealed a decrepit skeleton underneath when the actors were in shadow.
The team used witness cameras during filming to capture the coordinates of the actors playing the ghosts in costumes and makeup. They then created CG scans of their bodies to serve as the generation point for the ghost particles. Additionally, clean passes of every scene were made so that the team could reveal what was behind the actors at any given time.
Rivera summed up their approach, stating, “We had the best of both worlds. We had an actor that was actually there, but then this kind of other element that made them feel like they were not of this world.”
In their innovative approach to bringing ghosts to life in Disney’s Haunted Mansion, the VFX team combined elements of practical effects and CGI. By studying the iconic Pepper’s Ghost technique used in the Haunted Mansion ride and exploring various approaches to portraying ghosts, they developed a recipe to evoke the same otherworldly presence as the ride. The result is a visually stunning movie that captures the essence of the beloved attraction while also pushing the boundaries of modern visual effects. Disney fans can look forward to experiencing the Haunted Mansion in a whole new way when the movie is released.
