Crossplaying and Cosplaying

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Some cosplayers may dress as characters that do not fit their gender. A girl may cosplay the masculine Vegeta while a boy might dress as the frilly, feminine Madoka. In these instances, the cosplayers are entitled ‘crossplayers’ because they’re cosplaying a character that isn’t their gender.

Here’s some advice when interacting with a crossplayer:

-Do not automatically believe they’re homosexual: when I cosplayed a male character people thought I was a homosexual. This doesn’t sound terrible at all, but being verbally and mentally harassed for supposedly being one is. While I do support homosexuals and whatnot, I’m a heterosexual woman who’s incredibly confident with her orientation. I know who and what I am. I felt comfortable with cosplaying the character (Jack Skellington) because I love the outfit and I can relate to the character. Speaking of which…

-Do not stop them from cosplaying the character: that character could have important meaning to them.  For me, cosplaying Jack Skellington was crafted from relating to the character (being bored of a routine life and finding something new and heavily embracing it), my overall admiration for “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and Tim Burton, and how that movie has shaped me into the creative individual I am today.

-Never humiliate them: or any cosplayer or anyone for that matter.  This includes trying to convert their sexuality into something or someone they’re not, publicly shaming them, sexual assault, and generally making them uncomfortable. No one likes experiencing those things regardless of their cosplay or sexual orientation.

-Treat them as a human being: because that’s what they are! Crossplayers (regardless of orientation) are just like you and me. There’s no need to mock them, degrade them or bring any harm to. Make friends with them, talk about how much your fandoms are fantastic, and just generally be good person.

Cosplaying is about having fun regardless of who you dress as or what that character’s gender is. Everyone cosplays characters for their own reasons, so let them express their love for their character.

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to comment, critique, share and subscribe.

So tell me, have you ever crossplayed?

The Ghost Host Has Arrived

Welcome foolish mortals to The Magical Mystery Blog; I am your host, your Ghost Host.

Today we’ll be looking at the ghoulishly glorious Haunted Mansions throughout the world. The Haunted Mansion is a classic Disney World attraction, tracing back to the first days of Disney. Walt Disney, Rolly Crump, and Marc Davis constructed the art, concepts, and ride. Each Mansion is different, having its own theme, musical score, and story.

There are five Haunted Mansions in the world in each Disney park. First there’s the original Haunted Mansion located in Disneyland, Anaheim California. Every September to January, they give this mansion a nightmarish makeover, combining Halloween and Christmas. This brief renovation is called the Haunted Mansion Holiday and I will be covering this one to showcase one of the Haunted Mansion Holidays.  Next, in the heart of Orlando, Florida is the Haunted Mansion of Walt Disney World. After that is Phantom Manor, found in EuroDisney in Paris, France. Then just across the sea, we have the Tokyo Haunted Mansion. Lastly, there’s Mystic Manor located in Hong Kong’s Disneyland.

I’ll be doing ten facts from every mansion, encompassing the most interesting, the extreme unknown, and the spooky secrets. 

10) The Mariner’s Two Stories (Haunted Mansion)

Just like the other characters throughout the mansion, nearly everyone has more than one story. The stories are created by fans and cast members of Walt Disney World. However, I’m focusing on the Mariner because he has an original story that’s taken over by something less spooky but more whimsical.

Not too long ago, the Florida Haunted Mansion finished its new queue where everyone could interact with the tombstones. The graves had tributes to some of the attraction’s creators and old art concepts. One crypt in particular was that of the Mariner’s, claiming he drowned in a bubble bath.  This is the one everyone knows because it’s his epitaph.

Before the new interactive line was even created, the Haunted Mansion already had fan stories buzzing around about this particular character. In one story, the Mariner was a sea faring individual who died during a terrible storm aboard his ship. In another tale, the Mariner was a captain of the ship who owned the mansion, and had seven brides (whose names can be seen on an epitaph when leaving the mansion). The seventh bride’s spirit haunted his ship, leading it into a violent storm, which killed him, and his crew.

9) The Travelling Hell Hound (Phantom Manor)

In Phantom Manor, just before you fall into a tunnel of corpses, there is a hell hound. He leaps to your face, attempting to devour your flesh, while snarling, and growling at your very existence. Sometimes he enjoys leaving the manor and roaming around the other mansions. He can easily be seen in the Disney World Haunted Mansion to your left after you pass by the Caretaker and his hound.

8) Lonesome Ghost (Tokyo Haunted Mansion)

In all of the Haunted Mansions, there is the famous seance room.  Within this room is a head in a crystal ball who chants for spirits to come join her in the mansion’s revelry of mystery, mayhem, and macabre. There are various takes on the room, some having the head floating, others having tarot cards or instruments dancing around her. However, there are no spirits whatsoever in the room.

Take a look at the 3:49 mark in this video. Notice anything levitating in the background? That would be a ghost and Tokyo’s Haunted Mansion is the only one to have a spirit flying around the seance room. If you want to see a closer look of this specter, it pops up at the 3:23 mark. Perhaps, this particular ghost has heard Madam Leota’s incantations and is responding to them.

7) It’s Dead in Here! (Mystic Manor)

Mystic Manor was built unlike the other mansions. As to where they focused on ghosts and the otherworldly, this estate decided to take a different road.  The Hong Kong Disneyland is located in China, where the Chinese view death as a negative concept and is regarded as an end to one’s life. Death is also a taboo subject which is ultimately avoided in conversation. Even those on their death beds in China refuse to speak of death in fear they may jinx their fate.

When it came to building Mystic Manor, the Imagineers understood they had a cultural conflict on their hands. If they built the Haunted Mansion of tombstones and spirits, it would be considered unpopular, and completely dishonorable. Yet if they constructed a new version of the Haunted Mansion, one with a lightheartedness aimed towards humor and adventure, then there would be a different outcome. So the Imagineers set forth to create a new brand of Haunted Mansion that abandoned its grim grinning ghosts and took up a comedic monkey in a fez.

6) A New Story (Haunted Mansion)

The Walt Disney World Haunted Mansion has received a new addition in the past. They have created another queue line which leads to a pathway of interactive tombs, tribute graves, and other oddities. Before you can walk by these crypts and creeps, there is a series of busts bearing a family with epitaphs on how they died.

These busts are supposedly the new owners of the mansion and it’s your job to find out who killed out and why. This has angered some fans (much like myself) because it takes over the fan stories and cast member tales we heard about through rumors, like forbidden secrets. It’s bad enough Constance did this when she became a part of the mansion, making her the focus of the attraction, and centering on her story as a gold digger bride who wanted everything for herself; including the mansion. 

Not only does this new story of who killed who ruffle the fans’ feathers, it’s also the style of the busts. Look at the new busts and compare them to some of the busts you’d find in the mansion. The new busts are more cartoony, drawing away from the realism Walt had intended when creating the attraction. 

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5) “Upstairs? I didn’t know we had an upstairs!”  (Haunted Mansion Holiday)

Years ago, there was a rumor that circulated around the Internet claiming that Emily, our beloved Corpse Bride, would be taking part in the Haunted Mansion Holiday. As seeing she was a bride, it only seemed fitting that she would roam around the attic portion. Even a store in Disneyland started to sell Corpse Bride items.

However, this myth was debunked by a few facts: 1) Burton made Corpse Bride with Warner Bros. Disney did not offer to make the movie with him or vice versa. (2) Even if Disney did ask, it’s a matter if Burton would go with them to make it. Burton has worked with Disney before and isn’t too fond of their “selling out” method.

Fans speculated that Emily would be appearing in the Haunted Mansion Holiday because she is a product of Burton. To this day, they still dream of entering the attic and a whispered,”You may kiss the bride” echoing through the darkness as they stumble upon the doe eyed bride of death.

4) Melanie Ravenswood was Inspired by a Charles Dickens’ Creation (Phantom Manor)

If you’ve ever read the book Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, you may recall a character named Miss Haveshim. In this piece of literature, she was a forlorn bride who waited in her wedding gown for her beloved to return. On her dining room table was a rotting wedding cake, complete with table settings, and spiders crawling about. Miss Haveshim not only inspired the character of Melanie Ravenswood but the ballroom scene as well. As you pass the ballroom sequence of the ride, you’ll notice a decaying wedding cake, ruined table settings, and other details of a wedding that never occurred.

3) In with the Old (Tokyo Haunted Mansion)

Japan’s Tokyo Haunted Mansion is the only mansion that has not received an upgrade. Unlike the other mansions, it has kept the old charm of walking books, and staring portraits that follow your every move. When people step through the threshold and witness the old technology, they feel as though they’re going through an abandoned, haunted mansion. It’s also why Phantom Manor has very few upgrades and they do nothing more than touch ups. Mystic Manor, the Florida Haunted Mansion, and the Haunted Mansion Holiday are all about up-to-date technology which widens eyes and stuns souls. Yet Japan and Paris choose to keep their old, antique quality to warm the spirits of many who enter.

2) 13 Surprises  (Haunted Mansion Holiday)

Since this is the Haunted Mansion Holiday’s 13^th anniversary of scaring up screams, Jack decided to scatter thirteen surprises throughout the attraction.  What these thirteen items were no one knew. However, on some sites, it’s been briefly noted as to what these thirteen objects are. It seems like the thirteen surprises are different décor to match the Haunted Mansion Holiday. Most of them you would never take notice of during the ride.

In the attic, there are thirteen bows, some imprinted with the number thirteen on them. When Zero welcomes you to the mansion, there are thirteen bones in his dish.  But what really has fans boggled is the towering gingerbread piece in the center of the ballroom.

Since it’s started, the Haunted Mansion Holiday has had a different gingerbread house on the ballroom’s dining table. At first, the gingerbread pieces were stagnant and merely stood to impress guests.  As the years rolled on, Imagineers decided to let their creative spirit loose, and give life to the gingerbread pieces. One year, the gingerbread masterpiece was a spinning carousel. Another year, Jack himself popped out of a gingerbread version of the attraction, complete with miniature pumpkins modeled after the singing busts. But this year, the 2013 gingerbread house has not moved an inch.

Not yet, anyway.

What makes this year’s gingerbread piece so special is that it’s an advent calendar. An advent calendar is used in December to count down the days to Christmas. Every day an advent calendar door is opened, there is a treat or present waiting for those who looked inside. This gingerbread house works in the same function but instead of a gift, there is a different expression of the Pumpkin King himself. Every face and number is supposed to represent each year the Haunted Mansion Holiday has been running. Since the gingerbread advent calendar is only marked with thirteen numbers, the doors may start to open thirteen days before Halloween and/or Christmas.

1) Look Ma! No Tracks! (Mystic Manor)

Mystic Manor opened in Hong Kong Disneyland with an alternative look and feel to a scary house. As opposed to terrifying its guests with ghosts and ghouls, it took on the story of a wealthy adventurer showing you his house with his monkey as a tour guide. This attraction is aimed more towards the funny bone with a whimsical design from audio to vehicle. The car you ride in is not your average Doom Buggy and is entitled the Magneto-Electric Carriage.

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Because of this updated carriage, Mystic Manor is the first Disney ride built without a track. Instead of having a guided railway to follow, its carriages are lead by radio frequency identification (RFI).  The cars receive direct instructions from the RDI technology within the floor and Wi-fi. It is also the first vehicle of the mansions to be able to spin as opposed to only turning left, right, and straight.

So what mansion is your favorite and why? Feel free to leave a comment below and as always, followers are welcomed.

Boys and Girls of Every Age....

Welcome to another Friday entry at The Magical Mystery Blog.

Today is a Friday of a very special month. It’s a month that people have waited for since the end of summer and the start of school. It is the month of October, which can only mean one thing: Halloween! Originally started as a day to ward off spirits and demons, it has transformed throughout the years into a day where you run around in costume, asking strangers for candy.

Throughout the month of October, various television stations showcase a ton of Halloween movies. Some are Hocus Pocus, Corpse Bride, and Nightmare on Elm Street. But there’s one movie that has trumped these and risen to the pinnacle of nostalgic, Halloween movies. This classic film is none other than Tim Burton’s the Nightmare Before Christmas. Originally inspired by a poem Burton wrote and directed by Henry Selick, it was unlike any other Disney movie. As opposed to being a hand drawn or CGI constructed feature, it was all done with stop motion animation. This is where they use clay figures, pose them for one shot, take a picture of  their position, and repeat the process.

The story of this time honored film is that Jack Skellington, the King of Halloween, grows bored of Halloween Town. He comes across Christmas Town and is immediately inspired to create his own Christmas. This movie embodies the spirit of Halloween and delves into the nature of Christmas. Below are some secrets you might not have known about Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas.

      10) Oogie Boogie is Based off of Cab Calloway

If anyone remembers the famous 80s flick, The Blues Brothers, Cab Calloway plays the role of Jake and Elwood's father like persona. Cab Calloway was a famous blues artist known for his big hit "Minnie the Moocher" as performed in The Blues Brothers. He was also known for his specific movements and dance during a live performance.

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Cab Calloway’s dancing, songs, and even personality inspired clay makers, Danny Elfman, and Burton to base Oogie Boogie off of him. In fact there’s a deleted scene which was supposed to be included during the Oogie Boogie Song where Oogie dances much like how Cab would (2:40-2:54).

     9) Jack Has Eyes….Er…Eye Sockets…

When Jack lands in Christmas Town, he is in such disbelief of how different and beautiful the place is, he grows a pair of eyes; rather, eye sockets. It’s only for a brief moment that they are shown to the audience before and after "What’s This."

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      8) Two Heads Are Better Than One

During the reprise of  "This is Halloween/What’s This" the vampire clan is seen playing a game of ice hockey. They use a pumpkin for a puck. Instead of the gourd, it was supposed to be Burton’s head. However, they changed it because the movie was aimed towards children, and it was deemed too dark. Another head in this movie that wasn't censored was Danny Elfmans’.  The street band that appears throughout the movie consists of a cellist, saxophonist, and accordionist. There’s a miniature man in the cello whose head is based off of Danny Elfman’s, the movie’s composer.

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      7) Lock, Shock, and Barrel are a Gun

Burton got the names for Lock, Shock, and Barrel after the movie Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. This movie title features the main parts of a gun: the locking device, the stock to insert the bullets, and the barrel where the bullet is shot out of.

    6) Santa Was Supposed to be Someone Else

The voice actor of Santa Claus was supposed to go to Vincent Price. However, his wife had passed away, causing his health to spiral downwards. Price’s voice was frail and weak on the recordings, which were deemed unusable.

    5)  The Original

In the original poem, only Jack, Santa, Oogie, and Zero were the only characters. Sally, Devil, Harlequin Demon, Dr. Finkelstein, etc. were not given names in the piece and only referred to as Jack's peers. Lock, Shock, and Barrel were only noted as strange creatures in disguise who were ugly but rather petite. When the movie was in production, Burton created the other characters.

The verse where Jack asks Zero to guide is sleigh is specifically worded to fit the song "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer" where Santa asks Rudolph to lead his sleigh. This along with How the Grinch Stole Christmas, other holiday specials, "Twas the Night Before Christmas," and Halloween decorations being replaced with Christmas creations inspired Burton to write this poem.

    4) Black and White

Apparently the NAACP was upset because they felt as though Oogie was created to use “blackspeak.” Heroes like Jack, Sally, the Mayor, and others were made to use “whitespeak.” This is complete and utter elephant dung. As stated before, Oogie Boogie was based off the style and tone quality of Cab Calloway who heavily influenced Danny Elfman in his Oingo Boingo days. There was nothing racially involved with the production of the movie. 

   3) The Gatekeeper

In This is Halloween, the citizens of Halloween Town march through the entry gate of their land. There is someone there that we only see briefly throughout the movie. The only other time we see this person is when Jack returns from Christmas Town, riding a festive scooter. This being is none other than the Gatekeeper. There have been many speculations as to who or what this Gatekeeper looks like, but if you pause the movie at the right time you’ll see him.

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Quote the Raven,"Gate's open! Come on in!"

The Gatekeeper is none other than a raven wearing a bowler hat. His wings are probably hidden within his trench coat but his black beak and face are enough to tell us it’s a raven. It also makes sense for it to be a raven because they are birds often associated with death.

    2) “Tender Lumplings”

Towards the end of  "This is Halloween", the verse “tender lumplings everywhere, life’s no fun without a good scare” is sung. “Tender lumplings” is a reference to a song written by Danny Elfman during his time with the band, Oingo Boingo.

  1) Same Song, Different Movie

Before Jack created a clash of the holidays, Burton was working on another masterpiece. Most of you may know this work of excellence as Edward Scissorhands. It was released in 1990, with a beautiful score written by Danny Elfman. This is a sample of what Elfman did and is the opening track to the movie;  listen especially to the melody from 1:44 - 1:55. Flash forward to 1993, with Burton’s release of The Nightmare Before Christmas  listen to the music around :58 - 1:15. Notice anything familiar between those two specific sections? It’s the same music but with a different movie.

Any Nightmare Before Christmas secrets you know of and want to share? Feel free to post them in the comments below and as always, feedback and followers are welcomed.