Main Street Details: Above the Mad Hatter

Disneyland's Main Street tucks dozens of great details into its signage and shopfronts, and the modest little Mad Hatter shop is a great place to pause and soak in some of the visual fun.

The hat itself, of course, sits front and center. It's unusual to see such a faithful sculpting of a piece of classic animation on Main Street.

Just above the oversized topper, however, sits the real treasure of this particular address...

As many of you know, Disney occasionally honors its major artists and contributors by awarding them their own window on Main Street. This one belongs to X. Atencio, the Imagineer responsible for adding a lot of wit and magic to two of Disney's most beloved attractions, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion. In addition to writing the scripts and dialogue for both rides, he wrote the lyrics to the rides' theme songs, "Yo-Ho" and "Grim Grinning Ghosts." He voiced the talking skull guarding the first drop on Pirates, and he can be heard trying to break out of the coffin on Haunted Mansion (as well as advising us to stay in our "Doom Buggies" if the ride stops unexpectedly).

Photo by Lana Whitham

Strange Things 3: Yet More Offbeat Disney Tunes

Welcome to Volume 3 of our collection of some of the wildest and/or most unexpectedly awesome Disney song interpretations on the face of the Earth! Let's not waste any time; this first pick is the greatest twist on a Disney tune I've ever heard...

Track:   I'VE GOT NO STRINGS
Album: Ron Sorin and the Blue Coast Band - Lake City

I don't usually associate a rocking blues harmonica and honky-tonk piano with Geppetto's runaway puppet, but Ron Sorin & crew are on fire in this rollicking instrumental piece that barrels along with so much energy and fun that 3 minutes seem to go by in the blink of an eye.

Track:   TALE SPIN THEME
Album: The Best of Peter Kleine Schaars

Peter Kleine Schaars is a Dutch trombonist who has performed with and conducted several military bands. As you can see from this album cover, he's performed works by the Beatles, Phil Collins and Earth, Wind & Fire.

Of course, all I care about here is that Mr. Schaars led a military band through an epic rendition of the Tale Spin theme...and it's a wonderfully different take on a television classic.

Track:   GRIM GRINNING GHOSTS
Album: The Swingtips - Roswell

Let's acknowledge one thing up front: nothing can beat the great Thurl Ravenscroft's unforgettable performance of the original.

The Swingtips can't match Ravenscroft's voice, but their take on the mansion's signature tune is the most fun alternate version recorded to date.Colorful and imaginatively arranged, the best part comes during the instrumental middle section, as you hear various ghosts from the attraction discuss or reenact their gruesome final "mortal" moments that landed them in the mansion.

Disneyland's Haunted Mansion Vs. Walt Disney World's

The Haunted Mansion recently closed for its annual Nightmare-Before-Christmas overlay, so here's one last look at HM Classic before Haunted Mansion Holiday opens on September 14th.

I love both the California and Florida Haunted Mansions. Although the rides are mostly identical, each has its own touches. If pressed, I'd say the Walt Disney World Haunted Mansion gives a slightly superior experience. The exterior looks more foreboding, and the ride includes a couple of brief, wonderful scenes not found in Disneyland.

Yet there are elements of Disneyland's HM that I prefer. I like entering through the front of the building. I like the fact that the stretching room floor goes down here, as opposed to the ceiling rising in Florida -- it just feels creepier knowing you're descending away from the "living" world. I like walking through the hall of paintings.

And, of course, I grew up with this version and it will always feel like "my" Haunted Mansion. I'm sure Walt Disney World fans feel the same way about their awesome mansion ride.