How the magic works
Many of Disneyland's best moments rely on a handful of old stage techniques. Each technique below links to working models inside the attraction dossiers.
Pepper’s ghost
Angled glass reflects hidden, lit figures into a scene.
Also found in: Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough (dossiers in progress)
Hollow-face illusion
Concave faces read as convex and seem to follow you.
Also found in: more to come (dossiers in progress)
Projection on a sculpted form
Film projected onto a blank head gives a face real depth.
A face in a crystal ball
A living, talking face appears inside a crystal ball that floats over the séance table.
The Haunted Mansion · ConfirmedThe singing busts
Five stone busts in the graveyard sing the ride’s theme song, with expressions changing as they sing.
Pirates of the Caribbean · ConfirmedThe pirate who turns to bone
In 2026 a cursed pirate in the treasure cave picks up a gold coin and turns into a skeleton.
Also found in: Pirates of the Caribbean (dossiers in progress)
Black art
Unlit black supports vanish against a black room.
Things that float
A candelabra drifts in mid-air. In the séance room, a tambourine, trumpet and harp float around the room.
The Haunted Mansion · ConfirmedThe vanishing head
A ghost’s head vanishes from his shoulders and reappears inside the hatbox he is holding.
Also found in: more to come (dossiers in progress)
Two-way glass
Glass that reflects and transmits merges two scenes.
Also found in: more to come (dossiers in progress)
Moving room
Move the floor or ceiling and the room seems to stretch.
Also found in: more to come (dossiers in progress)
Mirror extension
A mirror makes a space read as far longer.
Also found in: more to come (dossiers in progress)
Ride-vehicle sightlines
Turning cars aim riders at the show and away from the backstage.
Your car aims your eyes
Every scene is perfectly framed, and you never see a seam, a light or a hidden figure.
Pirates of the Caribbean · ConfirmedLeaving the park by waterfall
Two dark waterfalls drop your boat into a cavern. It feels like falling deeper into a pirate’s grotto.
Also found in: Pirates of the Caribbean (dossiers in progress)
Mist screens
Projecting onto falling water or mist, so an image floats in the air with no screen in sight.
Also found in: Pirates of the Caribbean (dossiers in progress)
Flicker flames
Fabric, a fan and flickering light: the stage trick for fire that never burns.
Also found in: Pirates of the Caribbean (dossiers in progress)
Forced perspective
Things that get smaller as they go up or away make a building or mountain look far bigger.
Also found in: Matterhorn Bobsleds (dossiers in progress)