Madame Leota--Biggest WDW secret?

[Jiminy Cricket]

Is Madame Leota in the crystal ball the best kept secret at WDW? If not, what is?

[Lou Mongello]

Is Madame Leota in the crystal ball the best kept secret at WDW? If not, what is?

When you say the "best kept secret", what exactly do you mean?

[Sam I Am]

How they do it, perhaps?

[ToddBreakey]

How they do it, perhaps?

Simple......lasers. Right?

[mondo1748]

Its projected on the to the inside.

[Jiminy Cricket]

When you say the "best kept secret", what exactly do you mean?

Yes, how do they really do it? I have heard many explanations, but it has always been from someone who knew someone who used to be a CM at WDW who heard it from another CM--and so it goes.

It can't be a projection because you can see it from all sides. It can't be a laser because a laser can't make a picture like that. I am sure it is something very simple, but since I am not a magician I can't figure it out. I have seen those shows on TV with the masked magician that reveals the "secrets" but I still love magic. Anyway, I forget how the tricks are done 99% of the time. I saw Seigfried and Roy in Las Vegas and I was amazed at the illusions.

[Sam I Am]

This is not from being a CM, but here's how they do it (It's pretty simple)
Highlight to see the spoiler:
The crystal ball has a blank face inside of it in the shape of Leota's head. there's a projector below and in front of her which projects a film (maybe now video, but when I first figured it out it was film, there was a scratch in it...) of her moving face.

When you go around Leota, if you look carefully, you can see the projector or at least the reflection of it on the glass ball.

This is the same effect used on the singing busts in the graveyard, btw.

sam

[Jiminy Cricket]

This is not from being a CM, but here's how they do it (It's pretty simple)
Highlight to see the spoiler:
The crystal ball has a blank face inside of it in the shape of Leota's head. there's a projector below and in front of her which projects a film (maybe now video, but when I first figured it out it was film, there was a scratch in it...) of her moving face.

When you go around Leota, if you look carefully, you can see the projector or at least the reflection of it on the glass ball.

This is the same effect used on the singing busts in the graveyard, btw.

sam

Thank you. You did not spoil anything. Now I can't wait to ride HM in 48 days to see for myself!!!

[Lou Mongello]

Enjoy the HM (my favorite attraction BTW) Jiminy...

And remember to stay quietly seated at all times... and no flash pictures, please! We spirits are frightfully sensitive... to bright lights...

[Granny]

Before I opened this thread, I thought the "secret" being referred to, was the statue of Leota outside that has the eyes that fly open for a few seconds each minute! I know most people just file by and never notice it.

I wouldn't have known about it had I not read it on the internet. I've pointed it out to my family and they always look for it now!

[ToddBreakey]

I've seen that also Granny. But only after learning about it from the DIS. Kinda freaked me out the first time I saw it!!

[BellhopSerling]

How they do it, perhaps?

Duh, guys, it's a real head!

[Disnatic]

This is another fact about Madame Leota from "Disney Imagineering:A Behind the Dreams Look at Making the Magic Real"
"When the crystal ball was being designed for the Seance Room in the Haunted Mansion, artist Leota Toombs was asked to play the role of the disembodied head as a temporary stand-in during a test of the effect- but she did such a great job that her temporary test became the final performance and the character was named "Madame Leota" in her honor."

[Princess Jas]

That is really cool, Disnatic! Thanks for sharing!

[Sam I Am]

Poor Ms. Toombs [what an appropriate name] she went from Imagineer to having to come to work at the HM EVERY day for eternity for the full park operating hours.