What would the Haunted Mansion be without a Ghost Host?
The Enchanted Tiki Room without Jose, Michael, Pierre, and Fritz?
Carousel of Progress without John and Martha?
Voice acting is a major piece of great theme park attractions, lending life to Audio Animatronics, characters on-screen, and even ever-present narration! In fact, the delivery of lines can become so iconic, we created a two-part list of ride voiceover lines we bet you know by heart, from “This here’s the wildest ride in the wilderness!” to “Thank the Phoenicians!”
But just as good voice acting can define an attraction for decades, a bad voiceover can tear you right out of the immersive worlds Disney and Universal work so hard to build. Especially in an era where Imagineers hope to transport guests into their favorite films, a missing voice actor, a bad line reading, or a poor imitation can totally change an attraction’s feel. Here, we’ve got 9 of the BIGGEST voiceover mistakes in Disney and Universal parks (and one that’s pretty surprisingly good).
1. Hermione (but not Emma Watson)
Image: Universal / Warner Bros.
Attraction: Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts and Hogwarts Express
Location: Universal Studios Florida
Unlike her Wizarding World co-stars who’ve mostly gravitated toward smaller-scale projects post-Potter, Emma Watson’s star is still on the rise (up to and including her starring role in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast). Though she’s present – along with co-stars Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) and Rupert Grint (Ron) – in Universal’s Hogsmeade land and its Forbidden Journey attraction, Watson was the first star to become suspiciously absent from the Wizarding World follow-ups in Diagon Alley.
Reportedly, Watson and Radcliffe kindly declined participation in the Diagon Alley projects on pretty agreeable grounds: it was the first evidence that the Wizarding World would continue to expand for decades, and both drew a line in the sand about being caught up in their Potter characters forever by way of theme park installations. (Notably, Rupert Grint [Ron], Robbie Coltrane [Hagrid], Helena Bonham Carter [Bellatrix], and Ralph Fiennes [Voldemort] have all managed to make themselves available…)
So when Harry or Hermione do appear in the Hogwarts Express or Escape from Gringotts, it’s always via a double… and in the latter’s case, a very bad voice-over. It’s unusual that Universal couldn’t arrange some sort of agreement for the half-dozen lines of dialogue that make up Hermione’s part between the two rides, especially since she didn’t even need to be on-site for any filming. Most of it probably could’ve been filled with archival audio! Without Watson, the single stand-in voice totally takes you out the moment in the otherwise immersive attractions, and it’s a shame.
2. Mara
Image: Disney
Attraction: Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye
Location: Disneyland
Since 1995, Disneyland’s Modern Marvel: Indiana Jones Adventure has been one of the most mysterious and sought-after dark rides on Earth. A thrilling, off-road rally through the cursed Temple of the Forbidden Eye, the attraction’s brilliant original story centers on a foreboding, ancient lost god called Mara. Ancient legends tell of the ancient gifts of Mara – timeless youth, earthly riches, or future sight – bestowed upon any who enter the Chamber of Destiny and successfully avoid the god’s ancient, rotting gaze.
The sinister story is built up through the 1/2 mile queue and pre-shows, continuously gearing you up for your face-to-face encounter with the god. And for most of the ride’s life, Mara’s deep, resounding, booming bass voice (rumored – but unlikely – to have been provided by James Earl Jones) would hauntingly choose a gift for your vehicle, unlocking one of three doors and ushering you in… only to rattle the temple by exclaiming, “Foolish mortals! You looked into my eyes… Your destiny now lies beyond the Gates of Doom!”
In 2013, Disney outfitted the ride’s fabled Chamber of Destiny with projection effects meant to give Mara new life… but when the ride re-opened, Mara’s booming voice had been replaced by… well… fans debated whether the new voice was meant to sound like a leprechaun or an intern. Reaction was swift and merciless. After less than a month, the old voice returned – albeit, pitched up and re-cut to fit within the new projection animations. That makes it likely that the brief replacement was always meant to be temporary as the original audio files were re-synched.
3. Robert Osbourne
Image: Disney
Attraction: The Great Movie Ride
Location: Disney’s Hollywood Studios
There isn’t much to say about this closed classic that’s not covered by our in-depth Lost Legend: The Great Movie Ride entry… The spectacular journey into the movies was the sort of grand, 20-minute, Animatronic-packed, epic dark ride that only Disney can do, celebrating cinema from the silver screen to the greatest hits of today… er, well, the ’80s. In any case, the ride (and its enviable location inside Hollywood Studios’ iconic Chinese Theater) seemed to be positioned as the sort of evergreen “thesis” attraction that almost never gets closed!
Even as Disney’s Hollywood Studios “evolved” to de-emphasize the “behind-the-scenes” of moviemaking and instead let guests step into the movies, the Great Movie Ride seemed like a mandatory attraction celebrating the foundation of films. It seemed like a good thing when Turner Classic Movies (TCM) entered into a sponsorship deal with Disney over the attraction in 2014… but one of TCM’s first changes was to hand much of the ride’s narration (previously handled by an in-vehicle guide) over to the disembodied voice of TCM presenter Robert Osbourne.
Osbourne – whose voice would be unfortunately unknown to anyone who doesn’t watch TCM – only served to downplay the whitty back-and-forth that the ride’s cast members had provided… something like giving half of Jungle Cruise’s spiel to the voice of Dwayne Johnson played over speakers. Ultimately, TCM’s sponsorship didn’t extend the ride’s life. It closed in 2017, with its last two years disappointingly weakened by TCM’s changes and Osbourne’s narration.
4. The Redhead
Image: Disney
Attraction: Pirates of the Caribbean
Location: Disneyland and Magic Kingdom
Since its debut at Disneyland more than 50 years ago, Pirates of the Caribbean has become one of the most iconic attractions ever produced by Disney. It’s also had its fair share of edits over the last five decades… For fans, the last few decades in particular have been a war over the soul of the classic, with continuous edits to retrofit characters from the high-earning (and played-out) Pirates of the Caribbean film series into the ride. But for even longer, piecemeal changes to Pirates have been made in the spirit of “political correctness.”
The most recent (and, as far as we can imagine, the “big finale” of those edits) were changes to the infamous auction scene, where an Auctioneer pirate takes offers for the “hearty wenches” he’s trying to sell for brides. The star was the Redhead, a busty woman in a low-cut top lifting her red dress to expose her ankle while onlooking pirates chant, “We wants the redhead!” In 2018, the scene finally got the axe. The redhead was transformed into a pirate herself, now commanding the local townspeople to bring out their loot and rum (starting the not-quite-as-catchy chant, “We wants the rum! We wants the rum!”).
Look – we’ll leave discussions of the changed character’s legacy to our list of lost Disney Parks’ characters. But one thing we can all agree on? Whether you’re into the change or note, this redheaded pirate sounds… well… rough. It’s not just that the new redhead lacks nuance or subtlety, it’s that it’s instantly apparent that this audio is new and over-the-top. It just doesn’t fit, and even a guest on their first ride-through would ask what the deal was.
But that’s not even the worst pirate voice in Disney Parks… Read on…
5. Damsel in distress
Image: wdwinfo.com
Attraction: Fantasmic
Location: Disneyland
For most things at Disney Parks, an old idiom rings true: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” That’s probably the takeaway from Disneyland’s Fantasmic!, which underwent a year-long reimagining while its stage – the Rivers of America – were drained to make way for Galaxy’s Edge. Sure, after a nearly 30-year run, it was high time for the show to be spruced up for the 21st century, and the “new” Fantasmic has all the bells and whistles you’d expect, like improved audio, projection mapping, and more.
But arguably, Disney went too far in recrafting the classic, overstuffing it with effects and replacing some of its tributes to early Disney films with the same old songs and stories we’ve seen in every nighttime spectacular for the last decade… For example, Disneyland’s Fantasmic has always benefitted over Disney World’s for the use of its two, massive, real riverboats, including the Sailing Ship Columbia. In Fantasmic, the full-sized sailing ship became a living stage for Peter Pan‘s wire-work fight against Hook – a bright, beautiful, action-packed scene full of the color, life, and music the show’s known for.
In the new show, Hook and Peter were cut for – you guessed it – Pirates of the Caribbean. It makes little sense for Mickey’s frenzied descent into classic animated dreams to suddenly jump into a decade-old live action PG-13 film, but oh well… Now, the Columbia is decked in tattered sails with a gloomy blue and green fog, and Jack Sparrow seems to be in search of his Compass, while simultaneously considering saving a damsel in distress whose dialogue was clearly recorded from a sound booth where she was asked to scream, but not ad-lib; to shout, but enunciate. The result is a grating audio track that makes the worst scene in the new show even more awful.
6. Dr. Seeker
Image: Disney
Attraction: DINOSAUR
Location: Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Ah, Dinosaur. When we wrote our in-depth feature on the ride, we weren’t entirely sure if the Animal Kingdom thrill should be classified among Disney’s best rides, or its worst! That’s in part because Dinosaur is perhaps the most uneven ride Disney’s ever created thanks to the unusual history of the ride that we explored in Lost Legends: Countdown to Extinction. The victim of continuous edits to its story and tone, the ride has always suffered from its lack of clarity.
On your journey to save the last iguanodon from extinction, you’re hurtled through an ancient, steaming, prehistoric jungle moments before the cataclysmic asteroid kills half of all species on Earth. It’s dark. It’s scary. It’s loud. So how is one supposed to know what’s happening? Enter Dr. Grant Seeker (get it?) who – alongside the Time Rover’s on-board computer system – acts as your narrator through the journey. Seeker’s narration today is a complete re-write of the ride’s original narration. Seemingly concocted by a focus group, Seeker’s current lines are clearly meant to be funny, but not distracting; expository, but not annoying; present and helpful, but well-timed between screams and roars.
That’s why the ride today features audio that helps explain what’s happening in the darkness (“Computer, what’s happening?!” Chirp chirp. ‘Loss of traction.’), remind riders of and refocus on the mission (“We’ve got to get in, get that iguanodon, and get out before the asteroid hits!” “Setting Autopilot on homing signal… now!” “Tracking a big dino on the scope; it could be ours!” “Still not our dino…”), and add tension rather than humor (“Forget it! Get them out now!” “You’re not going to make it!”). The end result is – like so much of Dinosaur – just inconsistant… If you ask us, Dinosaur might benefit from an original score with just a few key bits of dialogue throughout.
7. Dory (but not Ellen DeGeneres)
Image: Disney
Attraction: Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, and Pixar Pal-a-Round
Location: Disneyland, Epcot, and Disney California Adventure
Similar to Emma Watson’s obvious absense from Diagon Alley’s Harry Potter rides, Disney Parks appearances by everyone’s favorite fish, Dory, just don’t sound quite right. Imitating Ellen DeGeneres’ distinctive voice and mannerism is somewhat like trying to recreate a famous work of art; that is, it’s not easy to do, and you’re not likely to convince many people that you’re the original artist. From the first lines spoken by Dory on either Disneyland’s Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage or Epcot’s The Seas, most people instantly register that Ellen’s not on board. It’s fair to imagine that Ellen would’ve requested a hefty paycheck for her appearance, but strange that Disney couldn’t negotiate it… especially once Finding Dory went into production, and given Ellen’s history of working with Disney Parks.
Then, when Imagineers redesigned Disney California Adventure’s boardwalk amusement park into Pixar Pier, they transformed the Mickey’s Fun Wheel Ferris wheel into the (nonsensically named) Pixar Pal-a-Round (which, for some reason, still has a ’20s style, pie-eyed Mickey Mouse on its face). Rather than using one of the dozens of Pixar voice actors who’d happily agree to record a few lines, they brought “Dory” back as the safety spiel voice for the new ride.
8. Rosita
Image: Disney
Attraction: Tropical Hideaway
Location: Disneyland
When Disneyland’s Tropical Hideaway opened in 2018, fans couldn’t get enough of the quick service dining patio nestled in the jungles of Adventureland. Clearly part of Disneyland’s pre-Galaxy’s-Edge crowd control initiative “Project Stardust,” the new dining area might best be described as a place for Annual Passholders to “Dole Whip and chill,” helping to clear the park’s infamously packed pathways. Meanwhile, it perfectly complements the Modern Marvel: Enchanted Tiki Room while simultaneously tying to the Jungle Cruise it overlooks and wrapping in the mythology of S.E.A.: The Society of Explorers and Adventurers.
One of the most talked-about parts of the Tropical Hideaway, though, was the rare appearance of an Audio-Animatronics outside of an attraction – in this case, the lovely Rosita, a bird whose absense from the Tiki Room has been mentioned in the show for fifty years. Given the masterful voiceover work that makes the Tiki Room so beloved, fans might’ve hoped that Rosita would be equally well-spoken, or even that she might sing or be live-puppeted to speak and respond to park guests…! No such luck. Rosita mostly tells jokes, and with voiceover work that sounds surprisingly amateur for such a prominent figure…
Honestly, we might suggest that Disney just has the figure remain silent, or whistle Tiki Room tunes…
9. The Bride
Image: Disney
Attraction: Phantom Manor
Location: Disneyland Paris
Disney Imaigneers went back to the drawing board when it came time to design Disneyland Paris, expertly re-crafting Disney classics into new forms that would be more agreeable to European tastes. While the Lost Legend: Space Mountain – De la Terre á la Lune now exists only in our in-depth archives, the park’s one-of-a-kind take on the Haunted Mansion isn’t just a favorite; it’s a classic in its own right. Unlike its largely plotless American cousins, the Modern Marvel: Phantom Manor re-organizes the sights and sounds of the Haunted Mansion to tell a the story of Melanie Ravenswood (daughter of the founder of Big Thunder Mountain Mining Co.) and her eternal suffering when a mysterious Phantom kills her betrothed on their wedding day.
One of the things that makes Phantom Manor so unique is that it features a protagonist – Melanie – who we root for, even as she literally rots, waiting for a lover we know will never return. She’s a tragic hero, whose only sounds through the ride are mournful cries and her forlorn, haunting singing with an operatic, beautiful voice. In the original Phantom Manor, our last interaction with Melanie is the last scene of the ride when – completely rotted to bone – she saves us from being sucked into Phantom Manor and its endless suffering, pointing us to safety.
In May 2019, Phantom Manor re-opened after an unprecedented sixteen month refurbishment, adding in some of those same “bells and whistles” that have reinvigorated other Disney dark rides, like improved animatronics, new lighting and sound, and projection effects. Despite a few questionable choices, the refurbishment is mostly for the better… until the last 20 seconds. Now, the bride’s final appearance is via the familiar “Hitch-Hiking Ghost” effect, eerily smirking, laughing evilly, and saying “Will YOU marry me?” All at once, the last 20 seconds recast the bride not as our tragic hero, but as the same tired trope used in the American parks: a “black widow” bride… Does the simple line and its delivery recast the character as the ride’s villain and undo the story fans thought they knew? Kind of… and that’s a shame.
10. Woody (but not Tom Hanks)
Image: Disney / Pixar
When you hear “Dory” or “Hermione,” you probably instantly recognize that the star power behind the voice didn’t sign on to follow-up with the theme park attraction…
But have you ever noticed that whenever Toy Story‘s Woody appears in Disney Parks, he sounds wrong? Probably not! But despite sounding pretty spot-on, most of Woody’s appearances outside of the main film series and its associated shorts aren’t voiced by Tom Hanks at all! Rather, they’re mostly filled in by his brother, Jim Hanks! Jim has a film career all his own, but no less than twenty times, he’s filled in for his brother to provide Woody’s voice for specials and video games… which is to say nothing of the dozens and dozens of times Jim has played Woody for toys, parades, and theme park attractions.
Jim’s appearances as Woody far outnumber Tom’s, but this is one theme park voiceover that works perfectly! Still, Tom has joked about the relationship in interviews while Jim has showed off his unusually accurate imitation.
