Disney’s Contributions to America’s Halloween Mythology

Last year I had an opportunity to do some research in preparation for a series of presentations at Cornerstone Festival in the Imaginarium venue looking at a historical and cross-cultural perspective on the development of Halloween. Some of the materials that I interacted with noted a variety of influences in current America’s celebration of this holiday, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the strong influence of Walt Disney.

Disney was a significant influence through a number of sources, such as the 1949 adaptation of Washington Irving’s story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” which included the Headless Horseman as part of the The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad cartoon. Tim Burton would later provide an homage to this in his own Sleepy Hollow (1999).

The 1952 cartoon Trick or Treat with Daffy Duck and Witch Hazel released as part of The Black Cauldron was another major influence on children and the holiday. The cartoon was played in theaters for the entire month of October in 1952, and those children who may not have seen the cartoon were nevertheless influenced by it through the release of the story as part of a 1974 record album with Witch Hazel as narrator. This cartoon had a strong influence on the development of Halloween rituals in America. David Skal has argued that this cartoon was “one of the most important media influences on the postwar candy-begging tradition” (Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween [New York: Bloomsbury, 2002]). The impact of this cartoon resulted in a Halloween behavioral template for millions of baby boomers.

Other Disney influences include Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion which exerted its influence not only through those children and adults fortunate enough to be able to walk through the attraction at Disneyland and later through Disneyworld, but also through “Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House” record albums that spun off from the attraction. The first version of this album was released in 1964 in connection with the opening of the attraction in southern California, with subsequent releases in the 1960s and 1970s. Another record spinoff came in the form of the “The Haunted Mansion” featuring the vocal talents of a young Ron Howard and Robie Lester. A special re-release was done in 1998 with the new title “A Spooky Night in Disney’s Haunted Mansion.” An interesting piece of trivia is to note that many of the sound effects came from an early Disney cartoon with Mickey, Donald, and Goofy titled Lonesome Ghosts (1937).

Disney’s influence on Halloween would also continue through films such as Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) released through Disney’s Touchstone division.

I still have fond memories as an adult with each of the items mentioned above which strongly impacted my experiences and understandings of Halloween, although I was not able to visit the Haunted Mansion until I was an adult. (I am still recovering from this trauma.) It would seem that millions of children were likewise impacted. As we consider myths and archetypes as they relate to horror and their impact on culture and cultural celebrations we should make note of Disney and his contribution to the development of the Halloween mythos in American culture.