Grim Grinning Ghosts facts for kids

"Grim Grinning Ghosts (The Screaming Song)" is the famous theme song for The Haunted Mansion rides at Disney theme parks. A talented composer named Buddy Baker created the music. The spooky lyrics were written by X Atencio, a Disney legend. This catchy tune has been used in many ways since it was first made in the late 1960s.

About the Song

"Grim Grinning Ghosts" uses Buddy Baker's melody. It is often played in a spooky musical key called A minor. The song uses different rhythms, like 4/4 or 3/4 time. A special series of musical chords gives the song its eerie mood. This helps make the Haunted Mansion attractions feel extra spooky.

The song's title comes from a poem by William Shakespeare called Venus and Adonis. One line in the poem describes a "grim-grinning ghost." This line inspired the name of the song.

Different Versions of the Song

Haunted Mansion Rides

Many different versions of "Grim Grinning Ghosts" play throughout The Haunted Mansion rides. You can find these rides at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Tokyo Disneyland. Speakers hidden in the ride let the music change as you move through different areas.

• Foyer: When you first enter the dimly lit waiting area, you hear a distant organ. "Grim Grinning Ghosts" plays slowly, like a funeral song. This simple music helps set the spooky mood for your journey.
• Load Area: After the "Stretch Room," guests move into a hallway. Here, a low-sounding alto flute plays the song. You can also hear tubular bells, which sound like chimes. A windy sound effect follows the music, adding to the ghostly feel.
• Music Room/Grand Staircase: At Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland, you pass a broken-down music room. A shadowy ghost sits at a piano, playing "Grim Grinning Ghosts." This version uses big, blocky chords and a flexible rhythm.
• Séance Circle: You then enter Madame Leota's Séance Area. Different instruments seem to float around the room, like a harp and a trumpet. The song's melody softly hums on an organ in the background.
• Ballroom: In the large ballroom, you see many see-through ghosts dancing. "Grim Grinning Ghosts" howls through the room, this time as a waltz. The music uses unusual chords to create a strange and spooky sound.
• Graveyard: This is where you first hear the lyrics to "Grim Grinning Ghosts." Many different music loops play here. Most of them feature ghosts singing the words. The music has a 1960s style bass line and rhythm. One part includes a harp, trumpet, and flute, sounding like a ghostly band. This version of the song is the loudest and easiest to hear on the ride.
• Exit: As you leave the ride, you can faintly hear a final, sad part of the song. It is sung without instruments and has different lyrics.

One of the voices you hear in the ride belongs to Thurl Ravenscroft. He was famous for other Disney projects. He also voiced Tony the Tiger and sang in How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Thurl Ravenscroft leads the five "singing busts" in the graveyard scene. A special film makes the busts look like they are singing.

A version of this song is also used in Disney's Halloween fireworks shows. You can hear it in parades at Disneyland Paris Resort and Hong Kong Disneyland during the Halloween season.

The special "Haunted Mansion Holiday" ride at Disneyland mixes "Grim Grinning Ghosts" with music from The Nightmare Before Christmas. It also includes parts of Christmas songs like Jolly Old Saint Nicholas and Jingle Bells in the graveyard.

Phantom Manor

On April 12, 1992, Phantom Manor opened at Disneyland Park Paris. This ride is based on the original Disneyland Haunted Mansion. But it has a new story linked to Frontierland and Big Thunder Mountain. Phantom Manor features a new orchestral soundtrack by composer John Debney.

Phantom Manor creates a mood of dark elegance. The music is different from the other Haunted Mansion rides. The regular rides often have music played by characters you see, like an organist or a graveyard band. Phantom Manor, however, has a full orchestra playing the music. All of its music is based on "Grim Grinning Ghosts." You can hear piano, organ, flute, a boy's choir, and even a jazz band. A female singer represents the character Melanie Ravenswood.

In Movies

When Walt Disney Pictures released a Haunted Mansion movie, composer Mark Mancina wrote the music. Like Phantom Manor's soundtrack, the movie's music uses an orchestra. It often features "Grim Grinning Ghosts." Mancina used the song in lighter background music and in scary, building orchestral parts.

A scene in the movie's graveyard also shows the singing busts from the ride. They sing a few lines from the song. Most of the movie's music was not released for sale. However, some copies given to the film's staff can sometimes be found.

Other Places You Can Hear It

• In the game Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour.
• A part of the song can be heard in the 2015 Disney/Pixar movie, Inside Out.
• The song plays briefly in Toy Story 3: The Video Game in the Toy Box mode.
• In the House of Mouse episode "House Ghosts," the Hitchhiking Ghosts perform the song.