#Easter Eggs And References In Muppets Haunted Mansion You May Have Missed

The most iconic moment in the Haunted Mansion ride is the seance chamber, where Madame Leota communes with the spirits through her floating crystal ball. In “Muppets Haunted Mansion,” Miss Piggy takes over Leota’s role, playing “Pigota.” 

Meanwhile, the woman who Pigota orders to polish her crystal ball is played by Kim Irvine, who is part of a proud Disney lineage. Not only is she an Imagineer, but she’s the daughter of “Pinnocchio” animator Harvey Toombs and the OG head of Madame Leota, Leota Toombs. As revealed in the second episode of “The Imagineering Story,” Toombs was cast for her “high, exotic cheekbones,” and was filmed in front of a camera in a dark room. Her face was projected onto the ball, in what is credited as an early example of projection mapping technology (Madame Leota’s dialogue was provided by Eleanor Audley, the voice of Maleficent and Cindrella’s wicked stepmother). 

Toombs’ contributions to the wheels, gears, and magic that make Disneyland run are not to be slept on. She created models for It’s a Small World and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. Nearly two decades after her death in 1991, she was honored with the Disney Legend title.

Toombs’ daughter was very much her apprentice. In addition to playing Leota in the seasonal “Nightmare Before Christmas” renovations that overtake the Haunted Mansion every year, Irvine also worked on Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. In “The Imagineering Story,” Irvine recounts how she would take her daughters on the ride to say “hello to grandmother” whenever they passed Madame Leota. Kim also hears her mother’s voice when the recording of “Hurry back, hurry back” plays to exiting guests.