The Alligator is a character featured in the Haunted Mansion attraction at the Disney Parks. It is seen in one of the four portraits in the Stretching Room area in the aforementioned attraction.
History[]
Background[]
The alligator, as its name implies, is an American alligator (Alligator missisipensis) seen in one of the four stretching portraits depicting the Tightrope Walker with an alligator below her whose jaws are wide open attempting to devour her.
Prior to her death, the Tightrope Walker performed on a faulty rope during one show which suddenly snapped, causing her to fall into the water where the alligator is at, resulting the Tightrope Walker falling into the water and then being eaten and killed by the alligator; thus a portrait of Sally Slater with a hungry alligator below her is displayed in the Stretching Room area at the attraction.
Appearances[]
The Haunted Mansion[]
In the Stretching Room scene, one of the four stretching portraits depicts the portrait of Sally Slater standing on a tightrope with an image of an alligator attempting to eat her while narration from the Ghost Host is heard in the background giving guests a challenge of how to escape the Haunted Mansion; all of a sudden, a loud thunderclap is heard in the stretching room and after the sequence, guests exit the area and then proceed to the attraction's Doom Buggies.
Due to the success of the Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland, the Haunted Mansion attraction was later constructed at the Magic Kingdom at Liberty Square and Tokyo Disneyland at Fantasyland, still featuring the Stretching Room scene that depicts the painting of Sally Slater with the alligator below her.
In the Magic Kingdom version of the queue, one of the several poems read by the ghost of Prudence Pock reads, "In the swamp, poor Sally Slater was eaten by an alligator", in reference to the alligator that devoured the Tightrope Walker in one of the four stretching portraits in the attraction itself.
Other appearances[]
Virtual Safari[]
One of the two visible portraits in the Stretching Room scene in Disc 2 (specifically the 2004 DVD release) of The Lion King 1½ DVD in the "Virtual Safari" DVD game depicts a parody of the portrait of Sally Slater and the alligator, albeit with Timon taking place of the former and a crocodile taking place of the latter. Additionally, a few hyenas can be seen in the same portrait.
Kinect: Disneyland Adventures[]
In the opening scene of the Stretching Room level of the Haunted Mansion game, the alligator was revealed in Sally's portrait when the Stretching Room floor dropped to the point of forming a bottomless pit.
The Haunted Mansion[]
Several alligators appear in the first line of the Haunted Mansion comics, which are potentially the ones responsible for the death of the Tightrope Walker where it is elaborated that the latter was a witch named "Daisy de la Cruz" who was the one who transformed men into alligators with a widower named "Papa de Janeiro" whom she adds to the collection. The Tightrope Walker then kept these reptiles on the swamp and walked over the water where the tightrope is at until she fell to her death at the alligators.
Disney Crossy Road[]
When the player plays as Sally Slater in the discontinued Disney Crossy Road game in the Haunted Mansion hub, alligators appear on certain parts during gameplay. However, they only serve as harmless obstacles blocking parts of the scenery; the player cannot directly jump into any alligator, and thus cannot cause an instant game over to the Tightrope Walker.
Muppets Haunted Mansion[]
A Muppets version of the alligator appeared in the portrait of Janice as Sally Slater.
Haunted Mansion (2023)[]
Two alligators appear in the 2023 reboot of the original 2003 film adaptation of the attraction.
As soon as the exits inside the Stretching Room close and transform into walls, the floor is filled with quicksand, water, and explosive barrels just as the area starts stretching while two alligators emerge from the water attempting to attack Ben Matthias and Travis as part of the Hatbox Ghost's devious tricks. Just as the alligators chase after Ben and Travis, the painting of Sally Slater comes to life and tells Ben to use the gargoyles to escape the room before he faces his demise just as the alligators continue to attack them. As the room continues to stretch, the painting of Alexander Nitrokoff comes to life and tells him to use the ceiling to exit while Travis manages to escape from the alligator attempting to eat him. As Travis escapes, Ben frantically shakes while hanging onto the gargoyle he is holding with the other alligator climbing up the walls below him. Just before the other alligator attempts to take a bite out of him, Ben suddenly knocks the alligator back into the water, foiling it; as the alligator attacking Ben is knocked back into the water, its splash extinguishes a fuse lit on one of the explosive barrels, followed by Ben and Travis successfully escaping the room via ceiling. The alligators do not appear again afterwards.
Trivia[]
- The fact that the Haunted Mansion attraction was constructed at the New Orleans Square area at Disneyland with an image of an alligator in one of the portraits of the aforementioned attraction and New Orleans Square having a New Orleans theme is a possible reference to alligators commonly being found in the state of Louisiana where New Orleans is located.
- While not physically seen in the pre-2019 revamp of Phantom Manor, the alligator was homaged in one of the portraits of Melanie Ravenswood, but depicts a river monster (which was likely inspired by the Gill Man from The Creature from Black Lagoon) instead of an actual alligator.
External links[]
