Ok, we have already talked about Thurl Ravenscroft’s incredible singing and acting career throughout the Disney films. Now, we shall talk about his numerous appearances in the
Disney Theme Parks.
There are two extinct attractions in
Disneyland where Thurl’s voice could be heard. The first one being
Adventures through Inner Space; the Mellomen sang the song “Miracles to Molecules”. The second one is
Submarine Voyager, on which Thurl was the
Narrator.
There were several places in
Disneyland in California that used to house Thurl’s voice, and while the attractions still exist, his voice on the attraction does not. In 2001, Thurl’s
Narration on the
Disneyland Railroad was removed as well as his voice as the
First Mate on the
Mark Twain Steam Boat.
Currently in
Disneyland, you can hear Thurl on
Peter Pan as a
background singer. In the
Enchanted Tiki Room, he can be found in several places. During the Preshow outside, he is the voice of
Tungaroa and on the inside, he is the voice of
Fritz. The Mellomen also do a bit of singing for the
Enchanted Tiki Room.
In
Walt Disney World, the original voice of the
Railroad was Thurl. In both versions of the
Enchanted Tiki Room,
Tropical Serenade and
Under New Management, Thurl is the voice of
Fritz.
There are a few attractions in both
Disneyland and
Walt Disney World that currently feature Thurl’s deep voice. The first being
Pirates of the Caribbean. Not only does he sing the main song in the background, he is the voice of a
drunken pirate by a lamp post, an
accordion player and, as mentioned before, a
dog who is singing along with the group. In the
Country Bear Jamboree, he provides the voice for
Buff, the buffalo head on the wall of the theatre.
Haunted Mansion is the only place in a Disney park where you can actually see Thurl’s face. He is a
singing bust in the graveyard scene, the one whose head has been knocked off of its pedestal. Many who see Thurl singing as this bust mistake him for Walt Disney because of the similar mustache both men have. He is also the bass voice that you hear singing the main song, “Grim Grinning Ghosts”.
Thurl has had many features in the Disney parks in the USA and has even had a couple spots over in
Tokyo Disneyland! Thurl’s voice, like in both US parks, was the original voice for the
Railroad and in the version of
Country Bear Jamboree, he also is kept as the voice of
Buff.
Whew! There we go, the full story behind the Disney Legend, Thurl Ravenscroft! He is even a true Disney Legend, inducted in 1995 for all the work he has done for the company. If you would like to find out more about Thurl and his work, just visit
www.allaboutthurl.com and make sure to check out the section on all of his projects with Disney!
*Update* Listening to some audio from
Disneyland, Thurl Ravenscroft also did the voice for the
narrator of an audio version of
The Jungle Cruise.
