The Phantom Five (also known as "The Singing Busts") are characters from the Disney theme park attractions The Haunted Mansion and Phantom Manor and the 2003 feature film The Haunted Mansion. They sing the iconic song "Grim Grinning Ghosts".
They are played by Jay Meyer, Thurl Ravenscroft, Verne Rowe, Bob Ebright, and Chuck Schroeder. Originally the busts were to be portrayed by five actors, but the decision was made to use the singers after they showed a good deal of emotion during the recording session. They sing the majority of the song and, like many of the ghosts, each bust has an official character name. They are Ned Nub (Meyer), Uncle Theodore (Ravenscroft), Rollo Rumkin (Rowe), Phineas Pock (Ebright), and Cousin Al (Schroeder). Ravenscroft's bust is often misidentified as being Walt Disney himself.
Trivia
- An homage to the Phantom Five appears in Hercules. During the song "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)", the five Muses appear as the busts.
- In the film version, the number of busts has been reduced to a quartet.
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