The Arsonist is one of the ghosts haunting the Haunted Mansion.
Description[]
The Arsonist portrait shows a brown haired bearded man in a brown jacket wearing a black flat topped hat. He is holding a walking stick with his right hand and with his left he has a sack slung over his shoulder. He stands in front of a town burning down presumably because of him.
Appearances[]
The Haunted Mansion (Walt Disney World)[]
The Arsonist's portrait can be found hung up on the wall in the Loading-Area.
The Haunted Mansion (Tokyo Disneyland)[]
The Arsonist portrait here appears in the portrait corridor segment of the ride.
Effects[]
Much like the other Sinister 11 portraits the Arsonist's portrait features the "staring-eyes" effect which was accomplished by painting pupils on ping-pong balls cut in half. The eyes were cut out and the balls were set behind the portrait and lit, giving guests the impression that they are moving. Originally he was going to be a changing portrait where he would transform into a werewolf.
Trivia[]
- Like Count Dracula, the Ogre and the Witch of Walpurgis he was originally supposed to be a changing portrait
- In the original Marc Davis concept art he stood outside of a non-flaming village built into the side of a mountain with a castle in the background. He also had a sack over his shoulder instead of random clothing.
- When he was meant to be a changing portrait he would have transformed into a Werewolf.
- In the finished portrait you can see the silhouettes of people in the windows of the burning buildings.
- Some identify the portrait as being of the folkloric character the Pied Piper of Hamelin, however this is most likely false due to there being no allusions to the story in the portrait and the Piper was never said to have burned down the village of Hamelin. Another theory has interpreted him as being the Sack Man, a Bogeyman figure from several European countries. The Sack Man is said to hunt down misbehaving children at night, kidnap them and snatch them up in a large sack which he carries on his back. Depending on the culture, he either drowns the children in a river, eats them, or sells them
- Foxx Nolte, in her book Boundless Realm, notes a resemblance to Scapinelli, played by Werner Kraus, from the 1926 silent horror film The Student of Prague in costume and facial hair. An adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe story William Wilson and the Faust legend, Scapinelli took on a Mephistopheles role, offering the protagonist great wealth in exchange for his reflection, with his mirror doppleganger proceeding to frame him for various crimes.