The Matterhorn as seen in the Haunted Mansion Disney Kingdoms comics
The Matterhorn is a mountain in Switzerland.
Description[]
The Matterhorn is a mountain in the Swiss alps which straddles the watershed between Italy and Switzerland. It is iconic due to its near symmetrical glacial-horn which is one of the highest summits in Europe. The first known ascent of the mountain occurred in 1865 in an expedition that killed over sixty-percent of the mountaineers involved and the mountain was only completely climbed in 1962. The Matterhorn is considered to be one of the deadliest mountains on Earth with over 500 mountaineers being believed to have died on it.
Notable Disney Appearances[]
- Third Man on the Mountain: The 1959 Disney live-action film Third Man on the Mountain revolves around a man named Captain John Winter in the golden age of alpinism (1854-1865) who tries to scale the Matterhorn after it killed his father. This film was shot near the real-life Matterhorn and inspired Walt Disney to adapt the Matterhorn for Disneyland.
- Matterhorn Screamer: This 1988 video-game revolves around Goofy trying to cross the Matterhorn while being attacked by mountain-goats and yetis.
- This concept was adapted for the Matterhorn levels of the video-game Kinect Disneyland Adventures which also features levels based on the Haunted Mansion.
- Mickey Mouse (TV Show): In the episode Yodelberg of this cartoon series, Mickey Mouse plays a yodeller who gets chased across the Matterhorn by a yeti as he tries to woo Minnie Mouse.
Connections[]
Promotional Material[]
A 2004 advertisement for Disneyland, the Hitchhiking Ghosts attempted to hitch a ride with a group of ghosts riding bobsleds through the mountain. When the bobsled ghosts passed by the hitchhikers it caused a large splash of water that drenched the ghosts.
Printed Materials[]
Disney Kingdoms[]
In Disney Kingdoms' Haunted Mansion storyline, the Matterhorn was explored by the grandfather of the protagonist Danny Crowe. However while climbing the mountain, Danny's grandfather is shown dying in an avalanche.
Other Park Connections[]
The Matterhorn is the titular setting of the classic Disneyland rollercoaster Matterhorn Bobsleds, an attraction found on the border of Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. This ride takes guests through the tunnels and down the slopes of the mountain while being pursued by a territorial yeti.
The Matterhorn is one of the locations featured in Soaring Over the Horizon at Shanghai Disneyland's Adventure Isle, Soarin' Around the World in EPCOT, and Soaring: Fantastic Flight in Tokyo DisneySea. In all attractions, it is passed over by guests riding modified hang-gliders with EPCOT's being themed to hang glider flights from a futuristic air-travel company, hang gliders for the celestial observatory of the mystic Arbori tribe in Adventure Isle, and 19th-century gliders created by S.E.A. member Camelia Falco whose ghost provided them to guests of her museum in Port Paradiso, Italy.
Trivia[]
- In the Ghost Gallery, Ludwig Von Baroketch comes from a village in the Swiss alps. This is believed to be an allusion to Matterhorn Bobsleds.
- The Disney version of the Matterhorn is similar to the Disney Parks version of Mt. Everest from Expedition Everest in Walt Disney World in-that they both are inhabited by a territorial yeti.
- Everest is a part of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers mythos with Harrison Hightower III having written a book about trying to hunt the yeti.
- It is sometimes speculated that a mountaineer member of S.E.A. seen in Mystic Manor might be connected to the Matterhorn though it is possible he might also be connected to Expedition Everest or a completely separate story.