In 1989, this special aired on television in order to promote the opening of Splash Mountain At Disneyland. My reality with regards to this very important bit of history is two-fold:
1) I had no idea this existed until very recently.
2) I freaking love that this exists!
I was somewhat complacent that Disney's promotional videos involve Samantha Brown, 50% slow motion shots, and between 3-5 moments where I actually tear up (it does't take much folks). It's often refreshing to unearth things from Disney's past where they clearly are not taking themselves too seriously. This is so incredibly silly and different from the homogenous crap that we're used to seeing. Welp, enjoy!
When the crypt doors creak and the tombstones quake
Spooks come out for a swinging wake
Happy haunt materialize, and being to vocalize
Grim Grinning Ghosts come out to socialiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiize.
It's not high brow poetry but if it isn't something else. Grim Grinning Ghosts is among my (along with everyone else's) top ten favorite attraction theme songs… and who can blame me? Between Thurl Ravenscroft's booming baritone (which deserves a post in and of itself), X. Atencio's shockingly perfect lyrical sillies, and Buddy Baker's score, which is rollicking, campy, spooky, funny, and unsettling all at the same time, this one's a winner.
That, however, is not the subject of this post. I recently learned that 'Grim Grinning Ghosts', the phrase, that is, not the song, is derived from a line the Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis:
"Hard-favour'd tyrant, ugly, meagre, lean, Hateful divorce of love,"—thus chides she Death,— "Grim grinning ghost, earth's worm, what does thou mean To stifle beauty and to steal his breath, Who when he liv'd, his breath and beauty set Gloss on the rose, smell to the violet?"
Honestly, I don't really care for Shakespeare, or poetry for that matter, but something about this connection makes me appreciate the song just a little bit more.
