Walt Disney Imagineering Breaks Down Pepper's Ghost Illusion in New YouTube Feature

Dec 09, 2025 in "Haunted Mansion"

Posted: Tuesday December 9, 2025 6:50am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

A new Walt Disney Imagineering video takes you inside the design and history of Pepper's Ghost, the classic stage illusion that powers some of the most recognizable effects at Disney parks.

The video, titled 'Using Pepper's Ghost in Disney Attractions | Great Moments in Imagineering,' breaks down how the technique works and how Imagineering continues to adapt it for modern attractions.

Pepper's Ghost has been part of Disney attractions for decades. You first saw it used in The Haunted Mansion, where it created the ballroom scene's transparent figures. The video shows how that original installation came together and why the illusion still holds up.

You also see how Imagineering pushed the effect further in The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. The team reworked the traditional setup to support moving sets, projections, and lighting changes that keep the illusion readable in a faster-paced environment.

The video includes a look at Test Track 3.0, where a new spin on Pepper's Ghost is used to put rides inside a custom car.

WDI has been releasing more behind-the-scenes pieces like this, giving a closer look at the techniques still in use across the parks.

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