The Gardener

The Gardener is a character from the Phantom Manor attraction at Disneyland Paris.
==History==
===Background===
The Gardener is an undead skeleton whose eyes are still open, hinting that this person is a reanimated skeleton. This figure also appears to be wearing eyeglasses as well as a pair of white damaged gloves while holding a small rake, planning to attack Melanie. This can imply that the Gardener shows a hostile attitude to those who pass through the resting spot where the said skeleton lives.
This person presumably worked as an unknown gardener at Thunder Mesa, Arizona in the 19th century, but suddenly died of an unknown cause, resulting in the Gardener to be buried at a rose garden. Through unknown means, the gardener became a reanimated skeletal figure at some point presumably around the 1850s, planning to terrorize Melanie who passes through the grave of said skeleton.
===Development history===
Phantom Manor was an opening day attraction at Disneyland Paris where a portrait of Melanie's encounter with the Gardener has been displayed there for years. Phantom Manor closed for maintenance in 2018 for a major refurb; the attraction later reopened in 2019, resulting in the portrait featuring the Gardener to be removed to be replaced by a portrait depicting Melanie and her suitor Iggy Knight.
==Role in the attraction==
From opening day to 2018, the portrait of Melanie's encounter with the Gardener was displayed as one of the four stretching portraits in the attraction. The portrait depicts the Gardener rising from the resting place where the skeleton of said individual prepares to attack Melanie while narration from the Phantom is heard in the background giving guests a challenge of how to escape the Phantom Manor; all of a sudden, a loud thunderclap is heard in the stretching room and after the sequence, guests exit the area and then proceed to the attraction's Doom Buggies.
==Trivia==
*The Gardener appears to be the Phantom Manor counterpart of George Hightower from the original Haunted Mansion attraction, paralleling the portrait of Constance Hatchaway sitting on the tomb of Hightower from the original attraction.
==External links==
*The Gardener on Haunted Mansion Wiki.
Category:The Haunted Mansion characters
Category:Skeletons
Category:Theme park characters
Category:Deceased characters
Category:Disney characters
Category:Villains
Category:Silent characters
Category:Adults