Madame Leota

“''Serpents and Spiders tail of a rat call in the spirits where ever they’re at. Rap on a table it’s time to respond. Send us a message from somewhere beyond. Goblins and Ghoulies from last Halloween awaken the spirits with your tambourine. Creepiest and crawl toads in a pond let there be music from regions beyond. Wizards and Witches where ever you dwell give us a hint by ringing a bell.''

-Madame Leota‘s incarnations in The Haunted Mansion

Madame Leota is a major antagonist in Disneyland Park’s Haunted Mansion attraction. She is the ghost of a medium who summons spirits from inside her crystal ball. Her performance model on the ride was the late Leota "Toombs" Thomas, while her voice was provided by the late Eleanor Audley, who also played Maleficent in Disney's Sleeping Beauty, and Lady Tremaine in Disney's Cinderella. In the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay, she was portrayed by Toombs' daughter Kim Irvine, and voiced by Susanne Blakeslee.

Haunted Mansion
In the ride, her face appears as an apparation inside a levitating blue fog filled crystal ball as musical instruments fly around her. She still summons spirits using spells and her witchcraft.

During the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay, her crystal ball is replaced with a Christmas ornament and she can be heard reciting "The 13 Days of Christmas", a ghoulish spin on "The 12 Days of Christmas".

Ghost Post
Leota plays a major role in the interactive game Ghost Post. After an event known as the Great Unraveling traps all the ghosts in the mansion, the Committee of Wandering Ghosts is formed to seek the help of mortals on the outside. Leota is shown to be opposed to this, not liking the idea of associating with the living. She makes a few contacts with guests, sending them puzzles that will challenge their psychic and magical abilities. If they pass, she will begrudgingly accept their help, and becomes something of a guide as she gives clues and hints to help guests solve the mystery and help the ghosts. If players succeed and find the incantation to end the Great Unraveling, she will thank the players and recognize them as worthy mediums.

Superstar Limo
In the former Disney California Adventure attraction, she makes a brief cameo outside of a seance room in the Malibu scene.

Remember... Dreams Come True
In the fireworks show, she appears in the New Orleans segment of the show.

Star Tours: The Adventures Continue
Leota makes a cameo in a luggage going through the luggage scanning machine.

Epic Mickey
She appears as the librarian of Lonesome Manor and is named Leona.

Kinect: Disneyland Adventures
Leota appears as an antagonist in the Haunted Mansion mini game.

House of Mouse
In the TV show House of Mouse she made several cameos. She also made a cameo during the song ”It’s Our House Now” in the film Mickey‘s House of Villains.

The Haunted Mansion (Eddie Murphy film)
In the 2003 film based on the ride with Eddie Murphy, Leota appears as a heroine and is played by Jennifer Tilly known for the Child’s Play franchise.

Personality
Madame Leota is generally surrounded by mystery. Her motives tend to be vague, though a lot of interpretations tend to lean towards her being good or at least a neutral force. She generally favors speaking in rhyme as her incantations seem to be based around it.

Appearance
Madame Leota is an old woman with long, flowing hair inside a spherical crystal ball. In some recent versions, she has been portrayed as much younger and, in some cases, quite beautiful. Everything inside the ball is tinted blue.

Trivia

 * Madame Leota is named after the late Imagineer Leota Toombs who provided the face of the medium‘s ghost in the ride.