Kat Cressida, the Voice Behind Disney’s Haunted Mansion Bride,

Coming to Cheshire

By James W. Hawk

Literary and Cinematic Arts Editor

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Cheshire will have a special visitor in October when actress and voice artist Kat Cressida comes to Barker Animation Art Galleries for an afternoon appearance with fans and collectors.

Cressida will be at the Barker Animation Art Gallery, 1188 Highland Avenue, Cheshire, on Saturday, October 10, from noon to 4 p.m. The appearance will give visitors an opportunity to meet Cressida, have artwork and collectibles signed, and learn more about the performer behind some familiar voices in animation and popular entertainment.

For many people, Cressida is best known as the voice of Constance Hatchaway, the Bride in Disney World's Haunted Mansion.

The Bride is one of the attraction's most recognizable characters, and Cressida's voice has become an important part of the character's identity. Her career, however, extends well beyond the Haunted Mansion.

Cressida has provided voices for a wide range of characters and entertainment properties. Her credits include Jessie the Cowgirl in Disney World's Toy Story Mania! attraction, Dee Dee in Cartoon Network's Dexter's Laboratory, Kala in Disney's Tarzan, Elektra for Marvel, and Princess Leia for LucasArts' Star Wars, among many other roles.

That variety reminds us that voice acting is an important part of how audiences experience fictional characters. A performer may never appear on screen, yet a voice can become as closely associated with a character as its appearance.

For Cressida, that connection is particularly evident in her work as Constance Hatchaway. Visitors to Disney World's Haunted Mansion have encountered the character as part of an attraction that has entertained generations of guests.

Her appearance in Cheshire is especially appropriate because Barker Animation Art Galleries is closely connected with the preservation and appreciation of animated and popular characters.

Barker Animation was founded by Herbert and Gloria Barker with a goal of preserving America's cartoon heritage. The Cheshire location, which opened in 1994, is also home to the Barker Character, Comic & Cartoon Museum, a collection devoted to characters, comics, cartoons, toys, and related popular culture. Barker says its Cheshire gallery has been the destination for tens of thousands of collectors since opening.

The museum's collection includes more than 80,000 antique toys and collectibles, offering a setting where visitors can experience the history of animated and fictional characters through the objects associated with them.

Cressida's visit will also continue into the evening.

At 7 p.m. on October 10, Barker Animation will host a separate, ticketed Haunted Mansion event featuring Cressida. According to the event announcement, guests will have the opportunity to hear about the creation of the attraction and Cressida's experience portraying Constance Hatchaway.

The Cheshire appearance is part of a two-day visit to Connecticut. Cressida will appear at Barker Animation's gallery at Tanger Outlets at Foxwoods in Mashantucket on October 9 before coming to the Cheshire location the following day.

For fans of Disney, animation, comics, and popular culture, the October 10 appearance offers more than an opportunity to get an autograph. It brings to Cheshire a performer whose work has helped give recognizable characters something that cannot be seen in a drawing or sculpture—their voice.

And sometimes it is the voice that makes a character unforgettable.

Kat Cressida will appear at Barker Animation Art Galleries, 1188 Highland Avenue, Cheshire, on Saturday, October 10, from noon to 4 p.m. The evening Haunted Mansion presentation begins at 7 p.m. and requires separate admission. Details about the events are available through Barker Animation Art Galleries.