When you say “Disney” and “Hosts,” you likely think of the Haunted Mansion’s famous Ghost Host. And in fact, the Ghost Host was our inspiration for this list, for there are plenty of other hosts on hand to guide you through your favorite attractions. We’re going to give the Ghost Host the nod of “needs no introduction,” so he won’t be a part of our list. Instead, we’re going to dig a little deeper and give some props to a few lesser known, but just as important, Disney Hosts.

1. Dr. Nigel Channing: Journey Into Imagination

OK, it’s a far cry from the Haunted Mansion, but the tour of the Imagination Institute has its own special charm. Before you get too excited, we’re not talking about Figment (though we’ll get back to that rascal shortly), but rather Dr. Nigel Channing, played by the legendary Eric Idle. Dr. Channing is just one of several innovators to be honored with the Inventor of the Year award, joining Dr. Phillip Brainard and Professor Wayne Szalinski (quick, can you remember where they’re from?). His tour of the Institute starts innocently enough, though our little purple friend Figment quickly puts his own twist on the tour. Astute Disney fans may recall that Idle had a role in the live-action sequel, 102 Dalmatians, providing the voice of the parrot Waddlesworth. Dr. Channing was also the host of the Honey, I Shrunk the Audience show (which closed in 2010). Eric Idle’s quick wit and humorous asides are more than a match for Figment’s antics, and the two finally come together at the end of the show to agree that imagination works best when its set free. (And, be honest, the image of Eric Idle as the face of the Moon is one you’ll never unsee!)

2. The Father in Carousel of Progress

Hmmm, the host of Carousel of Progress…are we talking about the narrator or about Father, who guides us from scene to scene? Both actually! If you haven’t picked up on it, both characters are voiced by Jean Shepherd. Shepherd was more famously known as the narrator of the now-classic holiday film, “A Christmas Story” (which he also co-wrote…and now you know why you get a nostalgic yuletide feeling when you watch the show, even well before you get to the final Christmas scene). We consider Father (quick, what’s his name?) to be our true narrator, and some of his old-time phrases are some our favorites (they really should sell Sarsaparilla over at Casey’s Corner!). What’s your favorite “Father Phrase?” Let us know in the comments below!

3. Judi Dench/Jeremy Irons: Spaceship Earth

If you’re going to travel through time, a guide is definitely someone you’ll want by your side. Dame Judi Dench takes us on a journey through the evolution of communication, and provides us with plenty of memorable moments throughout our tour. Thanks to her, you now know who invented the alphabet! (See, Epcot is STILL educational!). But we must confess we will always have a soft spot in our hearts for her predecessor, Jeremy Irons. Who can ever forget the introductory speech, “Like a grand and miraculous spaceship, our planet has sailed through the universe of time. And for a brief moment, we have been among its many passengers.” Spoken by Scar no less! And then there was the ultimate “take your breath away” moment where we heard “But will these seemingly infinite communications become a flood of electronic babble? Or will we use this power to usher in a new age of understanding and co-operation on this, our Spaceship Earth,” as our time machine rotated with perfect synchronicity to reveal the grand spectacle of the Earth floating in a sea of stars.

4. Your Jungle Cruise Guide

From serious to silly, we next head over to Adventureland and to the Jungle Cruise. Your guide here has a slightly different role here than on the attractions we previously discussed. Rather than a prerecorded script, your guide provides you with a live, partly scripted – partly improvised tour of the darkest jungles on Earth. But the best part is the jokes! Yes, they’re silly and corny, but that’s what we love about them! (Do you have a favorite? Let us know in the comments!) And because the Cast Members have a lot of latitude with which jokes they can tell, it’s never the same trip twice. In fact, more so than any other attraction, your tour guide will have a lot to do with how much you enjoy your exotic boat ride. If your tour guide is really “on,” you’ll groan and chuckle as your boat twists and turns through the muddy waters. (And thankfully that’s the case pretty much every time). There may be hippos, elephants, and even tigers on display on the Jungle Cruise, but the true star of the show is your guide. (Well, and the back side of water, but that’s another story…)

5. Kilimanjaro Safaris

Similar to the Jungle Cruise, your guide on Kilimanjaro Safaris isn’t a prerecorded narration, but an actual person. Good thing to, because their primary job is to alert you to the many animals you’ll see throughout the tour, and since they’re always on the move, your guide needs to know everything about them (and boy do they!). Though your guide’s patter is pretty much “off the cuff” today, veteran Guests may remember that the attraction originally had a scripted segment in which the habitat warden and a scientist would contact your vehicle to have you track down poachers that had captured a mother elephant and her child – Big Red and Little Red. Guests would see the poachers captured by the warden (played by several other Cast Members). Eventually though, this part of the story was eliminated, and today, the journey is one of natural discovery.

Well, that’s our list! Do you have a favorite that we haven’t mentioned? Leave us a comment below and let us know YOUR favorite Disney host!