The Haunted Mansion re-opens Friday!

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I have waited a long time for this moment! After nearly 5 months of the unbearable Holiday version replacing my favorite Disney attraction, beginning this week, I will finally be able to once again pass between those antebellum columns and enter the hallowed halls of the old Mansion the way it was (mostly) intended to be! The ghoulish voice of Paul Frees will again welcome us to the foyer (which may or may not have a dusty chandelier--I'll keep you informed), Walt's favorite portrait of the old lady atop her husband's grave and the others will stretch before our very eyes (or is it our imagination?) and Doom Buggies will transport us through a dark, foreboding residence and neighboring graveyard free of silly cartoons, but brimming with Grim Grinning Ghosts. As Judge Doom would say, "My God. It'll be beautiful."

 

[Californian Elitist]

Yay for the Haunted Mansion! I do love the Holiday version, but not as much as the superior original.

 

[officialtom]

Awesome! We'll be there on Friday and once or twice the following week!

 

[unkadug]

I have waited a long time for this moment! After nearly 5 months of the unbearable Holiday version replacing my favorite Disney attraction, beginning this week, I will finally be able to once again pass between those antebellum columns and enter the hallowed halls of the old Mansion the way it was (mostly) intended to be! The ghoulish voice of Paul Frees will again welcome us to the foyer (which may or may not have a dusty chandelier--I'll keep you informed), Walt's favorite portrait of the old lady atop her husband's grave and the others will stretch before our very eyes (or is it our imagination?) and Doom Buggies will transport us through a dark, foreboding residence and neighboring graveyard free of silly cartoons, but brimming with Grim Grinning Ghosts. As Judge Doom would say, "My God. It'll be beautiful."

And people wonder why WDW doesn't have overlays.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

And people wonder why WDW doesn't have overlays.

WDW doesn't have overlays because TDO is cheap and wants to avoid ride closures at all costs, for maintenance or otherwise, not because of some noble artistic concern.

 

[englanddg]

WDW doesn't have overlays because TDO is cheap and wants to avoid ride closures at all costs, for maintenance or otherwise, not because of some noble artistic concern.

I think it's far more complex than Scrooge McDuck syndrome.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

I think it's far more complex than Scrooge McDuck syndrome.

There's also Phil Holmes, MK VP, whose favorite attraction is the Mansion. I'm sure he objects to the overlay based on preference, but he also objects to as many refurbs as possible because his park is woefully lacking in capacity.

 

[englanddg]

There's also Phil Holmes, MK VP, whose favorite attraction is the Mansion. I'm sure he objects to the overlay based on preference, but he also objects to as many refurbs as possible because his park is woefully lacking in capacity.

Because overlays at WDW have worked out so well in the past.

Though, this was the worst...

I'm quite happy they leave the overlays a West Coast tradition, where they seem to be done better and don't last well beyond the season.

 

[Hakunamatata]

I think it's far more complex than Scrooge McDuck syndrome.

But it's so easy to throw the G card out there.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Because overlays at WDW have worked out so well in the past.

Though, this was the worst...

I'm quite happy they leave the overlays a West Coast tradition, where they seem to be done better and don't last well beyond the season.

A decor overlay is a bit different than an attraction overlay. They are doing Jingle Cruise now, so maybe opinion in TDO is turning. They could easily bring back the Country Bear Christmas Special - that one really gets me. So sad.

 

[englanddg]

A decor overlay is a bit different than an attraction overlay. They are doing Jingle Cruise now, so maybe opinion in TDO is turning. They could easily bring back the Country Bear Christmas Special - that one really gets me. So sad.

True. Both of those were done well! (and, I also miss the Christmas Special...)

 

[Figments Friend]

I have mixed feelings on the HM Holiday version.
I have enjoyed the *Nightmare Before Christmas* film since it was originally released, but when i first experienced the overlay on a visit in 2013 i was a little disappointed.
For years i had been reading about it, so expected it to be fun and unique.
That it was, but once experiencing it left me a little perplexed.

It seemed to be far too X-mas orientated for my tastes.
I was expecting it to be much more Halloween orientated, especially considering it was September and DLR was into it*s Autumn festivity mode.

I like it, but i think it could be even better if TWO slightly different versions exsisted.
Start off with a more Halloween themed version, then in November do more in the theme of X-mas.
It has never made sense to me that the most perfectly themed Attraction for Disneyland*s annual Halloween Time season, The Haunted Mansion, is basically turned into ....a X-mas riot of color and frivolity.

 

[Californian Elitist]

To have two different versions of the Mansion is one thing, but to have two different versions of the alternate version just doesn't make much sense. The attraction would have to go down yet again for at least a week just to install different holiday decorations.

The HMH really is for Westerners who grew up with it or were here when it first debuted, though you do have a few old-timers who don't like it. For the most part though, I've found that it's a "Disneylander thing."

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I do realize that Haunted Mansion Holiday is very popular and has a huge fanbase (in many ways, its popularity in comparison to the original further cements the original Mansion's cult status among the Disney fanbase), but for fans of strictly the original, the situation seems to get worse ever year. It's been there since September, with the classic Mansion down since August, oddly just after a big 45th Anniversary push. It's frustrating to have all the creepy atmosphere of the original replaced by this bizarro neon Christmas version...and I don't care what anyone else says, it is Christmas-themed with kooky Halloween-esque cartoon characters. It's in NO way suited for the Halloween season. Between the outside being vandalized and looking like a frat house after a night of partying, brightly-lit interiors that destroy the illusions created by the geniuses at WED (see: the graveyard scene, which goes from looking like you're actually in a graveyard at night to apparently just being a warehouse), silly cartoons, annoying music and the iconic Hitchhiking Ghosts replaced by a puppet thing...man, I'm just glad to have the original back.

 

[Disneysea05]

Love Haunted Mansion Holiday, but it will be nice to have the original classic back!

 

[TP2000]

WDW doesn't have overlays because TDO is cheap and wants to avoid ride closures at all costs, for maintenance or otherwise, not because of some noble artistic concern.

Preach it brother!

As for me, I enjoy Haunted Mansion Holiday a great deal. It's wonderfully done. The Haunted Mansion in Tokyo, as an exact replica of WDW's Haunted Mansion, is even more thoroughly remade for the Holiday version.

That said, I will also enjoy having the regular Haunted Mansion back. Mainly because it becomes an E Ticket that has walk-on status on all but the busiest of days. And even on busy days, after dinnertime it becomes a walk-on anyway.

The lack of demand for an aging E Ticket isn't the most robust of arguments for why Haunted Mansion Holiday shouldn't be attempted, but for the anti-Nightmare fans it can't be discounted as an argument in their favor.

 

[Little Green Men]

There's also Phil Holmes, MK VP, whose favorite attraction is the Mansion. I'm sure he objects to the overlay based on preference, but he also objects to as many refurbs as possible because his park is woefully lacking in capacity.

I don't see how MK is lacking in capacity, it has the most attractions in WDW.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I don't see how MK is lacking in capacity, it has the most attractions in WDW.

GMTM was comparing MK to DL, not the other three WDW parks.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

I don't see how MK is lacking in capacity, it has the most attractions in WDW.

Comparisons aren't required. MK's attendance has steadily climbed to record heights while its capacity remains at 1994 levels. That park needs new attractions like crazy, but instead of building them to soak up the crowds, the Country Bear Jamboree was edited to a shorter length so that it could do more shows per day.

You can't make this stuff up.

 

[Little Green Men]

I get it. I agree the MK can use new rides, but I don't see why they should use that as an excuse to keep every ride opened. Splash Mt. was closed during most of my trip, and while rides did have some long waits in general, it wasn't unbearable. I was surprised that the People mover used the extended queue so much, even though the line still moved quickly.

DL probably hasn't added much capacity since 1995 when IJA was added as well, though.