News Hatbox Ghost coming to Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion

peter11435

Well-Known Member
I'd answer with my own opine but it'd only derail the thread further. Plus it's been mentioned ad nauseam by myself and others. The missing candelabra is but another setback 'though minor compared to the addition inclusion of Hatbox and how the new scene was staged. IMHO.
The missing candelabra has nothing to do with the hatbox ghost and is no different than any other temporarily missing show element.

The opinion of an incredibly small niche group of fans does not equal this “new addition clearly isn't working.”
 

Magicart87

No Refunds!
Premium Member
The missing candelabra has nothing to do with the hatbox ghost and is no different than any other temporarily missing show element.
Weird!? I don't recall saying it did. Reading is fundamental. Comprehension is a skill.
The opinion of an incredibly small niche group of fans does not equal this “new addition clearly isn't working.”
There you go discounting the opinion of others as if you're the authority on the subject. Feel free to put me on ignore if you wish. It might save you from having to endure opinions other than your own. For the sake of clarity however: I don't think the Hatbox Ghost addition works in this area. But like I said, it's been mentioned ad nauseam. Please, feel free to continue discussing the broken candelabra effect in the Hatbox ghost thread. Or we can just move on?
 

peter11435

Well-Known Member
There you go discounting the opinion of others as if you're the authority on the subject. Feel free to put me on ignore if you wish. It might save you from having to endure opinions other than your own. For the sake of clarity however: I don't think the Hatbox Ghost addition works in this area. But like I said, it's been mentioned ad nauseam. Please, feel free to continue discussing the broken candelabra effect in the Hatbox ghost thread. Or we can just move on?
No, I’m not discounting anyone’s opinion. You or anyone else is entitled to your own opinions regarding the hatbox ghost. But don’t project those opinions on to others or portray them as more than your own opinions. When someone says the “new addition clearly isn’t working” they are over inflating their own opinion and trying to paint their subjective opinion as objective reality.
 

Bocabear

Well-Known Member
Unless it really is not working....then it is a fact.... and stating your opinion about something, is stating your opinion...I don't see it as projecting on others unless they say "Everyone thinks it is not working" when the effect is working as intended and by "working" they mean stylistically....
 

peter11435

Well-Known Member
Unless it really is not working....then it is a fact.... and stating your opinion about something, is stating your opinion...I don't see it as projecting on others unless they say "Everyone thinks it is not working" when the effect is working as intended and by "working" they mean stylistically....
Lol.

No, it was projecting.
 

celluloid

Well-Known Member
The missing candelabra has nothing to do with the hatbox ghost and is no different than any other temporarily missing show element.

The opinion of an incredibly small niche group of fans does not equal this “new addition clearly isn't working.”

Who the heck else is the Hatbox Ghost making a legendary return for?

Incredibly small niche group of fans(kind of too many adjectives there. You protest too much)

The thing clearly did not go where it was meant to and shoehorned to lesser levels. The amount of people who know where it should go is irrelevant to it not working.

Of course some people here are going to defend it, it is a tiny, miniscule, minority, micro, fringe group of fans(even smaller niche if you work for Disney and feel the need to defend it) ;)who see it as a great.

It is a character that was touted as a legendary return because it was once an attempted character in a massive ride of other gags, dark ride effects and characters. It is as niche as Disney attractions get.

Do you think its primary appeal was for the masses that do not know who he is? That would book a trip based on the character?
 
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doctornick

Well-Known Member
Who the heck else is the Hatbox Ghost making a legendary return for?

Incredibly small niche group of fans(kind of too many adjectives there. You protest too much)

The thing clearly did not go where it was meant to and shoehorned to lesser levels. The amount of people who know where it should go is irrelevant to it not working.

Of course some people here are going to defend it, it is a tiny, miniscule, minority, micro, fringe group of fans(even smaller niche if you work for Disney and feel the need to defend it) ;)who see it as a great.

It is a character that was touted as a legendary return because it was once an attempted character in a massive ride of other gags, dark ride effects and characters. It is as niche as Disney attractions get.

Do you think its primary appeal was for the masses that do not know who he is? That would book a trip based on the character?

I think the primary appeal was "this is a cool addition with neat visuals that plusses the ride". I'd love to see any survey data on public appeal for the HBG (whether from Disney or from a third party like @lentesta) but would actually be very surprised if the majority of riders view the addition as a negative.
 

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
I think the primary appeal was "this is a cool addition with neat visuals that plusses the ride". I'd love to see any survey data on public appeal for the HBG (whether from Disney or from a third party like @lentesta) but would actually be very surprised if the majority of riders view the addition as a negative.

I think the scene was better without HBG and I wish they'd either found somewhere else to put him or not added him at all... and it would still be difficult to call it a negative.

They added a impressive new AA figure; it's hard to complain much about that even if you prefer the scene without him (like I do).
 
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JD80

Well-Known Member
It is worse off because of it. If he were in his proper spot it would be better off.
The Big Lebowski Dude GIF
 

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
The constant tinkering of the ride in the 2000s has often failed because it doesn't understand the roots of the experience. The Haunted Mansion isn't just a catalog of gothic literary, cultural and cinematic tropes, it's a showcase for all the ways humans have tried to communicate these concepts through storytelling. Magic Lanterns, stage craft, sculpture, paintings. All as old, if not older, than many of the ideas presented in the ride.

What's impressive about Haunted Mansion is the scale and totality of the experience, not how complex the individual elements of it are. Even the robots are fairly rigid and limited in their movements and are more like mannequins than complex performers, and that adds to the theatrical feel of the environments. The most advanced piece of machinery in the whole thing is the ride system itself, which is seen only for its function and not the main draw or appeal of the show.

It's why CGI hitchhiking ghosts don't work. It's contemporary in a ride that's structurally and thematically classical. The obsession with adding new technology to "update" or "modernize" the ride misses the fact that even in 1969 most of the special effects were already a century old. That the ride dazzles to this day is a testament to the quality of its staging and pacing and how these old effects were given new life through the novelty of a ride through experience that any play or movie on their own never could.

Technology for the sake of technology never adds to a ride, and in some cases lessens the "special" in special effect because it's more obvious if done by computer. There's a newfound appreciation of practical effects for this very reason. In an era where everything is digital, having real things that move is increasingly novel.

And in a ride that's all about what you can't see or hear in the dark and beyond the reach of candlelight...less is more.

(That and adding flash photos to a scene where the narrator says don't take any was just silly)
 

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
How many things have been added/changed to the WDW version, but not others?

Interactive Queue
CGI hitchhiking ghosts
On ride photos
Staircase scene

Anything else? Kind of feels like WDW is the testing ground for a lot of hit or miss changes.
 

yensidtlaw1969

Well-Known Member
How many things have been added/changed to the WDW version, but not others?

Interactive Queue
CGI hitchhiking ghosts
On ride photos
Staircase scene

Anything else? Kind of feels like WDW is the testing ground for a lot of hit or miss changes.
Brace yourself - Disneyland seems primed to get their own version of the CGI Hitchhikers during its ongoing refurb. Along with a few other unique surprises.

Hopefully the Hitchhikers be better than their Florida counterparts.

Your earlier post about the Mansion as old-time Magic Show is spot on.
 

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