THE 1HAPPY HAUNT
Well-Known Member
I might just do that. thanks for the info. I love learning new things about my favorite ride.
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Fixes for the Haunted Mansion
- Thread starter Phroobar
- Start date
THE 1HAPPY HAUNT
Well-Known Member
I wish I could give you a million likes for this comment. I hate the overlay. I want it gone and to fall into Disney legend never to return.
kjb101791
Active Member
It was very disappointing for a first ride on the classic. It was far heavier themed than I thought without almost no Haunted Mansion left to enjoy. To be fair, if it were its own attraction and not an overlay on HM, they did a good job. But they removed just about everything that makes the ride great. The same can be said for all overlays and IP attractions that are making areas and parks so incongruous (eg, Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars anything, etc)
If it such an awful thing, why is the line so long and why have they done it for so many years? The vast majority of DL visitors love it.
Ismael Flores
Well-Known Member
Am i the only one that gets bored while riding the Haunted Mansion?
Something about it makes it feel dated, there are areas of the attraction that could use some updating. I wouldn't necessarily remove anything but some areas like the graveyard and loading area could use a refresh/plussing
Something about it makes it feel dated, there are areas of the attraction that could use some updating. I wouldn't necessarily remove anything but some areas like the graveyard and loading area could use a refresh/plussing
shortstop
Well-Known Member
The loading area totally needs to be fixed. It's just a big black box. Even the huge spider web is gone. I want to see windows and a grand staircase. It breaks the flow from being in a mansion to a black box and back to a mansion again.
CraftyFox
Well-Known Member
THANK YOU! I’m so glad I’m not alone on this. I’ve always felt a loss of immersion during the load area and the seance room. They’re both basically just balk boxes. It’s jarring to jump from fully realized lush, victorian sets to what looks like a warehouse or an empty soundstage.
shortstop
Well-Known Member
Something like this, perhaps? Too bad there probably isn't room for a scene like this from Phantom Manor.
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
The load area is heartbreaking. Originally intended to be the "boundless realm of the supernatural"- you weren't supposed to see the walls or ceiling. From what I understand, when the ride opened the effect was far more convincing before they bumped up the lighting in there.
From the Long Forgotten Blog :
If you go on the HM when it's broad daylight outside, your eyes will still not be used to the dark at this point and the effect of total blackness is mostly there, but there are still places where you can see walls and lights that you should not be able to see. For safety purposes, all kinds of lights have been added, illuminating the floor. You'll have to take my word for it that when the ride was new, this room was more impressive. As lighting increased, the overall effect was inevitably diminished, and the "boundless realm" in its original dark glory is a thing of the past.
Today, it's a Catch-22 situation. If your eyes are not yet adjusted to the dark, the limbo area is black enough (with some exceptions), but you can't see any details like the gryphons or the newel posts and staircases. If your eyes are used to the dark, you can see some of those things, but you can also see the walls and ceiling.
Now and then I've tried to produce something that conveys the intended feel of the place. Nostalgia, I suppose.
I love the concept behind the load station, and it's a shame that safety concerns (that are likely ridiculous and unfounded) have ruined the area. I'd welcome revisions to the area if only to fix what the lawyers have broken.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Not sure if this was intended or not but the current loading room works in making the idea of stepping onto an omimover track in the middle of a Mansion a more seamless transition to the point where it feels natural to step into the ride vehicle. Because that room is more like some dark, mystical mysterious room we don’t really question the loading process. I wonder what effect that staircase from Paris would have on guests subconscious. For me personally, I get the feeling that that staircase etc. from Paris would make the loading process and psychological set up for the ride portion of the attraction feel a bit less organic. But that could also be my DL bias talking and because I have never ridden any other version.
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Kram Sacul
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
The current loading area is fine. Just put back the web with the spider and dim that really really bright sign that says to watch your feet.
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
Conceptually, making the load area a purely transitional room- with the intent of making it seem endless- is amazing for the reasons outlined by @mickEblu above.
Disney World's is just a normal room- like any other in the Mansion and looks ridiculous with a long line of Omnimovers inside it.
No normal mansion has a ride running through it, so of course the room you board should be unlike any you'd find in a normal mansion, or even a stereotypical Haunted House. And of course that entire room should be designed to act as a transition- not just from the walking portion to the omnimover, but from the living world to the spirit one.
Another often ignored aspect of Disneyland's loading area are the gryphons found at the bottom of the "staircase". This Long Forgotten blog sums it up nicely: Cherubic Gateways.
The amount of symbolism and detail in such a seemingly mundane area of the ride is testament to the quality of the experience. I'd kill for Disney to make a ride that comes close to what the Mansion has to offer.
Many of the effects and illusions used in the Mansion are 19 century creations that could be considered "dated" even in 1969. The figures were often lower functionality then Pirates- which had opened 2 years prior. Many of the illusions are simple lighting effects. But by pulling from a rich area of study like the paranormal- and combining the unique artistic talents of Anderson, Crump, Davis, Coates, and Atencio- the Mansion was able to create an experience that transcended beyond a simple "hey, look what we have the ability to do" type attraction.
Disney World's is just a normal room- like any other in the Mansion and looks ridiculous with a long line of Omnimovers inside it.
No normal mansion has a ride running through it, so of course the room you board should be unlike any you'd find in a normal mansion, or even a stereotypical Haunted House. And of course that entire room should be designed to act as a transition- not just from the walking portion to the omnimover, but from the living world to the spirit one.
Another often ignored aspect of Disneyland's loading area are the gryphons found at the bottom of the "staircase". This Long Forgotten blog sums it up nicely: Cherubic Gateways.
The amount of symbolism and detail in such a seemingly mundane area of the ride is testament to the quality of the experience. I'd kill for Disney to make a ride that comes close to what the Mansion has to offer.
Many of the effects and illusions used in the Mansion are 19 century creations that could be considered "dated" even in 1969. The figures were often lower functionality then Pirates- which had opened 2 years prior. Many of the illusions are simple lighting effects. But by pulling from a rich area of study like the paranormal- and combining the unique artistic talents of Anderson, Crump, Davis, Coates, and Atencio- the Mansion was able to create an experience that transcended beyond a simple "hey, look what we have the ability to do" type attraction.
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
Fortunately, what the vast majority of DL love is irrelevant to @kjb101791 's opinion on the overlay.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Well said. These are the “little things” that today’s imagineers miss. It’s not just let’s make everything as accurate as possible or always about WOW factor. They have to consider mood, set up, psychology etc...
BasiltheBatLord
Well-Known Member
I think the current loading area actually works pretty well because that's where you board the Doombuggies. The idea of the Doombuggies appearing from nowhere out of this big, black void makes sense imo.
THE 1HAPPY HAUNT
Well-Known Member
couldn't agree with you more
THE 1HAPPY HAUNT
Well-Known Member
yes. yes you are. may I suggest Knott's down the road.
Who here misses the Haunted Shack?