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.
