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

[wdwmagic]

This seems like a tremendous waste of time and resources, nothing more than a stunt to appeal to a minority of theme park geeks. I can't imagine HM is better or worse with the addition of this "ghost."

I disagree. Adding another AA to HM is a very welcome move. And this one is very well done IMO.

 

[JohnD]

View attachment 756851View attachment 756852
Disneyland version VS WDW version

I think this makes the point they need to reduce the lighting on the WDW version.

 

[Doberge]

It's like 10:30, we'll see if there's an announcement later. But why does it matter anyway? I like the understated reveal, although I doubt it stays that way all day.

Up to a 45 minute posted wait, longer than 7DMT.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

If they can’t be stated publicly how do we really know that? I know people have said it’s impossible but I am not buying it. It wasn’t impossible it was just much cheaper and easier to put him by the endless hallway.

Those of us who have heard them stated privately understand why they can’t be stated publicly. I assure you that the reasons are quite legitimate. Sorry if that’s not good enough for you.

With the hijinx over at DL’s Small World this past week, it really is valuable to protect this bit of information.

 

[Disgruntled Walt]

I think this makes the point they need to reduce the lighting on the WDW version.

Not sure if the lighting settings on the camera are the same. I was just trying to find a similar angle. One is BlogMickey and the other is WDWMagic.

 

[TheCoasterNerd]

Those of us who have heard them stated privately understand why they can’t be stated publicly. I assure you that the reasons are quite legitimate. Sorry if that’s not good enough for you.

With the hijinx over at DL’s Small World this past week, it really is valuable to protect this bit of information.

darn it, now I'm even more curious

 

[HauntedPirate]

But yet when Bobby Claus Jr was handing out coal, people saw it for what it actually was. But then Bobby Claus came back……………and so did the diamonds

Those aren't diamonds...

 

[lazyboy97o]

If they can’t be stated publicly how do we really know that? I know people have said it’s impossible but I am not buying it. It wasn’t impossible it was just much cheaper and easier to put him by the endless hallway.

The same way many of the things discussed here are known.

He also didn’t say “impossible” and doing something different added cost.

 

[Doberge]

The Attic was not possible at Walt Disney World, for reasons that are complex and can't be stated publicly.

Was there even room anyway? It feels like the attic scene ends with the bride and that there isn't enough room to place HBG across and just before the vehicle starts descending into the graveyard. And right across from the bride would have created competing effects and split rider attention? Those were at least my arguments against the attic but I could be way off.

 

[HauntedPirate]

I like the understated reveal

Same here. They don't need pomp and circumstance for everything (can someone hammer that into their marketing and PR departments, please?), sometimes less is more.

 

[JustInTime]

Here is a decent side by side. I feel like WDW’s is super realistic and maybe better??

 

[lazyboy97o]

Was there even room anyway? It feels like the attic scene ends with the bride and that there isn't enough room to place HBG across and just before the vehicle starts descending into the graveyard. And right across from the bride would have created competing effects and split rider attention? Those were at least my arguments against the attic but I could be way off.

At Disneyland they added a balcony right outside the Attic.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

I think this makes the point they need to reduce the lighting on the WDW version.

Those two photos were not shot under similar conditions. The DL photo was a press photo taken by Disney on a tripod after-hours while the attraction was down and show lighting could be altered for optimal documentation. The WDW photo was taken by a guest from a moving Doombuggy this morning while the attraction was operating. I don't say that to diss the WDW photo at all, they're just not the same kind of picture.

People are reading way too much into how the lighting looks on camera - lighting registers differently in different cameras, lenses, settings, and circumstances. The small smattering of pictures taken this morning alone shows how widely the results can vary from device to device.

Reports say it looks good in person and isn't too bright. Given how finely calibrated the light needs to be for this effect to work, I would say it's fair to trust that.

 

[Captain Barbossa]

Those aren't diamonds...

I know………hence the use of sarcasm in my post lol

 

[HauntedPirate]

I know………hence the use of sarcasm in my post lol

Lol! You forgot to use the sarcasm font or at least a /s at the end.

 

[Scuttle]

The same way many of the things discussed here are known.

He also didn’t say “impossible” and doing something different added cost.

It was clearly a cost issue in my opinion. How could a static AA not be able to be shoehorned into the attic? They couldn’t have added a support for him to stand on? It just seems like a cover for TDO’s netoriously cheap ways. But I’ll take your guy’s word on it. I’ve been out of the Disney game for a while.

 

[gerarar]

I rode DL's Haunted Mansion recently for the first time (albeit with the holiday overlay), and the Hatbox Ghost there happened so quickly before you turned towards the downhill into the graveyard. I just barely saw the transformation. Thought it was only okay tbh.

At least from the videos so far, in WDW's there's somewhat more time to view the Hatbox Ghost and appreciate it and the effect more.

How it affects the overall scene with the endless hallway remains to be judged. But from comments of people that have seen it today, the AA itself and lighting is good.

 

[Scuttle]

Here is a decent side by side. I feel like WDW’s is super realistic and maybe better??

View attachment 756855

It looks incredible by itself! Next to the endless hallway it looks atrocious.

 

[Captain Barbossa]

Maybe it’s just me, but this face seems to *slightly* be more in line with the one from the movie. Not by much, but I do see a resemblance between the two. Just something that caught my attention.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

It was clearly a cost issue in my opinion. How could a static AA not be able to be shoehorned into the attic? They couldn’t have added a support for him to stand on? It just seems like a cover for TDO’s netoriously cheap ways. But I’ll take your guy’s word on it. I’ve been out of the Disney game for a while.

He's not a static AA - and it's not about support.

Placing him in the Endless Hallway was not a result of being notoriously cheap (something I'm willing to admit WDW management often is). Putting him in his DL location would truly have been wildly impractical, and not for reasons you'd expect.