Have you seen it at DL? I think it’s pretty great, the new hitchhikers here, not so much.
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News Hatbox Ghost coming to Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
yensidtlaw1969
Well-Known Member
Thankfully, in person The Hatbox Ghost blends in quite nicely - his use of digital effects is well integrated and sparing enough that they do not scream *PROJECTION!!!* . . . unlike another certain Attic denizen who will go unnamed . . .
Hatboxes have been littering the WDW Attic since the 2007 "Re-Haunting" refurbishment - when Constance was added to Disneyland in 2006 they really amped up the allusions to The Hatbox Ghost despite him not materializing himself for almost another decade, and at WDW they followed suit a year later when they brought her over. Her story was designed to intertwine with his effect.
networkpro
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
It's been on all this week at MK. The ride pictures now include these new figures in addtion to the hallway snap.
zipadee999
Well-Known Member
That’s interesting, makes you wonder how long his return was planned. I do have to say that I like having him on the balcony so you can see signs of him all through the attic before finally coming face to face. It’s nice that they designed Connie and HBG to play off of each other, but I wish they’d update Constance to use the tech for the hatbox projection. The Hatbox Ghost looks sleek and modern, while Constance looks like something you’d buy at spirit Halloween in 2009
MrPromey
Well-Known Member
When does it ever other than when they're building a new DVC property?
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Hatbox Ghost’s return was years in the making and there were several times where it was on the cusp of happening.
zipadee999
Well-Known Member
I do vaguely remember hearing that they weren’t initially going to put him back in the attic and instead he’d be in the graveyard or ballroom and would only light up for AP guests or something of that nature.
yensidtlaw1969
Well-Known Member
"Planned" is a funny word . . . The Hatboxes that were installed alongside Constance could be seen simply as a nod to the infamous character that used to share that scene, rather than any sort of meaningful indication that he would be returning. Clearly he did, in the end, but correlation does not equal causation. There wasn't really any guarantee he was coming for the better part of a decade.
There had been a behind the scenes push for the return of The Hatbox Ghost from around the prep stage of Disneyland's 50th anniversary, but it never gained sufficient support to move money behind it. Meanwhile Constance moved into the attic not long after . . . but as I think is clear from the difference in their finished product, Constance and the eventual Hatbox Ghost had some different people devising their illusions. So it's more like Team A set the ball hoping some Team B would be able to spike it down the line. And thankfully they did.
I understand there were a couple real attempts at prototyping a figure between 2008 and his eventual return in 2015, if not also sooner, so things had been simmering for a while. More than once he came really close to happening before things fizzled. Guillermo Del Toro even set the plan for his unproduced Haunted Mansion movie to feature the HBG as either a or the main character, which would likely have all but secured his return to the ride had that movie been made and done well. So clearly there were people gunning for it to happen.
Ultimately I think it helped that the character proved to be merchandisable for nearly a decade. By the time they had a prototype that was a strong enough illusion it could be viewed upclose (and not somewhere hidden in the distance of the Graveyard or Ballroom, as had been considered) they were also in need of fun little plussings to tout as part of Disneyland's Diamond Celebration. So it was decided to go for it - but it had to be outside the attic rather than in, because, ironically, the means of achieving Constance filled the attic with too much ambient light for him to look right in his old spot. Which is funny both because the Constance team wanted an eventual HBG return, but also because that's very nearly the same issue that caused The Hatbox Ghost to be removed from the ride in the first place.
I've heard a few times now that The Hatbox Ghost at WDW may not appear in the same spot he does at Disneyland, which I haven't been able to confirm but is interesting to consider. Personally I'd love to see them give the whole attic another pass, put him in his old spot, put a new, creepy, non-Constance Bride in her original spot, and just do it up that way. But Constance also moves merchandise now, and as the trailer shows both characters are going to be in the new movie, so I'm sure they'll both be sticking around.
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This is the way.
yensidtlaw1969
Well-Known Member
Tokyo's Bride figure is still a non-projection figure much more in line with the pre-Constance Brides in the US - They've fussed with their Attic a little recently, but by all accounts it's still a more successful scene than what we have Stateside:
Sometime in the past year I messed with a picture of that Bride in Photoshop, imagining how she might look if they merged that design with something like the old glowing-eyes Bride that used to be found in our Mansions. Imagine something like her paired with the new Hatbox Ghost instead of Contance . . .
UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
Yeah, based on what I've seen of the Hatbox Ghost at Disneyland, I'd really rather not have it at WDW. I don't think it fits with the rest of the Mansion; it looks out of place.
HMF
Well-Known Member
The stack of hatboxes has been there since 2007. One of the hatboxes has been there since 1971.
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
Man in the Web is WDW's equivalent to Hatbox as far as fan lore, mystique and speculation is concerned.
It would be cool to have that instead of WDI's usual "make MK more like Disneyland" approach to the park
...but as already pointed out Hatbox has his own merch line.
It would be cool to have that instead of WDI's usual "make MK more like Disneyland" approach to the park
...but as already pointed out Hatbox has his own merch line.
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
To my knowledge, no.
There is a travelling light effect, but in the other façade windows.
MerlinTheGoat
Well-Known Member
Fewer people are aware of that I assume, plus it might be considered too dark by modern Disney standards. Not disagreeing with you, just figure that probably factors into decisions.
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
If the beyond BTM project happens, I'd like to see them restore HM's shoreline and original queue to its intended look and finally get rid of the canopy once and for all. It was a modest, quick fix addition in 1972 and then ballooned to its current size in 2007, taking away several light fixtures with it. Its size has always taken away from the forced perspective effect of the house itself, and has made it difficult to see for those waiting in line.
They could move the bulk of the queue to behind the façade, add a new hillside to hide the showbuilding, and build a better looking graveyard than the current interactive queue. Maybe then the line won't overflow past (and into) the Keelboat dock.
They could move the bulk of the queue to behind the façade, add a new hillside to hide the showbuilding, and build a better looking graveyard than the current interactive queue. Maybe then the line won't overflow past (and into) the Keelboat dock.
FigmentJedi
Well-Known Member
Hatbox Ghost was also intended for Florida. They built two of everything after all. It's even speculated that the Florida Hatty was the one that showed up in that Osmonds special holding a paint palette in the behind the scenes footage.
Never realized how much the canopy affects the perspective. Night and day difference.
peter11435
Well-Known Member
There is an effect in the conservatory windows at WDW too. But it’s not the same effect