Haunted Mansion to Return with New Enhancements and Magic :(

[Nirya]

Disneyland has physical animatronics sitting in doom buggy’s going the exact same speed as our doom buggy’s on a loop. I believe the ones at WDW are just CGI. And they are cartoony and are not simpatico with the rest of the attraction

I have felt on recent trips that the Doom Buggies on the other side of the mirror were a bit behind, so that the ghosts ended up superimposed over one of the two riders. Don't know if that's just me, though.

 

[mickEblu]

I have felt on recent trips that the Doom Buggies on the other side of the mirror were a bit behind, so that the ghosts ended up superimposed over one of the two riders. Don't know if that's just me, though.

Hmmm. I haven’t noticed but I think I misspoke. I don’t think they ghosts are actually in doom buggies. They are on a track going the same speed as us.

 

[Sharon&Susan]

Hmmm. I haven’t noticed but I think I misspoke. I don’t think they ghosts are actually in doom buggies. They are on a track going the same speed as us.

Correct

 

[lazyboy97o]

Is that ADA accessible?

When we've gone with my mom in a chair, we always went through the elevator. The weird thing is you have to go through the stretching room when you enter AND when you leave. It feels so wrong. lol.

I'm pretty sure they'll run the stretching room in California. To my understanding they were doing that in Paris when DLP was still open. I'm not sure they really have any other option, especially when ADA is taken into account.

ADA ≠ wheelchair. New stairs are designed to be ADA accessible, they’re just usually not the only means of access.

If the stairs were used the stretching room could still be used for limited parties who are unable to use the stairs.

It's about a month away from opening and it received a brief mention in a parks blog with no elaboration on what it is. I really doubt that it's anything big, I'm imagining something like a new sound system in the Stretching Room or the existing projectors all being replaced, something minor that 95% of riders won't notice but looks good on a Press Release.

The lack of hype is definitely the promising thing.

 

[mickEblu]

It's about a month away from opening and it received a brief mention in a parks blog with no elaboration on what it is. I really doubt that it's anything big, I'm imagining something like a new sound system in the Stretching Room or the existing projectors all being replaced, something minor that 95% of riders won't notice but looks good on a Press Release.

I don’t know. “New magic” sounds a little bit more substantial. I’m not saying it’s something huge but I’m thinking at least 1-2 things in addition to upgraded lighting etc. Maybe even something along the lines of ghosts flying around the seance room. Something being added to the attic. Think the octopus scene / changing Pirate/ skeleton that none of us expected when they redid the auction scene. Something small but more then lighting and sound.

 

[CaptinEO]

I expect LED lighting like what happened with pirates a few years back.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Disneyland has physical animatronics that are on the other side of the glass going the exact same speed as our doom buggy’s on a loop. I believe the ones at WDW are just CGI. And they are cartoony and are not simpatico with the rest of the attraction

It’s a bit more than “just CGI” as there is real time rendering. The ghosts are aware of the position of the guests and interact with them. As a display of technology it is neat but as you say, it’s way too cartoony for the aesthetic of the Mansion.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I was okay with the ghost with the disappearing head because it was well done for what it was, which is simply a ghoul with a vanishing head. Same with floating Leota, which is fine, even thought you can clearly see the strings, which adds to the low-tech chintzy charm of the HM. I'm split on the lightning effect on the portraits because that flip-flopped and the slower morph is honestly pretty cool and the lightning of the "Master Gracey" portrait shows the skull with the combover hair still on it, which again adds to the low-tech slapped-together charm of the HM.

But if they're adding the "Dredd Family", those awful computer animated ghosts on screens rather than mirrors and other bizarre things done to the WDW version, I probably won't like it.

 

[DrAlice]

It’s a bit more than “just CGI” as there is real time rendering. The ghosts are aware of the position of the guests and interact with them. As a display of technology it is neat but as you say, it’s way too cartoony for the aesthetic of the Mansion.

Thanks for the clarification. That sounds better than the quick YouTube video I pulled up. But still.... the original is charming. Less is more.

 

[Sharon&Susan]

I don’t know. “New magic” sounds a little bit more substantial. I’m not saying it’s something huge but I’m thinking at least 1-2 things in addition to upgraded lighting etc. Maybe even something along the lines of ghosts flying around the seance room. Something being added to the attic. Think the octopus scene / changing Pirate/ skeleton that none of us expected when they redid the auction scene. Something small but more then lighting and sound.

I really think we would've heard something before this if this was a major alteration, even a single rumor beforehand. After all they're looking for things that would make people come back and a major change to the HM would make sense to publicize way ahead of time like they have been with the Snow White refurb.

"New Magic" is corporate buzzword that could mean anything of any scale. I'm sure they've used fluffier words for WDW cupcake parties.

 

[Practical Pig]

I’ll take some lighting upgrades, tasteful projections, better sound, maybe the sound effects in the stretching room (people seem to have positive things to say about the sound effects in WDWs stretching room) a new (old) Constance and the removal of her dumb audio.

For the love of God no interactive cheesy queue or those silly CGI hitchhiking ghosts.

This is right about where I land on this. I'm expecting projection mapping enhancements and as you said in a later post, possibly a big showy effort somewhere. If so, I'm hoping it's a new Constance using modern tech.

Does WDW's Mansion have stretching rooms full of people screaming the Ghost Host's spiel along with him? Upgrading the sound at Disneyland might go unheard.

 

[Sharon&Susan]

@swge as our local CM "leaker" have you heard any thing about what this "new magic" could entail?

 

[BasiltheBatLord]

This immediately stuck out to me in the re-opening press release. Feels pretty out of nowhere. We all knew there was an extensive refurb of the Mansion happening but I don't recall there ever being talk of new additions or replacements. Hope it doesn't end up being bad (hate how often I have to say that with Disney these days)

 

[Macro]

Back before the virus there was discussion on why the Haunted Mansion refurbishment was longer than usual. Someone found this permit: http://permits.anaheim.net/tm_bin/tmw_cmd.pl?tmw_cmd=StatusViewCasebld&shl_caseno=BLD2020-00245

The permit says, "Disneyland - Haunted Mansion - Tenant Improvement: 962 sq ft for (14) new 9'5" steel panels with lights. Create new opening in existing stud wall for a picture box."

If you look at the activities in the permit you can see the plans went to Struct/Architectural, Planning Zoning, Electrical, Elec Engineering, and Fire Department. There were inspections done at the end which involved framing and drywall.

There was plenty of discussion at the time but no consensus. The "new magic" could be all kinds of things.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Picture box...

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

Back before the virus there was discussion on why the Haunted Mansion refurbishment was longer than usual. Someone found this permit: http://permits.anaheim.net/tm_bin/tmw_cmd.pl?tmw_cmd=StatusViewCasebld&shl_caseno=BLD2020-00245

The permit says, "Disneyland - Haunted Mansion - Tenant Improvement: 962 sq ft for (14) new 9'5" steel panels with lights. Create new opening in existing stud wall for a picture box."

If you look at the activities in the permit you can see the plans went to Struct/Architectural, Planning Zoning, Electrical, Elec Engineering, and Fire Department. There were inspections done at the end which involved framing and drywall.

There was plenty of discussion at the time but no consensus. The "new magic" could be all kinds of things.

Back in the day my instinct was that this could be for the Load Area - what other space in the Mansion has so much square footage and yet would also be looked at for some "New Magic"?

The Graveyard and Ballroom are the only spaces of comparable size in the ride, and no one's ever felt shorted by them. Can't imagine they'd install giant "picture boxes" in either.

 

[mickEblu]

Back before the virus there was discussion on why the Haunted Mansion refurbishment was longer than usual. Someone found this permit: http://permits.anaheim.net/tm_bin/tmw_cmd.pl?tmw_cmd=StatusViewCasebld&shl_caseno=BLD2020-00245

The permit says, "Disneyland - Haunted Mansion - Tenant Improvement: 962 sq ft for (14) new 9'5" steel panels with lights. Create new opening in existing stud wall for a picture box."

If you look at the activities in the permit you can see the plans went to Struct/Architectural, Planning Zoning, Electrical, Elec Engineering, and Fire Department. There were inspections done at the end which involved framing and drywall.

There was plenty of discussion at the time but no consensus. The "new magic" could be all kinds of things.

April - December changing portrait comeback confirmed.

 

[Too Many Hats]

Maybe they'll return the planters to the front wall?

 

[castleparker]

I've always found the dead space (pun intended) in the load area to be confusing. I've seen the limbo concept art for the space that kinda shows what they wanted to do with it, but IMO I don't think it transferred that well. So if anything I'd like to see something in that space. Phantom manor does much better with their grand staircase backdrop.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Hmmm. I haven’t noticed but I think I misspoke. I don’t think they ghosts are actually in doom buggies. They are on a track going the same speed as us.

My friend, I'm a bit shocked you haven't read the Long Forgotten Blog in it's entirety.

With Splash getting the axe Mansion will become my favorite existing Disneyland attraction. So much depth and history in that one ride- it really hearkens back to a time when attraction design was treated as higher art by the designers, not a way to sell toys.