Haunted Mansion to Return with New Enhancements and Magic :(

[WEDfan9798]

Where's the outrage for anything inside Disneyland?

I hadn't heard anyone comment about Splash Mountain, the auction scene, the hanging corpse, etc. before there announced changes and I've spent a ton of time talking Disneyland online, at the parks, and working there.

After they announced the auction scene a few people were like 'oh yeah, that always bothered me'- but I don't remember it ever being brought up before the announcement.

Anyone with a cursory interest in park history knew Splash was based on Song of the South, but the story was always how Disney removed any insensitive elements when adapting the story to a ride- and I've never actually met someone who thinks the ride is offensive.

The Haunted Mansion is as classic as they come- I'd argue it has a more devoted following than Pirates, even if Pirates is the more popular ride. The Stretching Room is beloved and iconic, and I don't believe there's any actual outrage.

Disney's just preemptively trying to eliminate anything that might cause outrage or offend a visitor at some point in the future- and the park is going to loose a lot of it's more wacky and unique elements because of it.

That said, I did overhear a conversation between two custodial Cast Members in a break area talking about the "babbling sisters" joke that was present in the Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland attraction saying it was insensitive or something. But that was removed over 40 years ago so I think Disney is in the clear there.

Some of those folks are unfortunately unhinged. I mean there are things that have made me uncomfortable here and there, but I think we all know it's a show. Sure, there are some things that haven't aged as well as hoped, but a lot of the park has aged well, despite the faults some people try to find.

Anything can cause outrage, though. Hell, some people hate the fact that it's named after a dead white dude. Some people don't like the patriotism of the place or other reasons. It's ridiculous to go after it all when you should go after the worst things and leave the rest alone. At least, that was what Disney would do in the past.

 

[TP2000]

There is no way out of the room. Except death. He took his own way out. His way out isn't him being hung by someone else. That wouldn't be HIS way.

I agree that there is nothing wrong with the scene. Horror is based around taboos. The idea of someone being driven mad to the point of suicide is classic. But it's very clear, he hung himself. He wasn't murdered.View attachment 604671

Wow! That's a cool piece of WDI artwork that I hadn't seen before.

It makes sense, he hung himself. But...

I'd been on this ride a gazillion times since the 1970's and never once put that together in my head until a few years ago when the Internet fans came along and explained the scene to me. To me, it was a corpse who was hanging from the rafters and the corpse must have been hung by someone who wanted to kill him. My mind just never went to the concept of "suicide" over many decades of riding Haunted Mansion.

I'm not saying it wasn't suicide, it's apparent to me now that it is a suicide scene. But some people, like me, have no point of reference for that or have a thought process that doesn't get that dark before the scene is over and the doors open and we shuffle on to the load area.

It was just a creepy dead guy hanging from the rafters for me for many decades. And I can't be the only one.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

All this points to the great wisdom of the original Mansion designers who did not have to narrate every detail and left the story to each individual guest.

 

[Kirby86]

All this points to the great wisdom of the original Mansion designers who did not have to narrate every detail and left the story to each individual guest.

Honestly a one sentence summary of the ride is this."You're at a haunted house while the ghost throw a party." That's all you need and everyone gets what the gist of ride is about. The original Imagineering teams were masters of that. Pirates used to be like that until they decided to shove Jack Sparrow in the ride and made it about him.

 

[NobodyElse]

There is no way out of the room. Except death. He took his own way out. His way out isn't him being hung by someone else. That wouldn't be HIS way.

I agree that there is nothing wrong with the scene. Horror is based around taboos. The idea of someone being driven mad to the point of suicide is classic. But it's very clear, he hung himself. He wasn't murdered.View attachment 604671

As you indicate in the section I bolded above, death is the proposed alternative to otherwise finding your way out. That drawing clearly leans more toward death by suicide, but as the scene was produced, it's up to the viewer to interpret how that "way out" was achieved.

 

[lazyboy97o]

As you indicate in the section I bolded above, death is the proposed alternative to otherwise finding your way out. That drawing clearly leans more toward death by suicide, but as the scene was produced, it's up to the viewer to interpret how that "way out" was achieved.

There’s only one way a person who is alone ends up hanging. The intent is clear.

 

[NobodyElse]

There’s only one way a person who is alone ends up hanging. The intent is clear.

I don't want to argue, as I believe suicide is the implication as well.

BUT... we're presented with an apparently well-aged hanging corpse. Unlike the early sketch, we see no obvious way that he made it up there by himself (no toppled chair). We don't know that he was always alone. Heck, every time I've heard the Ghost Host offer his chilling challenge, it's been with several other people. ;-) The demise could have been assisted, by beings natural or supernatural.

Again, I lean your way, but I won't fault somebody for having a little more ambiguous take.

 

[Professortango1]

I don't want to argue, as I believe suicide is the implication as well.

BUT... we're presented with an apparently well-aged hanging corpse. Unlike the early sketch, we see no obvious way that he made it up there by himself (no toppled chair). We don't know that he was always alone. Heck, every time I've heard the Ghost Host offer his chilling challenge, it's been with several other people. ;-) The demise could have been assisted, by beings natural or supernatural.

Again, I lean your way, but I won't fault somebody for having a little more ambiguous take.

If its HIS way out though...that means he's dying by choice. Isn't choosing to die called...suicide?

 

[mickEblu]

If its HIS way out though...that means he's dying by choice. Isn't choosing to die called...suicide?

To play Devils Advocate, "My Way" could mean just the fact that he died and became a ghost. I agree that they are implying suicide though. Its just interesting that many of us life long Disneyland people never jumped to that conclusion. It seems so obvious now but in actuality it must be open to interpretation if that didn't smack us all in the face.

 

[Anjin]

When I was young, I read that scene as the host was suggesting that he would kill you if you couldn't escape. Obviously not the correct interpretation, but it did a number on me for years.

 

[truecoat]

Wow! That's a cool piece of WDI artwork that I hadn't seen before.

It makes sense, he hung himself. But...

I'd been on this ride a gazillion times since the 1970's and never once put that together in my head until a few years ago when the Internet fans came along and explained the scene to me. To me, it was a corpse who was hanging from the rafters and the corpse must have been hung by someone who wanted to kill him. My mind just never went to the concept of "suicide" over many decades of riding Haunted Mansion.

I'm not saying it wasn't suicide, it's apparent to me now that it is a suicide scene. But some people, like me, have no point of reference for that or have a thought process that doesn't get that dark before the scene is over and the doors open and we shuffle on to the load area.

It was just a creepy dead guy hanging from the rafters for me for many decades. And I can't be the only one.

Didn't the bride kill all her husbands? She couldn't get away with it without one or two looking like a suicide.