Haunted Mansion to Return with New Enhancements and Magic :(

owlsandcoffee

Well-Known Member
Just looked at this video and now realize how improved it really is when compared to this:



It was all just black walls before.

It also looks like in the new video, they've added a door with some sort of light effect behind it (beside the portrait).


Oh it makes so much sense now. Looks like before the A/D inclusion, that wall was "part" of the boundless realm. With the inclusion of the portrait they needed to extend the corridor theming and used this divider as a way of keeping the area house-themed while allowing viewership of the omnimover. The boundless realm is still able to make sense because of it.
 

Mickeyboof

Well-Known Member
Just looked at this video and now realize how improved it really is when compared to this:



It was all just black walls before.

It also looks like in the new video, they've added a door with some sort of light effect behind it (beside the portrait).


Oh wow, I forgot how bleak that spot was. The trash can was really the center focus of the pivot.

Kim and the team actually went quite beyond with this one!
 

shortstop

Well-Known Member
I sometimes find it funny that current Disney wants to “pay tribute” to past Imagineers by... changing the final design decisions of those very same imagineers. Boundless Realm discusses this. If Marc Davis (or Claude Coats, or X. Atencio, or whomever else from WED) had felt strongly about a certain design element, it would have been included in the original attraction. The One-Eyed Cat didn’t make the cut for a reason. I’m not opposed to its addition, as it won’t detract from the experience, but shoehorning in a surface-level reference to a scrapped idea is an odd way to pay tribute. Adding in more “Haunted Mansion stuff” doesn’t equate to improving the attraction.
 

1HAPPYGHOSTHOST

Well-Known Member
I sometimes find it funny that current Disney wants to “pay tribute” to past Imagineers by... changing the final design decisions of those very same imagineers. Boundless Realm discusses this. If Marc Davis (or Claude Coats, or X. Atencio, or whomever else from WED) had felt strongly about a certain design element, it would have been included in the original attraction. The One-Eyed Cat didn’t make the cut for a reason. I’m not opposed to its addition, as it won’t detract from the experience, but shoehorning in a surface-level reference to a scrapped idea is an odd way to pay tribute. Adding in more “Haunted Mansion stuff” doesn’t equate to improving the attraction.
Great point.
 

yensidtlaw1969

Well-Known Member
Why doesnt she do Madamme Leottas voice? Does she not sound like her mom?
The truth is she kinda does sound like her mom - the “Hurry Back” she does at the end of the DPB video does recall her mom’s performance in a way. But Eleanor Audrey, voice of Maleficent and Lady Tremaine, dubbed the voice for Madame Leota herself since Leota Toombs’ voice was deemed too sweet sounding for the character, and Audley’s timbre was much more austere. But they did keep Toombs’ voice for Little Leota.
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Let's not forget the fact that they also cleverly painted a carpet pattern on the conveyer belt. I've always thought that was an ingenious way to help people find their footing. Interesting thoughts about the new portrait creating a potential rubber necking chokepoint. Time will tell if this is an issue, but perhaps this placement may have been more advantageous:

I like all of these changes and freshenings. It was overdue for this 52 year old ride.

april-jpg.548351


But my only fear is that the new screens on the left side of this walkway will obscure the loading area for the Omnimovers too much. The setup there for the last 52 years gave you a perfect view of the Omnimover loading area and prepared your brain that there was a boarding process ahead as you noticed people stepping into the cars.

If that screen area is too well done to keep you from looking at the Omnimover, or not easy to see through, too many people will be surprised to make a 180 degree turn onto a conveyor belt. There will be stumbles and traffic jams as grandma tries to figure out what to do.

We've all seen that stuff (particularly with the elderly or Disneyland first timers) play out ahead of us at that loading area, even though they had a full 60 to 90 seconds to process what that area was and what would be required of them to board the vehicle. I hope that by obscuring the boarding area until just a few feet from stepping onto the belt it doesn't make those situations worse. :oops:
 
Last edited:

yensidtlaw1969

Well-Known Member
The divider and portrait seems like wonderfully spooky texture added to a previously dull space. It is great that technology can deliver concepts of the past, thats some creative progress right there.

If this see-through item really hinders people, then I just don't see how we even made it this far as a civilization to begin with.

Looks like wonderful work, can't wait to enjoy the new textures and treats!
Literally all I'm saying is "I wonder if directing people's attention away from boarding the ride right before they need to do it will make some of the historic boarding problems worse instead of better".

It's not that the see-through grate is necessarily a problem, it's that the new staging directs guests' attention away from the priority - safe boarding - more than ever before. I'm curious if that will have an effect on boarding. That's it.

The look is nice. I wonder how the function will be affected. I'm not even suggesting that it WILL be, I just think it'll be interesting to see if anything happens.
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Literally all I'm saying is "I wonder if directing people's attention away from boarding the ride right before they need to do it will make some of the historic boarding problems worse instead of better".

It's not that the see-through grate is necessarily a problem, it's that the new staging directs guests' attention away from the priority - safe boarding - more than ever before. I'm curious if that will have an effect on boarding. That's it.

The look is nice. I wonder how the function will be affected. I'm not even suggesting that it WILL be, I just think it'll be interesting to see if anything happens.

Sorry, I was on vacation out of town and I'm catching up on this thread. I see my point has already been raised by you and others.

I think that redone boarding area could be a real problem.

I'm afraid this is a situation designed by Imagineers who never worked at Disneyland and never studied how 2,000 human minds per hour processed what that area was and what would need to happen before being forced onto a conveyor belt. Most folks handle it just fine. But a few hundred people per hour will have never been on that ride, or have mobility or balance issues that cause problems when a conveyor belt suddenly appears at their feet. :oops:
 

Disney Analyst

Well-Known Member
Sorry, I was on vacation out of town and I'm catching up on this thread. I see my point has already been raised by you and others.

I think that redone boarding area could be a real problem.

I'm afraid this is a situation designed by Imagineers who never worked at Disneyland and never studied how 2,000 human minds per hour processed what that area was and what would need to happen before being forced onto a conveyor belt. Most folks handle it just fine. But a few hundred people per hour will have never been on that ride, or have mobility or balance issues that cause problems when a conveyor belt suddenly appears at their feet. :oops:

There are always a few in the heard who are going to find it challenging, no matter what you do. I am hopefully it's not much of a difference and we can just enjoy this revamped loading area.

Hopefully with the grate being see through for most eye lines, it will negate this issue.
 

yensidtlaw1969

Well-Known Member
There are always a few in the heard who are going to find it challenging, no matter what you do. I am hopefully it's not much of a difference and we can just enjoy this revamped loading area.

Hopefully with the grate being see through for most eye lines, it will negate this issue.
The bigger issue is that April/December and the new door are going to draw your attention away from the Buggies - though it was said in the OC Register article that the purpose of the grate is to help encourage your attention towards the new "scene".

I think directing your attention to the right instead of the left where the buggies are, combined with rerouting the guest path further to the right instead of to the left, are the biggest flaws here. I assume this was partly to offer more space for accessible boarding, but that's why I'm curious to see if it will have unwanted side effects. The moving belt *already* had a history of catching people by surprise.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom