Haunted Mansion to Return with New Enhancements and Magic :(

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Phantom Manor is a mediocre remake of HM. Not offensive you understand, but the type you wonder why they even bothered redoing it.

 

[owlsandcoffee]

It was worth a shot to try something different, but to then make it even less interesting...the "will you marry meeee" thing at the end....yeeeck

 

[Mickeyboof]

Phantom Manor is a mediocre remake of HM. Not offensive you understand, but the type you wonder why they even bothered redoing it.

A mediocre remake!? It’s absolutely not. From the incredible wallpaper transformation in the foyer (and the fading tricks of the portrait gallery) to the underground crypts, Phantom Manor succeeds in each and every reimagined moment it presents. It is should be the crown jewel of “plusing” an attraction.

I mean, really, the ghostly western village scene is one of the most whimsical and memorable moments in Disney’s dark ride portfolio. It’s a perfectly marvelous version!

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Zzzzzzz.....

 

[mickEblu]

Although I respect what they were trying to do when they created it, for me Phantom Manor just didn't work to the level intended by the designers, or to the level that it needed to in order to be a fully satisfying experience.

Back in 2015 I knew exactly what I was supposed to be looking at in the PM stretching room, and even so, from where I was standing on my first ever ride through, it was hard to make out what was there. I saw dummies and legs before I saw anything else or could make out any detail, and the only illumination was from rapidly flashing, and short, lightning.

Elsewhere in the attraction, although it was murky, the biggest problem for me was that it simply too dark. It was to the point that I couldn't tell if the darkness was intentional or if it was supposed to be covering up the neglect that, in 2015, was still rampant at Disneyland Paris. I would look at the suit of armor outside the endless hallway and have no idea if it moved or not, or even if it was supposed to, because of the visibility levels were just that low. Things that weren't all that far from me that I would have been easy to make out on a Haunted Mansion were distorted by darkness.

Ultimately I'm pretty close to Foxxy's view on Phantom Manor: In her Mansion book, she says something to the effect of "people reride Haunted Mansion to discover new details, and people reride Phantom Manor to figure out what the heck they just saw." If I didn't know what the story was going into it, it would have been incomprehensible on first ridethrough and required several rides just to figure out what was going on. While rides shouldn't spoonfeed people what's going on as if they're complete idiots, I think they should strive for a certain level of clarity and narrative economy-something that Phantom Manor, for me, lacked. Given that, while I don't love everything they did with the refurb, I think that overall it was a net gain (at least from the POVs I've seen), and its less of a dumbing down of the attraction's mystery and more of a beneficial streamlining. Naturally, YMMV.

RE the noose in the redone stretching room: I believe the current empty noose is supposed to be a threat to the guests in the stretching room. It goes well with the restored Price dialogue: "Everyone is doomed at Phantom Manor: even you!"

We just have to stop thinking that anything created in the modern era could ever top those WED guys. The pinnacle was reached with POTC and HM at Disneyland. Everything else is just how close can they get to those two attractions.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

There are occasional glimmers of the old WED, such as Sounds Dangerous Starring Drew Carey, The Legend of Jack Sparrow and of course Stitch's Great Escape.

 

[owlsandcoffee]

I think EPCOT Center as a whole was probably the peak. Animal Kingdom should've been better received and there are real glimmers of genius there (Joe Rohde brought in a lot of cultural influences that created a really rich thematic texture). As far as rides go, JII was the last ride I can think of that really achieved what WED and WDI are supposed to achieve. These days they aren't allowed to do anything not-IP and they really aren't allowed to get to creative with things. Just build the thing people saw in the movie and make sure there's a gift shop connected...

 

[TP2000]

I think it would help if they changed the Haunted Mansion plotline so that we were all recruits helping to find the ghosts.

Drag your bodies this way, recruits! Look alive, recruits! Nice haunting, recruits!

That would be fun. And immersive.

 

[owlsandcoffee]

I think it would help if they changed the Haunted Mansion plotline so that we were all recruits helping to find the ghosts.

Drag your bodies this way, recruits! Look alive, recruits!

That would be fun. And immersive.

Michael Eisner, is that you? Maybe we can have proton packs too.

 

[SuddenStorm]

We just have to stop thinking that anything created in the modern era could ever top those WED guys. The pinnacle was reached with POTC and HM at Disneyland. Everything else is just how close can they get to those two attractions.

I'd make the claim that the second generation of Imagineering came close with Splash Mountain and Indiana Jones Adventure- both experiences that are different enough from Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean to warrant their place among the best attractions done.

I mean, before SWGE was built the west half of Disneyland was a masterclass in themed design with the Tiki Room (noteworthy for it's contributions to animatronics), Jungle Cruise (noteworthy because it paved the way for truly immersive experiences), Indiana Jones Adventure (revolutionized queue design, the use of IP in attractions, Pirates and Mansion, Splash Mountain (the best take of a traditional flume ever with some of the best sound design an attraction has had). Not to mention Fantasmic- considered by many to be the best night show Disney's done, and it revolutionized show design.

So when modern Imagineering changes Pirates, Mansion, Tiki, Jungle, Splash, Indy- they're making changes to the best Disney's done, and that's a dangerous game.

Tiki Room was shortened, but I don't think anyone is really bothered by that except for a few purists. It certainly doesn't get much talk on here.
Jungle Cruise's changes have yet to be seen. There's a beautiful simplicity in the Jungle Cruise's current iteration, and I hope that isn't lost in the attempt to add unnecessary story to the attraction.
Pirate's changes are largely negative- the only positive change since 1997 was bringing back the original cave dialogue. At least the first half of the attraction remains mostly pure.

Mansion's changes this time around don't seem to egregious (though I wonder if they found a way to screw something up, they just haven't shown us yet). The loading area was the weakest part of the attraction, so I hope that this new divider and the extension of the portrait Hallway allow the lighting to be better controlled and the guests to be better engaged. I hope that they put some work into the attic as well, since Constance and the half assed backstory they gave her to shoehorn her into the ride have received a universal groan from Mansion fans and desperately needs to be overhauled.

 

[Professortango1]

I'd make the claim that the second generation of Imagineering came close with Splash Mountain and Indiana Jones Adventure- both experiences that are different enough from Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean to warrant their place among the best attractions done.

I mean, before SWGE was built the west half of Disneyland was a masterclass in themed design with the Tiki Room (noteworthy for it's contributions to animatronics), Jungle Cruise (noteworthy because it paved the way for truly immersive experiences), Indiana Jones Adventure (revolutionized queue design, the use of IP in attractions, Pirates and Mansion, Splash Mountain (the best take of a traditional flume ever with some of the best sound design an attraction has had). Not to mention Fantasmic- considered by many to be the best night show Disney's done, and it revolutionized show design.

So when modern Imagineering changes Pirates, Mansion, Tiki, Jungle, Splash, Indy- they're making changes to the best Disney's done, and that's a dangerous game.

Tiki Room was shortened, but I don't think anyone is really bothered by that except for a few purists. It certainly doesn't get much talk on here.
Jungle Cruise's changes have yet to be seen. There's a beautiful simplicity in the Jungle Cruise's current iteration, and I hope that isn't lost in the attempt to add unnecessary story to the attraction.
Pirate's changes are largely negative- the only positive change since 1997 was bringing back the original cave dialogue. At least the first half of the attraction remains mostly pure.

Mansion's changes this time around don't seem to egregious (though I wonder if they found a way to screw something up, they just haven't shown us yet). The loading area was the weakest part of the attraction, so I hope that this new divider and the extension of the portrait Hallway allow the lighting to be better controlled and the guests to be better engaged. I hope that they put some work into the attic as well, since Constance and the half assed backstory they gave her to shoehorn her into the ride have received a universal groan from Mansion fans and desperately needs to be overhauled.

I agree. I think IJA and Splash in their prime were amazing achievements in attraction design. They are my two favourite surviving Disney attractions.

 

[D.Silentu]

I hope that they put some work into the attic as well, since Constance and the half assed backstory they gave her to shoehorn her into the ride have received a universal groan from Mansion fans and desperately needs to be overhauled.

I've been thinking about that. Projection technology has come such a long way since the scene's debut that there's no reason that the effect couldn't be improved. While they're at it, it wouldn't hurt them to bring back the actual heartbeat.

 

[mickEblu]

I'd make the claim that the second generation of Imagineering came close with Splash Mountain and Indiana Jones Adventure- both experiences that are different enough from Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean to warrant their place among the best attractions done.

I mean, before SWGE was built the west half of Disneyland was a masterclass in themed design with the Tiki Room (noteworthy for it's contributions to animatronics), Jungle Cruise (noteworthy because it paved the way for truly immersive experiences), Indiana Jones Adventure (revolutionized queue design, the use of IP in attractions, Pirates and Mansion, Splash Mountain (the best take of a traditional flume ever with some of the best sound design an attraction has had). Not to mention Fantasmic- considered by many to be the best night show Disney's done, and it revolutionized show design.

So when modern Imagineering changes Pirates, Mansion, Tiki, Jungle, Splash, Indy- they're making changes to the best Disney's done, and that's a dangerous game.

Tiki Room was shortened, but I don't think anyone is really bothered by that except for a few purists. It certainly doesn't get much talk on here.
Jungle Cruise's changes have yet to be seen. There's a beautiful simplicity in the Jungle Cruise's current iteration, and I hope that isn't lost in the attempt to add unnecessary story to the attraction.
Pirate's changes are largely negative- the only positive change since 1997 was bringing back the original cave dialogue. At least the first half of the attraction remains mostly pure.

Mansion's changes this time around don't seem to egregious (though I wonder if they found a way to screw something up, they just haven't shown us yet). The loading area was the weakest part of the attraction, so I hope that this new divider and the extension of the portrait Hallway allow the lighting to be better controlled and the guests to be better engaged. I hope that they put some work into the attic as well, since Constance and the half assed backstory they gave her to shoehorn her into the ride have received a universal groan from Mansion fans and desperately needs to be overhauled.

100%. Indy and Splash are as close as it gets. Makes sense as it was done by a second generation imagineer. Lets use my culture analogy. My mom came from Italy so i understand Italian almost fluently and speak proficiently. My son will maybe know the bad words and names of different food dishes and he’ll say them with a bad accent. His child may not even know he has some Italian in him. Things just get watered down every generation the further you go away from the source.

 

[BasiltheBatLord]

I think RotR is a candidate for "modern classic" along the lines of previous Disney classic attractions.

Granted I haven't ridden it in person yet. But it seems very impressive and ambitious.

 

[SuddenStorm]

I think RotR is a candidate for "modern classic" along the lines of previous Disney classic attractions.

Granted I haven't ridden it in person yet. But it seems very impressive and ambitious.

I enjoyed RotR, but it lacked the 'oomph' to push it into classic territory in my opinion. It's ambitious and large- but lacks the soul of the greats.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

View attachment 548592

Its so glorious. And sexy

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

Hey everyone! Discussion regarding the hanging man happening on other sites brought up an interesting possibility.

Now, I'm all for keeping the hanging man, personally. But Disney has an out for this scene, supposedly. One I wasn't even aware of until recently but one that as soon as I saw it, made me a little less worried, if they're willing to go this route.

So the Haunted Mansion in WDW apparently used to have a figure known as the "Spider-Web Man". Affectionately referred to as "Webster". One look at him and I realized what other folks were saying to be true; he could be a perfect replacement for the hanging man who effectively keeps the scene the same!

View attachment 548759

I know what I'm saying might sound like heresy to die-hard Mansion fans (I'm one myself) but I actually think he could be a suitable replacement for hanging scene if Disney actually decides to replace it, someday. Heck, they can even keep the same hanging figure!

I'd even go so far as to argue that this figure's positioning may be a bit better, visually for folks on the ground. In the current scene, if you're standing in the wrong spot when the reveal happens, you might not quite get a good view of the hanging man above you (his back may be to you) and some Guests may even question what they just saw (I've heard it a few times as a Mansion CM).

So, the spiel could remain the same.. ending with, "there's always, my way..". Lightning flash to the above scene, maybe with one of the previous windows to the outside world open and swaying in the wind. I think there's enough story told with that simple visual without needing too much explaining. The Spider-Web Man was trying to go for the window for a way out but ended up getting caught in the spider's web and perished instead. You don't even need a spider present to make the scene work. It just kinda, would.

Here's his wiki page if anyone is interested: https://hauntedmansion.fandom.com/wiki/Spider-Web_Man

Don't shoot me for bringing this up for feeling this way. I'm just trying to keep a positive mindset for what will likely be something that changes someday.

No.

 

[TP2000]

I've been thinking about that. Projection technology has come such a long way since the scene's debut that there's no reason that the effect couldn't be improved. While they're at it, it wouldn't hurt them to bring back the actual heartbeat.

Agreed.

So much of Haunted Mansion circa 1969 was brilliant, and yet grounded in very basic spook house sight gags and simple technology. But it was done so well, and blended with such artistry with music and mood and lighting in a huge facility, that it really became something grand.

But much of the technology it used was, well, cheap and basic.

There's a few things in Haunted Mansion that could be redone with 21st century tech to improve the show, but still maintain the mood and vibe of the beloved original.

I don't envy today's Imagineers there though. That's a very narrow line to walk correctly, especially with an icon like Haunted Mansion.

 

[fradz]

Phantom Manor is a mediocre remake of HM. Not offensive you understand, but the type you wonder why they even bothered redoing it.

It was worth a shot to try something different, but to then make it even less interesting...the "will you marry meeee" thing at the end....yeeeck

Imagine thinking this unironically. PM is by far the better version. And I've ridden HM & PM. Not YouTube-ridden.

 

[TP2000]

Tiki Room was shortened, but I don't think anyone is really bothered by that except for a few purists. It certainly doesn't get much talk on here.

The Offenbach number was weird, and I'm not sad that it's gone. It was sort of shoehorned in there, for no apparent reason other than to lengthen a show that was charging higher ticket prices than the Matterhorn or Submarines.

It served no purpose for storytelling. It didn't theme well. It dragged the show down and deflated audience energy. It only got a laugh after it was over, when Fritz said "Get off of my bach and I'll get off of yours!" (Or something to that effect. Even the song's joke line wasn't that funny.)

It's an example that not all modern changes are bad. Sometimes, change is good.