Major changes to the Haunted Mansion since 1971?

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Original Poster
I`m trying to compile a list of changes to the Haunted Mansion since it opened; it`s not that well documented.

I`ve come up with

Madame Leota used to have white hair and be brightly backlit by colured lights (didn`t she?)

The Attic bride was swapped from the `disco lit` version to todays

Was the portrait of Master Gracey (lobby) changed?

There must be more!
 

RonAnnArbor

Well-Known Member
marni1971 said:
it`s not that well documented.

Actually that is not true. There are even entire books dedicated to it. Check out this one at your local library: The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies It's also available at Amazon.com

Also check out doombuggies.com Lots and lots and lots of information there.
 

yensidtlaw1969

Well-Known Member
To be honest there haven't been that many (atleast not in WDW).

The main ones that come to mind ar rethe deterioration of sound and show quality, but that's for another discussion and I'm sure is nto what you're looking for :D .

Lets go through room by room, shall we?

Entrance and Facade - The Hearse was added in the 90's and the Pet Cemetary was added in recent years (not sure exactly). The Madame leota Tombstone was added back in 2003. There have ofcourse been additions of safety signage etc, but nothing terribly noteable.

Foyer - The master Gracey portrait has remained unchanged since the parks opening (although recently someone mentioned the turning around of the slides, but that was probably someone being an idiot. Someone else mentioned the cobwebs being removed from the chandelier, but I don't know if this has merit (I hope not, it has stood out in my memories since I was little).

Stretching Rooms - Again, nothing but deterioration.

Load - The bat Stanchions have been refurbished and replaced over the years, and an annoying and seemingly unnecessary safety spiel has been added to the Doombuggies. On several occasions I have had the CM lower the safety bar right before the Ghost Host's "I will lower it for you" spiel. Slightly off Topic, but maybe it means the lowering mechanism doesn't work in some buggies. That or the Ghost Host is getting Lazy:slurp: .

Staircase Room - The lights of the Candleabra seem to have dimmed to the point where you won't notice it unless you look for it. Irk.

Portrait Hall - No changes here. Maybe paintings have switched places, but I'm just speculating. I don't have evidence to support this. mark it off as no changes.

Library - The "Donald Face" chair has been removed and replaced with your garden variety old mansion armchair. Irk again.

Music Room - The pianist's shadow effect I think has been slightly dumbed down, as I seem to remember one point where the arms were slightly more synched and jerky. When a note would hit the arm would appear to slam down on the keys and quicky raise back up a second later. Now it seems to have more of a waddling effect where the shadow tilts back and forth byno means in synch with the music. Irk Irk.

Staircase - There's always the rumor of there being a screaming human in one of the spiders webs (the large one on the right) that was removed early on, but I don't personally believe it. Maybe I'm mistaken. I don't know. Choose to note it or not. Lets move on.

Short Hallway right before Suit of Armor and Endless hall- I think that sometime in the nineties a billowing curtain in front of a "window" was added, as I don't seem to remember it from my childhood (and trust me, I have very distinct memories of the mansion from my childhood, and not because I loved it!). Who knows, maybe it was always there, I just don't think it was.

Endless hall - Again, the "Donald" Armchair has been removed. Irk Irk Irk. Remember what I said before about the Candleabra dimming to the point where you have to be looking for it? Irk Irk Irk Irk.

Conservatory - Is it just me or was there a time when the Doombuggies didn't go backwards through the conservatory? I seem to recall they turned back around after turning towards the endless hall. I was suprised when this happened as I was riding the mansion several years ago. Can anyone corfirm?

Corridor of Doors - See above for mention of Doombuggies going foreward. other than that I believe the Corridor is largely unchanged.

Seance Circle - You may be right about Leota's hair being Blacklit. I don;t know why they would change this, but whatever. I don't think that the Glowing Green light was always there, but maybe I'm wrong. I don't believe WDW's Leota Projector has been converted to Digital yet, but please correct me if I'm wrong. Other than that no changes.

Ballroom - Largely unchanged except for the Hidden Mickey of plates which was not originally there.

Attic - Ofcourse, probably the most famous change of WDW's mansion, the Bride. Once a dark mysterious face, now a glowing green ethereal one. Negative Change in my mind. The pop up ghosts have been dressed up (or down, however you look at it) slightly to look wedding worthy, but our attic did not get the full makeover as Disneylands, and the Audio remains screams and heartbeats as opposed to DL's Minor-key version of the famous Wedding March. Rumor has it that the attic in DL's Haunted Mansion (currently down for Rehab) will be welcoming back the Hatbox ghost when ti comes back up. lets hope this happens at Disneyland and will later happen at Disney World.

Graveyard - No major changes.

Tomb - No major Changes except maybe replacement of the Hitchikers behind the Mirrors (I think they were resculpted at some point, but I have no proof). Little Leota also remains the same.

Exit - No changes.


So there you have it. Unlike DL's haunted mansion, our HM has changed very little since opening day. There may be more changes than what I mentioned, there may be less, but atleast now you have the gist of it.

I hope this helps!

Yensid "I have a thing for the Mansion" tlaw1969
 

imagineer boy

Well-Known Member
I think I recall that the hallway of doors chandaliers have red tints to them. I just noticed it when I was there, and I don't like them that much. They could have always been that way for all I know.
 

Epcot82Guy

Well-Known Member
I agree that I thought the Conservatory and Corridor faced the other way, but that was when I was much younger. So, if anyone knows officially, that would be a better source! :lol:
 

Enderikari

Well-Known Member
yensidtlaw1969 said:
Attic - Ofcourse, probably the most famous change of WDW's mansion, the Bride. Once a dark mysterious face, now a glowing green ethereal one. Negative Change in my mind. The pop up ghosts have been dressed up (or down, however you look at it) slightly to look wedding worthy, but our attic did not get the full makeover as Disneylands, and the Audio remains screams and heartbeats as opposed to DL's Minor-key version of the famous Wedding March. Rumor has it that the attic in DL's Haunted Mansion (currently down for Rehab) will be welcoming back the Hatbox ghost when ti comes back up. lets hope this happens at Disneyland and will later happen at Disney World.


You can't welcome back what was never there... The Hatbox ghost was never installed in the working version of Haunted Mansion on either coast. And, it will not be coming in the most recent upgrades...
 

yensidtlaw1969

Well-Known Member
Enderikari said:
You can't welcome back what was never there... The Hatbox ghost was never installed in the working version of Haunted Mansion on either coast.
Umm, you sure about that? I know several people who have seen the Hatbox Ghost in the attraction at Disneyland soon after the ride opened. One remembered that the next time she went on it the hatbox ghost was gone, and she debated for years with herself whether it was ever there or if it was a figment of her Imagination. Later when she heard about it she knew that it was real. I thought it was kinda funny. Ofcourse, it was never installed at WDW, though I hear the figure was created and ready for Installation. They decided not to when the DL figure was removed.

As to it not returning, I said it was a rumor. I would like to see it return, although I understand that it may not, but it's always a possibility. Just figured I'd share.

Other rumors for DL's mansion incluse the Seance Circle's Glowing Green light having something done to it (UI don't know specifics) and the Hitchikers giving you a personal hats-off, like Roz in the new Monsters Inc ride at DCA.

Yensid "hope, don't expect" tlaw1969
 

yensidtlaw1969

Well-Known Member
The one with the story I told was in fact with the press, but there are others that I am not sure about. I should ask them.

Also, about it being "Never there", if the steam effect on Expedition Everest never comes back, would you consider it never there? I wouldn't, but I'm curious as to your opinion.

Yensid "Maybe that wasn't the best example" tlaw1969

EDIT- Just asked, apparently Jason Surrell's book incorrectly states that the public never saw him. He actually saw him himself after the official opening.
 

mitchk

Well-Known Member
I also agree that the hat box ghost was installed in the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland, but was removed before the official opening. Or at least that's what it said in the "Haunted Mansion From The Magic Kingdom To The Movies" book. :wave:
 

Figment571

Member
In the recent times I've been in the mansion i.e. this summer I,ve noticed that the guy in the coffin hasn't been yelling (that has hapened for the last two or three times I've been there :cry: ) and it looked like his hads have been changed.

Just what i've noticed
 

Main Street Jim

New Member
The Hatbox ghost never made it into a "guest" version of either DL's or WDW's Mansion. It was *installed* at one time in DL's, but the Imagineers could never get the effect to work correctly; the ambient light throughout the attic would have allowed guests to see both heads at the same time (the one on the body, and one in the box), which was exactly Imagineers did NOT want. The timing of the lighting just wasn't fast enough, and the DoomBuggies passed by too quickly for the effect to work right.
 

yensidtlaw1969

Well-Known Member
mitchk said:
I also agree that the hat box ghost was installed in the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland, but was removed before the official opening. Or at least that's what it said in the "Haunted Mansion From The Magic Kingdom To The Movies" book. :wave:
Please read my edit :wave: .

As Main Street Jim mentioned, the effect just didn't work right. Apparently the figure was lit by normal light as opposed to black light (I don't know how they expected the effect to work like this, but whatever) and that when the head appeared in the hatbox you could still see the Head on his neck. Marc Davis himself actually asked that the figure be pulled from the attraction. Some say that the heads of the ghost still reside in the Graveyard of the DL attraction as some of the Pop ups, and that the frame of the figure later became one of several Sam the Eagle's in America Sings. Whether the pop up and America Sings rumors are true, i don't know, but I found them interesting.

Yensid " I wonder what a Hitchiker sounds like . . ." tlaw1969
 

A "Ghost" Host

New Member
yensidtlaw1969 said:
To be honest there haven't been that many (atleast not in WDW).

The main ones that come to mind ar rethe deterioration of sound and show quality, but that's for another discussion and I'm sure is nto what you're looking for :D .

Lets go through room by room, shall we?

Entrance and Facade - The Hearse was added in the 90's and the Pet Cemetary was added in recent years (not sure exactly). The Madame leota Tombstone was added back in 2003. There have ofcourse been additions of safety signage etc, but nothing terribly noteable.

Foyer - The master Gracey portrait has remained unchanged since the parks opening (although recently someone mentioned the turning around of the slides, but that was probably someone being an idiot. Someone else mentioned the cobwebs being removed from the chandelier, but I don't know if this has merit (I hope not, it has stood out in my memories since I was little).

Stretching Rooms - Again, nothing but deterioration.

Load - The bat Stanchions have been refurbished and replaced over the years, and an annoying and seemingly unnecessary safety spiel has been added to the Doombuggies. On several occasions I have had the CM lower the safety bar right before the Ghost Host's "I will lower it for you" spiel. Slightly off Topic, but maybe it means the lowering mechanism doesn't work in some buggies. That or the Ghost Host is getting Lazy:slurp: .

Staircase Room - The lights of the Candleabra seem to have dimmed to the point where you won't notice it unless you look for it. Irk.

Portrait Hall - No changes here. Maybe paintings have switched places, but I'm just speculating. I don't have evidence to support this. mark it off as no changes.

Library - The "Donald Face" chair has been removed and replaced with your garden variety old mansion armchair. Irk again.

Music Room - The pianist's shadow effect I think has been slightly dumbed down, as I seem to remember one point where the arms were slightly more synched and jerky. When a note would hit the arm would appear to slam down on the keys and quicky raise back up a second later. Now it seems to have more of a waddling effect where the shadow tilts back and forth byno means in synch with the music. Irk Irk.

Staircase - There's always the rumor of there being a screaming human in one of the spiders webs (the large one on the right) that was removed early on, but I don't personally believe it. Maybe I'm mistaken. I don't know. Choose to note it or not. Lets move on.

Short Hallway right before Suit of Armor and Endless hall- I think that sometime in the nineties a billowing curtain in front of a "window" was added, as I don't seem to remember it from my childhood (and trust me, I have very distinct memories of the mansion from my childhood, and not because I loved it!). Who knows, maybe it was always there, I just don't think it was.

Endless hall - Again, the "Donald" Armchair has been removed. Irk Irk Irk. Remember what I said before about the Candleabra dimming to the point where you have to be looking for it? Irk Irk Irk Irk.

Conservatory - Is it just me or was there a time when the Doombuggies didn't go backwards through the conservatory? I seem to recall they turned back around after turning towards the endless hall. I was suprised when this happened as I was riding the mansion several years ago. Can anyone corfirm?

Corridor of Doors - See above for mention of Doombuggies going foreward. other than that I believe the Corridor is largely unchanged.

Seance Circle - You may be right about Leota's hair being Blacklit. I don;t know why they would change this, but whatever. I don't think that the Glowing Green light was always there, but maybe I'm wrong. I don't believe WDW's Leota Projector has been converted to Digital yet, but please correct me if I'm wrong. Other than that no changes.

Ballroom - Largely unchanged except for the Hidden Mickey of plates which was not originally there.

Attic - Ofcourse, probably the most famous change of WDW's mansion, the Bride. Once a dark mysterious face, now a glowing green ethereal one. Negative Change in my mind. The pop up ghosts have been dressed up (or down, however you look at it) slightly to look wedding worthy, but our attic did not get the full makeover as Disneylands, and the Audio remains screams and heartbeats as opposed to DL's Minor-key version of the famous Wedding March. Rumor has it that the attic in DL's Haunted Mansion (currently down for Rehab) will be welcoming back the Hatbox ghost when ti comes back up. lets hope this happens at Disneyland and will later happen at Disney World.

Graveyard - No major changes.

Tomb - No major Changes except maybe replacement of the Hitchikers behind the Mirrors (I think they were resculpted at some point, but I have no proof). Little Leota also remains the same.

Exit - No changes.


So there you have it. Unlike DL's haunted mansion, our HM has changed very little since opening day. There may be more changes than what I mentioned, there may be less, but atleast now you have the gist of it.

I hope this helps!

Yensid "I have a thing for the Mansion" tlaw1969

Well put!
 

mitchk

Well-Known Member
Main Street Jim said:
The Hatbox ghost never made it into a "guest" version of either DL's or WDW's Mansion. It was *installed* at one time in DL's, but the Imagineers could never get the effect to work correctly; the ambient light throughout the attic would have allowed guests to see both heads at the same time (the one on the body, and one in the box), which was exactly Imagineers did NOT want. The timing of the lighting just wasn't fast enough, and the DoomBuggies passed by too quickly for the effect to work right.

Do you have the same book "Haunted Mansion From The Magic Kingdom To The Movies" because your answer is very similar to what the book states:lookaroun
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Original Poster
Thanks all, especially Yensid. I do have the book but as good as it is I couldn`t find any reference to changes in Florida I didn`t know about. The Madame Leota one is interesting; my 1990 home video has the ball almost glowing it`s that well lit, and all her hair is bright white. The top and rear of her head is shimmering & glowing multicolour as if lit from several hidden lights. All other clips I have of her are much darker.

Yes, I`m (finally) doing a WDW Haunted Mansion tribute vid!
 

MissM

Well-Known Member
Maybe it's just me, but it's only in the relatively recent past do I recall so many of the "pop-up" ghosts in the attic and graveyard. I say this because I remember the first time I went back after many years away, I thought it seemed like such a cheesy, out-of-place thing to do. Didn't fit in with the rest of the ride like it was pasted in.

Also, one of the singing busts at the end broke and was removed a few years back I believe. And no, I don't mean the one that's meant to be broken.
-m
 

yensidtlaw1969

Well-Known Member
MissM said:
Also, one of the singing busts at the end broke and was removed a few years back I believe. And no, I don't mean the one that's meant to be broken.
-m
Yes, I don't know what was up with him. I believe he has since returned ( recall seeing him on my last trip).

Yensid "Insert face singing Grim Grinning Ghosts through horrificly exaggerated facial features here" tlaw1969
 

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