News New Haunted Mansion Grounds Expansion, Retail Shop Coming to Disneyland Resort in 2024

[SuddenStorm]

You do you I guess.

I didn't meant that as some bold statement. The stretching room is perhaps my favorite portion of the ride- and is almost identical to how it was on opening day (though the portraits have been revised a few times). At a certain point someone has to decide if they want to support something that continues to change away from what it was- I'd be perfectly content not riding it in Anaheim and enjoying it whenever I visit Tokyo or something. There's still other great attraction to enjoy if I'm ever at the park.

It's the same reason I won't watch the Special Editions of the Original Trilogy. Or ride the holiday overlay of the Mansion.

I'm hoping that this is all just random speculation and isn't actually confirmation of anything. I do think sometimes we as a community can be a bit quick to assume that one person's random report is inherently accurate when the reality is that we know very little about what the Mansion will look like when it reopens or the quality of this source.

A few years ago WDI did state that they are 'looking at' that portion of the ride.

The hanging body was also left out of the Muppets Haunted Mansion (perhaps understandable due to the comedic nature of it) and the Haunted Mansion movie that just came out.

The precedent is there, and I'm not saying that because of the questionable rumor that was just posted on here.

I wouldn't be surprised if the ride opens with the stretching room intact, and I wouldn't be surprised if it reopens with it altered.

 

[Avastindy]

A few years ago WDI did state that they are 'looking at' that portion of the ride.

I vaguely remember reading somewhere that an "internal group dedicated to finding issues in current Disney rides" was mentioned some time ago. But I can't recall where I read it, I know it mentioned the Mansion and how problematic it is to some people.
Not sure if it is the same thing you are referring to.

 

[lazyboy97o]

the Haunted Mansion movie that just came out

But was centered around a kid contemplating suicide.

 

[SuddenStorm]

But was centered around a kid contemplating suicide

So? They still neglected to have the hanging body in the stretching room.

 

[lazyboy97o]

So? They still neglected to have the hanging body in the stretching room.

The problem with the hanging body is that it’s a suicide reference.

 

[SuddenStorm]

The problem with the hanging body is that it’s a suicide reference.

Well, duh.

I imagine internally they decided that the depiction of the boy in the film contemplating suicide/being depressed was more inclusive and respectful and meaningful than a hanging corpse. To be honest, while I remember the kid being depressed and rejected by his peers, I don't remember him considering suicide- but it's been a year since I've seen the film and it wasn't exactly memorable.

But none of this stuff makes sense anyways- you're never going to make something that offends no one and pleases everyone. Disney needs to stop trying.

 

[lazyboy97o]

To be honest, while I remember the kid being depressed and rejected by his peers, I don't remember him considering suicide- but it's been a year since I've seen the film and it wasn't exactly memorable.

He kept talking about going to be with his dad and the big twist was that his dad is dead.

 

[SuddenStorm]

I vaguely remember reading somewhere that an "internal group dedicated to finding issues in current Disney rides" was mentioned some time ago. But I can't recall where I read it, I know it mentioned the Mansion and how problematic it is to some people.
Not sure if it is the same thing you are referring to.

The DEI committee was mentioned here a few times- I remember the sources being credible but also don't remember specifics so don't quote me on that.

Mansion was on the list- but I also remember the stretching room getting mentioned specifically in an article that interviewed an Imagineer (someone prominent but again, I forget who).

 

[PiratesMansion]

I didn't meant that as some bold statement. The stretching room is perhaps my favorite portion of the ride- and is almost identical to how it was on opening day (though the portraits have been revised a few times). At a certain point someone has to decide if they want to support something that continues to change away from what it was- I'd be perfectly content not riding it in Anaheim and enjoying it whenever I visit Tokyo or something. There's still other great attraction to enjoy if I'm ever at the park.

It's the same reason I won't watch the Special Editions of the Original Trilogy. Or ride the holiday overlay of the Mansion.

And you won't go through Galaxy's Edge, and so on. At a certain point, if I was in your shoes, I'm not sure it would be worth it for me to spend the money on a ticket/pass/etc.

A few years ago WDI did state that they are 'looking at' that portion of the ride.

The hanging body was also left out of the Muppets Haunted Mansion (perhaps understandable due to the comedic nature of it) and the Haunted Mansion movie that just came out.

The precedent is there, and I'm not saying that because of the questionable rumor that was just posted on here.

I wouldn't be surprised if the ride opens with the stretching room intact, and I wouldn't be surprised if it reopens with it altered.

And while all of those things are true, the fact remains that the only thing pertaining to *this refurb* that points to the room being changed is one post. As you yourself and others have mentioned, there are other reasons that scene might not have been included verbatim in those other pieces of media.

At one point WDI was looking at replacing Main Street with Mickey Avenue. While I agree that there is likely much more incentive in their minds to change the stretching room than MSUSA, there is precedent for them looking into something and then choosing not to act.

Finally, while I support keeping the current room intact, I do think there is more societal basis to support the removal of the hanging man than basically any of the other "PC" changes that have taken place. Societal view and understanding of suicide has changed significantly since the ride was built and it absolutely could trigger people in a way that, say, Splash Mountain and the POTC auction scene were not ever likely to. If they had built the ride with the raven coming in and yelling that "he took the coward's way out, he took the coward's way out!", it almost certainly would have been removed already. Doesn't mean I personally would change the room as it exists now, but I get it.

 

[SuddenStorm]

And you won't go through Galaxy's Edge, and so on.

To be fair- I have spent a fair amount of time in Galaxy's Edge While I don't like the land and consider it to be a creative and operational disaster, if my group wants to go I happily ride the Falcon or Rise or whatever. But it's not like I spend much time in Hollywood Land, Toontown, Avengers Campus, Bugs Land (when it existed), etc either. I would say the extent of my actual attraction boycotting is Tiana Mountain and they change to the stretching room, should it happen.

At a certain point, if I was in your shoes, I'm not sure it would be worth it for me to spend the money on a ticket/pass/etc.

I hit the breaking point years ago. I haven't paid to go to Disneyland since 2016. Luckily, I'm good friends with a number of Cast Members who often invite me to go to the park with them, and they're able to sign me in. I'm usually there every six months or so for the past few years. If the place was still priced as it was in say 2005- I'd think it's worth the cost of admission despite all of the reductions of the last five years. But with what a day ticket costs I'm surprised anyone thinks it's worth the cost as it exists today.

And while all of those things are true, the fact remains that the only thing pertaining to *this refurb* that points to the room being changed is one post. As you yourself and others have mentioned, there are other reasons that scene might not have been included verbatim in those other pieces of media.

At one point WDI was looking at replacing Main Street with Mickey Avenue. While I agree that there is likely much more incentive in their minds to change the stretching room than MSUSA, there is precedent for them looking into something and then choosing not to act.

Finally, while I support keeping the current room intact, I do think there is more societal basis to support the removal of the hanging man than basically any of the other "PC" changes that have taken place. Societal view and understanding of suicide has changed significantly since the ride was built and it absolutely could trigger people in a way that, say, Splash Mountain and the POTC auction scene were not ever likely to. If they had built the ride with the raven coming in and yelling that "he took the coward's way out, he took the coward's way out!", it almost certainly would have been removed already. Doesn't mean I personally would change the room as it exists now, but I get it.

I don't disagree with any of this. Any of my comments about the Stretching Room change were in response to the speculation from other posters. I don't think anyone on here was saying that they think it is *certainly* happening this time around. Just that it is a real possibility, and that we wouldn't be thrilled if the change did happen.

 

[SuddenStorm]

He kept talking about going to be with his dad and the big twist was that his dad is dead.

Wait, that is the suicide reference? This jogged some memory of the film- was it implying that he was going to proactively kill himself, or was it instead saying that the ghosts will kill him or have him join them in some way, and it was intended to be a twist towards the end of the film?

Regardless- that's a very different depiction of suicide than a hanging corpse.

 

[PiratesMansion]

The only thing I remember from the new film was something something Hatbox Ghost, something something Stretching Room reference, famous actors mugging like crazy all the time, something something they're all trapped in the house.

It's amazing how hard (?) they worked to create something that's somehow worse than the 2003 film.

 

[DavidDL]

The loss of the Hanging Ghost Host would be a tragedy. I could maybe swallow that pill a bit more easily if they replaced it with something equally fitting that could work within the context of the Ghost Host’s narration.

I can understand and sympathize with folks who may have lost a loved one to the subject matter on display but at the same time.. it’s a haunted house? Some of the imagery is supposed to be unsettling, is it not?

Without a proper replacement for it, the only “middle ground” I feel appropriate would be a “trigger warning” added to the map or attraction entrance in the same vein as normal health notifications. Sort of like how some shows/attractions get a “This attraction may be too intense for younger Guests” tacked on to them. Something like, “This attraction contains imagery some Guests may find unsettling” sounds fair to me.

Like, I’m empathetic and sorry for those who think it may be too extreme but then maybe it just isn’t the attraction for you? Not every attraction or work of art can be what everyone needs it to be. For example, something like characters undergoing treatment or suffering through cancer unsettles me when it happens in a film. But I never asked the filmmakers of something like Deadpool or Thor 4 to remove those scenes from their stories just so I could watch them more easily. Instead, I did my research and decided they were not films for me. The same way someone who is afraid of heights would avoid a roller coaster. And that’s fine.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Without a proper replacement for it, the only “middle ground” I feel appropriate would be a “trigger warning” added to the map or attraction entrance in the same vein as normal health notifications. Sort of like how some shows/attractions get a “This attraction may be too intense for younger Guests” tacked on to them. Something like, “This attraction contains imagery some Guests may find unsettling” sounds fair to me.

That's not much different from the former "contains outdated cultural depictions" that once featured on Disney+: too vague to be of any use for those who would be looking for such a label. "You may be triggered" only in the context of a Haunted House attraction will be read to almost everyone as "you might find this scary," easy to brush off with any Haunted House-style attraction, and arguably is misleading when that is there to mean "this attraction contains a depiction of suicide that some guests might find upsetting."

I really don't know what the answer is. For me, it would be to leave the scene intact; but I could very much anticipate people feeling otherwise.

As for the "what do you expect, it's a Haunted House?"-I think there's a distinction here in the way that we've been shifting in our depictions of Halloween over the last several years. Most people aren't bothered by ghosts, skeletons, traditional Halloween fodder, etc. because it's expected and it's abstract-something that few are going to connect to personal experiences or with people they know. BUT if there's something that could be directly connected to someone's life experience, or that of close friends or relatives (i.e. suicide or, as we saw maybe a decade ago or so with Knott's Scary Farm, insane asylums), that has become out of bounds for many people. Some people aren't able to disconnect such scenarios from their lived experiences, and I don't know that there's a tactful way to ask them to do so, especially when theme parks are supposed to be a place to escape, turn your brain off, and have fun.

 

[TheCoasterNerd]

The loss of the Hanging Ghost Host would be a tragedy. I could maybe swallow that pill a bit more easily if they replaced it with something equally fitting that could work within the context of the Ghost Host’s narration.

I can understand and sympathize with folks who may have lost a loved one to the subject matter on display but at the same time.. it’s a haunted house? Some of the imagery is supposed to be unsettling, is it not?

Without a proper replacement for it, the only “middle ground” I feel appropriate would be a “trigger warning” added to the map or attraction entrance in the same vein as normal health notifications. Sort of like how some shows/attractions get a “This attraction may be too intense for younger Guests” tacked on to them. Something like, “This attraction contains imagery some Guests may find unsettling” sounds fair to me.

Like, I’m empathetic and sorry for those who think it may be too extreme but then maybe it just isn’t the attraction for you? Not every attraction or work of art can be what everyone needs it to be. For example, something like characters undergoing treatment or suffering through cancer unsettles me when it happens in a film. But I never asked the filmmakers of something like Deadpool or Thor 4 to remove those scenes from their stories just so I could watch them more easily. Instead, I did my research and decided they were not films for me. The same way someone who is afraid of heights would avoid a roller coaster. And that’s fine.

The imagery is supposed to be about Ghosts. Most survivors don't find already dead people triggering. What is triggering is someone, in the story, actively committing. There is nothing outside the attraction to warn or suggest that there's su!cide references, as that's not normal in haunted houses. Heck, I'd be happy if they just gave you another option - like, they put a sign outside the Mansion warning that it contains references to that and that there is an alternative entrance. I wish you could simply opt to take that temporary entrance they had for a while with Covid. That'd be a perfect compromise - leave the hanging man for those who don't mind that, and have an alternate so that those who do can still experience the attraction

 

[DavidDL]

That's not much different from the former "contains outdated cultural depictions" that once featured on Disney+: too vague to be of any use for those who would be looking for such a label. "You may be triggered" only in the context of a Haunted House attraction will be read to almost everyone as "you might find this scary," easy to brush off with any Haunted House-style attraction, and arguably is misleading when that is there to mean "this attraction contains a depiction of suicide that some guests might find upsetting."

I really don't know what the answer is. For me, it would be to leave the scene intact; but I could very much anticipate people feeling otherwise.

As for the "what do you expect, it's a Haunted House?"-I think there's a distinction here in the way that we've been shifting in our depictions of Halloween over the last several years. Most people aren't bothered by ghosts, skeletons, traditional Halloween fodder, etc. because it's expected and it's abstract-something that few are going to connect to personal experiences or with people they know. BUT if there's something that could be directly connected to someone's life experience, or that of close friends or relatives (i.e. suicide or, as we saw maybe a decade ago or so with Knott's Scary Farm, insane asylums), that has become out of bounds for many people. Some people aren't able to disconnect such scenarios from their lived experiences, and I don't know that there's a tactful way to ask them to do so, especially when theme parks are supposed to be a place to escape, turn your brain off, and have fun.

I mean, I agree with leaving the scene intact. I would be absolutely gutted to see it go. But I would also be open minded to a new scene if they could come up with something that works really well.

And while I understand the notion that folks are there to enjoy themselves on a vacation, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask for a little bit of “work” on the Guests end when it comes to them deciding what attractions they are suited for. Especially since Mansion and what’s inside has been around long enough to practically be engraved into pop culture.

Like, sure, if I take a trip to Six Flags with my family I’m there to turn my brain off and have a good time. But I also have acrophobia. Should Six Flags bring every coaster down to the height of Big Thunder to make my day easier at the cost of everyone else's? Disneyland has no shortage of other attractions for Guests to enjoy. And it just sort of seems a bit extreme to me to change something like this in an attraction with such a devoted fan base, I guess?

Again, I understand why this change is being discussed. But the change.org petition to remove the Hanging Ghost Host has been up for years and has “amassed” 202 signatures. Which, for those 202 people who actually cared enough to make their voices heard, I am truly sorry they went through that. But I can’t help but wonder if that number really justifies the need for change?

 

[DavidDL]

The imagery is supposed to be about Ghosts. Most survivors don't find already dead people triggering. What is triggering is someone, in the story, actively committing. There is nothing outside the attraction to warn or suggest that there's su!cide references, as that's not normal in haunted houses. Heck, I'd be happy if they just gave you another option - like, they put a sign outside the Mansion warning that it contains references to that and that there is an alternative entrance. I wish you could simply opt to take that temporary entrance they had for a while with Covid. That'd be a perfect compromise - leave the hanging man for those who don't mind that, and have an alternate so that those who do can still experience the attraction

Is he actively committing? With the state of decomposition his body is in and with him talking to us as a disembodied voice, I inferred the act to have taken place a long time ago.

When I worked the Haunted Mansion as a CM (between the years of 2008 and 2013), if we had the staffing for it, Guests could ask to take the “chicken entrance” and bypass the stretching room like you’re describing. That sounds like a fair compromise, too. Especially with the new queue being built.

 

[TheCoasterNerd]

Is he actively committing? With the state of decomposition his body is in and with him talking to us as a disembodied voice, I inferred the act to have taken place a long time ago.

When I worked the Haunted Mansion as a CM (between the years of 2008 and 2013), if we had the staffing for it, Guests could ask to take the “chicken entrance” and bypass the stretching room like you’re describing. That sounds like a fair compromise, too. Especially with the new queue being built.

Either way, the idea that you have to do research on what attractions would be triggering is not a good one. I think the smartest idea would be to have said chicken entrance along with some sort of sign or something to warn guests about the triggering scene and the opportunity to bypass it - similar to how Splash/Tianas has a sign warning about how there's a 50 foot drop and you may get wet. Some sort of themed sign stating that there's a themed bypass if you don't want to have to go through the stretching room.

 

[DavidDL]

In any case, I’m fine with the scene staying or (if it gets replaced) getting replaced with something greater. The rumored “bat climax” screen sounds a bit weak, especially within the context of the rooms narration (which I would hate to lose even more than the Hanging Ghost Host).

For all my love of HMH, the stain glass screen is one of its weaker aspects. I miss the giant, practical Jack Skellington head because it had more “wow” factor. I really hope classic Mansion doesn’t adopt that, too. Whatever goes there, I hope it’s a practical effect. Though I don’t have high hopes for that with the way WDW handled their Hitchhiking Ghosts.

Fingers crossed for this being a bad game of Telephone, as others have said.

 

[Parteecia]

If they change the stretching room and get rid of the hanging body, I'll never ride the Mansion again.

I get this. I rode Snow White today and decided I'm done with this version. I miss the scary trees.