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

[PiratesMansion]

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?

Guests can't even figure out which company has Harry Potter and which doesn't, how many parks Disneywhichever has, which Disney is where (unless they've been to one before or at least live close to one), and what rides are called, let alone what rides contain, even if it's all but spelled out for them (if they could, Snow White would still be having Scary Adventures). I agree that people should do more research on where they're spending their money, but in my experience, more people than not are simply unwilling to put any thought into going to a theme park, let alone what a ride may or may not contain.

The difference between HM and Six Flags is that everyone expects roller coasters to be big, fast, and scary. People don't necessarily walk into Haunted Houses expecting suicide references, or things that might hit close to home.

 

[Professortango1]

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

Haunted Houses have always played on things that people uncomfortable. The mentally ill, hospitals, people with deformities, witchcraft and the occult, murder, suicide, vermin, etc. The reference to suicide is pretty indirect. I didn't pick up on it as a kid and the fact that they never had the tilted over chair as the concept art had helps it be more vague.

I mean, are they going to put warning outside for gun violence, mariticide, dismemberment, alligators (remember, Disney had such a tragedy at their resort not long ago), seances, and the ideas of entities latching themselves onto living people to serve their own dark purposes?

It is damn near impossible to make a PC Haunted House. I remember laughing when Knotts had to cancel their upcharged experience about visiting a mental health facility and discovering one of the patients is actually possessed because some parent said "it stigmatizes seeking help for mental health." No, the girl wasn't crazy, she was possessed. And the same year it has the Green Witch and Trick or Treat which draws off of antisemitic imagery and fear of witches which lead to one of the most horrific period of murdering and torturing women in human history.

If they want a Haunted House attraction, its going to have ideas and depictions that makes someone uncomfortable...because that's the point of a haunted house.

 

[DavidDL]

Guests can't even figure out which company has Harry Potter and which doesn't, how many parks Disneywhichever has, which Disney is where (unless they've been to one before or at least live close to one), and what rides are called, let alone what rides contain, even if it's all but spelled out for them (if they could, Snow White would still be having Scary Adventures). I agree that people should do more research on where they're spending their money, but in my experience, more people than not are simply unwilling to put any thought into going to a theme park, let alone what a ride may or may not contain.

The difference between HM and Six Flags is that everyone expects roller coasters to be big, fast, and scary. People don't necessarily walk into Haunted Houses expecting suicide references, or things that might hit close to home.

I mean it’s weird, right? As a CM, I was asked where to meet Shrek in Critter Country more times than I care to recount. But at the same time, Guests are also apparently fluent enough to jump through all the hoops, apps, and virtual queues needed for something like a WDW vacation, too. I suppose trying to find the logic there would be a fools errand.

And when it comes to haunted house related topics, you and I will simply need to agree to disagree, again, I guess. Whenever I walk into a haunted attraction, nothing is off the table, in my mind. Especially if the intent is to frighten, which Disney has made explicitly clear the first half of Mansion is trying to do.

On the bright side, if he does go away, at least I’ll always have the hanging skeleton that goes up outside of my house each year! If the Ghost Host vanishes for good, it might be fun to undertake a project to dress him up like that and live with the head canon that he’s just chilling out here, now. And thankfully I haven’t had any complaints after all these years.. yet!

 

[PiratesMansion]

I mean it’s weird, right? As a CM, I was asked where to meet Shrek in Critter Country more times than I care to recount. But at the same time, Guests are also apparently fluent enough to jump through all the hoops, apps, and virtual queues needed for something like a WDW vacation, too. I suppose trying to find the logic there would be a fools errand.

See also, the need for people to not be spoiled, but also needing to have trigger/content warnings. Doesn't make any sense. Then again, maybe me trying to rationalize a change I don't actually want to come about isn't all that different.

And when it comes to spook house related topics, you and I will simply need to agree to disagree, again, I guess. Whenever I think of a haunted attraction, nothing is off the table, in my mind. Especially if the intent is to frighten, which Disney has made explicitly clear the first half of Mansion is trying to do.

I think it's worth mentioning there's a discrepency here between different eras of the company. Old Disney made explicitly clear that the first half of Mansion is trying to frighten. New Disney just hopes you don't mind all of this old non-IP stuff is still around, because they certainly don't have the integrity to stand behind their old classics, or at least design replacements half as good. It's quite frustrating.

 

[DavidDL]

I think it's worth mentioning there's a discrepency here between different eras of the company. Old Disney made explicitly clear that the first half of Mansion is trying to frighten. New Disney just hopes you don't mind all of this old non-IP stuff is still around, because they certainly don't have the integrity to stand behind their old classics, or at least design replacements half as good. It's quite frustrating.

We are very lucky that Mansion was built when it was and has had so long to become so beloved and engraved into culture the way it has. Despite being “non-IP”, it thankfully has enough marketability and following from fans after all this time that Disney knows outright removing it wouldn’t be a welcome move. That is all, of course, because the Imagineers of the time built something truly special and timeless.

(I use air quotes around “non-IP” because I guess technically, the Haunted Mansion is Disney owned intellectual property in the legal sense)

 

[DavidDL]

If it had to change, I’d prefer to see the Ghost Host caught up in a situation similar to “Webster” instead of a screen with bat projections. Position the web and body near the window and have a rope hanging down like he was trying to climb out and didn’t quite make it. With the narration, “my way” still works because it still means the only real way out is “death”. Without inferring that one needs to self-delete themselves.

 

[PiratesMansion]

If it had to change, I’d prefer to see the Ghost Host caught up in a situation similar to “Webster” instead of a screen with bat projections. Position the web and body near the window and have a rope hanging down like he was trying to climb out and didn’t quite make it. With the narration, “my way” still works because it still means the only real way out is “death”. Without inferring that one needs to self-delete themselves.

View attachment 796051

Also, bonus points for old-school WED weirdness vibes.

 

[TheCoasterNerd]

If it had to change, I’d prefer to see the Ghost Host caught up in a situation similar to “Webster” instead of a screen with bat projections. Position the web and body near the window and have a rope hanging down like he was trying to climb out and didn’t quite make it. With the narration, “my way” still works because it still means the only real way out is “death”. Without inferring that one needs to self-delete themselves.

View attachment 796051

This one I wouldn't mind

 

[Ismael Flores]

As if Disney need more news stories about them being too woke. There is no way to please everyone so why not just not bring up the subject, removing or changing it all it will do is cause commotion.
In a few year something that did not bother this generation might end up bothering the next. Trying to please each generation is a never ending battle.

I am offended by people wearing spandex as casual clothes and thinking they look ok in them but i am not going to go out there and start a petition to get them banned.

 

[TheCoasterNerd]

I am offended by people wearing spandex as casual clothes and thinking they look ok in them but i am not going to go out there and start a petition to get them banned.

The difference is, wearing spandex has never harmed/k!lled anyone. Spandex doesn't affect your mental health for the rest of the day or even longer. Spandex can't send you into a mental breakdown. For survivors, the stretching room can do all of these things and more.

 

[D.Silentu]

If it had to change, I’d prefer to see the Ghost Host caught up in a situation similar to “Webster” instead of a screen with bat projections. Position the web and body near the window and have a rope hanging down like he was trying to climb out and didn’t quite make it. With the narration, “my way” still works because it still means the only real way out is “death”. Without inferring that one needs to self-delete themselves.

Not endorsing a change, but if it comes to it this does seem thematically on point. I'd even toss in a few spiders that would start their descent toward guests just as the lights go out. Otherwise, I worry that bats are the new hens.

 

[Misted Compass]

Otherwise, I worry that bats are the new hens.

Or chimpanzees.

 

[Sneakman]

Or chimpanzees.

Hey I thought the jungle cruise updates actually did a pretty good job

 

[Misted Compass]

Hey I thought the jungle cruise updates actually did a pretty good job

It was the least "bad" of the various ride updates for sure but you can't deny that the new scenes all seem to essentially use the same trope.

 

[mickEblu]

Hey I thought the jungle cruise updates actually did a pretty good job

I think replacing both scenes with chimps was kind of redundant and lazy. I would have liked to have seen something like that large man eating plant from Jumanji that shoots poisonous darts for the second chimp scene. It would pay homage to the old scene and be more fun/ less monotone.

 

[mickEblu]

The problem with all these updates are two fold. Not only are you messing with classic attractions but doing so with creative obstacles that are coming from the same place causing the change in the first place. Don't get me wrong the imagineers should (and can I think) do better than the new POTC auction script, chimp scenes and whatever the heck is going on at TBA but we cant deny that the same broken creative process that is effecting the movie industry isn't present at theme parks as well. All of these updated scenes and attractions would look much different if they were done even just 5-10 years ago.

 

[Sneakman]

I think replacing both scenes with chimps was kind of redundant and lazy. I would have liked to have seen something like that large man eating plant from Jumanji that shoots poisonous darts for the second chimp scene. It would pay homage to the old scene and be more fun/ less monotone.

Tbh the headhunter stuff kinda was ehh? I like monkeys doing silly things better. That’s just me. I do think that trader Sam was kinda a bad replacement but idk. I do agree with some of the replacements being a bit uneeeded in some places but I don’t think all of these “cultural changes” are bad, they just neeed to be good. some I agree are kinda iffy but not everything is bad.

 

[Sneakman]

And I also feel like the past is romanticized by fandom members. Sure it was good, and YES current wdi, the parks experience and all of that do have very legitimate issues they need to work out, but the wasn’t picture perfect as some people think it was.

 

[mickEblu]

Tbh the headhunter stuff kinda was ehh? I like monkeys doing silly things better. That’s just me. I do think that trader Sam was kinda a bad replacement but idk. I do agree with some of the replacements being a bit uneeeded in some places but I don’t think all of these “cultural changes” are bad, they just neeed to be good. some I agree are kinda iffy but not everything is bad.

Yeah the scenes were… fine but they provided some nice tonal variety and a sort of climax which is now missing.

 

[Sneakman]

Yeah the scenes were… fine but they provided some nice tonal variety and a sort of climax which is now missing.

That i do kinda understand, though I do have different experiences as someone who has only been to wdw, and been on mk’s jungle cruise with the indoor temple section acting as a sort of climax (dear lord am I jealous of California pirates/New Orleans square/ and cars land.)