SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
Now that the iconic lawn in the queue is astroturf, I would fully support them ripping it and replacing it with theme appropriate plants.
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News New Haunted Mansion Grounds Expansion, Retail Shop Coming to Disneyland Resort in 2024
- Thread starter DCBaker
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mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Same here although I was hoping for the return of real grass. Definitely prefer real plants to astroturf but what I’m wondering is if that left lawn is reworked all together. Still don’t know exactly what I’m looking at in that concept art showing the extended queue.
waltography
Well-Known Member
I doubt it; Disney's long moved away from the interactive queue concept and instead put all the interactivity into the DisneyParks Play app, so we're safe from any particularly intrusive kiddie areas.
The store will be themed to a carriage house, that was stated in the blog post.
Yes and no. I think the HMH overlay contributes to the congestion problem way more, but that's a seasonal thing.
Too Many Hats
Well-Known Member
I've undoubtedly gotten a sunburn standing back there on a sunny day. But there's something about those ugly, indefensibly chintzy switchbacks that I've always enjoyed.
(I'm 100% on board with replacing them, of course)
Too Many Hats
Well-Known Member
So if Disney actually uses this extended queue each day, we will no longer see Mansion's line stretch into the main midway, right? And this will put an end to CMs harassing guests to invade each other's personal space?
WaltsTreasureChest
Well-Known Member
What in the world? Why would Disney do this when the Haunted Mansion Movie is flopping terribly at the box office? Why?
ParkPeeker
Well-Known Member
it’s hard to find a good aerial photo, anyways did these crude edits on mobile, something like this, *i think*
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Thank you! I think that’s close. So it does eat into the lawn but I wouldn’t say it changes the view much. At least not from the front gates.
ParkPeeker
Well-Known Member
If I’m interpreting the art and/or TPs explanations correctly, it doesn’t eat into the lawn at all and the grass shown in the art is the very end of it.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
So is everything circled in red in the pic below currently part of Magnolia Park/ the switchback area on busy days closest to perimeter of HM. That would mean the front gates need to move out too wouldn’t it? Or I guess that brick wall you see in the Magnolia park concept art just kind of oddly sticks out a bit. I’ve never had such a hard time visualizing concept art.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
No, in the WDI artwork they just released, we are looking at the Southeast corner of the Mansion. The corner that faces towards the Treehouse and entrance to Pirates.
I don't think so. Again, artistic liberties were taken with the existing pathway along the front of the Mansion before it turns due west to lead us into those ugly 1969 switchbacks.
All of that should stay the same. There's no point in moving that path, because it would only reduce the amount of space available for the ugly switchbacks on the west side of that brick wall.
That's about it. Very well done.
Smudge the edges and scale just a bit due to the artistic liberties taken in the WDI concept art, and that's what we're getting.
It doesn't. And it shouldn't. To do so would negate the whole reason for this entire project; to smooth out the kinks of the Haunted Mansion line operation that often extends out into the surrounding New Orleans area and Magnolia Park.
As well as including a new elevator shaft next to the train tracks, down to the loading area complex beneath the berm, to allow easier egress for folks in wheelchairs. A win-win.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
The only thing that horrible movie flop will impact is what souvenirs they'll stock on the shelves at the exit gift shop.
Luckily, we won't be shopping for "Vanilla Scented Candles" in that gift shop, and instead will have a full range of classic Walt Disney's Haunted Mansion merchandise to choose from. Plus Jack Skellington stuff from Labor Day to New Year's Day.
Otherwise, all of this area reworking and plussing up around the Mansion has been long overdue for at least two decades.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
So are we seeing the entirety of the extended queue in the concept art? Is that greenhouse butted against the berm? If so it just seems off
TP2000
Well-Known Member
No, the new "greenhouse" that will shelter the wheelchair elevator is butted (that's a funny word, isn't it?) against the railroad tracks. The railroad tracks are then butted (there it is again) against the berm itself.
The greenhouse sits roughly where the currently abandoned Fastpass Distribution area is. Immediately south of the switchbacks, and immediately east of the railroad tracks.
Let me see if I can't find a better photo. It's hard to see because all the aerial photos available on Google are obscured by all those damn 60 year old trees.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
No, the new "greenhouse" that will shelter the wheelchair elevator is butted (that's a funny word, isn't it?) against the railroad tracks. The railroad tracks are then butted (there it is again) against the berm itself.
The greenhouse sits roughly where the currently abandoned Fastpass Distribution area is. Immediately south of the switchbacks, and immediately east of the railroad tracks.
Let me see if I can't find a better photo. It's hard to see because all the aerial photos available on Google are obscured by all those damn 60 year old trees.
Ah ok! I get it now. So basically everything circled in red below is currently Magnolia Park and old FP distribution area. Man, I was so disoriented. Thank you. How many feet of Magnolia Park do you think that extended queue is absorbing?
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Wait a minute how could the greenhouse be butted against the railroad tracks? Where are the current switchbacks @TP2000. Some or at least half of that greenhouse area must be from the current switchback area right? Something is either off with this art or off with my brain. I’m having a hard time placing the current switchback area in the art. The train doesn’t deviate there at such a sharp angle. Maybe I should take a nap and take a look again tomorrow. Lol
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Yes, exactly.
At risk of disorienting the gang here even more, I made these two aerial overviews.
This first one is the Haunted Mansion line and extended line setup for roughly the 20 years from 2000 until Fastpass went away in 2019. It included the original, and largely untouched, 1969 facility inside the Mansion gates, as a person would walk through it via the red line. But it also includes an extra red line that weaved through "Magnolia Park" (the M.P. to the south of the Mansion) on busy days and/or during Haunted Mansion Holiday season. The Fastpass distribution area they added in the early 2000's is seen outlined in green, directly south of the original switchbacks and sitting just to the north and east of the Disneyland Railroad tracks and the New Orleans station of the Disneyland Railroad.
Haunted Mansion extended line and Fastpass circa 2000-2019:
Then, we have the new setup in this same area. Assuming this new walled off corner of what is now Magnolia Park becomes extended line space on busy days, this is how the similar setup will be used. This walled garden area probably has more to do with construction needs around the adjacent elevator shaft, or perhaps needs for Jack Skellington meet n' greet areas. Or, worst case, some sort of hokey interactive pre-show like they have in Florida.
And instead of the abandoned Fastpass Distribution machines sitting there unused, a new greenhouse will be built to contain the upper level of the elevator shaft that leads down to the loading area sunk beneath the berm. So that folks in wheelchairs can exit the ride in the loading area, but then rejoin The Living World in an elevator that has some sort of nice post-show for them as they exit to the south of the Mansion.
Haunted Mansion Plussed Up Line & Wheelchair Elevator Exit Circa 2024:
Meanwhile, everyone else who isn't in a wheelchair exits as normally on the north side of the Mansion, on the other side of this image, conveniently dumping them out at a new Carriage House themed exit gift shop.
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TP2000
Well-Known Member
Does this help? I've outlined the existing DLRR tracks in blue. The station platform itself is just out of frame, to the south of this image. The new ADA Elevator under the "greenhouse" is in green alongside the tracks just north of the station, where the Fastpass area is now.
The DLRR tracks enter a tunnel just north of the Fastpass Distribution garden, soon to be the ADA Elevator greenhouse, and go inside the berm as it passes directly to the west of the 1969 switchback area.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Thank you TP! You are doin the lords work. Makes a lot of sense on your last few pictures/ posts. It was hard for me to make sense of it on the concept art.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Oh, thank God.
Since 6:00pm I've been sipping some Gnarly Head Chardonnay, a humble weeknight wine for hot weather.
With all that I've done for the gang here on this exciting Haunted Mansion upgrade topic, may I finish off the bottle now and consider it a job well done?
