Disney Tips Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
After 55 years of terrifying thrills and spine-tingling fun, Disneyland Resort’s Haunted Mansion recently made headlines for a very different reason: a surprising temporary shutdown. What many expected to be just another typical day at the eerie, beloved attraction turned into a moment that would give guests an unexpected peek behind the scenes.
The Haunted Mansion first opened its doors at Disneyland Park in 1969. Initially conceived as a “museum of the weird” walk-through attraction, Walt Disney Imagineers transformed the idea into the classic dark ride we know and love today. Over the years, the attraction has used groundbreaking special effects, including the now-famous Omnimover ride system. This innovation was later copied into versions of the Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom Park and Tokyo Disneyland. Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland have their own versions of the haunted house experience, known as Phantom Manor and Mystic Manor, respectively.
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Despite its age, the Haunted Mansion continues to be one of the most iconic attractions at Disneyland Resort, consistently drawing crowds. The Disneyland Park version is the only one in the United States to feature the famous holiday overlay, Haunted Mansion Holiday, which gives the ride a festive twist inspired by Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).
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Even though the Haunted Mansion has been thrilling guests for over five decades, it seems time hasn’t dulled its ability to amaze. The attraction still delivers chills with some of the oldest tricks in the book, and it remains a significant piece of Disney theme park history. However, on this particular day, the not-so-scary magic was interrupted.
Last month, Instagram user @amyslife50 uploaded a video after getting stuck in the Madame Leota room at Disneyland Park’s Haunted Mansion. In the clip, Disney cast members had turned on the ride’s overhead lights, telling guests to stay seated while they walked by to inspect the situation:
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The Disney Park guest jokingly remarked that it was “the one ride” they got on that night, only for it to be suddenly evacuated. It’s unclear whether the cast members in the video were responding to a guest who climbed out of their Doom Buggy or simply moving quickly to address an issue with the attraction.
Disneyland Resort typically doesn’t make public statements about ride evacuations, and this instance was no exception. However, The Haunted Mansion reopened shortly after the incident, with operations resuming as normal.
The Ongoing Haunted Mansion Transformation
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Months before the evacuation incident, Disneyland Park’s Haunted Mansion underwent a transformation. Last December, the attraction debuted a newly expanded carriage house gift shop and an updated ride queue. These enhancements came after nearly a year of renovations, including a refresh of the Magnolia Gardens area in New Orleans Square. In January, the attraction welcomed a new animatronic bride—Constance Hatchaway—paying tribute to the original 1969 storyline.
Despite last month’s unexpected shutdown, the Haunted Mansion continues to operate at Disneyland Park, still bringing thrills and chills to visitors from all around the world.
Which Disney dark ride is your favorite? Disney Tips would love to hear from you in the comments!
