Mystery shrouds upcoming work on Haunted Mansion
The upcoming closure of Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion for an extended refurbishment to expand the backstory, reconfigure the queue and add a retail shop leaves many questions unanswered for fans of the beloved dark ride.
Among the many unknowns, there’s one thing we know for certain. The last day to ride Haunted Mansion Holiday will be Jan. 21 with construction beginning Jan. 22 on the grounds of the attraction, according to Disneyland officials.
During the closure, Disneyland will enhance the outdoor queue, install a new accessibility elevator for wheelchair users exiting the ride and add a new retail shop at the attraction’s exit.
Walt Disney Imagineering plans to build on the lore of the Haunted Mansion in the new garden queue with an expanded backstory involving Madame Leota, Master Gracey and a prosperous sea captain — who all play key roles in Disney’s latest “Haunted Mansion” live-action movie.
That’s what we know at the moment. Let’s take a closer look at five unanswered questions about the Haunted Mansion extended refurbishment.
WHEN WILL THE HAUNTED MANSION REOPEN? >> Disneyland isn’t saying just yet. The Anaheim theme park hasn’t even narrowed the reopening date to 2024.
Disneyland will share more Haunted Mansion construction details this year.
WHY HASN’T DISNEYLAND NARROWED THE REOPENING DATE TO SPRING, SUMMER OR FALL OF THIS YEAR? >> In part because construction has not begun. Digging at Disneyland can present a host of problems that might affect the construction schedule. Some of the pipes and conduits underneath the park are as old as Disneyland and others haven’t been unearthed for decades.
Another reason Disneyland hasn’t put a finishing date on Haunted Mansion construction is the uproar it might cause. Which brings us to our next question.
WILL THE HAUNTED MANSION RETURN IN HOLIDAY MODE? >> Transforming the Haunted Mansion back and forth between classic and holiday modes takes considerable effort.
Leaving the attraction in holiday mode during construction saves time and money.
Disneyland has pushed the launch of Halloween Time to Aug. 23 — the earliest start ever to the holiday season.
Bringing the Haunted Mansion back in August would allow Disneyland to leave the ride in holiday mode during construction — but would likely enrage fans who can’t imagine being without their favorite attraction for seven months.
It would be tough to justify leaving “The Nightmare Before Christmas” holiday overlay in place if the Haunted Mansion emerges from construction in spring or summer.
Disneyland could gin up a Halloween in June or Christmas in July storyline to justify the decision, but fans of the classic ride would likely revolt. Which brings us to our next question.
WILL THE CLASSIC VERSION OF HAUNTED MANSION RETURN BEFORE 2025? >> You’ll need four hands to count the number of months fans will be without the classic version of Haunted Mansion if Disneyland brings back the ride in holiday mode after construction.
The Mansion faithful may have to go without the classic version of the ride for 16 months — from Sept. 1 to early January 2025. Let that sink in for a minute and you quickly understand why Disneyland hasn’t put a return date on the Haunted Mansion.
Any firm date for the end of construction raises a host of unappealing questions. Including this next one:
DOES CRITTER COUNTRY BECOME A DEAD ZONE? >> The Haunted Mansion is next door to Splash Mountain — which is also under construction.
The transformation into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is expected to last until late this year.
That means the two major attractions will be behind construction scrims for the first half of the year or longer.
Add in the Mark Twain Riverboat sitting at the Pelican Landing dock during an extended refurbishment and you’ve got a warren of construction walls at the border of New Orleans Square and Critter Country.
Bringing down one major ride for a brief or extended period has a ripple effect on the nearby attractions and the rest of the park. Bringing down two major draws right next to each other creates a doughnut hole that will likely put pressure on the entire west side of the park.
The rides most likely to suffer the greatest impact: Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones Adventure, Jungle Cruise, Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run. Indy and Rise already have issues with downtime. More pressure isn’t likely to improve things.
Expect long lines at Pirates, Jungle Cruise and maybe even Falcon starting in late January.
IS DISNEYLAND MAKING ANY STORYTELLING CHANGES TO THE HAUNTED MANSION? >> Yes and no.
Disneyland officials say the Haunted Mansion backstory that guests know and love will remain the same.
Making any significant changes would likely enrage Mansion diehards who consider the ride’s backstory sacrosanct. But Imagineering is tinkering with the Haunted Mansion story around the edges.
The expanded queue featuring a fountain, gazebo, statues, greenhouse and a garden will lean into storylines involving Madame Leota, Master Gracey and a prosperous sea captain.
Leota’s carriage house next door to the mansion will serve as the new exit through the gift shop when the Haunted Mansion returns.
Leota, the Gracey clan and the mariner ghost played key roles in “Haunted Mansion,” streaming on Disney+.
Could there be a movie tiein or a setup for a sequel? Disney incorporated Jack Sparrow into the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Would they dare mess with the Haunted Mansion?
Fans will be watching very closely — and waiting impatiently for the return of the ride.