Haunted Mansion Prepares To Close Its Doors, Fans Mourn Loss 

in Disneyland Resort

A sign that reads "Haunted Mansion" in front of the white mansion holding the attraction of the same name at Disneyland Park.

Credit: Disney

The Haunted Mansion is one of the most iconic attractions across the Disney parks. Although it’s name and theming changes depending on the park, the overall idea and base attraction is the same. It’s seen the creation of two live-action films (both of which weren’t too well received) and some of the most popular theme park merchandise, but one version of the attraction is highly controversial.

The original concept for the Haunted Mansion ride reportedly goes back to Walt Disney’s original Imagineers, although it wouldn’t come to fruition until 1969 when it opened at Disneyland. Now, the ride can also be found at Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris, and is the only attraction to be located in four different lands across four different Disney parks. However, the original Disneyland location is perhaps the most iconic and well-loved, despite its controversial holiday overlay.

Related: Tim Burton Finally Reveals Plans for ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ Sequel

The Nightmare Before Christmas is a 1993 claymation film often attributed to Tim Burton (who created the story concept but didn’t direct) and directed by Henry Selick. Over the years, it’s become one of the most popular Halloween and Christmas films of all time, and has found a massive audience amongst Disney fans. Jack Skellington, Sally, and Oogie Boogie have become some of the most popular animated characters, with Disney California Adventure naming their Halloween party “Oogie Boogie Bash.”

Jack Skellington and Sally in 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'
Credit: Disney

During the Halloween season, guests can meet and greet with Jack and Sally, and the wait times for their interactions often reach several hours. With the amount of popularity the film and its characters have, one of the biggest questions floating in the fanbase is why the film doesn’t have its own permanent attraction at one of the Disney parks? Instead, the film gets about five months in the spotlight as it takes over Disneyland’s (and Tokyo Disneyland) Haunted Mansion each year.

The holiday overlay of the Haunted Mansion first started in October of 2001. This wouldn’t be the first time an attraction experienced a holiday overlay, as the Country Bear Jamboree and “it’s a small world” were both offering holiday versions for several years before Haunted Mansion did. With the Nightmare Before Christmas theme, the entire attraction is overtaken by the beloved characters and elements from the film, including Oogie Boogie, Santa Claus, and Zero. The temporary pieces make use of the dim lighting and black light throughout the normal Haunted Mansion and utilize it to recreate dynamic scenes from the animated holiday film.

Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland, featuring a pumpkin scarecrow dressed as santa claus
Credit: Disney

While popular, the holiday overlay unfortunately takes away from the normal version of the ride for almost half of the year. Haunted Mansion closes for about two to three weeks in August prior to the start of the Halloween season in the parks and features the holiday overlay until January, after the Christmas season. Then it takes another several weeks to be reverted and refurbished if necessary, opening back up sometime in late February or March. In total, guests really only have about five full months of the regular Haunted Mansion, with the attraction being down for about a month and a half in total for the overlay. This year alone the attraction was shut down in August for the holiday overlay, and will continue with the Nightmare Before Christmas themed decor until January 21.

Related: Disney World Confirms Closure of One of Its Least-Popular Rides

Earlier last year, it was announced that the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland would be undergoing a heavy refurbishment as well as receiving “reimagined” grounds and an extended outdoor queue. Along with that news was the news that it would mean the attraction would undergo an extended period of closure. The Haunted Mansion will close on January 21 and currently does not have a reopening date, with many speculating it will reopen just in time for the Halloween season.

The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland at night
Credit: Bair10 via Wikimedia Commons

In light of this, one fan took to Reddit to share their upset about the amount of time Haunted Mansion spends in its holiday overlay. u/Historical_Gap3933 posted

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I feel that haunted mansion holiday is up for too long. I grew up (and still do) LOVING haunted mansion. It has always been my favorite ride. But with holiday being up for Halloween and Christmas, it’s basically only open for 6 months out of the year. I just wish it was around for longer. And I know the reason that they have it up for the duration of both holidays. But the the theming of the experience feels very Christmas-y (too Christmas-y for Halloween anyway). But I also know that many people very much enjoy having it up for such a long duration. So maybe it is just a me thing lol.

I miss Haunted Mansion
byu/Historical_Gap3933 inDisneyland

Despite their disclaimer that it “may be an unpopular opinion,” the comments are full of people sharing a similar opinion, with one even saying, “this may be the most popular opinion on this sub.” “I like the holiday overlay, but it feels like they should just make Nightmare its own ride and leave the Haunted Mansion alone,” another user said, echoing several other comments under the post. “I’ll be honest, Haunted Mansion Holiday was fun the first time we rode it. After that, I just wanted regular Haunted Mansion back. I wish there was a way they could do it like they do for Mission Breakout: Monsters After Dark, where it’s half and half. I know the imagineers work super hard on the Mansion for the holiday, and they do an amazing job! But I love my Mansion the way it is,” said u/erinngoblaagh27. However, others pointed out that while it may be a popular opinion online, the in-person lines and wait times for the holiday version of the attraction say otherwise.

The exterior of The Haunted Mansion at night.
Credit: Disney

“Well… wait times certainly don’t agree with you. HHM is certainly more popular than HM,” said one user. “There are many reasons that HMH goes up when it does & how long it stays up,” u/GrimTiki explained. “Partly because (despite the overall tone here) it is popular – popular enough after 2 decades of being up that the queue for the entire attraction had to be redone to accommodate that popularity – & there’s only so many crew that can & are certified for the work to install it and SWH & everything else around the parks – so unless there’s a massive audience falloff, HMH will be there before Halloween & after the new year for a long time.”

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Unfortunately for fans of the Haunted Mansion, the attraction is expected to be down for most of 2024 for the refurbishment and expansion planned, and will likely reopen just in time for the Halloween season, meaning that guests probably won’t get to experience the normal version of Haunted Mansion at all this year. With the amount of time the attraction already spends down or overlaid, and with it being such a popular attraction on its own, it remains to be seen how fans will react throughout the year as the ride continues to be unavailable.

What do you think about the Haunted Mansion holiday overlay? Is it fitting or is it time for Nightmare Before Christmas to get its own attraction?

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