Credit: DisneyDisneyland Resort hasn’t opened its new Haunted Mansion gift shop yet, but Disney Parks fans are already unhappy with the finished project. Earlier this week, construction walls came down around the building and a new courtyard in New Orleans Square.
Walt Disney Imagineers began reimagining the Haunted Mansion’s queue and exit area months ago. Since returning in late July, the attraction’s annual Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay has required a Virtual Queue due to ongoing construction work.
Disneyland Resort first announced the changes coming to the Haunted Mansion in 2023. They shared this concept of the new carriage house-style gift shop and courtyard area that would greet guests as they exited the classic dark ride:
Days ago, construction walls finally came down around the new gift shop. TikToker @burrinisays shared this video of the area, noting that Walt Disney Imagineers tore out a fountain that used to be in the area:
@burrinisays The walls are down next to the haunted mansion just in time for your next disneyland trip! I couldn’t be more thrilled that the walls are coming down and the projects are going to be finished shortly. Be sure to check the app to verify if they will still be using the virtual queue once the actual queue finally opens. But as of now it is not open yet #disney #disneynews #disneyland #disneypark #hauntedmansion #disneycreator #losangeles #california
“Unfortunately, we did lose the fountain, but there is now plenty of space to walk around,” the Disney Park guest said.
The fountain hasn’t disappeared altogether–guests report it has been repurposed as a planter in the ride’s new queue.
“It looks so much better!!” one TikTok commenter wrote. “That courtyard was so cluttered.”
Redditor u/TheDisneyScoopGuy also shared a photo of the new building, which hasn’t officially opened:
The walls are down around the new Haunted Mansion gift shop!
The walls are down around the new Haunted Mansion gift shop!
byu/TheDisneyScoopGuy inDisneyland
On Reddit, Disney Parks fans overwhelmingly said it didn’t fit next to the Haunted Mansion and differed significantly from the concept art.
“So boring,” one Disney Parks fan wrote. “It really does look like a couple Home Depot sheds slapped together.”
“It’s feels kinda of.. boring?” another agreed. “I wish they made it look more like an opulent ramshackle house covered in vines in that makes sense?”
Still, others thought it blended New Orleans Square with its newly-renamed neighboring land, Bayou Country.
“It does match the mansion architecture,” one user argued. “The mansion is a greek revival antebellum home. The carriage house is a blend of French colonial and urban/rural southern tradition, which is exactly what you’d expect to find in New Orleans or the surrounding parishes.”
“It kind of helps alleviate the jarring transition from Haunted Mansion to Splash Mountain, because it’s so tall it hides Tiana’s now,” another agreed. “I hope they add more greenery and try to make it look a little more abandoned because this looks like a county fair bathroom or Home Depot shed.”
What do you think of the new Haunted Mansion gift shop and courtyard area? Inside the Magic would love to hear from you in the comments!