Credit: DisneyDisney has seemingly confirmed when it’s changing Haunted Mansion at Disneyland Resort.
Over 50 years have passed since The Haunted Mansion opened at Disneyland, yet it remains one of the park’s most iconic attractions. What began as a simple spooky walkthrough transformed into a groundbreaking ride featuring cutting-edge special effects and the magic of Walt Disney Imagineers. With its 999 “happy haunts,” the attraction masterfully blends eerie humor and immersive storytelling, securing its place as a timeless favorite.
While Disney has built similar versions of the attraction at Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris (where it’s known as Phantom Manor), plenty of fans consider the OG to be the elite iteration. Both films based on the ride, for example, draw their inspiration from the version found in Anaheim, which is architecturally inspired by New Orleans.
With that in mind, it’s not a huge stretch to say that Disneyland’s version of the ride seems to be Disney’s favorite, too. It’s certainly received the most TLC over the years, with the ride shuttered at the park from January until July this year.
Considering its proximity to Halloween, the ride reopened after this refurbishment as Haunted Mansion Holiday. Inspired by The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), this overlay typically runs at Disneyland from around August through early January.
That means Disneyland guests haven’t been able to experience the standard version of Haunted Mansion since August 2023. However, that’s all about to change.
Reopening Date For Haunted Mansion
As per the Disneyland Resort calendar, Haunted Mansion Holiday will run until January 6. The ride is then listed as being closed for refurbishment up until January 17, suggesting that it may reopen on January 18.
Of course, Disney makes mistakes on its calendar all the time, so take that with a pinch of salt. However, it does align with
When it reopens, it’ll be accompanied by its brand-new gift shop. Madame Leota’s Somewhere Beyond – which has been criticize by fans for its generic design in recent days – is set to open this winter. The ride previously received a new outdoor queue and ADA elevator.
There’s also been talk of Disney axing a key moment from the ride: the hanging corpse. This appears above guests in the Stretching Room before guests board their Doom Buggies. Haunted Mansion’s disembodied “Ghost Host” points out that as the room has no doors or windows, it has no way out. “Of course,” he adds, “there’s always my way,” with lightning then illuminating a hanging corpse hanging from the ceiling.
It’s an iconic scene, but it has sparked conversations around sensitivity toward suicide in recent years. Disney previously confirmed that it had had conversations about removing the corpse, aligning with other adjustments to classic attractions, such as the removal of the “we wants the redhead” scene in Pirates of the Caribbean.
Michele Hobbs – who works as a producer for Walt Disney Imagineering and previously managed a refurbishment of the attraction – told Los Angeles Times that the scene’s removal has “been discussed for sure” and that “it’s definitely something that we’re thinking about.”
In Haunted Mansion Holiday, the stretching room ceiling is covered with a tarp, which will stay in place year-round while a new projection takes over this part of the ride. Nooses have been removed from various Haunted Mansion versions over time. In 2023, nearly all of the nooses were removed from Phantom Manor at Disneyland Paris, with the exception of the one seen during the stretching room scene.
We’ll have to wait and see the fate of this scene when the ride finally reopens. We’ll have to also look out for any potential changes to the Hatbox Ghost scene, which rumors claim may be updated to align with the effects used at Magic Kingdom Park’s version of the ride.
Are you excited for the reopening of Haunted Mansion?