Credit: Video Screenshot, Instagram, @amyslife50Have you ever wondered what the Madame Leota scene in The Haunted Mansion looks like with the lights on? One Disneyland Resort guest recently shared a video of their experience getting trapped on the New Orleans Square attraction, giving Disney Parks fans a backstage look at how the magic happens.
The Haunted Mansion first opened at Disneyland Park in 1969. Originally conceived as a walk-through “museum of the weird” attraction, Walt Disney Imagineers later compromised to create the not-so-scary dark ride fans know today.
The 55-year-old Disneyland Resort attraction was one of the first to use the now-popular Omnimover ride system, which was later replicated in versions of The Haunted Mansion in Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom Park and Tokyo Disneyland. Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland have their own distinct haunted house-style dark rides: Phantom Manor and Mystic Manor.
After five decades in operation, Disneyland Park’s Haunted Mansion still stands the test of time. Using some of the oldest tricks in the book, the attraction still gives guests of all ages chilling thrills and stands as a functional piece of theme park history.
Disneyland Park is also the only United States Disney park to give its Haunted Mansion ride a Halloween/Christmas overlay inspired by Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993): Haunted Mansion Holiday.
Despite its age, most Disney Park guests remain in awe of the special effects in The Haunted Mansion. Although some guests don’t want to peek behind the curtain, others find it fascinating to learn about the reality behind the magic. If the latter describes you, you’ll want to stick around for this video!
Last month, Instagram user @amyslife50 shared this video after getting stuck in the Madame Leota room inside Disneyland Park’s Haunted Mansion attraction. In the clip, Disney cast members had already turned on the ride’s overhead lights and instructed guests to remain in their seats as they walked by:
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The Disney Park guest joked that it was “the one ride” they got on all night–only for the experience to end with an evacuation. It’s unclear if the Disney cast members in the video were looking for a guest who climbed out of their ride vehicle or simply swiftly making their way toward the first Doom Buggy they needed to evacuate.
Disneyland Resort rarely issues public statements on ride evacuations; this instance was no exception. However, The Haunted Mansion eventually reopened and has operated normally since the video was posted.
The Haunted Mansion Transformation
Last December, Disneyland Park’s Haunted Mansion finally premiered its new carriage house gift shop and queue. During nearly a year of renovations, Walt Disney Imagineers expanded the ride queue and refreshed the nearby Magnolia Gardens area in New Orleans Square.
One month later, the attraction received a new bride (Constance Hatchaway) animatronic which paid tribute to the original 1969 storyline.
Have you ever evacuated a Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort ride? Inside the Magic would love to hear your story in the comments!