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Credit: Michael Gray, FlickrCrews have erected more scaffolding around the Haunted Mansion attraction at the Magic Kingdom as construction continues on multiple expansions in the Frontierland and Liberty Square area. This update comes after Walt Disney World Resort filed several permits for the 54-year-old dark ride and made multiple exterior changes, including the removal of shrubbery and trees.
Haunted Mansion Changes
On Wednesday, January 21, WDWNT reported that new scaffolding had been installed at the left back of the Haunted Mansion attraction at Magic Kingdom Park. The construction structure sits in part of the front lawn where crews had previously removed shrubbery, but so far, it does not block the view of the iconic Victorian mansion facade from guests in the ride queue.
The new scaffolding connects to existing scaffolding in the graveyard area of the queue, which appeared last week. The older scaffolding is now surrounded by green scrim that makes it blend into the area more (and blocks any work being done), but crews have yet to install the scrim on the scaffolding in the lawn area. That will likely come in the next few days.
Much of the Haunted Mansion queue was already surrounded by construction walls and scaffolding after the closure of the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island last summer.
However, it appears that Disney is beginning to prepare to slightly extend the facade and graveyard of the 54-year-old attraction, as more of the once-backstage part of the ride will be visible when the Piston Peak National Park expansion is complete. The Cars (2006)-themed section of Frontierland will include a walkway from the Haunted Mansion to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Despite the construction, the Haunted Mansion remains open and continues to welcome Magic Kingdom Park guests.
Expansions at Magic Kingdom Park
At D23 Expo 2024, Walt Disney Imagineering announced plans to bring two Cars-themed attractions to the Magic Kingdom. We now know that the thrilling rally race ride and family-friendly attraction will be part of Piston Peak National Park, a new section of Frontierland inspired by the natural beauty of national parks in the United States. The Liberty Square Riverboat, Rivers of America, and Tom Sawyer Island closed last summer to accommodate the new area.
Aerial video of the development of Piston Peak National Park and also Villains land in Magic Kingdom.
Aerial video of the development of Piston Peak National Park and also Villains land in Magic Kingdom. pic.twitter.com/T8sfhBkRMn
— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) January 18, 2026
Demolition work has mostly wrapped up on Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America, and crews recently installed early infrastructure for the project. An equipment staging area and trailer complex backstage is serving as a home base for the project, as well as the Disney Villains land in development, “beyond Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Which expansion at Magic Kingdom Park are you most excited about? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!