A Walt Disney World Resort guest recently shared their experience getting stuck on and escorted off The Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom Park. The Disney Park guest and their family, including two toddlers, were trapped “backwards” on a decline for an extended period before help arrived.
Walt Disney originally imagined the Haunted Mansion attraction as a walk-through “museum of the weird.” Torn between a scary or silly theme, Walt Disney Imagineers eventually compromised on the uniquely not-so-spooky attraction Disney Parks fans know today.
The ride originally opened in New Orleans Square at Disneyland Park in 1969, and Magic Kingdom Park’s version followed in 1971. Tokyo Disneyland introduced a version of the attraction in 1983, while Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland created their own haunted house attractions, Phantom Manor and Mystic Manor, respectively.

Like any Disney Park attraction that has operated near-constantly for five decades, Walt Disney World Resort’s Haunted Mansion occasionally experiences operational struggles. Most often, the non-stop ride just pauses temporarily to allow guests with disabilities to board more comfortably.
However, guest misbehavior (like dumping ashes…) and technical issues occasionally force extended Haunted Mansion shutdowns.
On June 19, TikTok user @taylorwolfe256 shared their party’s experience getting stuck on the Haunted Mansion. The Magic Kingdom Park guest shared a video of several motionless Doom Buggys in the ride’s graveyard scene. Disney cast members had turned on the attraction’s overhead lights, indicating that it had been shut down for some time.
@taylorwolfe256 When the Haunted Mansion ride fails and youre stuck on a decline, backwards, with 2 toddlers, having to get escorted off the ride. Its haunted. #hauntedmansiondisney #disneyworld #disney #fyp @Maci Russo
Unfortunately, the family was trapped on the backwards decline into the graveyard, making for an uncomfortable experience with two toddlers. Eventually, Disney cast members evacuated riders from the Haunted Mansion.
“When the Haunted Mansion ride fails and youre stuck on a decline, backwards, with 2 toddlers, having to get escorted off the ride,” the TikTok user wrote. “Its haunted.”

Walt Disney World Resort rarely publicizes the reasons for ride breakdowns, and this situation was no different. However, the attraction eventually reopened and operated normally in the days following the incident.
Would you like to evacuate a Walt Disney World Resort attraction? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!