Alright Disney, have a seat. It’s time we had a talk about your behavior.
Haunted Mansion has reopened!
The Disneyland Resort is no stranger to ride overlays. Fully embracing the holidays, Disneyland often likes to temporarily retheme attractions so add some seasonal flare. In fact, Disney doesn’t always need a holiday to just a ride overlay, such as the case of Hyperspace Mountain. However, Halloween Time and the Holidays at Disneyland bring in the overlays in bulk at both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, and no overlay — maybe at any Disney Park worldwide — is more popular than Haunted Mansion Holiday, the Haunted Mansion’s The Nightmare Before Christmas seasonal retheme. Disney is fully aware of the overlay’s popularity, to the detriment of the original attraction.
Before I get into how Disney is bullying the Haunted Mansion, I want to make something perfectly clear — Haunted Mansion Holiday is amazing. It’s everything you want in a ride overlay and more. The theming changes are far from subtle — even featuring new audio-animatronics — and the entire story changes. Ride scenes are completely different, justifying the overlay’s existence in the first place. I have zero complaints about what Haunted Mansion Holiday offers. In fact, I think Disney does a stellar job with the overlay and they should be commended as such.
With all that said, Disneyland is overdoing it with Haunted Mansion Holiday.
Haunted Mansion Holiday
When the original Haunted Mansion theming recently returned (with a new bride), it did so after being absent from Disneyland FOR OVER A YEAR. In August 2023, the Haunted Mansion switched over to its Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay in anticipation of the Halloween and Holiday seasons — which is natural. The Nightmare Before Christmas is largely considered both a Halloween and Christmas movie (although it can be debated that it’s mostly a Christmas movie, but I digress), so the early switch makes some sense. The ride then stays in its Nightmare form through the new year until early to mid-January, when it closes temporarily to change back into the Haunted Mansion.
Haunted Mansion construction walls
However, in 2024, instead of reverting back, the ride closed in its overlay form for several months as a new queue and gift shop were added. When it reopened later in the year, it did so as Haunted Mansion Holiday, and stayed that way through the holiday season.
Right now is the first time since nearly mid-2023 that we’ve seen the regular version of Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, and since it’s my favorite ride, I’d like to let it marinate for a while. It’s been so long since this incredible attraction could shine in its spooky, iconic form. Haunted Mansion Holiday has had its time in the sun, now it’s good ol’ fashioned Haunted Mansion’s turn…right?
Haunted Mansion
Unsurprisingly, Haunted Mansion Holiday will return again in 2025. However, on the day Disneyland made that information available, the slated return date was November 14th. “AMAZING,” I thought. “Disney recognizes that the Haunted Mansion in its regular theming has been gone from the public too long, so instead of cutting off its run at the beginning of the fall, they’re going to give it some extra legs. Besides, IT’S ALREADY PERFECTLY THEMED FOR HALLOWEEN TIME!”
Unfortunately, the announcement was an error, and Disneyland quickly course-corrected to show that the overlay will ACTUALLY open on August 22nd. What a bummer!
New queue
In my opinion, an overlay should be temporary. The overlay is open for between 5 and 6 months, which isn’t all too dissimilar to the regular version of Haunted Mansion. In short, both versions practically share equal time. That means if you can’t visit Disneyland after August — an 8-month window (closer to 7 when you consider the ride has to shut down for theme changes and regular maintenance work) — you WON’T get to experience the regular Haunted Mansion.
Haunted Mansion
I’m sorry, but the main version of a ride should not be nearly overshadowed in time by its seasonal overlay. At which point does Haunted Mansion become the overlay for Haunted Mansion Holiday?
My frustration stems from Disney’s indecisiveness of what they want the Haunted Mansion to be. Allowing the Haunted Mansion to bask in its iconic glory for only 6 months is unfair. Similarly, the indecisiveness to fully commit to a massive popular IP like The Nightmare Before Christmas is also irritating. If you want a full-fledged The Nightmare Before Christmas ride to exist, CREATE A THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS PERMANENT ATTRACTION! This IP is stellar and a real, independent ride would be deserved.
The fans would surely flock to Disneyland to experience this attraction and Haunted Mansion could simply exist as is. It’s a win-win.
Jack Skellington
Another alternative is to rotate between Haunted Mansion Holiday and Haunted Mansion on a yearly basis. Give a full year to each version of the attraction so that fans aren’t so limited when choosing when to visit. Disney could even bring the overlay to Disney World’s version of Haunted Mansion and each coast could have the inverse of each other based on the rotating schedule. Disneyland is currently offering Haunted Mansion? Cool! Magic Kingdom gets Haunted Mansion Holiday this year!
Haunted Mansion Holiday
These suggestions are just that — suggestions, and very unlikely to happen I might add.
What should happen though, is a stricter limitation on Haunted Mansion Holiday. If this version is ALWAYS around, it diminishes its uniqueness — it’s less special. On the flip side, having a TOP 5 Disneyland ride and an absolute PARK ICON split nearly equal time with a seasonal retheming just seems…wrong.
The New Bride
I love Haunted Mansion Holiday and I hope it sticks around for a long, long time. But the OG Haunted Mansion is my FAVORITE Disney ride ANYWHERE, packed with sentiment, nostalgia, wonderful storytelling, an innovative history, and impact fulness. It makes me sad to see it slowly dip into a B-mode of an attraction, and I hope Disneyland remembers that this iconic attraction consistently needs love too. The new Bride is awesome and the ride is better than ever right now — but let us experience just a little longer!
Say goodbye to these pals in August!
Ok, rant over and thank you for coming to my TED Talk! Where do you fall on this side of the debate? Do you think the current schedule is fair? Should Haunted Mansion Holiday get permanent theming? Share your thoughts in the comments below and continue to follow us right here at DFB for all things Disneyland!
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AUGUST? Are you kidding me???? That’s still SUMMER. I am not looking forward to Christmas in summer!
I agree with you 100%! Haunted Mansion Holiday is amazing, but I want my OG Mansion for most of the year. Halloween through Christmas should be enough time for Jack. Better yet, Nightmare Before Christmas should definitely get some more love and deserves its own attraction. It’s long overdue, more so than Encanto or some of the newer IP.???️
We never get to the park in the summer.. too many scheduling conflicts and a sense of self preservation ( don’t like crowds) soo.. it’s been YEARS since we’ve been able to see the haunted mansion as it’s ment to be.
With September Birthdays my sisters and I would as adults make plans for a day at Disneyland every September-October time frame, had to be a weekend that fit all of our busy schedules. Then we’ve all retired and went to Disneyland in February and the Haunted Mansion was back as the Haunted Mansion, it was sort of a shock to the system, but oh so terrific to have the Mansion of our youth return. I agree Nightmare deserves it’s own full blown attraction.
More than 2 full months of Halloween at Disney is a month too long. They’re starting it in August, for pity’s sake! It’s all about the $$$$$. They are having the special and more costly tickets and restricting access to some areas for so long that those of us who don’t care for it don’t get cheated out of time in the restricted hours part of the parks.
IMO, it’s just another pile of…money grubbing.
I split my Disney time between the parks, so I get a version of the OG on the FL trips. I love it, more for the nostalgia (it was one of my mother’s favorites) than for the ride itself, but I do love it on its own merit. I absolutely LOVE the overlay. It is engaging and hold my happy face attention from start to finish. Having said that, I think the overlay could be shortened a bit, starting at the end of September and converting in January. Now, don’t get me started on the “overlay” at Neon Sundown” in Carsland. Neon Sundown is my favorite thing in DCA and it kills me that it iOS overshadowed by Oogie Boogie. ??