Disney's Haunted Mansion

Did you know that when Disneyland opened in 1955 it did not even have the haunted mansion attraction?
Within 3 years Walt Disney began plans for expansion. He wanted to create New Orleans Square in which you could find shops, restaurants and a haunted mansion.

The first concepts for this house would of course be a neglected, run down, plantation style house, with guests walking through the once-beautiful grounds which had become neglected, and pass a graveyard filled with tombstones and partially uncovered bones. Walt did not want the look of a run down building, he wanted a look that matched the rest of the park. He made the remark "We'll take care of the outside and let the ghosts take care of the inside". A more stately manor was built on the property but sat empty for a few years as they could not seem to put a storyline together for the ride. Promotional material explained the delays this way: Walt Disney had his talent scouts searching for several years but "Gathering the world's greatest collection of ghosts is no easy task".

On December 15, 1966 Walt Disney passed away leaving the Imagineers to debate over the design of the ride. They were unable to agree whether the ride should be spooky or funny. I guess they finally made a compromise as the ride begins a bit spooky but by the end the spooks end up being some fun tricksters.

On August 9, 1969 The Haunted Mansion finally opened it's doors to the first visitors. By this time the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom was being planned and constructed in Florida. This enabled them to make duplicates of everything during the construction of the Disneyland Haunted Mansion which they shipped and stored at WDW until needed.

As you enter the mansion do not worry ....too much.
No, really, the resident ghosts are all pretty friendly and there is no gore. Very young children may be afraid of the dark or loud music, but overall it is okay for all ages.

Once you pass the entrance foyer and enter the ghostly portrait chamber you will suddenly realize you are in a room with no windows or doors and no way out!

Ah but these ghost actually want you to tour their home so they let you out to board your Doom Buggy. You then embark on a ghostly journey through several dark and dusty rooms. You never know what type of eerie encounter you will have around the next corner. Beware these ghouls try to hitchhike their way out with you.

There are 999 Happy Haunts living in the mansion, but there's always room for a thousand....any volunteers????

Length of ride: 786 feet
Ride Time: 8 minutes
Speed: 2.8 feet per second
Cars: 131 Doom Buggies
Capacity: 2-3 brave souls per Doom Buggie or 2618 brave souls per hour

Not all of the 999 ghosts have a name. . .

. . .but three of them definitely do. The Hitchhiking Ghosts that appear towards the end of the ride are the unofficial mascots of the Haunted Mansion and their names are Ezra, Phineas, and Gus.

If you thought Doombuggies was punny. . .

A few years ago, they revamped the ride and in the attic you encountered a ghost bride whose husbands kept mysteriously losing their heads. Her name? Constance Hatchaway.

The Secret Behind the Stretchy Portrait Room

In Florida and Tokyo, the ceiling of the octagonal portrait room does actually rise. However, in California and Paris, people stand on an elevator that slowly goes down which gives the illusion that the room is stretching. In fact at the original Disneyland, this is so riders can go through a tunnel that goes beneath the Disneyland train; most of the ride takes place outside of the park boundaries.

Madame Leota has the most dramatic headstone in the graveyard, but did you know the face on the headstone is fashioned after Leota Toombs, who worked in the modeling department at Disneyland California? Walt told her she had the perfect face for the Haunted Mansion. It may not sound it but he did mean it as a compliment.
Be sure to take a good look at Leota's headstone before passing by too quickly, she just may surprise you.

When you enter your Doom Buggy, you are greeted by your Ghost Host, but does that voice sound a bit familiar. You may think it sounds like Orson Well's voice but it is actually voice actor Paul Frees who has done many voices including Boris on Rocky and Bullwinkle, and even the Pillsbury Dough Boy.

Just passed the corridor of doors you may have noticed a 13 hour clock and laughed. The hands on the clock look like gnarled twigs, but look closer....they are actually fingers! You can even see the fingernails.

And if you really pay attention to detail you may even see the shadow of a ghostly hand pass over the face of the clock.