Haunted Mansion

I have two questions:

1) Why do you love the Haunted Mansion?
2) If you could change anything about it what would you change and why?

I love the Haunted Mansion because of how the effects are in the ride, like the Pepper Ghost effect.

The one thing I would want to change about it would be to take out the newer version of the bride. I loved the old bride that they had because she was way more creepier than this one. I would also love to see the Hatbox Ghost make an appearance in this ride as well.

I love the mansion because the entire attraction is themed, the effects are mostly good, the music is fun, its a nice long ride, and it is fun for all ages.

I would change the corny "floating" items in madame leotas room, I don't know why they bother me. And the attic, the bride effects I think are almost distracting. But that's just my opinion. Also I wish the speed slowed down when the car goes passed the dining room scene. I feel like there is so much to look at but your moving too fast hahaha.

I hate the whole "black widow bride" storyline, and I'd take that out. I prefer the "great expectations" sort of storyline from Phantom Manor.

I love its creative approach to a theme park attraction like the stretching room being a method to go underground to the main showbuilding. I love the music, the characters, and that its story can be interpreted in so many ways. What needs to be changed is the seance room to where it has more fortune telling decor and looks like an actual room rather than a void. I would also like Constance to be taken out and the old bride and "I do" pop up ghosts to return.

Fix up the loading area by getting rid of the black backdrop behind the buggies and decorating that area to look like it's part of a mansion. I think the ramp upwards from the loading area would look really good decorated as a formal staircase.

Add a couple touches from the Tokyo version - a monster reaching out from the edge of a door from a room with glowing/flashing lights, and the library scene with the book turning pages by itself.

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Originally Posted by frollofan

I love its creative approach to a theme park attraction like the stretching room being a method to go underground to the main showbuilding. I love the music, the characters, and that its story can be interpreted in so many ways. What needs to be changed is the seance room to where it has more fortune telling decor and looks like an actual room rather than a void. I would also like Constance to be taken out and the old bride and "I do" pop up ghosts to return.

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I've always loved the seance room. It's pure magic, especially with Leota now floating. She's transported us to a limbo kind of area where we're between worlds. I will agree, though, that the Stretching Room is the best start to the attraction. When it's full of people who've never experienced it before and you hear the gasps and whispers of people trying to comprehend what's happening (AND NOT people reciting the spiel as loudly as they can), it's perfect. It completely gets you into the mood.

I love the Haunted Mansion because it's plain brilliant. If you have an interest in the paranormal, that helps too. Walking into an old mansion, entering the foyer, and then descending down into a long halway of creepy portraits, and then boarding your Doom Buggy that takes you thru the nooks and crannies of this seemingly desolate, but "inhabited" mansion, and experiencing the intriguing ghostly effects is truly a unique experience that is a staple of classic Disney at its best.

If I could change one thing about the current mansion, it would be the bride and her dialogue. A more subtle bride like the one before, without such an obvious backstory, would be a better fit for Mansion in my opinion.

Eddie Murphy needs to be added in to be totally complete. Possibly Jack Sparrow.......

;)

I love it because - besides being an awesome ride - the theming is near perfect. Absolute total immersion. All the other elements: scenery, music, effects are all perfect.

I really don't have a problem with Constance. Although, her effect can be improved so it doesn't look so much like a projection. I also like the portrait effcts with the disapearing heads.

I think if I could change something, I'd change the loading area, so it actually looked like a part of the house, and not some strange void.

Restore the attic to its proper form with pop-up characters and the old bride. The spookier elements of the attraction have slowly disappeared over the years, it's disappointing.

I love it because it's one of those "classic" Disneyland rides for me, that I'm fairly sure they will never remove because it is loved by all (or nearly all :) )

I think they should change the bride's face and have her talk less, and fix the zombies popping up from behind the hedges, maybe extend their garments so you can't see the pole that holds them up (it's always very obvious to me when they pop up, they didn't do a very good job of hiding the wires on that one).

I love that the ride is deceptively large. You enter what looks like an average sized house and find yourself incomprehensibly transported to a thundering night and a giant decaying mansion.

I love that the ride builds. That the ghosts slowly show themselves, and that the ride doesn't disappoint. As soon as Leota calls them out, you actually see ghosts, and then more ghosts, and then even more!

I'm not sure what I would change, except I'd like to see more Haunted Mansion merchandise. I suspect I'll get my wish after the new movie comes out.

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Originally Posted by ohmyjustin

(AND NOT people reciting the spiel as loudly as they can)

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I'm sorry, but I'm one of those people ;)

I love how themed it is, it truly makes you think you're experiencing the afterlife.

I would have some ghosts flying around in the sky during the Graveyard scene, to give it a slightly more eerie feel.

I love it because it brings together so many different elements of legend, story, art, music, and craft. It's a real piece of Gesamtkunstwerk. It celebrates hundreds of years of illusion, and shows how old, low-tech tricks are still as effective as they ever were.

As others have mentioned, the only thing I'd change in the Disneyland version is to bring some of the dark mystery back to the attic scene.

1) Why do you love the Haunted Mansion?

I love the thrilll in going in there. Only haunted place I ever dare myself to go in without a problem. Love to know what hitchhiking ghost I'm going to get each and everytime. Which is always the skinny skeleton guy. He seems indeed to follow me home too.

2) If you could change anything about it what would you change and why?

Can't think of anything. Everything is great.