The Haunted Mansion Line- Updates With Photos
Before heading out to my favourite place on earth this year I was naturally keeping a close eye on what was going on not only because I was travelling out soon but also because I wanted to keep you guys updated with what was going on. One of the pieces of new that excited me was the fact that the Haunted Mansion was getting a bit of a makeover, not on the inside (although there have been a couple of changes) but the queue was being made into an interactive one just like they had done with The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh. This certainly came as a welcome relief to me as it is one of the warmest rides to wait for due to the fact that it is all outside.
Whilst Disney haven’t put a structure in place to make it cooler what they have done is added a number of objects that park guests can interact with to make the wait less boring and more importantly, distract them from the heat of the Floridian sun.
You have already seen one of the new additions, the Haunted Organ but I will include this in the post just so you can see an overall collection. There are also a couple of bits I have missed such as the sailor that managed to drown in a bathtub but you will see most of the new additions here in this post.
The Bust Riddle
When Disney say interactive they do not just mean things you can touch and feel and with these busts guests have to solve the riddle on which one killed which. Here are what each individual plaques say, you will only be able to guess if you look at the pictures carefully as each of them has a weapon.
Bertie — Avid hunter and expert shot, in the end that’s what he got.
Aunt Florence — Never did a dishonorable deed. Yet found face down in canary seed.
Uncle Jacob – Greed was the poison he had swallowed. He went first, the others followed. His killer’s face he surely knew, now try to discover who killed who.
The Twins, Wellington & Forsythia — Departed life while in their beds, with identical bumps on identical heads.
Cousin Maude – Our sleeping beauty, who never awoke the night her dreams went up in smoke.
The Haunted Organ
This one you have already seen so just enjoy the photo once more! Of course you are able to play this when you are waiting and it emits smoke and water from the top of it meaning if you are lucky you will get a welcome cooling down from the heat.
The Haunted Bookcase
This bookcase moves all by itself and even if you get several guests to try and push them back in they will end up popping up all over the place. This makes it all very amusing to watch people who are seeing it for the first time and who are trying their very hardest to plug all the books back in.
There are a few other bits that I have missed out here but you can see the detail that Disney have put into this, it is brilliant!
Attractions And Other Things That People Often Miss Out On In Liberty Square
When you mention Liberty Square to most people they will instantly shout Haunted Mansion but ask someone to mention the other big attraction or a place to eat within the area and most people will instantly struggle. With this in mind here are some of the things that people will often miss out on when they are walking around Liberty Square.
The Hall Of Presidents
This show originated from Disney himself (coming from Disney’s Great moments with Mr. Lincoln) and currently has audio-animatronic figures of every single president to this day (including President Bush and Obama). The show has been running since 1971 and has seen some pretty big changes since it first opened however the reasoning behind the show’s existence, to teach and to show that America cannot constantly progress forward without change. I haven’t seen this show in many years (despite going to Disney World at least every other year) and when I return in 2012 it is certainly something I am going to sit and watch once again. The show is fantastic and due to the fact it is slightly altered every time there is a new President it is well worth a watch.
Liberty Square Riverboat
Although it is very hard to miss this old styled boat moving around Liberty Square you will find that very few people will get on-board and take the journey from Liberty to Frontier and back again. Although the ride itself is nothing special it has a nice conversation involving Tom Sawyer on it and of course it is a great attraction for historians to get on to see the great boat that is The Liberty Belle.
Of course on top of this you have a couple of location to eat at such as the Columbia Harbour House and the Liberty Tree Tavern which even has characters at during dinner!
Like the rest of the Magic Kingdom and indeed Disney World, even the smallest of lands and locations has a huge amount of things to see and do.
A Sneak Peek At The New Haunted Mansion Interactive Queue
Just a quick update from me today showing a great video from the Disney Imagineers that have been working on the Haunted Mansion.
The video dives into detail on what they have done with the new queuing area and not only will you agree that they have made it spookily interactive but they have done a great job at referencing some of the loveable (?) characters from the ride itself.
Any Problems With This New Interactive Queue At The Haunted Mansion?
It looks like the only initial problem I can see with this queue is that they have taken away some of the fantastic gravestones that made the old queue so brilliant. Although they look to have kept a few of these in place it doesn’t seem like they have kept the one of the eyes opening and moving around. It would be a great shame to lose this as it is this one that scared me the most when I was a kid!
What are your thoughts on the new changes?
Video: Hitchhiking Ghosts Digital Haunted Mansion Update
A very quick one from me today just to say that it seems Disney are toying with the hitchhiking ghosts on the Haunted Mansion attraction and as you can see in the following video they have turned them digital and taken away the mirrors!
Disney have not mentioned whether this is just a test or whether they are going to keep this how it is now but there has been nothing official on the Disney Parks blog which seems to suggest this could just be something temporary. I love updates on rides but turning these beloved ghosts digital not only makes them look clearly like digital images and not ghosts but takes away something fans of the ride really do love.
More on this as soon as anything has been released by Disney.
