Haunted Mansion - Changes

Changes

Disneyland

In the mid-1980s, the La-La singer/Hearse backing vocal in the internal graveyard was discontinued.

In 1994, Disneyland's attic was updated. Now, a phantom piano player (which happens to be the Ghost Host, according to Imagineer Jason Surrell) sits at an old run-down piano, just like the music room at Walt Disney World's Mansion. However, instead of the sinister Rachmaninoff-esque version of Grim Grinning Ghosts, a dark version of Richard Wagner's Bridal March plays. New pop-ups and audio was also added. Instead of the screams and shrieks from the old ones, they now scream "I do!", mocking the bride in how she can't say her vows. The pop-ups/blast-ups were discontinued in the 2006 upgrades.

In 2001, a newer, more detailed safety spiel was added to the doom buggies, now featuring voiceover artist and Paul Frees impersonator, Joe Leahy, giving a safer warning as part of a park-wide attempt to increase safety at the rides.

In 2004, the changing portraits in the Portrait Hall were updated. Now, the changing portraits flicker in synchronization with the flashing lightning and turn into their ghastly counter-images, rather then just fading between each other.

On Disneyland's 50th anniversary, The Haunted Mansion was given a number of upgrades. First, the original portrait in the Portrait Hall of a beautiful young lady turning into an old hag (commonly known by fans as the "April-December portrait"), was discontinued and replaced with the young man that turns into a skeleton, which can be found in Walt Disney World's Foyer. Next, Madame Leota floats, instead of her crystal ball remaining stationary on the table. A new Attic Scene was also added. Instead of the old attic scene with Pop-ups and a silent bride, there are now 5 changing portraits. The portraits show Constance Hatchaway, the new "Black widow bride" (played by Julia Lee, voiced by Kat Cressida), and throughout each of the photos, the husbands' heads pictured with her her now disappear. In each of the photos, she gains a strand of pearls on her necklace. Her facial expression now turns from a frown into a sly smile throughout each portrait. A new bride was also put in place of the original. Now, the bride utters her wedding vows in a slow and ominous voice: Here comes the bride..., As long as we both shall live..., For better or for...worse, (chuckle) I do. I did, In sickness and in...wealth, You may now kiss the bride, We'll live happily ever...after, Till death...do us part. A hatchet appears in her hands between her vows. Finally, the original stars in the graveyard were replaced with more realistic, more reliable fiber-optic technology.

In June 2010, Madame Leota's floating technique was presumably replaced with a clearer and digital internal projection, featuring the same HD video technology, just like the current projection of her at the WDW Haunted Mansion.

Walt Disney World

In 2001, just like at Disneyland, a newer, more detailed safety spiel was added to the Doombuggy load/queue area, now featuring voiceover artist and Paul Frees impersonator, Joe Leahy, giving a safer warning as part of another park-wide attempt to increase safety at the rides.

At the Walt Disney World Resort, the Haunted Mansion closed for refurbishment on June 8, 2007 and reopened September 13, 2007.

Changes to this version of the attraction during the refurbishment included the addition of a new audio system for the Ghost Host that makes it seem as if the spirit is circling above visitors' heads, new red, blue, and gold wallpaper (related to the paper at Disneyland but instead of green, it has blue), different and enhanced lighting throughout the attraction, and new stretching sound effects for the stretching room. The gargoyles in the stretching room now whisper with messages of "Stay Together", and emit child like giggles after the stretching room sequence. The library piano that plays in The Library and music room has now been changed to a lower key, and the narration was changed as well. An exclusive Escher-esque staircase scene has replaced the empty dark banister area covered in cobwebs and the giant orange spiders. After the staircase scene, there are all new ghoulish eyes that glow while monstrous sounds echo through the halls. The foyer music has been changed to a lower key as well as taken out of the corridor of doors, though it can still be heard briefly in the conservatory and in the portrait hallway (the hallway with the flashing, changing portraits). The original attic sequence is now replaced with the new Disneyland attic scene including the five changing husband portraits and featuring the new Constance. The other major Disneyland enhancements were also implemented at Walt Disney World including the floating version of Madame Leota with a much clearer projection, fiber-optic stars in the internal graveyard (the original Magic Kingdom version had glow-in-the-dark stickers) and The Sinister 11 (the portraits with the following eyes) were replaced with the changing portraits from Disneyland's portrait gallery (minus the aging man portrait found in Disneyland's Portrait Hall). Seven of the Sinister 11 are now located in the loading area of the ride (These include Jack the Ripper, Arsonist, Mariner, Vampire, Witch of Walpurgis, and the Ghost Host) while the other four are located in various parts of the mansion. However, they no longer work the way they used to, as the original eyes have been added back in. The voices of the graveyard ghosts with the exception of the deaf old man, the singing busts, and the mummy were re-recorded with new singers, featuring slightly different lyrics (instead of them saying "They pretend to terrorize", they now say "They begin to terrorize") and the audio tracks now seem to come from the singer when near them, through the use of new speakers, located near or in the tombstones. The decapitated knight is now silent and all the hearse ghosts sing the words. The once blue/purple ghosts are now green as well. A sharp-eyed guest will also notice that the Hitchhiking Ghosts now have empty sockets for eyes. The Doom Buggies have been fixed to a much more quiet sound than the high squeaking sound before the refurbishment.

In early October 2010, construction walls went up in the queue area of the Haunted Mansion, blocking the view of the small graveyard just outside the entrance. A new effect has also been added to the ride: a hand points to the left on the back of the Doom Buggies as guests exit.

In March 2011, a new "interactive queue" was added, with new tombstones honoring Imagineers; a "murder mystery" for guests to solve involving the sinister Dread family; the Composer's tomb, which features musical instruments that play "Grim Grinning Ghosts" when touched; the Mariner's brine-filled sepulcher, whose ghost sings and sneezes from within; a crypt for the poetess Prudence Pock, which features a cryptic message written on the sides of the tomb on moving, haunted books, and Prudence's ghost writing invisibly in her poem book.

On April 6, 2011, changes to the "Hitchhiking Ghost" section of the ride were completed and debuted to park guests. The original audio-animatronics have been replaced with updated, more fluidly-moving versions. The mirror effects have also been extensively updated, using computer technology that simulates the ghosts physically interacting with riders. All three Hitchhiking Ghosts can now be heard for the first time, voiced by Disney voice-over artist and recording vocalist Kurt von Schmittou.