Walt Disney famously said, “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.” The Disney Company has kept this standard and continuously updated the parks throughout the years. A new recent update in California’s Disneyland is the Haunted Mansion. Specifically, an expansion of the ride queue and a new shop outside the exit of the attraction. Currently, the attraction has no re-opening date announced.
The popular attraction is receiving the expanded queue due to the original queue’s inability to accommodate long wait times. Additionally, the queue prohibited guests moving from other areas to navigate freely in the park. With the expansion, the line will accommodate for popularity and allow other guests to move more freely to navigate to other areas. The expanded queue will include gardens for Master Gracey, the Master and owner of the Mansion, the ghostly Madame Leota, and the one-eyed Cat.
The Disneyland Public Relations Director, Kelsey Lynch, says, “Each of the gardens will feature unique elements ranging from a water fountain and gazebo to themed statuary and landscaping. In fact, guests will be able to see a new greenhouse where the groundskeepers for the Haunted Mansion grow their plants.
Legends of the manor have floated around vividly and sporadically throughout the attraction’s history. One particular legend being implemented into the queue is the legend of the one-eyed Cat, a demonic shape-shifting entity who attempted to take over Gracey manor in the 1950s. According to legend, the Ghost Host, the tour guide of the attraction, banished the Cat and locked him in the crypt where he is today.
After being notified of the new theming, Hadley Leavitt, a high school senior at Shadow Ridge, exclaimed, “I will say, however, I am very excited for the new shop and the demonic cat vibe. Also, the new sights will keep things entertaining.”
Many fans, however, are disappointed in the extensive closure of the attraction with no announced opening date. The Haunted Mansion attraction is extremely popular and beloved by many guests. With the extensive closing of both the Haunted Mansion and the re-theming of Splash Mountain to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure next door, the guests find Critter County and New Orleans Square quiet and barren. Because of this, guests are frustrated and saddened by the closures.
Emily Smoot, a senior at Shadow Ridge who visits Disney parks often, said this when she discovered that Haunted Mansion had yet to receive an opening day. “The Haunted Mansion is one of my favorite rides at the park, so it is sad to hear that it’s closed without an opening day. But, I am very excited to see what Disney has to add.”
Lynch says in the announcement for the queue expansion, “Local legend suggests the manor known today as the Haunted Mansion was first built by a prosperous sea captain.”
One of the original concepts of Disney’s Haunted Mansion connected Pirates of The Caribbean and Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer Island with the sea captain that built the manor. By adding this information into the announcement, Lynch gives hope to guests and fans of tying the concept into the queue and manor story.
Sadie Baker, a Shadow Ridge freshman who has grown up with Disney and the attractions, says, “If they do use the Pirates [of The Caribbean] original concept and tie it into Tom Sawyer Island with Haunted Mansion, it would be sick!! Since there would be so much to uncover, I want to constantly visit these attractions to discover more secrets.”
