Currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, Disneyland‘s famed Haunted Mansion is a dark ride that takes guests on a tour through an old mansion that houses 999 happy haunts. It’s my personal favorite attraction and easily one of the most popular in the world. However, it was a huge ordeal for Walt Disney and his Imagineers to bring these ghouls to life, something that was perfectly echoed in the removal of the infamous Hatbox Ghost, which would triumphantly move back in (thanks to modern technology) several years ago.
One of my favorite things to do on YouTube is to watch videos about defunct theme park attractions, which led me to Yesterworld some years ago. While they’ve already detailed the many changes to the “Haunted Mansion” over the years (see below), they are celebrating Halloween with an incredibly detailed look back at what could have been – yes, the “Haunted Mansion” we never got to experience.
For those who don’t know, “Haunted Mansion” was originally designed to be a walk-through attraction in which guests would be escorted from room to room as they learned the story behind the famed mansion. Even by today’s standards, the Imagineers had plans that would have blown our minds. In fact, it was so elaborate that many of the gags couldn’t be figured out and sent the entire design team back to the drawing board (although, some lucky folks were able to experience a version of the initial designs when it was tested on a backlot).
After two attempted attractions and many delays, it was decided that a “ride” would allow more guests to be transported through the haunted house, while also solving the issue of timing each room’s gags. While we’ll never get to see a decapitated bride’s head roll down a flight of stairs, she did eventually make it into the final attraction with a beating heart.
Digressing, Yesterworld has assembled floor plans and many of the unused designs in order to walk us through the original “Haunted Mansion” that you never got to experience. It’s one of the best videos I have ever seen on the troubled attraction and wish that we could have seen it come to life. Check it out below…
Also Watch: The Evolution of The Haunted Mansion & Abandoned Effects (The Disneyland Original)