New Haunted Mansion at WDW (spoilers)

Captain Schnemo · Post by **Captain Schnemo** » Oct Fri 26, 2007 8:44 am

Thanks again for the link.

I particularly like that they didn't just destroy all the old paintings when they moved the newer ones in. I've seen what happens to a lot of old Disney hardware and it's not pretty.

Very, very nice to see this respect for tradition (while at the same time allowing for improvements).

Anyone know if they still have the creepy sailor dude with the starfish stuck to him? He was my favorite.

Cheshire Cat · Post by **Cheshire Cat** » Oct Fri 26, 2007 2:13 pm

No more sailor dude

. If I remember correctly there were only three or four. I know the vampire and the woman with the cat was there... not sure about the other two.

This is the onlty thing I'm upset about in the new Mansion. If they were going to add the changing portraits, they should have put those in the load area and left the Sinister 11 alone. The changing portraits just don't work for me in the Doom Buggie. It's not as eerie as the glaring portraits either.

Although i am relieved that the imagineers simply havn't gotten the lighting correct yet on the eye portrais. It would sem silly to move those unique portraits to the load area and then not have them do anything. I'm glad they're working on keeping the effect.

Post by **rdeacon** » Oct Mon 29, 2007 8:32 pm

Here is part 3 and 4 of the 5 part series

Haunted Mansion Makeover Part 3

Haunted Mansion Makeover Part 4

Rich

Post by **rdeacon** » Oct Tue 30, 2007 7:59 am

Here is part 5 of the 5 part series

Haunted Mansion Makeover Part 5

Rich

snugglyevil · Post by **snugglyevil** » Oct Tue 30, 2007 6:26 pm

I am looking forward to seeing the refurb!

Thanks for the pics!

tel601 · Post by **tel601** » Nov Fri 09, 2007 5:54 pm

Just got back, and happened to go Halloween week, and the new version is nice. I'm glad they got rid of some of the old stuff as it was really showing its age. Did anybody notice the hidden mickey yet on the table in the dining hall? It's the bottom left corner closest to the windows...the dishes are arranged in the Mickey head shape.

yodiwan1 · Post by **yodiwan1** » Nov Fri 09, 2007 6:15 pm

noticed that around 10 years ago buddy.

Blackie Pueblo · Post by **Blackie Pueblo** » Nov Fri 09, 2007 7:52 pm

Yeah, not to belittle a fellow Disney fan at all, but that one is a famous one.

"To all who come to this happy place...welcome!"
---Walter Elias Disney

Cheshire Cat · Post by **Cheshire Cat** » Nov Fri 09, 2007 9:27 pm

We can even take that hidden mickey a step further...
It's not an "official" hidden mickey. It gets placed there by the cast members. The imagineers don't really like it...

The only imagineer-created hidden mickey in the haunted mansion is the one clutched in the hand of a ghost in a crypt to the right-ish of the knight, and the beheader. This one is even more clearly visible now with the new graveyard paint job.

I don't understand why they just don't make the plate-setting a permanent hidden mickey. It's probably the most famous one as it is.

Captain Schnemo · Post by **Captain Schnemo** » Nov Sat 10, 2007 3:05 am

Finally finished reading those articles. I really like the sound of what they did.

I have to wonder if the Escher staircase really flows with the classic haunted house style, but I'll wait and see it before I make a decision. It sounds like a really cool effect, but it's more famous for being a brain twister than something that's the result of creepy creeps with eerie eyes and all that.

mike101 · Post by **mike101** » Nov Sat 10, 2007 6:36 am

Thanks for info- new haunted mansion looks great!!

Cheshire Cat · Post by **Cheshire Cat** » Nov Sun 11, 2007 12:41 pm

I have to wonder if the Escher staircase really flows with the classic haunted house style, but I'll wait and see it before I make a decision. It sounds like a really cool effect, but it's more famous for being a brain twister than something that's the result of creepy creeps with eerie eyes and all that.

I never thought of it like that. I guess you're right, depending on the decor around the staircase, this scene could really be placed anywhere where a mind-boggling scene is needed (ie. JII).

The way the imagineers put it together though is similar to the feeling you get when you see the corridor of doors wallpaper. It makes you feel like the house has a mind of its own and that the house is as much of a presence as the ghosts within it. You half expect one of the staircases to move like the ones from Hogwarts

. The footprints and the candelabras facing every which way also help to set the mood and are probably what make it so much more powerful than simply a crazy staircase. Overall, to me, it feels much more eerie than mind-boggling.