Haunted Mansion

The Haunted Mansion is a well-known attraction located in Disneyland. It has been reproduced at the Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris theme parks. (In the latter case, the attraction is called Phantom Manor. more...

) This attraction takes the concept of the midway dark ride to a whole new level, with special effects and spectral audio-animatronics that remain effective to this day. These ghostly residents have taken full possession of the premises. There are "999 happy haunts here, but there's room for a thousand. Any volunteers? If you should decide to join us, final arrangements may be made at the end of the tour..."

History

Artist Harper Goff was commissioned in the mid-1950s to design the attraction, which was originally conceived by Walt Disney as a walk-through ghost house. The house originally had a rural American design and was intended to be at the end of a crooked path that led away from Disneyland's Main Street area. Eventually the decision was made to place it in the New Orleans Square section of the park, and thus the attraction was themed as a haunted antebellum mansion. The Haunted Mansion's design went through many changes before its facade was completed in 1963, six years before it would open to the public, delayed by Disney's involvement in the New York World's Fair in 1964 and 1965. At one point Disney's concept was to be entirely walk-through and empty out at a restaurant with a theme of "The Museum of the Weird" — this would be similar to other attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean which is paired with the Blue Bayou restaurant. Plans were designed for this concept, but then abandoned.

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