Need vacation planning advice quickly? Join our Facebook group and get your questions answered!
Skip to Content

Haunted Mansion: Ride vs Movie

Haunted Mansion: Ride vs Movie

Welcome foolish mortals. What came first – the chicken or the egg? The ride or the movie? I’m sure I am not the only one thinking these things as I’m walking through the park. I can’t help but wonder how some of these attractions first came about and how the story actually developed. It’s obvious that the Haunted Mansion ride came first because it opened in California’s Disneyland in 1969 and the movie only came out in 2003. But how did the Imagineers of Disney establish such an intricate story-line without any helping hands? Well, in fact, there is a silly story that goes along with the ride, and the movie was generated around it. Let’s create a mental image of a ven diagram to compare and contrast all the magic about the Haunted Mansion.

Hitchhiking ghosts inside the Haunted Mansion, Magic Kingdom

Background of the Haunted Mansion Ride

Before you leave the stretching room, take a look at the woman sitting on a headstone. I bet you are wondering why he has an ax in his head, but do not forget this! The story of the ride is generally about a bride gone wild. As you enter the mansion, you run down the hallway after seeing Master Gracey’s hanging body. Into the library and down more hallways, you finally find yourself in the attic. As if attics weren’t creepy enough, you hear the soft voice of a bride reciting her vows. You can’t help but notice the photos of a couple, another couple and another but the same woman.

The lovely woman from the stretching room is the same woman who killed about seven of her husbands, and to our surprise, one with an ax. Now the ax in her hands instead of a bouquet of flowers makes total sense. Remember earlier when the ghost host told you there were nine hundred and ninety-nine happy haunts? We just became one. As you’re going backward notice that you are actually “falling” off a roof. Shockingly enough, we jumped out of a window to escape the bride and enter the graveyard as another happy haunt. Hurry back. Be sure to bring your death certificate.

Background of Haunted Mansion Movie

Eddie Murphy is the star of this movie and, in my opinion, he simply nails it yet again. If you have never seen the movie, it is the perfect twist of funny and spooky. It will keep you on your toes wanting to help solve the creepy case. When a husband and wife realtor dream team are summoned to a mansion in one of the wealthiest areas, the workaholics just cannot resist. Jim, Sara and their two kids Megan and Michael drop a visit to the mansion to soon discover that the torrential rain that keeps them in might not be mother nature. Gracey Manor suddenly becomes a quest for Jim to save his family…including his wife. Mummies, hitchhikers, and marble busts, oh my!

Similarities Between Movie and Ride

I recently watched the movie again to prepare for this article since I know the ride upside down, backwards and with my eyes closed. I was able to pick out cosmetic similarities that the producers of the movie pulled from the rides. Both noticeable things and the ones you’d probably never notice if someone did not point it to you. That’s okay though, it is my job to fill your brain with nerdy tidbits. I fully encourage you to have bragging rights. Anyway, here is a list of the similarities from both the ride and the movie that I have conveniently picked out for you guys.

  • Pictures in the hallway change to ghosts when lightning strikes
  • Bride dress in the attic
  • Busts in the hallway
  • Library scene
  • Ramsley- what I believe – is our ghost host
  • Hitchhiking Ghosts. (personal favorites)
  • Madame Leota and her spells
  • Instruments flying around the room
  • Ramsley tells Jim Evers, “There is always my way”. Stretching room scene in the ride uses this same phrase.
  • Shaking doorknobs when Sara is running down the hallway are also in the ride
  • Ghosts turning around and shooting each other are the same ones that are located on the upper wall of the dining room scene of the ride.
  • Gravekeeper and the shaky dog.
  • Chubby ghost and the ghost with a long beard that are found in the hearse with the actors are the same ones that pay you a visit on your Doombuggy

Also, I noticed that during the scene where the instruments are chasing Jim Evers down the hallway, the wood floor is the same diamond shape that the doors of the ride are. As I mentioned, the Haunted Mansion is my all time favorite. I’m talking, wallpaper leggings and hitchhiking ghost car decal…the whole nine yards. Learning new information about something you enjoy is a ton of fun and can most definitely change the way you look at it. Sharing my cool comparison with you has been so awesome, so next time you ride in the parks or watch the movie, be sure to stay on the lookout! You never know what you might find because Disney adds so many hidden facts, you’ll never get the chance to be done! Check out our article Haunted Mansion Tips & Secrets to learn more before you go. Thanks for reading.