Haunted Mansion Tips and Secrets

Welcome foolish mortals to the best Haunted Mansion tips and secrets! The story goes that the Haunted Mansion in the Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World is Master Gracey’s abandoned estate and is currently haunted by 999 happy haunts. Once inside the Haunted Mansion, you come face to face with nine hundred and ninety-nine happy haunts. The Mansion is full to the brim with eerie details, creepy ghosts, and sight gags. It is the perfect balance of spooky and funny, which is why it’s a favorite of many Disney fans.

The Haunted Mansion is an iconic Disney landmark that is at Disney Parks all over the globe. The original Haunted Mansion opened in Disneyland but various versions of the ride can be found in Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris, Disneyland Hong Kong, and Disney Tokyo. In Hong Kong and Shanghai, the Haunted Mansion is actually different and called Mystic Manor!

Haunted Mansion Quick Facts

• Ride Time: 7 minutes
• Ride Photo: None
• Fastpass: Yes
• Height Requirement: None
• Rider Switch: None
• Scare Level: Young kids often find this ride too scary

Video Ride Through

 

Some Haunted Mansion Secrets

1. If you look at the top of the building before you enter you will notice that there are chess pieces on the top.
2. While waiting in the queue be sure to read the tombstones in the graveyard. While the tombstones have some comical last words they are actually honoring Imagineers and artist who built the attraction!
3. Want to be the first on the ride? Stand under the painting of the girl with the parasol because it’s where the door to the ride opens.
4. Is this haunted room actually stretching? Or is it your imagination? In Florida, yes the room stretches! But in Disneyland, California it is actually an elevator.
5. So who is your ghost host exactly? The voice should sound familiar as the voice actor is Paul Frees. Frees was also the voice of Ludwig Von Drake, the Pillsbury Doughboy, and Boris Badenov of Rocky and Bullwinkle.
6. Have you noticed a raven in many of the scenes throughout the Haunted Mansion? In the early development, the raven was going to be the narrator but the idea was scrapped for the Ghost Host.
7. The organ music you hear in the stretching room is actually Grim Grinning Ghosts slowed down. In fact, it is the only song you hear during the ride and it gets faster as the ride progresses.
8. The piano player in the music room is invisible but if you look down at the floor you can see his shadow.
9. When you enter the dining room scene with the dancing ghosts take a close look at the dining table. You should be able to spot a hidden Mickey in the plates.
10. The ballroom dancing ghosts are the result of the Pepper’s Ghost Illusion. This effect is made by illuminating objects and reflecting onto a pane of glass! You can even try it at home and make your own haunted scene.
11. Madame Leota’s face is actually Leota Toombs, an Imagineer who created designs for many Disney attractions.
12. Keep a close eye on the coffins during the ride, one of them has a hidden Tinkerbell in a pane of broken glass over the coffin.
13. During the ride, you actually die! You fall from an attic window when your doom-buggy turns backward and you go down to the graveyard scene. Another nod to this is that the ghosts don’t acknowledge you afterward. Pay attention to the party in the graveyard and the hitchhiking ghosts.
14. As you exit the ride, look on the ground for a wedding ring stuck in the pavement. It’s the bride’s ring you see in the attic scene. It was thrown from the attic and then trampled by the invisible horse.

Looking for even more Haunted Mansion fun? Be sure to read Haunted Mansion: Ride vs Movie!