Disney's just released a video with a first look at some of the changes coming to the queue at the Haunted Mansion in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.
The highlight is a new interactive composer's tomb, which plays music when you (or someone else in the queue) touches it.
[Video no longer available]
The changes make the Haunted Mansion queue a bit more like the Indiana Jones Adventure queue at Disneyland, which has long been known for its interactive touches. The new queue at the Haunted Mansion is scheduled to open by the end of the month.
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The queue doesn't even come close to the Indiana Jones queue. I'm surprised at how little they added. The tombstones didn't impress me. I thought they were built in. Why was it described as interactive? I saw nothing to suggest the guest can do it anything with the tombstones except read them (boring). They reference a bunch of imagineers (inside info). Most guests won't care. They needed to add more trees to create a creepy environment. They didn't fix the ride entrance where they enter the non-existent "elevator". A lot more work needs to be done. It's just a drop in the bucket.
I'd have to politely disagree with the other posters. I thought the interactive queue was done tastefully without going over the top by adding screens and games. The music part is quite interesting. Sure it may be a simple thing to do on your home computer, but to have at the scale that Disney has done... I like it!
There may be more than they have shown as well. Maybe there are some surprises still available to find!
This looks like a nice improvement to the queue. And HM doesn't need anything as elaborate as the Indy queue, considering the normally short wait times for this attraction.
I am not impressed.
And they have to do this why? Honestly, the Haunted Mansion usually has short lines. The Doom Buggy System has really high guest capacity per hour!
Cool beans :D
These kind of decorative, narrative touches are part and parcel of what Disney is all about: they go the extra mile to make even their queues fun and entertaining.
I love the enhancements. The fact that the attraction was already a masterpiece without the new queue just shows Disney's willingness to keep moving forward.
I'm surprised at the negativity. Normally I'm Mr. Cynicism, but I thought these touches were nice. I already consider the refurbished Haunted Mansion a near-perfect attraction - this only adds to it.
As our resident Haunted Mantion fanatic (my screen name here is DarkRide Rod), I suppose I should chime in. I've seen quite a bit of footage of the new queue props. You don't have to go through the queue graveyard. You can actually just go straight ahead to the attraction. I don't mind these additions at all. They're quite fun, in fact. The captain's tomb, in particular, is a cool addition.
The only thing I'm worried about is footage I've seen from changes INSIDE the ride. The iconic hitchhiking ghosts have been taken out and replaced with computer generated animated clones and the mirror scene right after that has them floating around instead of sitting beside you. Apparently, a Disney cast member told someone that this is only temporary while that part of the ride is being worked on, but it's hard for me to believe it after seeing the work put into the CGI ghosts. The CGI hitchhiking ghosts look good, but I'd hate to see those iconic animatronics go away.
This looks great. Can't wait to see it. Really looking forward to this and the new Star Tours.
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The Edgar Allan Poe-inspired queue does not make me want to go there any more or less. The Haunted Mansion only appeals to the younger set, along with the rest of WDW.