Fans of The Haunted Mansion might be familiar with an unused concept by Marc Davis for a man-eating bat in a birdcage as part of the hallway scene. Well during its most recent refurbishment, Disneyland Resort quietly added this gag along with another small addition in the graveyard scene to bring the Disney Legend’s dream to life!
Located in the extended hallway next to the face armchair, we see a birdcage on a stand with two glowing red eyes and bones sticking out. Next to the cage are two empty glasses of what previously seem to have contained blood.
The bat in a birdcage was a concept from Imagineer Marc Davis, and finally was realized over a half century after the ride first opened. The bones imply that the bat was a man-eater, quite literally a vampire bat.
The original art by Davis was created during the attraction’s development in the 1960s but never implemented into the Haunted Mansion until now. This marks the second small addition to the Mansion in recent years, following the reintroduction of the Hatbox Ghost in 2015 for Disneyland’s 60th Anniversary celebration.
Also new in the Mansion is the return of the mummy figure in the graveyard scene. He’s been missing for some time now, and we finally spotted his return after the refurbishment concluded.
You can see the new gags as part of a full ride-through video above.
How do you feel about these new additions to the Haunted Mansion? Let us know in the comments below!
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