After a delay this morning, the Haunted Mansion has reopened following a brief refurbishment. While the Hatbox Ghost isn’t quite ready, more preparations were completed during the closure.

Haunted Mansion Reopens at Magic Kingdom

Crowds showed up today in full force today to get a glimpse of the changes made to the iconic Haunted Mansion.

The line to enter the ride queue stretched all the way past Liberty Tree Tavern at one point.

The ghost-horse-drawn hearse that resides in the ride queue was repainted a fresh shade of black during the refurbishment.

The ride beckons guests with its eerie charm. Ghostly residents and spooky decor create an enchanting and chilling experience, blending whimsy with the supernatural.

While the Hatbox Ghost is still missing from the Haunted Mansion, there were a few notable additions. One was the return of Prince Amenmose, the tea-sipping mummy in the graveyard scene.

Last year, we spotted a figurine of this mummy for sale at Magic Kingdom.

Another notable change was that the unload belt at the exit of the ride was replaced, and fresh yellow bats were added to the belts.

What do you think of these changes? Are you excited to finally see the Hatbox Ghost at the Magic Kingdom Haunted Mansion? Let us know in the comments.

Hatbox Ghost History

The Hatbox Ghost was in the original Disneyland Haunted Mansion on opening day. Technology had not quite caught up to the ghost’s vanishing and appearing head, however, so the ghost only last a few weeks before disappearing for nearly 50 years.

The Hatbox Ghost returned to the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland in 2015. He appears at the end of the attic scene, after the Bride. Disney recently shared a video about the Hatbox Ghost’s history, teasing his future appearance in Magic Kingdom.

Imagineer Daniel Joseph, who worked on the Hatbox Ghost in The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, is among the 2023 class of inductees for the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame.

See the Hatbox Ghost in our 2021 POV video of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland below.

The Haunted Mansion

The original Haunted Mansion opened in 1969 as part of the New Orleans Square expansion in Disneyland. Two years later, it was an opening day attraction in Liberty Square at Magic Kingdom. It was also an opening day attraction at Tokyo Disneyland in 1983.

Phantom Manor is a version of the Haunted Mansion with its own original backstory at Disneyland Paris.

In Hong Kong Disneyland, guests can enjoy Mystic Manor. This ride is inspired by Haunted Mansion but is ultimately a completely different attraction that avoids references to the afterlife out of respect to Chinese traditions.

New ‘Haunted Mansion’ Movie

Jared Leto portrays the Hatbox Ghost in the new “Haunted Mansion” film. The cast also includes LaKeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson, Owen Wilson, Tiffany Haddish, Danny DeVito, and Jamie Lee Curtis. Dawson portrays Gabbie, who moves into the Haunted Mansion with her son, Travis (Chase Dillon). They call in Owen Wilson’s priest, Kent, who contacts LaKeith Stanfield’s Ben to help take care of the ghost problem.

“Haunted Mansion” is directed by Justin Simien from a screenplay by Katie Dippold. It’s produced by Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich.

This is the second attempt to adapt the classic ride into a film, following the poorly received 2003 “The Haunted Mansion” directed by Rob Minkoff and starring Eddie Murphy.

Director Guillermo del Toro was also attached to make a new “Haunted Mansion” film and even turned in a script a decade ago, but this never came to fruition.

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