The Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom is now closed for a brief refurbishment. It will reopen on August 10, 2023, the day before Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party begins.
The Haunted Mansion Refurbishment
Disney announced that the Hatbox Ghost would be located in the Endless Hallway near the beginning of The Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom — a different location than his Disneyland counterpart, and a controversial choice.
A week ago, work began in the Endless Hallway. Black curtains went up around a corner at the end of the hallway and the “Donald Duck chair” was removed.
Work will continue on the Hatbox Ghost’s installation during this short refurbishment, but he’s not expected to be completed and revealed by August 10.
The refurbishment will likely include other general maintenance.
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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