Disney has added original Haunted Mansion concept art by various Imagineers to the construction walls around the Disneyland attraction.
Haunted Mansion Concept Art on Construction Walls
The Haunted Mansion is closed for a major update to its grounds, including an expanded outdoor queue, a new gift shop, gardens, and more.
The concept art is by the quote “Our tour begins…here in this gallery…” which was added soon after the ride closed along with lenticular artwork of the Mansion’s changing portraits.
There are eight pieces, each by a different Imagineer. Seven span from 1952 to 1969, when the attraction was originally being developed. There is also one piece from the 1994 update.
The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland opened in 1969, 14 years after Disneyland Park, but a haunted house was in development for nearly two decades. The concept changed from a walkthrough to a ride. At one point, it would have been connected to a Museum of the Weird, but this was later scrapped and some of the museum’s concepts made their way into The Haunted Mansion.
The first and oldest piece of concept art displayed on the construction walls is by Harper Goff. It’s an early idea for what would become New Orleans Square. The 1952 sketch features a church, graveyard, and haunted house.
Moving through the years, this 1953 piece by Dale Hennesy is an early idea for Main Street, U.S.A. But look closely at the end of the street to the right. That’s the original haunted house, located on Main Street instead of in New Orleans Square.
Next is this 1957 sketch by Ken Anderson. It features the mansion viewed through some bare trees. The Haunted Mansion in this piece more closely resembles the attraction’s final facade.
In 1958, Sam McKim created this Haunted Mansion piece which closely resembles the Anderson concept art although with more color. It includes the mansion’s white columns, weathervane, brick chimneys, and iron balconies.
A decade later in 1968, Colin Campbell drew this depiction of The Haunted Mansion. The architecture remains approximately the same but this piece features ghosts floating around in front of the mansion during a storm. It includes a decrepit gate and a crashed hearse in the yard.
This 1969 artwork by Dorothea Redmond shows a more polished gate in front of the Haunted Mansion. No ghosts are pictured outside, which carries into the final attraction, where the ghosts are revealed slowly. It also depicts the Mansion on a sunny day — more realistic for Southern California.
This piece by Xavier “X” Atencio is from 1967. It depicts a one-eyed cat with green fur and a red light where its second eye should be. Atencio’s idea was for the one-eyed cat to appear throughout the ride as an antagonist, but this was eventually scaled back and replaced with a raven. In 2021, a statue of the cat was added to the load area. The expanded grounds will include a garden inspired by the cat.
The 1994 piece is by Chuck Ballew. It describes a ghost effect in which a “harmless whispy ghost effect explodes with manic energy!!” The before and after images show a classic white ghost saying “Oooo” and then the ghost with red eyes, large teeth, and a tongue, laughing maniacally.
Another piece of expanded grounds concept art was also added to the construction walls. This depicts a New Orleans Square courtyard with a gazebo, where a band performs. There is seating under the shade of trees.
During this visit, we could see a construction vehicle behind the walls and could hear the loud sounds of the ground being torn up.
The Haunted Mansion will likely reopen this fall with the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay, while the classic version of the attraction won’t return until 2025. Haunted Mansion Holiday ran from September 2023 until the ride closed in January 2024.
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