Haunted Mansion Holiday has returned to Disneyland Park for the Halloween-Christmas season. Since construction is still ongoing outside the Mansion, the ride is using a virtual queue.

Haunted Mansion Holiday Returns

The Haunted Mansion Holiday is an annual “The Nightmare Before Christmas” overlay, where Jack Skellington takes over the mansion. The overlay began early this year after The Haunted Mansion opened for the first time since closing in January 2024.

Theming was added to the exterior of the property last week.

As guests make their way through the queue, they will find familiar theming, including the pumpkin scarecrow seen above.

Another familiar sight is the horseless hearse. However, the prop has been relocated in the queue and is now closer to the entrance.

Though many construction walls are still up, we got our first look at the queue since it closed in January. New permanent railings have been installed to divide Standby and Lightning Lane.

Lightning Lane scanners have also been relocated to where the hearse originally stood.

New Orleans Square Fountain has been moved to the queue. Additionally, lampposts have been moved around and installed in new locations on the grounds.

Another major change to the exterior of the attraction is that the queue path is much wider than it was last year. This will certainly help to alleviate some of the crowding in front of the attraction.

The exterior decor has a countdown to Christmas. The ticker is already set to “000.”

Upon entering the attraction, guests will notice skull-filled garlands around the top of the rooms.

In the Stretching Room, frames have been updated to include festive images and phrases. In the photo above, children sleep with large candies in their hands.

In another image, stockings are hung from a fireplace. However, the fireplace has a roaring fire.

The portraits inside the Stretching Room feature characters from the film. One image shows Barrel surrounded by Jack-o-lanterns.

Another depicts Jack dressed as Santa Claus. Ghosts stretch into the night sky behind him.

The Stretching Room ends with Jack peering down at guests below him.

As guests make their way to the ride, they will notice festive artwork on the walls. One image depicts Sant Claus flying his sled. He’s pulled by four reindeer, the leader of which has a red nose.

Another portrait depicts Jack in his Santa Claus outfit. He holds a present in one hand, as he stands with his foot upon a snowy Jack-o-lantern. The moon is full above the Spiral Hill.

As the ride gets underway, guests will see plenty of familiar faces from “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” One of the first props depicts the patrons of Halloweentown atop a hill. “Scary Christmas” appears on an orange banner in front of them.

The Endless Hallway features a dog bowl full of bones. A bow floats above the bowl, signaling that Zero is likely present.

The coffin has a large tag on it that reads, “Do Not Open Til Christmas.”

In the Seance Room, Madame Leota is surrounded by floating relics depicting scenes from “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

Tarot cards encircle the room revealing characters such as Sally and Oogie Boogie.

This year’s gingerbread display features a gingerbread man attached to a torture rack. While many of the displays throughout the Mansion are the same, this display is changed every year.

Zero floats above a barren Christmas Tree with no greenery but plenty of ornaments.

A blue and yellow snake tail spirals into the shape of a Christmas Tree. A yellow star sits atop it. The underside of the snake’s body is a list of children’s names.

The body winds its way through a series of presents wrapped in spooky Halloween wrapping paper.

Finally, the list reaches the snake’s head.

The snake has been moved to the left since appearing last year. This is so that the snake and some other props can help block a dark construction wall in the attic.

Two new jack-in-the-boxes are also on display in the attic. These two feature likenesses of Krusty the Clown from “The Simpsons” and Jangles from “Inside Out.”

A portrait of Jack dressed as Santa Claus and Zero sits amongst the presents.

No changes have been made to the Hatbox Ghost.

In the Graveyard, angels with pumpkin heads surround the snow-covered Spiral Hill.

Jack wears his Santa outfit outside the gates of the graveyard, as he watches guests roll by in their Doom Buggys.

Some musical ghosts play beneath barren trees covered in orange lights.

Sally lays atop a tombstone, her head resting on her hands. More orange lights glow behind her.

The snowy Spiral Hill is covered in Jack-o-lanterns with various facial expressions.

The Opera Singers perform in front of snow-covered tombs.

Finally, guests arrive at Oogie Boogie who spins his “Oogie’s Holiday Tricks and Treats” wheel. The wheel features a bunch of hitchhiking toys.

Guests then ride along and are joined in their carts by toys from the wheel. The hitchhiking toys appear to be animated CGI this year.

Jack’s sleigh is pulled in front of a full moon by numerous reindeer skeletons.

One of the last portraits of the overlay depicts Sally holding a small decorated Christmas Tree in her hand.

Virtual queue boarding groups are released twice daily, at 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Guests will need to use the Disneyland app to join the queue. Read more details here.

The regular version of the Haunted Mansion will likely return in January 2025. Rumors indicate that the hanging corpse in the Stretching Room may not return, among other potential changes.

Watch our full ride-through video of the 2024 Haunted Mansion Holiday below.

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