Expansion and Enhancements coming to Disneyland's Haunted Mansion

Aug 29, 2023 in "Disneyland Resort"

Gallery / 4 Photos
Haunted Mansion ground expansion concept art at Disneyland

Posted: Tuesday August 29, 2023 1:!1pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Disneyland Resort has revealed plans for a major expansion and update to one of its most beloved attractions—the Haunted Mansion. Slated to begin in 2024, these updates promise to delve deeper into the lore of the mansion while adding new features to enhance the visitor experience.

An Expanded Story

According to local legend, the Haunted Mansion was originally built by a wealthy sea captain. Over the years, the mansion's staff has dutifully maintained its spooktacular appeal. With the forthcoming expansion, visitors can look forward to an extended outdoor queue that promises to immerse them in the mansion's tales and legends. This includes stories of Master Gracey, Madame Leota, and a mysterious one-eyed cat.

Haunted Mansion ground expansion concept art at Disneyland

Beyond The Haunted Grounds

Each of the mansion's new gardens will showcase unique elements that range from water fountains and gazebos to themed statuary and landscaping. Guests will also have a chance to explore a new greenhouse that serves as the growing space for the Haunted Mansion's groundskeepers. Fans of the attraction will be pleased to know that existing features like the pet cemetery and the horse-drawn funeral hearse will remain.

New Retail Space

But that's not all. Madame Leota, a prominent figure in the Haunted Mansion, will extend her ethereal presence to a new retail shop located next to the attraction's exit. Housed in Leota's carriage house, the standalone shop promises to offer goods that will leave visitors "dying" to know more.

Haunted Mansion ground expansion concept art at Disneyland

More Updates Around the Corner

Besides the Haunted Mansion expansion, Disneyland also plans to spruce up the plaza adjacent to Tiana's Palace. The new design aims to create a serene, park-like setting that honors the area's historical significance while offering a tranquil space for relaxation and live entertainment.

Haunted Mansion ground expansion concept art at Disneyland

Improved Accessibility

Finally, the project aims to improve accessibility for all. A new elevator exit specifically designed for guests with disabilities will be added to the Haunted Mansion.

Construction Timelines

Construction for these enhancements is set to begin in January 2024.

Discuss on the Forums

Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox

Phroobar4 days ago

They must have missed that box when they pulled it from the Ikea warehouse.

chadwpalm5 days ago

Maybe when they first built this Disney thought civil engineers were just engineers that got along with each other.

Disney Analyst5 days ago

The drains are in.

Agent H22 days ago

I agree the problem is the frankly awful forced perspective or lack thereof

lazyboy97o22 days ago

People spout off all kinds of nonsense about construction hoping other people will just accept it because they don’t know. Whether or not it is a custom design is not something that is going to be easily deduced by photos or even construction methods. Being steel doesn’t mean it’s custom design. Being prefab doesn’t mean it’s not a custom design. The Contemporary Resort and original longhouses of the Polynesian Village are both custom designs that famously used not just pre-fabrication of parts but entire rooms. Galaxy’s Edge had a goal of as much as possible of “design once, build twice”, so essentially pre-designed for Florida but also very unique. The gift shop has also been misidentified as a pre-engineered metal building. Those types of buildings are giant kits but they’re not really pre-designed. They’re also the type of structure used on The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, both considered amongst the best attractions in the world. There are people who just spit out and double down on things because they fit the desired feeling they want, to criticize or praise Disney. There is no inherent value to using certain systems and methods. There are valid use cases for pre-designed and pre-fabricated elements. Even if this was a pre-designed manufactured building, that in and of itself is not the problem with it.

TheCoasterNerd22 days ago

Exactly. It may be based off the design, definitely see the resemblance, but it IS a custom build (prefab or not)

TheCoasterNerd22 days ago

You’re on ignore for me. I don’t see your posts, unless you quote them. So no, it’s not that. I did see someone on Micechat point it out. Although, you know it is possible for two people to have similar ideas… I’m not trying to be a known insider, but just like anyone else when I find out something cool of course I share it if possible. Either way, this is super off-topic for the thread so please, pm me if you care that much. I’ll happily discuss there.

Professortango122 days ago

Customized maybe.

Agent H22 days ago

True but I’ve been hearing a lot about how it’s not even a custom designed building which isn’t true

lazyboy97o22 days ago

A kit doesn’t mean manufactured offsite. You’d still see a kit being built. Steel roller coasters are very much a kit but they’re also often custom and have to be built.

lazyboy97o22 days ago

I was one who pointed it out. And the reason I take issue is because it seems a lot like you took what I said and tried to pass it off as your own. If you could actually tell from the construction photos you wouldn’t have had to contact Legacy nor would you be thinking that anyone would go to a wood designer for steel work. You’ve been warned by others about trying to hard to be a known insider and this is the kind of thing that isn’t going to help being a trusted source. Being a kit and pre-fabricated are not the same thing. Legacy Post and Beam’s kits are pre-cut but have minimal pre-fabrication. Steel stud framing can be prefabricated and it’s not going to look much different from doing the framing on site. The same would be true of wood stud framing. The use of pre-fabrication is also not indicative of using something that is pre-designed or from a kit. A small site in a theme park would be a great candidate for utilizing at least some pre-fabrication as you’re not taking up park space for storage and cutting of something like studs; that is done somewhere else whether it be just another job site or a factory.

Agent H22 days ago

We literally saw it being built I think it’s bad too but it is not a kit

TheCoasterNerd22 days ago

Can confirm it is a wooden building, not steel, and the dimensions of the building are different. See here for details - https://legacypostandbeam.com/kit-and-upgrade-diagrams/#residential-commercial It is my opinion after my conversation with Legacy Post and Beam’s customer service that it is definitively not the Armstrong 4236, but if it was truly designed by merchandising instead of WDI, they may have worked with LP&B on design.

TheCoasterNerd22 days ago

Oh my bad I must not have said it on this site, sorry. Well, as far as I can tell at least, it's a wooden framed shed. And I remember seeing somebody talking about it a while back. So here's what I did - I reached out to ask them for details regarding construction. Will report back.