# Watch the Spooky New High-Tech Ghosts at Disney World’s Haunted Mansion



## Hauntiholik

> The imagineers at Disney World recently made the dangerous decision to fiddle with Haunted Mansion, one of the park's finest attractions, reworking the holographic hitchhiking ghosts that appear to join you in your car as you leave the ride. But wait!, you say. Stop! It's not broke! Don't fix it! Normally I would agree. But you can sleep easy, Haunted Mansion fans, because the now-completed high-tech ghosts are totally awesome!


http://gizmodo.com/#!5789412/watch-the-spooky-new-high+tech-ghosts-at-disney-worlds-haunted-mansion


----------



## TheOneAndOnlyKelly

Haunted Mansion would be about the ONLY reason I would ever want to go to Disney World... (I hate crowds, spending money...)


----------



## hedg12

From what I hear they've made some pretty awesome changes throughout the attraction in the last few years. They've added some interactive elements in the queue that look pretty cool, too. I'll be there in about 3 weeks - can't wait to see for myself.


----------



## Spooky1

It's been almost 40 years since I was there. I like what they've done with it.


----------



## kprimm

That is totally amazing. But you just gotta tell yourself....it's disney, of course it is going to be amazing.


----------



## austenandrews

I went once decades ago and don't remember much. What were the original hitchhikers like? Animatronics behind a two-way mirror? Cartoons projected on a mirror?



hedg12 said:


> From what I hear they've made some pretty awesome changes throughout the attraction in the last few years.


I wonder if it corresponds to John Lasseter taking over Imagineering.


----------



## Dark Angel 27

never been, now i really want to! time to start saving up!


----------



## goneferal

I've never been, but a friend is taking her kids this spring. I might have her get me a tee shirt.


----------



## Jester7902

That video is pretty cool...need to go to Disney now!!!


----------



## heresjohnny

austenandrews said:


> I went once decades ago and don't remember much. What were the original hitchhikers like? Animatronics behind a two-way mirror? Cartoons projected on a mirror?
> 
> I wonder if it corresponds to John Lasseter taking over Imagineering.


When your buggy went by the mirror, you would see a ghost riding with you, but from what I remember it was just sitting there and not interacting.

This is an awesome change!


----------



## hedg12

In the old system the ghosts were behind two way mirrors, & moved on a track opposite the ride cars (doom buggies). They'd be lit when the buggies went by, & it would look like they were in the buggy with you. It was neat, but they didn't move (or take your head off and blow it up like a balloon...)


----------



## GraveyardGus

The new ghosts are 10 times better. Great job disney!


----------



## jaege

MacabreRob said:


> Haunted Mansion would be about the ONLY reason I would ever want to go to Disney World... (I hate crowds, spending money...)


 I can understand the "hating crowds" no one actually likes crowds, but hating to spend money? What is money for, if not to spend? I cannot think of anything else to do with it, except maybe to insulate your walls...Even saving it, you are really only saving it so you can spend it later.


----------



## halloween71

That looks awesome!!!


----------



## Revenant

THAT just drips with awesome... too much fun. Last I saw the HM was over 25 years ago. I haven't seen the attic addition or any of the upgrades. I GOTTA get out there and see this.


----------



## MorbidMariah

What a super cool effect! I knew nothing of this 'til the last HC, Rev. Just amazing! 

Oh my Gosh, I can't believe how many Haunters haven't been to the HM!!! You all must go, now! Get in your car, pick me up on the way, and we will all go together! How fun would that be?  hehe

I first saw the HM when I was 5 (1983), and last saw it in 2009. Had the attic part in '09but not these guys. Or anything in the Q line...now I gotta go back! LOVE the HM!


----------



## hedg12

I'm sitting in the Atlanta airport on my way home from Disney World now - I have to say the changes they've made since the last time I rode it are pretty awesome. I rode several times both with my wife and as a single rider, & from what I could tell the "ghost will follow you home" effects are based on how many riders are in the doom buggy ( I could be wrong - I was too busy focusing on "my" ghosts.) They take a static image of the riders, then manipulate them to produce the effect. There's also a room full of Eischer stairs with luminescent footprints walking on them that was cool. There are several new tombstones out in front, as well as an interactive crypt for the "decomposing composer" that has several instruments embossed on it. The instruments play music when you touch them, & the organ on the end sprays water on you when you play it. I'll post again with a little more detail later - I have to catch a plane.


----------



## MorbidMariah

Wowee! I can't wait to hear more about it, hedg! Sound really cool!


----------



## Sunkenbier

I go to Disneyland every few weeks, Have kids and its only 20 min away. Disneyland has not gotten this nice effect yet, their still old school. Maybe they will get it when it next converts to or from the nightmare before christmas which is sept 17 to early Jan.


----------



## hedg12

I'd forgotten that the worst part of taking a vacation is the backed up workload when I get home! Anyway, now that I can actually see my desk again I'll follow up on my previous post.

It had been quite a few years since my previous visit so I'm not sure how recent these changes are, but I'll go through what I noticed.

The eyes in the wallpaper were illuminated in the shadows, & the ones deep in the shadows blinked and moved. (Really cool effect - I'd like to figure that one out.)

In the seance room, Leota's ball is floating above the table. I heard from another rider that the crystal ball was supposed to move around above the table, but apparently that aspect of the effect wasn't working while I was there.

I mentioned the "Escher room" with the stairs that go every which way. They had glowing footprints "walking" on them that could very well be duplicated with Otaku's "ghostly footprint" circuit.

The hitchhiking ghost animatronics have been updated and have a much broader range of motion.

The ending effects are just plain cool. As I said in my last post a static picture is taken of your face, then is manipulated by the "ghost". I've had my head pulled off and blown up like a balloon and released to fly away, and my wife and I had our heads switched with each other. From what I've heard these are just the beginning, since the effects are computer generated and projected and can be changed seamlessly. I guess I'll probably have to go back in a couple of years to see for myself...

Other than those big changes, it's pretty evident that they've updated the lighting and sound throughout the entire attraction. The whole thing looks pretty awesome.

It is nice to see Imagineering putting more effort into building more custom one of a kind effects and attractions, rather than just putting Disney theming on off the shelf rides. IMHO the last ten or twelve years have been pretty dark for WDW. Now if they can just get the cast members to be as friendly as they were in 1996...


----------



## Dixie

The best part of it is, I have noooooo idea how they did it. Still magic to me


----------



## ScreamingScarecrow

Sweet - the Haunted Mansion is still on my bucket list!!


----------



## Sinister Sid

Just got back today from Disney. I love the changes. They do not disappoint. I was concerned about the Queue area, especially the tombstones. But, I think they did an awesome job. I'm very pleased with the results. I especially like the hitchhiking ghost changes at the end.


----------



## waldiddy

hedg12 said:


> It is nice to see Imagineering putting more effort into building more custom one of a kind effects and attractions, rather than just putting Disney theming on off the shelf rides. IMHO the last ten or twelve years have been pretty dark for WDW. Now if they can just get the cast members to be as friendly as they were in 1996...


You're not seriously dissing the past 10 - 12 years at WDW, are you? Look at the awesome attractions they've added in that time: Expedition Everest (this board would really dig it), the Laugh Floor, Nemo, Turtle Talk, Mission Space, Soarin', the updates to Star Tours, plus they're adding a new section onto Fantasyland.

We just got back yesterday from a week there. Had a blast and we found the employees to be terrific. The updates to the Mansion are fantastic. It's my favorite haunted house by far.


----------



## Pumpkin5

:jol: I LOVE the Haunted Mansion, my favorite thing about Disney, hands down. I don't love the HPH (hot pavement hell) that is the calling card of most theme parks, but I do love the Haunted Mansion and that would be the ONLY thing that got me to go back to Disney World. I bought my very first full head latex skull mask from The Haunted Mansion gift shop back when I was 12years old. I think I still have my skull mask packed up somewhere in all my Halloween stuff. :xbones: I remember that I used it years ago to make my first Scarecrow head, using muslin and burlap saturated with fabric stiffener and the skull mask on a wig form to shape the muslin into a skull face. It was still in great shape the last time I saw it, you can't mess with the high quality products they use to make. Wow!:jol:


----------



## hedg12

waldiddy said:


> You're not seriously dissing the past 10 - 12 years at WDW, are you? Look at the awesome attractions they've added in that time: Expedition Everest (this board would really dig it), the Laugh Floor, Nemo, Turtle Talk, Mission Space, Soarin', the updates to Star Tours, plus they're adding a new section onto Fantasyland.
> 
> We just got back yesterday from a week there. Had a blast and we found the employees to be terrific. The updates to the Mansion are fantastic. It's my favorite haunted house by far.


Not dissing, just glad to see things improving. In 98, 00, & 02 there was a noticeable progressive decline in the overall experience. The parks and resorts weren't kept up as well (trash in the bushes - on one trip I noticed the same trash 3 days in a row - lights burned out, buildings & fences needed paint, etc.) The cast members weren't unfriendly, but they certainly didn't go the extra mile like they had in our previous trips. Things were better in 05, but still not as good as 96 and earlier. This past spring things were way better.

Expedition Everest _is_ an awesome ride, (I'm a huge coaster fan) but it is just an off the shelf coaster. Granted, it has incredibly detailed theming, but it's still an off the shelf ride (and still no Yeti...)

The Laugh Floor and Turtle Talk are neat, but agin, they're off the shelf motion capture and animation technology.

I think Soarin' and Mission Space were the beginnings of an upswing at Disney. Much more indicative of what Imagineering can do when they are given the budget to create a really great attraction.

Again, there's really not much room for complaint. Even at it's lowest point it stood head and shoulders above its competition, and kept us going back. In fact one of the main reasons my wife and I plan to retire to the Space Coast area (7 more years, God willing) is because it's close to WDW.


----------



## azscoob

I look forward to seeing the new upgrades, I was at DW last year, and enjoyed the rides as usual, (I admit I was really there to check out Harry Potter stuff at Universal) does anyone know if this is in place in CA or just FL?

Living in Arizona, Disneyland is a closer trip for us, however with a family vacation home in Cape Coral, Disneyworld is still an option if I have to head out there.


----------



## jaege

I will be going this September for a business trip to Orlando, and I extended my stay for a few days, so I can check out the new HM.


----------



## Spooky Dave

azscoob said:


> I look forward to seeing the new upgrades, I was at DW last year, and enjoyed the rides as usual, (I admit I was really there to check out Harry Potter stuff at Universal) does anyone know if this is in place in CA or just FL?
> 
> Living in Arizona, Disneyland is a closer trip for us, however with a family vacation home in Cape Coral, Disneyworld is still an option if I have to head out there.


Disneyland definitely has a haunted mansion ride, but it's largely the same as it's always been for the past 50 years. The one exception to that, which I still haven't managed to see, is when they update the ride to look like Nightmare Before Christmas around Halloween.

I'm all for updating older attractions, but I must say it was awfully cool to take my kids to Disneyland earlier this summer and have them see (it was their first trip) the same basic HM I saw as a kid. Disney is amazing, even their stuff that's 50 years old.


----------

