Haunted Mansion Holiday:
14 Frightfully Fun and Festive Facts to Share with Your Friends
It's hard to believe that this is the 14th year of Haunted Mansion Holiday, where Jack Skellington has visited the 999 Happy Haunts who dwell in the Haunted Mansion. Disney Parks Imagineers have perfected the festive blend of 'Scary' and 'Merry' transforming this beloved Disneyland attraction. Each year, Jack dresses up as “Sandy Claws” as he and his ghost dog Zero bring ghoulish delights from Halloween Town to visit Disneyland Park. You don't want to miss out on this unique holiday treat sure to delight your family and park goers of all ages.
14 Frightfully Fun and Festive Facts to Share with Your Friends
It's hard to believe that this is the 14th year of Haunted Mansion Holiday, where Jack Skellington has visited the 999 Happy Haunts who dwell in the Haunted Mansion. Disney Parks Imagineers have perfected the festive blend of 'Scary' and 'Merry' transforming this beloved Disneyland attraction. Each year, Jack dresses up as “Sandy Claws” as he and his ghost dog Zero bring ghoulish delights from Halloween Town to visit Disneyland Park. You don't want to miss out on this unique holiday treat sure to delight your family and park goers of all ages.
1. Holiday Makeover – This frightfully awesome attraction has the longest holiday makeover of all. It doesn't go down once Halloween is over, since the theme is "A Nightmare Before Christmas" it stays up for the entire holiday season, this year until January 6, 2015. That is something to scream about!
2. Deck the Halls – Each season, thousands of feet of “Black Gnarly” garland is draped and hung inside and outside Haunted Mansion Holiday. Jack’s faithful dog Zero gathered more than 200 bones to use as décor, garland and presents. Now that's a good example of man's best friend!
3. The Eerie Exterior – More than 400 flickering candles create a ghostly glow on the façade of the Haunted Mansion. Each night, more than 100 jack-o-lanterns shine their ghoulish light.
4. Home Creepy Home - Creepy cobwebs are artistically kept (not swept!) year-round to make Jack Skellington and the 999 Happy Haunts feel right at home. We can't figure out if this is more strange or just pure genius. No dusting required!
5. “Come Out to Socialize” - More than two dozen additional animated figures “materialize” inside the mansion whenever Jack brings his Haunted Mansion Holiday around. From man-eating wreaths to vampire teddy bears, they wait all year to join in the holiday spirit.
6. The Haunted Elevator – Jack Skellington and his ghost dog Zero appear in a fully animated sequence on the ceiling of the “stretching” room, which transports guests into the depths of the mansion.
7. The Portrait Gallery – Ghost dog Zero makes a surprise appearance among the spooky, transforming portraits in the gallery corridor. Look quickly down the hallway or you may just miss him.
8. The Graveyard – The graveyard inside Haunted Mansion Holiday is covered with nearly 7,500 square feet of snow. More than 20 gallons of UV (ultra-violet) paint is used to enhance the snow’s eerie glow. Nearly 1,000 tiny, orange lights decorate the trees.
9. Graveyard Ice Angels – The iconic Graveyard Ice Angels are designed with a jagged, ice-carved look. Their ethereal wings and snow-glow colors shine with a more ghoulish luster than ever this year.
10. Seasonal Séance Room - Madame Leota’s “13 Days of Christmas” are featured in 13 spinning fortune cards that tell of the Christmas gifts which, as she proclaims, “My ghoul love gave to me…”
Kim Irvine, daughter of the original Madame Leota – For this seasonal attraction, Imagineer Kim Irvine gives a spirited performance as the Haunted Mansion’s favorite psychic, floating inside the Haunted Mansion’s Crystal Ball in the Séance Room. Her mother Leota Toombs, Disney Legend and long-time Imagineer, first gave life to the floating head.
11. Supernatural Sweets – Every year, a new ghoulish concept for the Haunted Mansion Holiday gingerbread house is created for the celebration scene in the mansion’s Grand Hall. This strange and wonderful treat is almost always “supernatural.”
12. Haunting Gingerbread Smells - The haunting scent of tasty gingerbread wafts throughout the Grand Hall, tempting Happy Haunts and guests alike. If you've ever smelled it, you know exactly what we are talking about. It delights the senses and makes you want to eat a gingerbread cookie!
13. Haunted Mansion Gingerbread House - One of Jack’s holiday traditions is leaving a special treat for the ghosts who dance around the Haunted Mansion’s Grand Hall. The annual centerpiece for this “waltz of the weird” is always a huge, creepy gingerbread creation. Jack delivers new and thrilling surprises every year. A team of five pastry chefs created this year’s Gingerbread Mansion. Three of them have been part of the Haunted Mansion Gingerbread House team since the annual holiday transformation began 13 years ago. The Ghost Host of Haunted Mansion Holiday always says, “even a gingerbread house can be scary,” and this year’s design definitely lives up to the “scary” definition. Of course, the Haunted Mansion Holiday gingerbread house adds a little whimsy with a hapless gingerbread zombie trapped inside – and those frightening spikes are very sharp, red-and-white candy canes. The gingerbread house also will feature opening and closing doors and special lights.
14. ‘Hurry Back!’ – New for 2014, a more “animated” Sally bids farewell to “Sandy Claws” Jack Skellington as he, and Haunted Mansion Holiday guests, depart from the Mansion. While you ride on the last escalator as you are exiting the ride, make sure to listen for Sally and watch Zero leading the reindeer and sleigh. Your family will definitely want to "Hurry Back" to ride this beloved holiday attraction!
For more attractions you don't want to miss at during the #DisneyHolidays, check out:
Top 2 images taken by the Disney Sisters, the bottom 3 images Courtesy of Disney.
