Disney has revealed that Haunted Mansion Vacation, the Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Earlier than Christmas-inspired overlay of Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion, will materialize later than ever in 2025. This put up shares the official dates & particulars, plus rumored journey enhancements which might be on the horizon forward of Disneyland’s seventieth Anniversary.
The official information from Disney comes by way of an internet site replace to Haunted Mansion Vacation’s official web page, which merely reads: “Take a tour of the eerie property’s merry macabre makeover and meet some actual vacation spirits—scheduled to return November 14, 2025, by January 7, 2026!”
These dates coincide with Christmas at Disneyland, which implies that Haunted Mansion Vacation will not run for Halloween this yr. It’s unclear when the OG Haunted Mansion will shut for conversion, however our guess is that it’ll in all probability shut on November 1, 2025 to put in the Nightmare Earlier than Christmas overlay, earlier than Christmas begins. That’s a faster turnaround than regular, however we’d hazard a guess that Disney will need the common journey open in October.
As some background context, the Haunted Mansion Vacation closed on January 22 final yr and reopened on July 29, nonetheless as Haunted Mansion Vacation. That was about one month sooner than it in any other case would’ve debuted as a part of an expanded Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort.
In a standard yr, Haunted Mansion would shut for conversion into Haunted Mansion Vacation in mid-to-late August. The journey would reopen because the seasonal overlay within the first week of September, and proceed working till early-to-mid January. It might then reopen as OG Haunted Mansion in late January.
Haunted Mansion Vacation simply closed for refurbishment this week, and it’s anticipated to reopen as common Haunted Mansion on January 18, 2025. This would be the first time since August 2023 that the common Haunted Mansion has operated at Disneyland Resort. So after a protracted absence, the OG Haunted Mansion will stick round for lots longer this yr. Ryan Gosling is lastly getting his want!
There are doubtless a couple of causes for this, apart from Mr. Gosling’s wonderful rant…
First, it’s been extensively rumored that that alongside the newly expanded exterior Haunted Mansion grounds and Madame Leota’s Someplace Past present store, the attraction itself would obtain enhancements, together with a brand new Bride Audio Animatronics determine–and probably a totally new character and subplot (for lack of a greater time period).
Primarily based on the rumors we’ve heard, all of that are second or third-hand, we’d cease wanting calling this a reimagining. Enhancements and updates are the extra apt time period, and consistent with what Disneyland did within the lead-up to the Diamond Celebration for the sixtieth Anniversary with Fantasyland darkish rides. After all, there was additionally the addition of Hatbox Ghost in Haunted Mansion.
If rumors are to be believed, this may be a bit greater than that. It’s additionally attainable that a number of the enhancements are to attract consideration away from modernizations that may very well be made that will not sit so properly with Disneyland diehards. Once more, we have now not heard any rumors instantly–that is all secondhand–however there have been rumblings for years that Disneyland would possibly tone down a number of the delicate content material in Haunted Mansion. (Simply to be abundantly clear, I can not confirm the veracity of this–it’s hopefully incorrect, however I don’t know.)
In any case, the rumor of a brand new Haunted Mansion Bride Audio Animatronics, on the very least, has been bolstered this week by the announcement of a brand new Haunted Mansion Bride sipper cup, which can be bought beginning on January 14, 2025 at Harbour Galley and Stage Door Cafe for $35.
Somewhat than being manufactured from gold, as one would possibly count on for that worth, the Haunted Mansion Bride sipper is a plastic cup. It options the determine holding a candelabra and bouquet, as her face lights up blue and her beating pink coronary heart glows in her chest. It appears to be like cool, I assume, however that is superb china costs for a chunk of plastic. However I suppose in the event you get sufficient of them, you can have fairly the feast.
Anyway, the announcement of this Haunted Mansion Bride sipper seemingly corroborates rumors, which have been beforehand bolstered by a chunk of artwork showing within the new present store. I took that with a grain of salt since different, since-removed artwork was generated by AI, however the Bride portray was positively extra distinct, and presumably human-made.
Anyway, I assume we’ll get affirmation of a few of this instantly from Disneyland very quickly. It’s a bit odd that they posted the menu and calendar updates with out a splashy press launch about enhancements to Haunted Mansion as a complete, and the plan for this yr. Anticipate that to drop within the coming hours or days…
Our Commentary
Extending OG Haunted Mansion’s run in 2025 is sensible from a strategic perspective. Round this time one yr in the past–months earlier than something was formally introduced or rumored–we speculated that the common Haunted Mansion wouldn’t return following its queue development and grounds enlargement. That Disneyland would save the removing and set up bills, and easily reopen in the identical type the journey closed, as Haunted Mansion Vacation.
Our reasoning was easy: The Disney Vault.
An increasing number of, Disneyland has been adopting a Disney Vault technique in relation to its choices. We observed this primary with Magic Key Annual Cross gross sales, which have been not-so-coincidentally been returning with a reasonably constant cadence after which all “promoting out” on the similar time.
On the substantive choices aspect, the largest use of the Disney Vault in the previous couple of years at Disneyland has been the return of Fantasmic. Nobody actually believes that it took them over a yr to carry again that nighttime spectacular in b-mode with out a model new Maleficent dragon, proper? It was a cost-savings measure and to get individuals excited for the return, regardless of it being a modified model of the present. And guess what? Give it one other yr or so and the very same factor goes to occur with an actual dragon (properly, not a actual one) within the climactic sequence.
Similar goes for Wondrous Journeys largely disappearing final yr and Mickey’s Combine Magic taking its place. Now the previous makes its triumphant return for Disneyland’s seventieth Anniversary after a year-plus hiatus. Magic Occurs Parade gained’t be introduced this yr, however you higher imagine it’s not gone for good–its return will likewise be handled with fanfare in 2026 or at any time when. That is truly nothing new in relation to leisure, even when I believe Disneyland has began utilizing the Disney Vault in suboptimal (charitable time period) methods in the previous couple of years.
Up to now, the Disney Vault was deployed to rotate fan-favorite fireworks reveals, moderately than for cost-cutting and to generate synthetic pleasure. This labored properly, and ensured we received to see the seasonal reveals for Halloween and Christmas, but additionally ‘Keep in mind… Goals Come True’, Disneyland Perpetually, Fantasy within the Sky, and even Collectively Perpetually. I’m selecting to stay optimistic that we’ll see a reimagined and expanded RDCT for Disneyland’s seventy fifth Anniversary.
Level being, that is partially the reverse aspect of the Disney Vault technique for Haunted Mansion. Since Disneyland diehards have been disadvantaged of it final yr, it is sensible that Disney would lengthen the unique’s run in 2025. There’s completely going to be localized pent-up demand for the attraction, and I’m totally anticipating its wait occasions to pattern above-average.
That is doubly true when paired with the Disneyland seventieth Anniversary Celebration, since Haunted Mansion is an iconic attraction. It’ll be triply true if the rumored enhancements materialize in Haunted Mansion, as friends will need to see them (good or dangerous). Hatbox Ghost was an extremely well-liked addition throughout the Diamond Celebration, and though I don’t have wait occasions information to help that, I recall strains being longer.
The info does present considerably elevated wait occasions for Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom within the months after Hatbox Ghost’s far more latest set up there, and that was completed in a reasonably hamfisted means. But it surely was a brand new AA and an addition, so it’s unsurprising that followers beat down the mansion’s doorways to see it.
Anybody anticipating Haunted Mansion Vacation to solely get a lower than two month run going ahead would possibly need to alter their expectations. That is in all probability not the brand new regular, however as an alternative a one-off in mild of the entire above.
Haunted Mansion Vacation is extremely well-liked at Disneyland throughout the period of its regular ~4 month run. With Halloween getting progressively longer annually, I wouldn’t be shocked if Haunted Mansion Vacation does debut later (maybe post-Labor Day?) sooner or later, however I’m skeptical it’ll turn out to be a Christmas-only overlay.
To that time, the opposite upside to this from Disneyland’s perspective is that it’ll create pent-up demand for Haunted Mansion Vacation throughout Halloween 2026. Not working Haunted Mansion Vacation in August by October means it nearly definitely gained’t be proven throughout the months when ticket offers are supplied, so locals will both have to purchase pricier admission throughout the vacation season, or wait till the next yr. Contemplate this a scaled-back type of the Disney Vault method.
Actually, the largest shock right here to me is that Disneyland is doing Haunted Mansion Vacation in 2025 in any respect and never additional embracing the Disney Vault technique. It’s a reasonably concerned overlay for lower than 2 months, and except Disney goes to scale it again this yr to permit for a faster turnaround time, the attraction can be closed nearly as lengthy for set up and removing because the overlay can be displayed.
At the same time as somebody who lately wrote that Walt Disney World is Flawed About Seasonal Journey Overlays, citing Haunted Mansion Vacation as a chief instance, I’ve to confess that the detractors do have some extent in questioning whether or not the upside of the overlay is well worth the draw back of the downtime. 4 months is one factor, however ~7 weeks is one other completely.
Personally, I nonetheless suppose Haunted Mansion Vacation is “value it” for less than Christmas, even with the downtime. And I believe Disneyland’s method in saying this to this point prematurely is admirable, as friends have loads of time to plan round it. So from my perspective, kudos to Disney for each working HMH this yr and offering loads of discover. That is precisely how journey closures needs to be communicated!
As for the rumored enhancements to Haunted Mansion, I’m going to withhold commentary till particulars are made official, or maybe till I can journey myself on January 18 to expertise it firsthand. My perspective on this might range fairly extensively based mostly on what does and doesn’t change. If it’s simply the Bride, I’m in all probability on board–the now-old, once-new tech in that Audio Animatronics has not aged properly, to the purpose that the still-old Bride at Tokyo Disneyland now appears to be like higher than those within the home parks.
I’m additionally interested by a possible subplot, which sounds eerily just like Phantom Manor at Disneyland Paris–I moderately benefit from the storytelling method to that attraction. But it surely all will depend on execution and the entire package deal of adjustments to the journey. It is a lesson I discovered with Hatbox Ghost at Magic Kingdom, as announcement versus implementation have been two very totally different issues. And these adjustments at Disneyland haven’t even been formally confirmed but!
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Your Ideas
What do you consider Disney shortening the run of Haunted Mansion Vacation in 2025? Do you suppose it is sensible for this yr given the anniversary, rumored enhancements, and the way lengthy it’s been since OG Haunted Mansion final materialized? Hope that is the brand new pattern, or do you want having HMH for ~4 months annually? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions? Listening to your suggestions—even if you disagree with us—is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
