Behind The Scenes: Hitchhiking Ghosts Come to Life in the Haunted Mansion

[samsclub18]

Haunted Mansion @ Disneyland = untouchable, save for the holidays. I like the holiday haunted mansion :)

[joshdarkensins]

hate the new haunted mansion expanded queue! but LOVE this!!! they did a really great job!

[TheDJT418]

Do a video about The Hatbox Ghost.

[CidTheNinja]

is that the hat box ghost's face in the middle?

speaking of which, can't wait for the Guillermo del Toro movie.

[sitekilla]

why am i watching this anyways.... Im never going to disney land again :'(

[HarryAardvark]

@sitekilla This is in Walt Disney World and not Disneyland....but never say never again :) the pull is just too great ;)

[Heavylight17]

NOOOO!!! I CAN NO LONGER GIVE THEM WET WILLIES ANYMORE!!!!

But I can't wait to see what they do to me!

[jar0fdirt63]

Florida fans justdon't get it. They don't appreciate the history and preservation of their parks as much, because WDW is relatively newer than DLR, and they have so much space at their disposal. If they did this in CA, people would be furious. Disney probably took those figures, who were designed by Marc Davis and sculpted by Blaine Gibson, and threw them in a damp warehouse to rot. They don't value the importance of those people or how much better the real peppers ghost effect is. George Lucas?

[HarryAardvark]

@jar0fdirt63 Yes and no, this update to the end sequence at WDW Haunted Mansion is the first thing at WDW that I have enjoyed more than the original. I am usually one of the first to bleat when they close down a favourite ride but I have been on the WDW HM ride more than 30 times and done the behind scenes tour. I have also been to California twice. Expect to see these updates coming to Anaheim.

[TheTFReview]

@HarryAardvark I am going to have to say no. Imagineers are far too protective of DL's Haunted Mansion. WDW is sort of the red-headed step child that gets all the tweaks.

[HarryAardvark]

@TheTFReview . Ah, thanks for putting me in the picture :) If I can get another contract I hope to get out to Califonia again this summer. I really do appreciate the differences between WDW and DL and I can see how keeping one classic and adding modifications to the other makes more people happy.

[MegaCartoon96]

@jar0fdirt63 you know what really makes me mad, when people say that improvements like this are, "ruining Disney" to quote a certain someone you should know. "Around here, we don't looks back very long, we like to keep moving forward..." And to be honest, Disneyland has the original sculptures, WDW however has re-creations of the sculptures. yes, still designed by the same two amazing imagineers, but are not originals. So enjoy the variety,be glad it is not a hitchhiking Eddy Murphy...

[sarahsandiego2]

California or Florida?

[HarryAardvark]

@sarahsandiego2 Both, please. I prefer DL California to MK in WDW, it has more class and history and is a more beautiful park but WDW has Animal Kingdom and EPCOT. I also prefer Universal Hollywood over Univeral Orlando.

[MrDisneyland6666]

terrible!

[bepsnor]

I allways go to disneyland In paris And i love that haunted mansion but we have this with that mirror but not with that new stuff And i was in USA in Disneyland in California That was a realy cool new adventure for me and my family I like Usa and over 2Years we go to the other Disney parks!!

[steveclips]

I don't think the ghosts should be computer animated, I think they should be actors recorded on video.

[MrDisneyCats]

I love that!!!! I was there for it and it was so cool!

[popelauncher]

I have only been on Haunted Mansion since they added the "new" hitchhiking ghosts. How are they different from the old ones?

[NavyLou21]

@popelauncher I've not been since they changed it, but from what I gather, that scene used to have you pass by a reflective surface that made dummies of the ghosts appear to be riding in your doom buggy with you. It was pretty neat, unless you had 3 people in your vehicle, then the middle person had a ghost reflected over them.

[jar0fdirt63]

@popelauncher they are now cheap cgi cartoon characters. Like jar jar

[disneyphilip]

@jar0fdirt63 No, they're not.

[harley4press]

Am I the only one who thinks this sucks?!? I like having the ghost in the buggy with me!

[equilibrium1736]

@harley4press No you are not alone. There is no computer generated image that can replace real physical 3d animatronics, it has been proven time and time again that this does not work in the long run. They did this on Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland and it failed miserably compared to the real set pieces of the original attraction.

[er10b]

0:11 its kinda sad that's not a real pipe organ

[QuentrixMovies]

well I know what I'm having nightmares about

[11Supersue]

Saw this when i went to Disney World in June, it was awesome!! They made my head dissapear lpl

[11Supersue]

Saw this in June, it was awesome! They made my head dissapear lol

[MsCpfan101]

@11Supersue  they did??? were you okay?????????

[1leprecon]

That's really cool

[SpongebobFreek]

How cool!!

[nicoprod84]

J'adore les nouveaux fantômes auto-stoppeurs !! Super à 1:33 , il modélisent et animent les fantômes en 3d ...

[CinemaDave]

Bring back the Adventurers Club!

[adamgf1]

nice work Jon!  This looks really slick now ...

[campuppy99]

When my teacher asks what do u want to be when u grow up my answer is always a Disney Imagineer :)

[debabe7]

Just experienced this at WDW and it is AMAZING!!!! Please bring this technology to Disneyland!

[tentenerica]

They did great job re imagine it..

[tantomali]

And lastly, I'm going to be the bigger person and walk away from this conversation cause I actually do have a life to live. Ciao.

[Gauldar]

When did they implement this? I imagine that it was just after I had gone there in March, since the last part showed the ghosts, but not the mirror image of the riders.

[tantomali]

dont really care. You may own stock, but you're not related to Disney at all :) I am, so ttfn

[cheesecakerocks11]

is this in wdw or disneyland?

[MrTDLFAN]

@cheesecakerocks11

The upgrade was done to the Mansion at WDW.  DL's mansion remains classic for now. And IMHO.. better.

[cowfish13]

I don't want to be violated!!!!!!!

[MrTDLFAN]

For the record.. I am NOT COMPLAINING about people in wheelchair guests and i am very glad Disney is accomodating them. My point was that if they feel it's OK to stop the ride while many wait, then why rush the crowd during the preshow, even if it delays the wait time outside by a minute or two. THAT was the point.

[TheSpiralOrder]

I wonder if there's a way to load the people in wheel chairs more efficiently... They're wheel chair boarding seems to work really well on space mountain... Hmm, interesting thought.

[JOHNNYBIX38]

@tantomali not necessarily. He probably is a hardcore HM fan, like myself, who doesnt appreciate the attraction being compromised for 'efficiency". It has nothing to do with wheelchair guests. It has everything to do with having guests miss an important part of the show at the very beginning. I have been visiting the mansion since the first year it opened and I can tell you, show quality has declined greatly.

[JOHNNYBIX38]

@snowwhite923 I agree with the fact that they have no choice but to stop the ride momentarily to load wheelchair-bound guests, and that is perfectly fine with me. As a matter of fact, I rather enjoy those pauses where I can truly checkout my surroundings in detail. What is inexcusable is rushing the guests thru the pre-show and have them miss an important illusion and part of the attraction that sets the mood. No excuse.

[TheHatboxGhost]

I think there still needs to be some adjusting. The look in Gus' eyes is a little too criminally psychotic (and realistically so) for a Disney attraction; and the animation could look less CGI.

[TheHatboxGhost]

I like the hitchhiker updates. And that Ezra is one debonair-looking ghost! But the McMansionland Playground needs to be exorcised. It ruins the ambiance of the mansion's exterior and detracts from the attraction's mystique.

[nicktheghosthost999]

@TheHatboxGhost Could not agree with you more on the McMansionland playground.

[MrTDLFAN]

@snowwhite923 Oh.. and one more thing.. Since you claim the cast members need to run the ride smoothly.. yesterday, my ride came to a hault THREE times due to wheelchair loadings.. disrupting my experience. the same way I have to wait for those situations, I would appreciate others waiting an extra minute so we can fully appreciate the preshow moments.. rather than being rushed from one room to the next. Thank you very very much.

[CoolDisneyFan]

Cool! I can't wait to check this out, 2012!!!

[gt4611]

2 people get scared pretty easily

[nstrikefromnerfhaven]

Jamie Conviser is pretty.

[Oniqueen]

I for one welcome our new Hitchhiking ghost overlords.

[TheDuffman009]

This is absolutely my favorite attraction at Walt Disney World and I have been going since 1967, probably every other year. Hear lately, the last 10 years every year.  My immediate family prefer it, to going to going overseas and other places. To my displeasure. I am so pleased to actually see another overhaul of this attraction... I hope it will be a plus and not detract from the experience. But since when has Disney ever done something second rate. I tell ya, they have their act together!

[sideshowlucas012]

is this just DisneyWORLD or is this at Disneyland as well?

[DeadmanInc336]

I wonder if this is perhaps some sort of update to the ride linked to the Haunted Mansion movie reboot that Guillermo Del Toro is directing.

[snowwhite923]

@DeadmanInc336 nothing new is there though...all the characters and stories have already been apart of the mansion pretty much since it opened.

[DeadmanInc336]

@snowwhite923

Oh ok. But excluding the Haunted Mansion Holiday, this is probably the first update/addition to the ride since it opened. I wonder if once the movie comes out next year, they'll update it much like how they did with Pirates Of The Caribbean.

[snowwhite923]

@DeadmanInc336 actually its been open for 40+ years (not sure about the disney world one) and they both have gone through a few changes...i know for sure that the whole bride/attic scene has changed a few years ago. I wonder that too about the movie and if they're going to incorporate anything new into the mansion. I kinda hope not...it was not my favorite thing for POTC but it worked i suppose. The original parts of the ride are still my absolute fav. Only time will tell :P

[MrTDLFAN]

@snowwhite923

Yes the WDW version is an opening day attraction, oct 1st 1971, and for the record.. Tokyo Disneyland's mansion and Disneyland Paris' Manor *also* opened with those respective parks.

[JohnStripedfur]

I just saw the new version of the Hitchhicking Ghosts. Really awesome on the way they did. :)

[CaptainCretaceous91]

0:33 I hate when they do that

[Ateamgrl]

@CaptainCretaceous91

been to disney 13 times,

scares the crap out of me every time.

[elvenyaoivampire]

My family and I are avid Disney goers and we're planning a trip this May. We'll have my boyfriend with us and it may as well be his first time there. Can't wait to show him everything, including these great changes! I love the ways these guys look and I really hope to be a part of their pranks! :)

[SarahJDubya]

Oh I can't wait to get back to WDW and see this!

[Summer4girl2]

this is def my fav ride! :D

[sharon2USA]

Can't wait!!

[history797]

this live show at home

[SophAlexan]

That's awesome! I can't wait to go on that ride and have some funnnn! :)

[InsideTheMagic]

Having had my head disappear via lantern light, turned into a balloon, and swapped with a skeleton, all I can say is... great work!

[MadWatchStudios]

Gus, Ezra, and Phineas have never looked so lifelike ...which is impressive for ghosts

[FreddySpeedyPants]

@MadWatchStudios are those the Hitchhiking ghosts names? lol

[PhineasTheGhost]

@MadWatchStudios You mean Afterlife Like of course. And thank you.