About Disney World's Hatbox Ghost....
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- Опубліковано 12 лют 2024
- I'm not one to hate too much on Disney, I'm not even one to hate on The Haunted Mansion, but this week I gotta do both. What's the deal with The Hatbox Ghost at the Magic Kingdom?
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I dunno, I think it's the brightness that's the worst part of it for me. Hatty kinda takes away from the Endless Hallway, and forces attention to the huge neon blue animatronic.
This is exactly what I said after I rode it the first time, I have heard there are foundation issues and that’s why he couldn’t be placed in the attic,
I just don’t know why they couldn’t figure out how to make it work, or just put him in the grave yard!
You are RIGHT! Flow is everything with Disney attractions. The hat box ghost is upstaging one of the best moments in the mansion - the hallway! The ghost is so much less interesting
Why disnyland is better
He's so bright and off the colour scheme of that room that he completley draws your eyes away from the hallway. I couldn't even look down that hallway without feeling my attention wrestling between it and this neon blue dude just awkwardly standing in the corner.
The brightness definitely feels overwhelming in that area.
The hallway was definitely the creepiest part of the ride. The ghost host going “Shhh.. listen..” was meant for us to hear the screams and rattling doors behind us, not the hatbox ghost standing right there in front of us laughing.
Too much too soon
Well you got to leave it to Disney and current day imagineers to take a perfectly good idea and blow it all to hell
Getting an early morning or dead, late-night ride when the park is eerily quiet, moving through the queue in silence only to ride the stretching room with a few people just adds to that. You hear that first ghost host line and it’s positively perfect.
@@saltymisfit6566 Nothing wrong with the Imagineers. Corporate Disney is the problem. Time and again, we see what they can do in Tokyo under the wonderful Oriental Land Company
That segment had different creepier origins than the rest of the ride and putting Hatbox Ghost there with completely different lighting looks very out of place.
I totally agree. The Hatbox Ghost is the "punchline" to the Bride. She suggests beheading someone and then we see Hatty, who has clearly lost his head. Further, he is the reason that we are frightened into stumbling out of the attic and into the graveyard. He has a specific place and role in the ride.
Perfect way to put it. He is the answer to the bride question. The "punchline". Nailed it.
Even if the placing DID work, the endless hallway (as well as a lot of the first half of the ride) is really warm toned with red and orange and yellow, and then there’s a blue spotlight on a blue green and purple ghost. It just doesn’t work.
Yep. He's an attention grabber when he shouldn't be.
totally agree with this. the colors are so toned down and warm toned in the rest of this part of the ride, it’s jarring seeing him right there
Augh, I should have read the comments first; I just added my rant about the color scheme being ruined. Glad to see I'm not the only one who feels that way though.
Oh, the warm / cold tone thing is a really good point. The ride kind of transitions FROM warm to cold as more ghosts appear (which totally fits with the whole being dead thing btw. you know, cold bodies and all). Hatbox there kind of messes up that transition
It’s like mixing incandescent and LED Christmas lights. It can work if you do it right… but it REALLY clashes if you don’t. And blue is the absolute WORST color for this. It’s just too harsh.
Man, I watched a POV last night and was thinking EXACTLY the same. That placement is so weird, it is completely out of place. I was like "okay, it's building up tension to reveal the ghosts at the ballroom scene" and suddenly there was a fully materialized ghost just standing there, serving little to no narrative purpose, and even ruining the already established suspense that the scenes before Leota's seance room used to have
Its like riding Peter pans flight and seeing a Captain Hook animatronic in the Darling House at the beginning of the ride
But that's what current day Disney does best they ruin a perfectly good setup
You think it would have occurred to someone that hatboxes are a fairly common thing found in old attics, hence that being the most appropriate space for a ghost of that name.
Now that you mentioned it, it’s so random and cluttered
I makes this segment of the ride look like a prop for a Haunted Mansion Gift Shop rather than the actual attraction
It makes this segment *
Why would they put him so early in the ride 😭
And in such an odd place
The endless hallway should have your attention as you see the candelabra floating and it’s eerie due to not seeing ghosts yet, slapping a bright new ghost next to it takes away from the scene 💀
Agreed
Nah your thhoughts are 100% valid. Even ignoring the story reasons, he throws off the slow build that the mansion had established so well before Leota and the ballroom scene. And within the scene itself, his very bright saturated blue is JARRING amongst the warm lamp light and deep red walls in the rest of the room. AND the focal point of the hallway (which is what the entire room was obviously designed around) is thrown off and now arguably the Hatbox Ghost is the biggest focal point of the room with how saturated and bright he looks! If it was my first time ever riding the Haunted Mansion, it would be blatantly obvious that he was a later addition.
I totally agree that it ruins the actual endless hallway scene !! The focus of that scene is the floating chandelier. Didn't need anything else, let alone the hatbox ghost which clearly belongs to the attic !!
i think what they could have done is keep the hatbox ghost in the attic, but maybe add a more subtle element of him in the hallway. maybe something like a painting of him on the wall that glows. they could make his image glow a much softer blue so that he's barely noticeable in the hallway but could be a foreshadowing of the attic scene.
?he's _where_? typed someone who obviously hasn't been in the Haunted Mansion in a while.
[reads more posts] oh, he's _not_ in the endless hallway in Disneyland. yet: just my luck, by the time i next visit the Anaheim park, he will be relocated to...
[rereads video's title] um, it's _right there_, stupid: Disney WORLD not Disneyland. you don't deserve to go to any of the parks/resort. stay home, idiot.
The endless hallway with floating candelabrum is probably my favorite moment in the entire ride....and now, rather than giving us time to admire the beauty of that moment, the Hatbox Ghost steals away our attention...making the endless hallway little more than something to glance at.
I understand there were technical reasons they couldn't put him in the attic like DL...but then, they should have left him out entirely. I don't even like how he looks. Almost like he was CGI'd in!
He looks like the Hatbox Ghost from the movie
As a Florida Regular. The Hatbox Ghost is in such a horrid place at Walt Disney World. It hurts the Florida version very much. I'd even say The Florida Animatronic doesn't move as much. I'd rather see the Hatbox Ghost ONLY IN CALIFORNIA, If this was the only possible way we'd get him... Horrible update. Heck, Maybe even put him in the Graveyard or even have just his Hatbox in Madame Leota's scene. Idk.
I noticed that two about the hatbox ghost at Magic Kingdom. He doesn’t have the looming forward action like the one that Disneyland does.
i'm just so confused by this choice. it genuinely makes no sense to me. like, was it some kind of power or space constraint in the infrastructure of the building? and they were just too lazy to come up with a creative solution? that's the only thing I can think of.
not only does he ruin the reveal of all the other haunts, but he completely detracts from the candelabra effect. it's such a cool moment that guests will now barely notice anymore because there's some big bright robot in front of it. you could have literally put him ANYWHERE else to greater effect. the staircases, the coffin, ANYWHERE.
hell, if they wanted to "plus" it up from the disneyland version, why not implement *gasp* MULTIPLE changes? sprinkle in some hatboxes, maybe you see an arm come out from behind a door grabbing a hat off a hatrack, maybe see him peeking out or lurking in the back of the ballroom somewhere, building up to a grand reveal in the attic (or even, at the end of the ride, if you can't do the attic!!) just SOMETHING else. (also not to mention, he NARRATIVELY ONLY MAKES SENSE IN THE ATTIC because the whole plot is constance beheading her husbands and putting their heads in hatboxes, and he's supposed to be a crooked manifestiation of that.)
it's just so painfully obvious that this choice had nothing to do with what made the hatbox ghost a good idea in the first place, and was born purely from "we have no major projects coming up to talk about at this conference soooo let's take an old mold we have lying around and make another animatronic that we know people like, i guess???"
thanks for reading this entirely unnecessary rant if you made it this far, but as you can tell i'm not jazzed about this. this is my therapy.
with the candelabra thing: I actually remember seeing a post from a long time ago where someone said that they were so focused on everything else in the ballroom that they don't ever recall seeing the organist. This is like a similar situation. The hatbox ghost is so bright and takes up so much of your attention that you don't even realize there's a FLOATING CANDELABRA. He's just too much for that scene.
It just feels like the HBG takes the attention away from the endless hallway. In your footage you can see how little time there is to really take in both, and with how bright the HBG is, it's like they want you to only look at him and ignore the hallway. Plus his laughter probably drowns out other sound effects of the scene. MK went from having the best Haunted Mansion to the worst in one simple change.
I was in Disney World during the first week of Hatbox Ghost being installed. It's obvious they only put the Hatbox Ghost in the Endless Hallway because of the movie. The big "Hatbox Ghost scene" is set in the Hallway and it's clear Disney wanted that *synergy,* but wow it takes away from the Endless Hallway. Not because of the story structure, but because it steals your attention from the Candelabra! Big, bright blue thing that makes noise and moves around compared to the subtle and dimly lit candelabra floating at the end of a hallway.
That’s what I was thinking! They put him in the endless hallway because of the movie, not because it makes sense.
The same movie that flopped?
@Jadentheman Yep. I'm certain the plan to install the ghost was drafted before the movie trailer dropped (the amusement park industry is very slow when you don't play your cards right). Regardless if it was a flop or not, Disney doesn't care (or think for that matter when it comes to synergy). Tron is a franchise synonymous with flops yet we have 2 Tron roller coasters (which if you look into Shanghai Disneyland, Tron was also a byproduct of synergy) and Tron 3 on the way. As long as Disney can build it, and they can synergize it, they will do it.
@@Jadentheman that haunted mansion, movie did not flop. It did super well, it was basically a love letter to the haunted mansion. It was better than the Eddie Murphy one.
@@MoiveGuy24 what are you on about? Budgeted at $150 million and only made $117 million worldwide. And that's not even counting the marketing budget. It flopped and it flopped hard.
I went the same week as you and felt the same way about the Hatbox ghost.
He just really stands out, and not in a good way. Like as if someone decided to put a fresh coat of paint on a door, but didn’t bother doing the rest of the room.
If they were dead-set on not keeping him in the same spot as DL, He might have worked in the staircase room, or possibly the Haunted clock room.
I haven’t gone the same week, but Idk, it’s fine. Though I prefer the Hatbox Ghost to be in the attic, or at least in the staircase room or the haunted clock room.
I don't know where Dallin is getting the idea that WDW wanted a different placement for the figure just to be different. That certainly hasn't leaked out. The only explanation for the stupid placement of the figure that I've read is that there's not sufficient room and the correct power/pneumatic hookups elsewhere. Installing it in the attic, where it's supposed to be, would require expensive work and significant downtime for the ride.
The staircase room would have been cool af. That would have been so creepy.
Personally if i was to put any spirit in the endless hallway scene it would be the unused Candle Man, not only would it fit better with the aesthetics and flow of the ride but its design also leaves it up to interpretation whether its actually haunted or just a twisted sculpture (also its design is awesome)
Wow what a really GREAT and AMAZING idea! Ashamed I didn't think of that myself lol! Or definitely the bat in the cage by the now gone chair. But they took the floating candle out now and will that be returning? It's not in the concept art?!?
@@thehauntedpirate8294 They have said that the floating candelabra is being serviced and will be returning!
Oooo! I almost forgot about him!
That would be an awesome idea! And just the right amount of creepy. 😆
Ohhh that's a great idea
The Hatbox Ghost made the most sense to me in the attic because he’s with his hatbox, which, presumably, was stored up there. Just like why the bride ghost is up there: relevant belongings are stored there. His presence in the Endless Hallway holding his hatbox makes no sense, in addition to sticking out like a store thumb and being a distraction.
His current placement totally kills the buildup of the first half, and massively distracts from the endless hallway. I think he definitely fits better in the attic like he is at Disneyland.
Wow it really does throw off the feeling of the ride, the endless hallway is no longer the focus, there’s no build up or subtlety.
Just like if they put captain jack sitting in a gold pile next to the old man in the bayou or right by the talking skull in pirates of the Caribbean. No storry or flow or theming connection
Think about the color scheme in the Endless Hallway. It's warm and dark. The Hatbox Ghost is cool and bright. It's the wrong tones, the wrong vibes, and fits better in the attic. I've only been to Disney World and even I can see that. He's shoehorned in. It's weird.
That does seem odd pacing wise. There's supposed to be some kind of a build going on and that's definitely too early.
I’ve only been on WDWs HM, my initial reaction was that the “trick” didn’t happen fast enough or we weren’t aimed at him long enough, if that makes sense. The hatbox ghost came into view, his head was on his shoulders until we were well past him and had to crane our necks out to see his head appear in the box. I think the placement is awful.
THIS! I thought it was just me at first because I was also consoling my cousin’s kid and thought I just missed it but now I know that it wasn’t just me.
For reasons i cannot properly explain- His placement there feels like it's the Movie's fault. I have nothing to back this up and in fact no idea why this would be the case- But it *Feels* accurate.
I’ve heard people say it was because of the movie. But then again, the movie completely tanked so it was all for nothing.
@@spinlok3943 "...the movie completely tanked..." which is a shame. I really enjoyed it; more so than the Eddie Murphy version which felt like the same old "man is obsessed with work until his family is in danger" trope with a few Disney characters thrown in.
@@spinlok3943 definitely seems to be movie-inspired. And I don't buy the infrastructure argument. The Orlando Haunted Mansion is literally a clone of the original - both versions were built at the same time - and they managed to have the Hatbox Ghost in the attic of the Disneyland version. Presumably, the infrastructure would be the same in both versions.
Does that mean we can blame Jared Leto? Lol
@@susanowen1709 Same! I loved the movie but all I see is people hating on it!
I 1 million percent agree. I’ve been saying this from the beginning that it’s a terrible idea and a terrible placement. But no, everyone is all like “ UR SO NEGATIVE U JUST DONT LIKE CHANGE!”
Me, a Star Wars Fan: First time?
@@KRobinson-ko1ne Haha nah Disney fans have been like that the past 20 years. Now look where Disney is. 😂
May I suggest "Raver Ghost" for our new blacklight-afflicted haunt? He's meeting Disco Yeti by the doors because he promised they'd roll together and Yeti has the molly.
This is one of those decisions where you just scratch your head at Disney’s decision making just for the fact that it’s a weird addition overall. I saw the hatbox ghost on January when I went with my family and I can just remember how odd it was just seeing him there, not because it’s the first time I saw him ever, more cause he looked like a horseshoe crab in fresh water, he doesn’t belong there. Personally I would have put him on the attic or the graveyard scene since his color palette would naturally adapt to said scenes, but in the haunted corridor he just seems like an unthought and quickly made tribute to the Disneyland version ? Perhaps the line of thought was “how cool would it be to have the hatbox at Disney world” only for imagineers to find themselves a roadblock once they transferred said idea from paper to action.
I really don’t like the placement but I also think the WDW figure looks way less dynamic. He looks way less alive and you nailed the fact that it just looks like you’re there looking at an animatronic. Really hope they move him to the attic and bring back our beloved chair but I highly doubt it
He reminds me of a mix of the frozen ever after animatronics and the fantasyland static figures in the worst way possible😂
YES the CHAIR! It's incredibly ironic in the worst way that they named the Hatbox ghost "Crump" in the movie but then took away the chair HE designed to make room for an out-of-place animatronic.
A real good comparison to this is like revealing the shark in Jaws 1/3 of the way in the movie instead of the dramatic reveal in the last third with the “need a bigger boat” line.” It would just kill the suspense and build up. That’s exactly what this early hatbox ghost placement does. Kills the momentum and build up to the reveal of the ghosts.
Hmm, I don't hate the Hatbox Ghost, but the location in the endless hallway just pulls focus away from both, actually. Now you have two competing effects that force you to pay attention to one or the other, which (to me) lessens the impact of both. It's out of place here. Subtlety is gone. Did they only decide to put it here just to be different from Disneyland's? If so, that's kind of a dumb reason, since, let's be honest, most people won't have visited both resorts.
As a big fan of Hattie and the Haunted Mansion, it's sad that I have to agree but you're right... he just doesn't work there. It takes focus away from the hallway and ruins the build up to the "tangible" ghosts. Plus, the neon doesn't fit. Perhaps, down the road, they'll move him to a more appropriate scene. The bride in the attic is (in my opinion) in need of a good update (the projection looks pretty phony) so perhaps they can rework that scene and include the Hatbox Ghost in there, perhaps on the opposite side.
You could put the hatbox ghost after the seance scene. Have him capture Madame Liota, who has been keeping the other spirits occupied (possibly as punishment if she was a charlatan). Shenanigans ensue, now that the ghosts are free to do what they want.
Kinda feel the Hat Box Ghost should had been at the end of the ride as you get off.
That would’ve been cool. Especially since Disney World doesn’t have an animatronic at the end like Disneyland does (Little Leota).
Little Leota is at WDW’s version unless something changed.
@@RhythmGameAddict No I think it’s there but you ride under her right before you get to the exit platform, whereas in Disneyland you walk past her as you leave. I think I’d be cool for him to be there at the end that you can see when you get off.
@@KatieKatDuzArtthe last ghosts yiu see are the three hitchhikers Ezra, Gus and Ernold? I keep forgetting suitcase’s name
@@CherryFizzFIame Shes right after them. Shes the one that says “Hurry back! Hurry back!” Right before you get to the exit platform
There’s something to be said when a (theoretical) focal point in the attraction is completely ignored by the casual park goer (my parents) despite said park goer being engaged with other major parts of the ride
You’re completely right. Also, hat boxes are found in attics, so I think it fits best there.
Former MK Mansion Butler here: this looks so bad. 😅 I'm a little protective of my house, and I was excited to hear he was coming but literally, until Madame Leota's seance, we aren't supposed to see the actual ghosts. :( ow.
That whole scene is dark and warm. Then enter the LED neon blue hatbox ghost. 🤦🏼♀️
You’re 100% right. His updated mechanics draw away and detract from the classic hallway scene. His blue lights replaced the subtle chair that complemented the hallway. He also is out of time.
It seemed like a forced implement for the most recent movie.
The chair was far better where it was.
The best new addition was the wax/candle man in the attic
I agree. I never understood this decision. Hatbox has always been associated with the Attic. Plus, I always felt like the pace of the ride ramped up to Madame Leota, then just went nuts fron there. Which was a natural progression amd fun. Dropping Hatbox in the very beginning ruins that.
i'm so so thankful for having him here but good god. it better be temporary. not only does it totally destroy any lore (movies shouldnt be canon) already established, but it also destroys the value of the endless hallway scene. kinda like how phantom manor used to have melanie on the side right before you saw her also in the hallway. plus, his new face model is absolutely hideous. he dont look like a happy haunt and I DONT CARE IF THATS THE POINTTT IT RUINS HIS WHOLE CHARACTERIZATION
Although the Hatbox Ghost where he currently is doesn’t bother me, I do think he’d be better in the ballroom scene. Maybe stick him up at the top of the stairs, like the Phantom in the Phantom Manor version of the ballroom scene. Make him a menacing presence looming over the happy haunts. It certainly fits with his role as the villain of the newer movie too.
Yes thank you
It feels like walking past the Hatbox Ghost someone bought at Lowe’s and stuck next to their front door during Halloween.
The color scheme is so drastically different between the hallway and the Ghost. It’s jarring.
I'm a FL resident and WDW passholder, I've only ever been to WDWD and I go all the time, and I LOVE the Mansion. I've gone back and forth on it for a long time, and where I'm currently at is... I don't hate it. No he doesn't fit where he is, yeah he sticks out, and yeah the reason for the placement is dumb, and yeah I've ALWAYS thought there's plenty of space for him in the attic. But, I don't hate it. I think it fits the new movie pretty well (which is probably the main reason for him being there anyway), and I'm just glad to have him in our Mansion.
But yeah, they should move him.
Hmmm... I'm gonna mildly defend the placement of HBG here at the WDW Haunted Mansion. Starting on your video @ 4:10 here according to our Ghost Host narration: "wall to wall creeps, and hot and cold chills... Listen..." Constructively it would have made sense if the suit of armor opposite from the hat box ghost had steam poking out from it or was lit in red like flame to emphasize the dialog "hot and cold chills" like running hot and cold water, the burning suit of armor a visual gag while also referring back to ghosts or apparitions in most mythology appearing in flames.
But I digress, as what you've brought up and pointed to is a betrayal the earlier storybeats and transitions to the original script, with the ghosts not appearing until after Madame Leota says her incantation and the hat box ghost appearing here prior to that putting it off. Also, them not having the suit of armor be similarly colored (like red) is a missed opportunity.
As for something that's off-topic, I personally think imagineering/show entertainment in more recent years has failed to do most of their research when it comes to remodeling some older buildings (like New Orleans Square at Disneyland looking more like it's from Kingdom Hearts or Universal Studios Citywalk after Club 33 expanded), attractions (like the placement of the HBG) or shows. Such as Disneyland's Fantasmic, where in the Princess Montage, they replaced Snow White with Tangled (which is a worthy replacement) but then don't follow up with a proper transition with Mother Gothel instead of the Wicked Queen by the magic mirror (like come on, Mother Gothel would have been great.)
I think it takes away from the Endless Hallway scene. AND The candelabra in the endless hallway hasnt been there for a few weeks!! I went last week and it STILL wasn't there!! It makes me nervous that they are taking away the candelabra just to focus on HatBox Ghost. Hopefully its just a refurbishment or something
they actually moved the candelabra to be above you when you board the doom buggies, i was just there in january, it’s terrible placing on disneys part but it is still there
@@kayisweird6326The candelabra above just after boarding has always been there. There have always been two candelabras.
It makes perfect sense where he is. It’s an entrance hallway…like when you first walk into someone’s house what do you do? You remove your jacket and hat. Your move, Offhand.
In Phantom Manor we (now, after the refurbishment) have both the Phantom and Mélanie in the Hallway while before there was only Mélanie holding the floating candelabra. I think that in that case it works because they're both projected in the hallway with the pepper's ghost effect so they do not feel corporeal and are far away in the distance. Hattie being so close and so bright does look super weird.
This sounds like they were trying to do a movie tie in with the recent Haunted Mansion movie that came out in July. Not only did they make the Hatbox Ghost a “vengeful” spirit (like he was in the movie), but also in the movie, it was established that the Walt Disney World Mansion was his house when Hatty was alive. If that’s the case, then this was horribly executed
It brings to mind seeing a “Haunted Mansion” themed Halloween party at a celebrity’s mansion for Halloween.
The Hatbox Ghost doesn't make sense anywhere but with the Bride, because SHE KILLED HIM AND HID HIS HEAD UP THERE IN THAT FRIGGIN' HATBOX, along with the rest of her husbands. Why on earth would she leave them out in the hallway? And why would his head move back and forth to the beat of a heart that's not even in there?
The only innocent explanation I can think of is that modern Imagineers couldn't figure out that the Attic Bride married and killed the HBG. (But I suspect it's more to do with that Jared Leto monstrosity.)
I had the same fit when they moved the pet bat into the hallway: a pet bat locked in a cage like a bird doesn't make sense in a house where there's no one to feed it. Just because it's vintage Marc Davis art doesn't mean you can just shove it back into a finished mansion (they cut it for a reason, it only makes sense with the Addams Family living there!).
And since I'm already going home in the wambulance, let the One-Eyed Cat die. He doesn't fit the finished story, now having him around as a wink to the HM geeks is completely disruptive.
The Hatbox ghost is becoming an addiction
I always just assumed the gag was that a hatbox is the kind of thing you would find in an attic and the ghost was messing around with it. The joke doesn’t work anywhere else.
A Disney World exclusive parkgoer here (as far as Disney goes at least). The ghost looks terrible there. From my memory of the Mansion in 2019, you round the corner with the clock, look down the hallway, and as you’re transitioning into the next scene you look at the corner full of eyes. I understand that this effect isn’t very thrilling, but the solution is not to do nothing about the effect and just mindlessly put a high-budget animatronic there. To borrow a term of phrase from AstralSpiff, they just puked the hatbox ghost in front of the Wall Eyes (funny JoJo reference) to lazily cover them up. Plus, yeah, he looks way too freakin bright! Especially in that area coming off the clock and hallway, you’d expect more warm colors, or at least the eyes to transition into other palettes, but NOPE. Hope you like those LED headlights Hummers use that have harnessed the unmatched power of the sun, now in a freezing, blinding blue! Overall: yeah, this was a terrible idea and I hope the Imagineers are able to get execs to recognize that. Because I bet that’s what happened, to be honest. The executives know that the Hatbox Ghost is an iconic character in the Disneyland iteration so they’d obviously want to push to put him in other Mansions so they can - that’s right - market merch of him better.
I feel like him standing by the endless hall takes away from that eerie alone in a massive haunted house feeling.
I agree. For years my understanding, story wise (since listening to the story LP back in the 70s) was that Madame Leota invoked the ghosts during the seance scene and that’s why the ghosts materialized at the banquet hall. This early and so in-your-face apparition breaks the pacing which built up to that grand reveal. It’s not nitpicking, it’s just good storytelling.
I feel that they could have done something cool with the idea that Hatty is not a happy haunt, but he doesn’t fit where they put him. I have never been to Disneyland but the videos I have seen make Hatty seem much darker than the one in world. They should turn his lights down and put him in the attic. The bride cuts heads off and Hatty’s head is missing, so it fits. They also got rid of the Donald Duck chair.
This addition absolutely detracts from the endless hallway scene. That is such a creepy and effective scene. The ghost looks completely shoehorned in, as you said, and does not make sense sequentially. What a bummer for my favorite ride. I was so looking forward to Hatbox being in the attic...
At Disneyland the endless hallway is the first show scene on the ride through and Madame Leota is the fourth show scene.
At magic kingdom the endless hallway is the FIFTH show scene on the ride through. I feel like someone felt like the first half of the ride through drags and they needed to add some “spice” early on
I hate it. Even before adding Hatty I preferred the DL version because we get to walk through the portrait hallway instead of blowing past in doom buggies
"Blowing past" it? At what, 1 mph? The ride doesn't drag. If you're used to MK's version, DL's feels truncated, much like Pirates but the other way around. That scene didn't need anything else.
from what I have heard MKs Hatbox has a similar support structure as the Yeti in everest so they wouldn't be able to put him in the attic scene because it would have shut down Mansion for a significant amount of time which isn't ideal with both Splash and Country Bears also being closed. If they wanted Hatbox to be in the endless hallway scene I wish they could have done some sprt of effect where he's there but not fully materialized just yet. they can still keep the story that he doesn't follow the traditional materialization rules while still holding back his "true power" until the attic scene.
this is exactly what i thought! if they were going to add anything to the hallway scene, it should have been just a hint of his powers and what is to come
Hi Dallon, this is sort of how I feel about the criss cross sitting pirate in the tunnel of pirates at Disneyland before the cannon battle scene. I mean yes story wise it makes sense for it to go from dead to life. And yes it’s pretty much the coolest effect ever. BUT to me I don’t like the placement because before that effect was there you were experiencing the going back in time/doing the pirates life in reverse kind of thing in an abstract subconscious kind of way, and it made it feel mysteriously realistic. To me it gave it that feeling of “idk why or how this feels so magical and realistic but it does”. Where as now I feel like for me I’m going through the tunnel and think “oh my gosh look at that really great amazing special effect it’s so impressive, how do they do that?” and it actually takes me out of the story and is less immersive to me. Anyway sorry that’s so off topic and thanks for the video, I hope to one day make it to wdw and experience it all for myself! Cheers!
It seems like everyone involved has difficulty separating the character from the meta. Yes, Hattie has this incredible back story of being a legend, a rumour, most people didn't even believe because there was no evidence there was ever a "hat box ghost", and then in recent years more was discovered, and wow! Disney have found a modern way to make the effect work! How awesome! And there is footage of the original, it was all TRUE! Fab story.
But. If you're not aware of that story, he's just another ghost. He's a cool visual gag like the singing busts. Attractions should tell their story without need for external lore... look at the perspective of guests riding this with no further knowledge other than what the ride has told them. That is the most important angle for the story telling, someone who's intelligent, observant but ignorant of the lore surrounding the story. From that perspective, there's no reason this one ghost is being featured above any other. He's not a recurring character, not part of a plot within the attraction, he's just pretty cool.
Hattie has two interpretations - either he's a traveller, he is dressed for outdoors, carrying his luggage; or he's playing about with a hat box that is stored in the attic. I've always assumed the first but the second interpretation is very nice too. If there were external doors within the attraction that would suit him, as if he were arriving at the venue, but not really got that setting. So he "belongs" out in the graveyard, in the attic, or! How about? The transition between the two! Funny that, almost like there was deliberate thought behind his original placement!
I get so happy when Offhand posts! Please keep posting as often as possible😁
The Hatbox Ghost is awesome. The Endless Hall is awesome. Both of them in the same room decreases their individual impact. Even disregarding lore, it's a rare Disney fail at the thing the Haunted Mansion does best - direct your focus and attention.
They're basically doing it because in the recent movie, that's where you first see that spirit. The HM isn't a recreation of that movie, but they're trying to pull a "Oh, Johnny Depp from the highly successful movie franchise has been here all along!" move, though that movie did some great HM fan service, the HM doesn't need to call back to a movie that didn't make as much of a dent as Pirates.
OMG this is so absurdly fanwankily specific...you don't need to read more it's okay.
One of the subconscious through-lines of the Haunted Mansion - especially in Florida since it's a slightly longer ride - is how the spirits gradually get closer to you throughout the experience. You follow a disembodied voice into an empty house, weird stuff starts happening, you go upstairs, the house is haunted. The first face and spirit you see in 360 3-D is Leota. Then they all come out, there are so many, they're transparent, but you're safe since you're up on the balcony. They start approaching and trying to scare you in the attic, a bit more solid now, then it becomes a slow-motion action escape sequence - seemingly you jump or fall out the Attic window into the graveyard and you go right down the middle and spirits surround you everywhere. Then you see ghosts in the mirror and they're literally _right next to you._ Now you're haunted, spirit follows you home, blah blah. That is literally the story the original Imagineers intended as prototyped in the "Story and Song of the Haunted Mansion" book. The harmonizing ghosts singing as you walk out (in the story, you'd be running for your life) is one of my personal favorite moments that's just the exit audio. The vocal outro bookends and repeats that when you're just entering or exiting the Mansion, you can only _hear_ the ghost voices. And the music doesn't sound recorded, it's not old 8-Track tape; it sounds like ghost voices echoing in the bricks above you.
The Hatbox ghost as it is now is set up like a photo op with his glowing eye wallpaper. He's on a little set. It doesn't feel like part of the room. He requires U/V lighting when that section is primarily incandescent. He's a 3-D spirit that interrupts and spoils the creeping approach the 999 spirits are making. Suddenly you're "oh...okay...ghosts are real here and this is what they look like up close' which overshadows the corridor of doors where you're supposed to still not be seeing the ghosts yet until Leota breaks through.
The scale of the Hatbox animatronic is when ghosts are getting at arm's length in the Attic. Where Hatbox totally belongs. He even motivates _why_ the heck you fly out a window or tumble off a balcony - he's close, and he's headless. That's the story as they originally set it up! It blends with the Constance retrofit! Hatbox is too advanced of a ghost effect that early in the ride.
I've tried to take myself out of my superfan status when looking at this addition bc that part of me definitely knows why I really don't like this decision. But even so, looking at it from a casual park goer perspective, it's still a pretty odd moment. Like, it just seems random and weird. There's no real explanation as to why he's there, the Ghost Host makes no mention of him, he doesn't speak. There's no obvious visual storytelling to indicate his purpose. He's just standing there... Menacingly... And that's it. If anything, from that perspective, again, I would probably be feeling like "Well that was weird." And then move on.
But as a nerdy fan, I definitely can take some sort of comfort in knowing that my suspicions were right. The Hatbox Ghost's placement fights for visual attention with the endless hallway itself and creates a pretty stark dissonance in the scene. It's like... What am I supposed to be looking at here?? Not to mention his bright color and weird new sculpt makes him look almost cheap??? Which I'm sure he's not but he's definitely unfitting. Overall, yeah not a HUGE issue but still. Just kinda like an unsatisfying itch in the back of the neck.
Yes! I thought the same. The spirits didn’t materialize yet at this point of the ride. And the Hatbox Ghost is a “bad ghost” only for those who saw the last Haunted Mansion movie. At the original project, he was just another ghost in the house. 👻
Exactly! He’s only really bad in the movie. He isn’t really a bad guy in the ride, he’s just an evil looking character like Constance or any of the other scarier ghosts.
I’ve only seen the one in Disneyland and I agree that he works better while coming out of the attic but I think even there, the animatronic is just too bright. He would be a lot freakier if you couldn’t see everything and if he was dimmed or toned down just a little. That aside, if they do keep him in that location in Magic Kingdom, perhaps they could just change his lighting to a warmer tone? His chilly blue really throws off the warm yellows of the scene.
I think they should have made the Hatbox Ghost a ghost that sort of travels from Mansion to Mansion. Maybe have him come out of door, that is supposed to imply that he was coming out of a mansion from a different park.
I’m happy to hear the candelabra is still there. During our mid-Jan 2024 trip we rode HM and the candelabra was not on. I was so surprised we did an immediate re-ride to specifically look for it.
It looks randomly plopped and the lighting is to bright, it mares the illusion.
I agree I've gone to see it a few times and it just doesn't fit in that scene and before they unveiled it there was a black curtain screen which was annoying to see.
It is possible that it's not just to differentiate the WDW version.
Movies (especially ones with ghosts) used to take their time to build tension and a creepy atmosphere. Our attention spans are all broken now, and newer ghost movies rely more heavily on constantly throwing jump scares at you and keeping things moving so quickly that you don't have time to think about how little substance is there.
The first half of the Haunted Mansion is like a 70's horror movie, it's like Kubrick - it is both 100% full attention to detail and 100% attention to a vibe at the same time. It takes its time to allow you to just FEEL for a few minutes.
There's a concern for studio execs that this necessary thematic buildup of tension is now "boring" and you have to throw more stuff in at all times to hold a young person's attention. So we now have market research and business executives directing the "artistic vision" instead of the creative team, which has always been a line to walk but we've pole-vaulted over it.
As a result, maybe you get the Hatbox Ghost shoved in a corner next to the former moodiest hallway ever. The former star of the scene is now just barely-worth-noticing background set dressing for what they think is a much more interesting modern special effect. "Our research shows kids don't care about that old hallway any more. 'Plus' it with a Hatbox Ghost!"
They are not plussing anything, they are missing and ruining the point of the entire scene. It's like the Star Wars special editions, kinda.
I think what's throwing it off as everyone was saying is defeantly the blue light in a scene that's suppose to be dim, warm toned, and subtle.
I kinda can imagine the meeting with the imagineers about the Hat Box Ghost.
Big Exects: We want to give Disney World's Haunted Mansion a different vibe to Disneyland's version!
Imagineers: Okay, Why don't we just-
Big Exects: Put the Hat Box Ghost in the endless Hallway.
Imagineers: ..... Wha?
Big Exects: Did we studder?
Imagineers: Well, no. But wouldn't that just..... change the story?
Big Exects: It's not about the story! It's about the experience!
Imagineers: ..... Okay but he's bright and blue-
Big Exects: Yeah keep that as well and just shove him there. It'll be fine.
Imagineers: 😶😐
Agree with you on this subject. Though I have not seen it in person yet. When I saw a pov from another channel all I could think was “ that is the rate the effect takes place?! I would hate to stand in line for an hour just to miss the effect entirely because of the timing of my doom buggy passing by.”
Two things
1. Love the tswift reference.
2. I feel like this is Disney going ooh look this is like the haunted movie we made. Remember? The hatbox was scary and in random parts of the house?!?! It takes away from the cool scene of the endless hallway as well you are looking at him not the cool set
I only went on the DL version once (and it was the NBC overlay, so I don't think that counts.) Personally, I got very excited and geeked out when I saw him, BUT I still don't think he belongs in the hallway scene. I agree it detracts from the unsettling buildup of floating candles, doors knocking on their own, and (what I call) the Coraline hand clock.
I agree! The mansion is a very story based ride and it just feels like they chucked him in so they could say "We've got him too." The attic makes sense because: where do you commonly find hatboxes? --THE ATTIC. It's also much later in the ride and where do you see most of the big named character ghosts? Near the end. So, it just makes sense you would see him more towards the end with everyone else. I also think you were right about the lighting. The hallway is red and used mostly warm dim tones. The harsh blue must've really been a distraction. It may be just a small detail but I also hope they move him.
haven’t even watched the video but i agree. when i went on haunted mansion last weekend it was so underwhelming i was not expecting him to just be plopped in anywhere
Finding out that Offhand was at Disney World when I wasn't at my attraction (Peoplemover) fills me with sorrow. Also the electrical work to put him in was one of the main reasons he's not in the attic at WDW.
Your videos are always entertaining
The endless hallway is, for me, one of my favorite parts of the mansion. It always looks awesome, eerie. I think the Hatbox Ghost's location there snatches the eye away from the great scene of the endless hallway, which deserves our full attention
I haven’t been to Disneyland since I was a little kid (28 now). I’m in GA so Disney World has been where my family has gone every year. I do think he would fit in the attic, but simultaneously, I’m just happy that I’ll finally get to see him.
I agree he belongs in the attic. He ruins that beautifully eerie hallway scene. The subtlety of it was perfect as is... absolutely no need to have a big blue ghost just standing around pointlessly in there. Truly hope Disney fixes this🖤
I vaguely remember hearing somewhere that the reason for the placement in Disney World is that there was no proper wiring available for the hat Box Ghost in the attic location. Sounds pretty much like a cost cutting move.
The Haunted Mansion is my all time favorite attraction, not just at Disney, but at any park. I first met the Hatbox Ghost in 2019, when I took a weeklong trip to Disneyland for the Mansion’s 50th. But I haven’t been able to set up a trip back since. WDW gives me more bang for my buck, so that’s where I go when I can. My last visit was in early 2022, so I haven’t seen the East coast version of Hatty yet. When they first announced that he would be taking place by the endless hallway, I was skeptical, but optimistic. But even before Disney came up with their own thin explanation of his placement there, I had said that if there were any spirit to manifest before the seance, he and Constance were the only ones who made sense to me. I still hold to that stance. However, seeing video of the actual installation, I’m not fully sure if it works. I don’t think it looks awful, certainly not to such a high level of scorn. But, I have yet to see it in person. So, I can’t say for 100% certain how I feel about it. I’m hopeful that it’s better than you say.
Love your videos. Totally agree with you. I haven't read all the comments so I don't know if someone already mentioned this. I read that this animatronic is extremely heavy. The floor in the attic wouldn't support it. That's why it's where it is.
The endless hallway is one of my favorite scenes, it's so spooky and builds up tension. But now the scene is too busy to give off that ambiance.
Wow. Memory unlocked. I remember that chair and the bat cage. Would love to have that back!
If the attic then the cemetery
That shade of blue would definitely be more fitting with the rest of the ghosts
It’s not just a tone problem but also a conflict with the official narrative of the ride, that of which is being spouted by the ghost host. The ghosts aren’t supposed to/don’t take form until after the seance.
If this is following the movie that’s a problem: not everyone saw the movie and this ride isn’t based on the movie but the other way around.
If NOT the attic *
I have never been to DL, WDW is my childhood home park. I agree, he belongs in the attic. No visual ghost belong before the ballroom.
The hatbox ghost addition to Magic Kingdom’s Haunted Mansion is the very definition of “thanks, I hate it.”
Not only does it not fit the storytelling that our seance with Madame Leota is what draws the spirits to our sympathetic vibrations, but it stands out like a sore thumb next to the hallway. That area is meant to be dark, not only for atmosphere, but also because our brains do a funny thing in the dark where we start to see things that aren’t there because our brains are hardwired to recognize patterns and it will do this even when the input from our eyes is ambiguous. Disney doesn’t have to put spirits in that hallway; all they have to do is add minimal lighting and the suggestion that something is there and our psychology will do the rest. That’s why those earlier spooky scenes are so compelling and creepy. The last thing you want to do there is add light.
And that’s not even getting into how badly the warm colors in the hallway clash with the cool tones of the hatbox ghost. Or that having a very obvious animatronic in the more subtle section of the ride makes the hatbox ghost seem hokey. It just feels like a tacked on mess to sell hatbox merch. Which is unfortunate because I wanted to like it.
i live in southern california so i go to disneyland pretty often. i very recently took my first trip to disney world and i was so excited to see their haunted mansion and their hatbox ghost. i liked how their mansion was darker and had a few more special effects but when i turned the corner and saw the electric blue hatbox ghost it definitely took me out of it a little. i enjoyed seeing him but i definitely think it breaks the immersion and he would have fit better if he wasn’t so bright or in a different spot entirely
It's a big expensive effect distracting from the focus of the scene and the doom buggy starts turning just as the head swap effect is happening.
It's like if during Revenge of the Mummy when Imhotep first shows up, they added an animatronic of a breakdancing anubis on the opposite side of the chamber.
A bizarre creative choice.
You make an amazing point.
However I do want to see Anubis breakdancing now
They should’ve had him at the end saying “you’ll be back”
I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by the HBG, and thought it was quite well done! I don’t understand the amount of anguish and vitriol being spouted on it, honestly!
Tangent: so I was there a few days ago and I wasn’t sure but this confirmed it. They moved the candle from the endless hallway to the first turn from the loading hallway. You blink and you miss it now. Kinda weird change I guess to give more focus to Hatbox Ghost maybe?
That blink and you miss it candelabra has been there for a while, I noticed it years ago
Yeah, just got back from WDW yesterday and had seen Hatbox in Anaheim back in 2017, and it's a *huge* difference. Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled in the moment when I saw him, but it was afterwards that it hit me how off it all was. I'm admittedly not as positive about modern developments in most Disney parks, but when discussing it with others I said it kind of summed up what a lot of my complaints about this era: it seems silly to nitpick "don't put Hatbox in before the seance scene!", but to me it kind of points to a corporate culture that doesn't prioritize *why* something works as much as it just moves to do something for the sake of doing something, which to me is what leads to too many things feeling shoehorned or otherwise lacking. There's a reason why they divide the show between Coats' ambiance and Davis' gags, and putting Hatbox in the former just needlessly throws the experience off.
Not saying I had a bad time at WDW this past week, mind you, but it keeps hitting me that I just don't have a reaction to most of the new stuff (TRON being an exception, btw, good lord that thing kicked my butt) the way I do to the resort's classics, and I don't think it's just nostalgia talking for me.
I went to Disney World back in December, and I hadn't been there in a few years. When I came upon the Hatbox ghost it jumped out at me, but I didn't know why. I told myself "Oh this is new" and maybe that was why, but hearing what you said about the timing of his appearance it makes sense why it was so out of place.
According to my wife, the Mansion was ruined by the graveyard queue they added in 2010. Mostly because that betrays the Mansion's story in the same way the new Hatty does.
I've never been to WDW, but I love the Hatbox Ghost's placement in Disneyland. Constance is already scary, and then you turn the corner and he's right there just to add an additional scare! I think the hallway scene is supposed to be spooky and having a really bright figure there ruins that. The endless hallway is so spooky because of the emptiness, and it seems like that's lost with the Hatbox Ghost's placement
I totally agree!! Even more confusing when you consider how much Disney emphasizes how storytelling is so important to them!! I mean, that attraction already has a classic and crystal-clear story which implicitly dictates where the hatbox ghost should be located!!! I totally agree that its location in the hallway is ruining that scene. The beginning of the attraction is there to slowly set the mood. The "creepy" stuff like the bride really belongs in the attic. Obviously, there must have been a structural or technical issue challenging them to locate it where it belongs. The solution most likely involved spending some money, and we all know how greedy the people running that company are on that front!! But I agree. They need to move it.
I agree. What ever person or persons, that make that final decision do not get what the HM is about.
If I had to come up with a cheap and easy fix for the hatbox ghost I would paint or project the wallpaper pattern over the animatronic in a sort of chameleon effect. It would give the illusion of a spectre sort of half way breaking through the barrier of our world and be a sort of meta joke on the elusiveness of the hatbox ghost as a character since he was absent yet remembered for so long. The ghost of a ghost.