We last left off inside the interior queue of the Mansion, in the library. Well, in this post we enter the ride itself. Once the Doom Buggy (the term for the actual ride vehicle) is boarded, visitors are taken up the staircase, away from the library, and into the hallway. Jack Skellington's ghost dog, Zero, floats at the end of it, with a pile of bones with his name on lying at the foot of the hallway.
(photo from Flickr)
Past the hallway lies the conservatory, where the moving coffin now is wrapped in menacing flowers that threaten the rides by snapping their sharp-toothed jaws. They are also positioned throughout the corridor, and all lead up to form a wreath with teeth that confronts the riders above their heads.
(photo from Doom Buggies)
The vehicles turn away from the wreath and towards the Séance room. In this room, the spirit of Madam Leota still moves in a circle within the room. However, in this version of the Mansion, illuminated, Halloween-themed playing cards surround the Doom Buggies and move throughout the room's darkness. The words spoken by Madam Leota are different as well, reciting a parody of the classic poem, entitled "13 Days of Christmas."
Moving on, the visitors reach what is, in my opinion, the grandest part of the Haunted Mansion Holiday. The ballroom has been transformed into a spooky meal of sorts. In the center of the long table lies a "haunted cake", the theme of which changes each Halloween. The spirits still move throughout the room using the Pepper's Ghost technique. A decrepit Christmas tree lay to the left of the dining table. Other decorations are strewn about the room.
(photo from Disunplugged)
Next is the attic, which no longer holds a morbid bride. Instead, toys lay spread throughout the room. The vehicles move past boxes of all sizes, colors, and patterns to eventually reach Santa's list. The list of children, the riders soon realize as they move along the track, is being eaten by a giant cartoonish serpent.
The riders leave the attic and venture out onto the balcony. Immediately the changes are noticeable, with Jack-o-Lanterns everywhere and a large ice sculpture in the cemetery. Before they reach it, however, the vehicles descend off of the balcony and onto the graveyard floor. They pass by Jack Skellington and Zero, and soon begin to wander throughout the graves. The singing busts have been replaced with singing Jack-o-Lanterns that harmonize spooky versions of classic Christmas tunes. Ice angels with pumpkin heads play music throughout the cemetery.
(photo from Disney Photoblography)
Riders pass by Oogie Boogie and his wheel of "Holiday Tricks and Treats." Then they move to the right, across from a set of mirrors that project Christmas-y items into the interior of their Doom Buggies. Exiting the vehicles, a miniature Sally can be seen. Guests step onto a moving walkway that takes them to a turnstile and out of the Mansion. Twenty feet away is (what else?) a Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise stand.
The Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay has been used since 2001, and has been wildly popular since its first season. The changes to the ride made each October through December will be a part of the parks for many holiday generations come.
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