Work begins on the Hatbox Ghost installation at Magic Kingdom's Haunted Mansion

WorldExplorerOct 20, 2025

Ditto.

HMFOct 20, 2025

Probably not, which is why I don't see myself going back anytime soon.

WorldExplorerOct 20, 2025

Is there a single thing done in Disney World nowadays that doesn't have to come with a "no no, I know it SOUNDS dumb, but you just have to squint and close your right eye, cover your ears, and read this stupid backstory we scribbled on a napkin..." pamphlet? And no part of this undoes ruining the endless hallway, but merchandising that part is hard so I guess it doesn't count.

HMFOct 20, 2025

I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that she has not been moved at all to my knowledge since her installation in 2007 while DL's had to be removed and re-installed every single year because of HMH, looking less and less convincing each time she was re-installed.

HMFOct 20, 2025

As have I. https://vocal.media/wander/the-unnecessary-changes-to-walt-disney-world-s-haunted-mansion

HBG2Oct 20, 2025

I wouldn't hold my breath. (1) WDW's Connie has always looked much better than DL's, (2) the new bride wasn't cheap, and installing the Pepper's effect was a pane in the glass, and (3) the reception of the new bride has been tepid at best.

PizzaPlanetOct 19, 2025

Have there been any updates on WDW getting the updated bride?

𝐌𝖆𝖓 𝖎𝖓 𝐖𝖊𝖇Oct 19, 2025

I'm of the opinion that they just shouldn't have done it at all. (If they couldn't do it right) Would rather he not exist in MK's Mansion. There's also no reason (other than $) why they couldn't have made a lighter weight and smaller footprint version.

HBG2Oct 19, 2025

And if you ask me, they should have put in the Man in the Web instead of the HBG. That way, each US park would have a distinctive character with a similarly mysterious origin. Foxxy has been complaining about the Disneylandification of WDW for a long time, and in the case of the HM it's dead on target. Let WDW HM be WDW HM.

HBG2Oct 19, 2025

HMF tipped me off that the HBG discussion was waking up again over here and suggested I stop by. So yeah, pretty much everything I wanted to say about the WDW HBG I've said at the Long-Forgotten blog, but the main issue that forced the placement where he is, is money. The thing is HEAVY and needs a sturdy place big enough for both the figure and a place behind him where they can scoot him in for repairs. At DL they beefed up the flooring, etc., on the attic porch and the gable behind him, which they could have done at WDW also, but the budget wouldn't allow for both the figure itself AND the substructure work, so the EH tableau was the only feasible alternative. Apparently the floor there was either sturdy enough or was more easily strengthened. The Imagineers weren't happy about the placement and went out of their way to give a "read" to the ghost that could be shoehorned into the 3-act play that is the HM. Muddy footprints pointing to and away from the door, lots of baggage, etc. = He's not part of the retirement community but a recent interloper (or party crasher, if you will) just now moving in, and therefore he avoided the curse or the cosmic sticky wicket, or whatever it is that has all the others stuck and in need of Leota's help.

Marc Davis FanOct 06, 2025

I find the HBG to clash aesthetically and emotionally with that part of the ride. As has been discussed previously, there was a carefully-crafted emotional buildup, without the ghosts fully visible until after Leota, which coincides with the tone becoming lighter (comedy being more heavily sprinkled in). And then the ghosts become even more visible - and the tone even lighter - in the graveyard. At Disneyland, HBG is a transition to the graveyard. Its placement by the Endless Hallway at WDW breaks (for me and many others) the emotional journey of the Haunted Mansion experience. A key point of Disney design philosophy is that seemingly small things can matter a lot. This idea should be particularly attended to when it comes to WDW's Haunted Mansion - one of Imagineering's crown jewels and often considered the definitive version of that attraction.

LittleBufordOct 06, 2025

I find him too cartoony and modern. I know he’s based on original designs, but he just doesn’t harmonise with the other figures.

UNCgolfOct 06, 2025

It's the endless hallway as a whole, though, not just a floating candelabra. It would have made more sense to replace the hallway entirely with him than have them right next to each other, although that would have been a huge mistake to me. I think that area of the ride was better without his presence. To be fair, I'm also not the biggest fan of the figure overall. It's way too bright and doesn't fit well with the rest of the attraction.

ToTBellHopOct 06, 2025

Same. He’s pretty cool. Inasmuch as he’s distracting, your glance is drawn away from a floating candelabra. That gag is already featured at the start of the ride.