The long-awaited Hatbox Ghost will finally materialize at Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion in late November 2023.
The announcement was made during this morning's Destination D23 event in front of fans at Disney's Contemporary Resort.
The Hatbox Ghost will set up residence near the Endless Hallway scene, which is in a different location from his counterpart in Disneyland's Haunted Mansion attic.
The Hatbox Ghost was originally conceptualized as part of the Haunted Mansion attraction before it opened in 1969. Created by Disney Imagineers, including the legendary Yale Gracey and Harriet Burns, the character was meant to be one of the mansion's 999 happy haunts. The ghost was an elderly figure holding a cane in one hand and a hatbox in the other. The gimmick was that his head would vanish from atop his shoulders and reappear inside the hatbox.
The Hatbox Ghost was initially placed in the attic scene of the Haunted Mansion, just near the bride character. However, the illusion of the disappearing/reappearing head was only partially convincing due to the proximity of the animatronic to the ride vehicles and the ambient lighting in the area. As a result, the figure was removed shortly after the attraction's debut, becoming something of a legend among Disney enthusiasts.
As time passed, the legend of the Hatbox Ghost grew. While he was only present at the attraction briefly, early promotional materials featured the character, fueling the mystery surrounding him.
In 2015, after much speculation and fan anticipation, Disney announced that the Hatbox Ghost would return to the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. Modern technological advances made it possible for the illusion of the disappearing head to be more convincingly executed. He was reintroduced to the attraction just in time for the Haunted Mansion's 60th anniversary, and he has been a fixture there ever since.
Disney announced in September 2022 that the Hatbox Ghost would also be added to Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion in Magic Kingdom.
WDWMAGIC Intelligence
Answers from our archive, with sources
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