The holidays come earlier every year, don't they? By the time this
posts, Disneyland's Halloween Time will have begun, meaning the
Haunted Mansion will be occupied by Burtonian forces. We won't be
able to enjoy its normal mode until sometime after the New Year.
Even apart from the seasonal
wonkiness, it's a real shame that the Haunted Mansion is
functionally unavailable for such a large slice of the year, because
it's...how to put this?
Really effin' awesome.
So. Effin'. Awesome.
But I probably don't need to tell
you that, if you're
the kind of person who reads Disney theme park blogs to begin with.
The Haunted Mansion is quite simply the most beloved
attraction in the history of Disney parks. Other rides may garner
longer queues, claim grander reputations, or boast more fashionable
characters, but the Haunted Mansion has the most devoted fans.
A subset of Disney park aficionados are interested first and foremost
in the Mansion, giving it a status entirely apart from the
institution that spawned it. No other feature of the parks has such
an extensive line of dedicated merchandise. No other inspires as many
blogs. No other has fanfiction
written about its mythos.
In a park full of rides, shows, and
themed environments that work amazingly well together, the Haunted
Mansion is one—maybe the only one—that can stand on its own.*
