Haunted Mansion Holiday

History

Two similar overlays - Country Bear Christmas Special and It's a Small World Holiday - had already been successful for some time when Haunted Mansion Holiday was developed. Initially, Disney considered doing a retelling of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, but decided against it due to the attraction's setting in New Orleans Square and the incongruity of bringing Santa Claus into the eerie environment of the Haunted Mansion. Instead, they decided to base it on The Nightmare Before Christmas after considering which Disney character would celebrate Christmas in the Haunted Mansion, should Santa Claus ever land there on his journey. Steve Davison took the idea and worked with Walt Disney Creative Entertainment to develop the overlay.

One issue Disney had to deal with was the fact that many of the key performers in the original attraction - Paul Frees, Leota Toombs, Eleanor Audley, most of the singing busts, and almost all of the original voice actors - had died years earlier. Paul Frees was replaced in his role as the Ghost Host by Corey Burton, who had done voiceover work with Disney before. Leota Toombs' daughter, Kim Irvine, resembled her mother and was thus chosen to perform in her place as Madame Leota. Susan Blakeslee (impersonating Eleanor Audley) provides the voice of Madame Leota. The singing busts were topped with Jack-O-Lanterns and given computer-animated singing projections. New voice actors were picked for the graveyard ghosts that sound similar to the originals (with the exception of the Headsman Trio; The Knight and Executioner seem to have had their voices swapped).

Haunted Mansion Holiday opened October 3, 2001 and quickly became popular with guests, leading to the attraction's FastPass machines being activated during the overlay (they are normally inactive). The Tokyo version props were intended for Walt Disney World, but when the park abandoned plans to install the attraction, Tokyo (which features a carbon copy of their Haunted Mansion) received all the props. On September 13, 2013 (Friday the 13th) the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland opened to the public outfitted with new effects and set pieces in celebration of its 13th year. Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Paris do not have seasonal overlays. Outside of Phantom Manor, guests can get their photo taken with Jack and Sally.

Storyline

The Haunted Mansion Holiday takes place shortly after the events of the film it conjoins with, The Nightmare Before Christmas, where Jack Skellington, who tried to create his very own twisted Christmas in a Halloween-style overlay in the movie, now discovers the Haunted Mansion, home to 999 Happy Haunts. Deciding to spread joy to the mansion's gloomy residents for the holidays, Jack and his creepy crew from Halloween Town bring hundreds of Jack's original evil Christmas presents and decorations to the manor and deck the haunting grounds for a thrilling and chilling holiday for the Grim Grinning Ghosts inhabiting the abandoned house, setting the stage for the ride itself.

Additions

Disneyland offers an "Oogie Boogie's Holiday Tricks and Treats" Scavenger hunt. Oogie has hidden cameos throughout the mansion, which guests are asked to look for. For instance, Oogie can be found in shrubbery in the gardens, a shadow on the Christmas Card, a doll in the attic, etc.

Soundtrack

The attraction's musical score was originally composed by Gordon Goodwin. It was replaced in 2002 with an adapted score by John Debney, based on themes from the film's soundtrack composed by Danny Elfman. Since 2003, Goodwin's original music has been used in the stretching rooms and the exit crypt (where Goodwin's attic music is used), while the rest of Elfman's score remains. Several characters in the ride are voiced by the original actors from the film, and the various sound effects are an admixture of tracks from the original attraction and new ones.

1. Up on the Housetop (2:07)
2. Scary Bells (1:52)
3. Over the Graveyards (1:40)
4. Old Mansion Tree (2:01)
5. Wreck the Halls (2:10)
6. We Wish You a Scary Christmas (1:45)
7. The 13 Days of Christmas (2:17)
8. God Rest You Merry Grinning Ghosts (1:53)
9. Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Medley (2:30)
10. Includes - Making Christmas/What's This?/Kidnap the Sandy Claws
11. Disneyland Haunted Mansion Holiday Ride-Through Mix (16:20)
12. Includes - Foyer, Elevators, Elevator Exit, Picture Gallery, Loading Zone, Corridor of Doors, Seance Room, Grand Hall, Attic, Graveyard Finale, Oogie's Holiday Tricks and Treats.

Voice cast