Category: Magic Kingdom

Jack Sparr…excuse me…CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow is now making meet and greet appearances in the Adventureland Veranda at the Magic Kingdom. The space has been unused for about a decade now, but appears to still be in good shape. This also furthers the rumors of a pirate character dining experience coming to the location. Now bring me that horizon…and autograph book!!!

The Haunted Mansion reopened today, unfortunately we were unable to attain any coverage, but here is the great coverage WDWmagic had about the new additions and re-opening of the Haunted Mansion:

SPOILERS BELOW

Highlights of the Haunted Mansion refurbishment

• The whole of the exterior has been repainted and looks wonderful.
• A new red colored canopy has been installed over the queue line.
• The parlour room with the fireplace and changing portrait appears to be laregely the same as before.
• The stretch room is a MAJOR improvement. It is almost entirely new. The decor has been completely refreshed. The audio sounds terrific, it has deep bass, multi-positional sound. There are also new sound effects, including creaking as the room stretches, and sounds of bats flying around. There is also a piece of new dialog from Phantom Manor – “I didn’t mean to frighten you, so prematurely…”. Besides the great additions, the actual stretch room mechanism is now silent and very smooth, which really helps with the whole illusion.
• The load area has received a considerable amount of extra theming. The moving eye portraits are now in the load area. The carpeting is new, lots of great cobwebs hanging from the spooky looking light fixtures. There is also a new load console for the cast.
• A note on the Doombuggy, they now run silently, and no signs of any dropped audio. All the of the dialog is crisp and clear.
• There is a new window with lightning flashes on the left hand side, which are opposite the portrait gallery. As the lightning flashes, the portraits change. Its a great new scene.
• The new staircase scene is a very welcome new addition. There is a lot of detail here, and it is the kind of thing you need to see lots of times to take it all in.
• Exiting the staircase room, there is a corridor of eyes.
• The séance room has the much talked about floating Leota head. It really is an amazing special effect, and has to be seen to be appreciated. Videos are not going to do this justice.
• In the ballroom, there are signs of cleanup and enhancements, but nothing significant.
• The attic has had the most attention. It’s awesome. All the popup heads have gone from this scene, and been replaced with detailed sets, with portraits, and a sinister background sound track. The ghostly bride is excellent, and is genuinely spooky!
• The graveyard scene now has only 2 or 3 popup ghosts in total. They are used much more effectively, and they no longer scream. The rest of the scene seems unchanged, but has all been cleaned and restored.
• Little Leota looks new and refreshed.

Overall it’s a terrific update, and really restores the mansion to it’s rightful status as one of the best attractions at Walt Disney World. WDI and the Disney cast did a terrific job of getting this done so quickly, and above all, to such a high quality level.

Just a final word, you really need to see the attraction in person to appreciate it, photos and videos are not going to do this justice.

The preceeding news is provided by WDWmagic and is not property of WDW News Today. In effort to bring you WDW news as quickly as possible, the preceeding has simply been reported from another website. WDW News Today is in no way affiliated with WDWmagic.

The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is now open for buisness inside Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom. The just for children beauty parlor is accepting reservations now at (407) WDW-DINE, and reservations fill up very fast!

It seems the new changes in the look and scripting of The Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor at the Magic Kingdom is finally getting some attention. I first noticed the adapted script and the smoother runiing animation at the Pirate and Princess party on August 15th. The revised show is a vast improvement and now makes the interactive experience something worth seeing more than once, and it is actually quite funny!

Making the Haunts Even Happier

That old, creepy, uninhabited mansion — you know, the one where you sometimes hear mysterious sounds and see eerie apparitions? I think something’s going on up there. Ever since June, I seem to hear weird noises in the dead of night … noises suspiciously like hammering and sawing. But none of the 999 permanent residents seem to be leaving the joint. Is it possible that that place is going to get even SPOOKIER?

That’s right — in case you haven’t heard the news through the ghoulish grapevine, the Magic Kingdom Park’s venerable Haunted Mansion is getting a facelift. New details are being added to reward sharp-eyed spookhunters, and some high-tech magic is being put to use to create old-fashioned thrills. Kathy Rogers, Senior Show Producer for the attraction, told us what to expect if you dare to venture through the doors of this most beloved attraction, which is slated to reopen this month.

“For several months, our team has been “illusioneering,” making the invisible, visible,” explains Kathy. “For example, a previously unseen wing of the Mansion has been revealed for the first time. Observant Guests will see more of the 999 happy haunts cavorting on a seemingly endless staircase leading to secret realms. Watch closely and you’ll see evidence of these residents — their glowing footprints, candles going out — is it the wind or did someone blow them out? It’s for you to decide. Other haunts reveal themselves in the mansion’s infamous Corridor of Doors — don’t blink or you’ll miss the clues!”

The Haunted Mansion is one of the Disney Theme Park attractions that have inspired legions of passionate fans. The last thing anyone wanted to do was to change the experience in a way that would disappoint Guests, and Kathy and her team were acutely aware of the necessity to “strengthen the story, and not change it.” So in many cases they expanded on the lore that already existed — as in Kathy’s own favorite addition: “In the attic the long, sad tale of Constance on her wedding days finally comes to light. For almost 40 years, our Guests have come face to face with Constance the bride. Now it’s time for them to meet her and her grooms face to face — all five of them! They all loved Constance,” she laughs. “In fact, you could say they lost their heads over her.”

In addition to adding to the story, the Imagineers are taking advantage of some technological advances since the Mansion first saw the light of day. You won’t be overwhelmed with high-tech bells and whistles that disturb the eerie atmosphere, but, Kathy promises, “Imagineers constantly look for new ways to combine compelling stories with new technologies. As we’ve worked to enhance Haunted Mansion, we’ve added a few surprises that may make the ghosts seem a little closer than before.”

So whether it’s your first visit to the Mansion or your hundredth, when Guests are allowed to enter that elegant but eerie house again, keep your eyes peeled. You never know when you’ll stumble across the evidence of a haunt you haven’t encountered before! And remember — there’s always room for one more.

Virtual Magic Kingdom central insode the Main Street Cinema at the Magic Kingdom is about to be a thing of the past. Permits have been filed to remove certain pieces of the interior, but it remains unclear just what is leaving. One thing is for sure, the VMK will no longer have a home on Main Street U.S.A.. A rumored replacement is a store specializing in Disney Channel and Disney Movie merchandise. More on this as it becomes available.

Some lucky guests were able to ride the Haunted Mansion last night, here are the now confirmed changes:

-The stretching room has recieved some big upgrades. The Gargoyles in the room now turn their heads, and when the lights go out, it appears that bats are flying around the room. Bursts of air are now blown at guests to really make you feel like bats are flying past your head.

-The portrait hall has indeed recieved the window with the wind, thunder, and lightning effects.

-The new floating crystal ball with Madame Leota has been implemented.

-The attic scene is now identical to the Disneyland version, featuring the murderous ghost bride with a bunch of flowers that turn into an axe as your doombuggy passes by.

– All of the other effects in the Mansion have been restored to their original glory, and the audio has been completely repaired

We will have more on the Haunted Mansion as we come closer to September 13th.

I can now officially tell of four scene changes to the Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Here they are:

– The Portrait scene has recieved some minor changes. Some new portraits have been placed in the corridor, as well as what appears to be an open window that will blow wind and flash lightning to guests.

– The other three scene changes are the same as we mentioned before here on the site. The Seance Room now has the floating Madame Leota crystal ball, the attic now has the murderous wife from the Disneyland Version, and the never-ending staircase scene is replacing the giant spiderwebs.

– We will hav more coverage when the Haunted Mansion opens on September 13th.

By Collin Korb            Which is it? Many have their differing opinions.  In order to put this argument into perspective we need to consider a couple of key points.  First, this is one of the “original” Disney rides that debuted in Disneyland and was then transferred to the Disney parks around the world.  Second, Walt himself had a hand in designing this attraction, it was the last he would help design before his death.  Third, the ride has already been altered.The first adaptation of the ride was implemented when it was transferred to WDW.  It was constructed around the new park, which did have more room, but had a different design.  Walt’s vision for his “underground” Disney and his love for railroads changed WDW Pirates.  The ride at WDW differs from its Disneyland counterpart in that it only has one drop- this drop literally takes you just underneath one of the WDW Railroad’s overpasses! Why the fewer drops, Walt’s tunnels are part of that equation?The second adaptation happened in the ‘90’s when the ride was changed to make it more “politically correct”. Those older fans may remember that in the original town scene various pirates were seen chasing the town women around.  With the advent of political correctness, this changed, now the women chase the pirates and one woman was replaced with a pirate and can now be seen carrying a treasure chest with one of his shipmates.

       The third change now involves a few controversial additions.  Davy Jones, Captain Barbossa, and of course Captain Jack Sparrow have joined the crew. The highly successful three movie installments and their ensuing earnings prompted Disney designers to include these new characters.  One new feature is a very unique, very expensive ghostly image of Davy Jones.  Disney was wise to enlist the actors themselves to voice the additions.  They also paid careful attention to Captain Jack’s mannerisms when designing the two animatronics that are now included. The Pirates Trilogy has taken off, but not everyone is happy with the changes and additions.  Many who are Disney Traditionalists and Historians feel it was a serious break from the original design.  Others have the opinion that a portion of Walt’s legacy had been defaced. One aspect to keep in mind though, is the ability of Disney to stay one step ahead of the competition.  Epcot itself is dedicated to the idea of what will happen tomorrow.  Imagineers are always striving to take attractions to the next level and design stat-of-the-art attractions.  Disney has always examined what more they can do to make the experience meaningful and worthwhile.

“Drink up me hearties, Yo Ho!”

Spectromagic has had it’s first wave of changes over at the Magic Kingdom. The Spectromen have lost their light up masks and now sport face-paint and light-up wigs. Some of the floats throughout the parade have been refurbished and are working much like they did back in 1991. More changes are on the way for the parade, but more on that at a later time.