Hatbox Ghost in Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom
Walt Disney World has added Hatbox Ghost to Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom, which has been a controversial change with many diehard fans. This post covers where the new Audio Animatronics happy haunt materialized and our commentary about the addition to the iconic attraction. (Updated December 1, 2023.)
You might recall that Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro originally announced that the Hatbox Ghost would be added to Magic Kingdom back at the D23 Expo in September of last year. At the time, the announcement was brief: “Foolish mortals, prepare yourselves for a new happy haunt at the Haunted Mansion. The Hatbox Ghost has heard your calls and will materialize next year.”
Since then, not much has been shared. During the “Halfway to Halloween” festivities back in April, there was a teaser on TikTok featuring a video of the Hatbox Ghost Audio Animatronics figure, but presumably the one that already exists at Disneyland. This is the first substantive update on the AA since the initial announcement.
December 1, 2023 Update: Hatbox Ghost materialized overnight, thus fulfilling Walt Disney World’s promise to install the Audio Animatronics figure before the end of November. We haven’t see the AA in person yet, so we’ll withhold final judgment until then, but the photos and video we have seen look…not great!
Beyond all of the other issues that are discussed below, the staging of Hatbox Ghost is shoehorned and jarring. The Endless Hallway and area around it is warm, whereas Hatbox Ghost has cool lighting–and these two contrasting focal points appear right next to one another, competing for attention and doing no favors to one another.
When previously discussing the addition, Imagineer Daniel Joseph indicated that Hatbox Ghost is materializing whenever and wherever he wants in Haunted Mansion, because he is not actually a ‘happy haunt.’ Joseph also stated that since Hatbox Ghost was always intended to appear in the Haunted Mansion, he was counted in the original 999 ghosts and is not number one-thousand. (This is likely an indirect attempt to address concerns about the placement of the character by diehard Haunted Mansion fans.)
Our guess is that the justification–both to add Hatbox Ghost to Haunted Mansion at this point and the character’s story justification for existing–was premised on the 2023 movie. However, that bombed at the box office and has already been quickly forgotten, whereas this Audio Animatronics figure will likely be around for decades to come.
The Hatbox Ghost appears to guests as they pass the Endless Hallway, welcoming himself inside from the swinging wake in the cemetery and grinning at the Doom Buggies as they set off deeper into the mansion. The commentary that follows goes into the story and continuity issues with this placement…
Frankly, we’re a bit shocked by the timeline for Hatbox Ghost at Magic Kingdom. Disney’s Haunted Mansion movie hit theaters back on July 28 and featured Jared Leto as the Hatbox Ghost. After that, there was Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and the Halloween season, which ran from mid-August until early November.
If you asked me earlier this year to choose two dates by which the Hatbox Ghost would be added at Magic Kingdom, those would’ve been my picks. However, as we’ve said repeatedly in reaction to Encanto still not having a permanent park presence at Walt Disney World, this company is not actually as good at synergy as many fans believe. So instead, Hatbox Ghost arrived halfway through the holiday season.
In terms of commentary, the other surprise is the location of Hatbox Ghost in Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom. The Audio Animatronics figure does not appear in the same spot as at Disneyland. In the New Orleans Square version of the attraction, Hatbox Ghost appears following the end of the attic scene after the Bride.
The figure is slightly shoehorned in even there, but it makes sense and more or less works. If you didn’t know Hatbox Ghost was added in 2015, you’d probably never question the placement. Hatbox Ghost fits with the flow of the attraction and fills some dead space at Disneyland.
That’s more or less the spot where the character was originally intended to go, and makes sense from both a story and gag perspective (people used to accumulate hatboxes in their attics).
At Walt Disney World, the Hatbox Ghost appears as guests pass the Endless Hallway. This is much earlier in the ride, where guests see a candelabra floating in a never-ending hallway (hence the name). Outside the Endless Hallway, there’s an armor suit on one side and now Hatbox Ghost on the other side. (He replaces the fan-favorite Donald Duck chair, which has moved to an earlier scene in the library.)
It’s our understanding that Imagineering had originally wanted to put Hatbox Ghost in the attic scene at Magic Kingdom, but there wasn’t sufficient support infrastructure, and installing the Audio Animatronics figure there would’ve necessitated a lot more work. So rather than abandoning the plan completely, they moved the AA to the Endless Hallway.
This means Hatbox Ghost will appear before Madame Leota’s Séance Circle, and the narration indicating that the “happy haunts have received your sympathetic vibrations and are beginning to materialize. They’re assembling for a swinging wake…”
The placement of Hatbox Ghost in Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom is thus controversial with a lot of diehard Disney fans. He’s now the first ghost to appear in the attraction, and comes before Madame Leota has summoned them. Prior to this point in the attraction, there’s the casket–but that’s technically a corpse and not a ghost.
Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve dug deep into the lore of the Haunted Mansion (obligatory plug for the excellent Boundless Realm), but I think this contradicts the story of the attraction. With that said, a lot has been modified over the years, with fan theories becoming canon, other ‘rules’ being retconned, etc.
Basically, what I’m saying is that I don’t think this is an acceptable placement for the Hatbox Ghost. And, if it is acceptable, by what standards? 1969? 2007? 2023?
For me, it comes down to a smell test more than anything else. When I think about it, the placement strikes me as slightly odd–the logical progression of Haunted Mansion seems to suggest that a ghost shouldn’t appear prior to Madame Leota’s Séance Circle. With that said, perhaps there’s a compelling story or historical reason for this, of which I am unaware.
Moreover, that’s what I’m thinking while sitting at home. I’m honestly not analytically scrutinizing or dissecting Haunted Mansion while riding it. From my perspective as a guest, the attraction is more a series of vignettes, and there are multiple points at which ominous or foreboding imagery protends of something to come.
Hatbox Ghost could pass muster as that, especially if were added in a similar spirit as the eponymous character from Phantom Manor. (But that might present its own problems, with Hatbox Ghost suddenly appearing and dominating the story.)
To be clear, none of this is to say that Haunted Mansion should be a total free-for-all, with story and history both being meaningless because the attraction is all about vibes. To the contrary, I have more reverence for Haunted Mansion than any other attraction, and believe that it is, to this day, the pinnacle of Imagineering. (Right up there with Pirates of the Caribbean.)
Consequently, every change should be done carefully and it’s all well worthy of scrutiny. Haunted Mansion is a work of art, not just mindless theme park escapism. Treating Haunted Mansion with respect and reverence is not the same as being a Dino-Rama disciple.
If you don’t care about any of this, fine; that’s your prerogative. But this type of thing does matter and isn’t simply a matter of diehard dorks taking theme parks too seriously. You’re probably a fan in the first place because someone took all this stuff so seriously when creating it.
Ultimately, what I am suggesting is that the story and history of Haunted Mansion do matter. The placement of Hatbox Ghost strikes me as off, and the execution of the final AA didn’t do any favors to the initial controversy. With that said, I’ve been around the block a few times with Haunted Mansion changes, and still vaguely remember the backlash followed by the “well, actually…” in response to the 2007 reimagining.
All I can say with certainty is that Hatbox Ghost appearing that early strikes me as suboptimal placement when thinking about it now, but will probably strike me as something ‘cool and new’ while riding. Given how starved Walt Disney World fans are for even the smallest enhancements, I’m guessing this will be pretty well received and most guests won’t give a second thought to the placement or the awkward lighting at first–they’ll just be happy to have something new.
So perhaps the best “compromise” of all is to let Hatbox Ghost hang out inside Haunted Mansion for a few years, give everyone a chance to see him, and then evict him from the Endless Hallway during the next refurbishment. Haunted Mansion should definitely continue to evolve and receive reimaginings, but they also need to stick to the spirit of the original story and attraction.
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Your Thoughts
What are your thoughts on Hatbox Ghost finally joining Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World? Disappointed by the long delay between announcement and installation? Thoughts on the placement of the Audio Animatronics at Magic Kingdom vs. Disneyland? Any insight into whether this breaks any ‘rules’ or lore for Haunted Mansion? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Haunted Mansion movie was horrible. My husband and I sat through it until the end. I checked out a few minutes in. Horrible storyline and not for kids. Another box office bomb and to quote Clark’s MIL in Christmas Vacation: a horrible waste of valuable resources
I don’t think the placement is great either, but to people who say there aren’t *any* ghosts prior to Leota – Isn’t there a ghost playing the piano in the Music room, right after the Library? You only see his shadow, but he’s playing the piano.
I’ve been a huge Haunted Mansion fan since I was a kid riding it in the 80’s and 90’s. While I’d be very disappointed in any major changes, minor updates here and there I can live with. This one looks like it may be a cool addition to bring a bit more of a modern touch although I do agree that the placement of the Hatbox Ghost is odd. In terms of being before Madame Leota, you could argue that since he is more of an evil ghost than a happy haunt, he plays by his own rules. And there are the green ghost footprints that appear in the stairway room prior to Madame Leota also…
Tom I’ve been a fan of your blog for years but I didn’t hunk this may be my first comment so I wanted to say thank you and congratulations on your precious little Megatron! And when I am talking to my family about what “my friend Tom Bricker” said, they all know who I am referring to!
*I think this may be
Not “I didn’t hunk”
Autocorrect changed it on me again after I thought I fixed it!
We happened to ride this on Dec 1 during the party, and were so surprised to see it that I didn’t even have time to get a photo. I agree it’s placement really doesn’t make sense with the story, but it was a cool addition. It looked nice in person, even if it is kind of random. I’m not a hard core HM fan though.
“But this type of thing does matter and isn’t simply a matter of diehard dorks taking theme parks too seriously. You’re probably a fan in the first place because someone took all this stuff so seriously when creating it.”
Absolutely!
I always loved the attention to detail and gags the Imagineers sprinkled around the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
It’s a Christmas miracle for Disney to do anything new. We saw Hatbox the driest day he was added and he looks great. Instead of blending into the attic where’s already so much to look at he’s easy to scrutinize exactly where he is. He looks great!
My family visited Magic Kingdom on November 30th. A wonderful morning in the park. I had been regularly checking online to see if Hatbox had indeed landed at MK. Imagine my surprise when out of nowhere he appeared during our ride. It did seem a little oddly placed, but it was a moment of Disney magic for me. I figured November had basically gone and the ghost was delayed 😉 For me, even if the placement is a little out of nowhere – it’s cool to have the addition.
I suspect this will be the consensus for most Walt Disney World fans (who visit at least once every few years) who are not also Haunted Mansion diehards. I do wonder, though, what happens when the novelty wears off after a few years?
Honestly, that’s kinda how I feel about Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean. He was cool when the movies were brand-new (and also, box office smash successes) but now he kind of feels out of place as compared with everything else going on in the ride. Don’t get me wrong–I’m not clamoring for his removal, but I wouldn’t mind if it happened (especially if they added other enhancements as a tradeoff).
Just saw movie- it was ok. The haunted mansion is one of my favorite Disney rides- hoping they add him in a way that isn’t too noticeable if that makes sense
Agree, though I’m afraid they are going to try to revamp the whole ride about this, which would be a huge mistake, and ruin the delicious balance between humor and creepy. It almost feels like someone at Disney said, “You want us to include your beloved Hatbox Ghost? Fine. Let’s see how you like him NOW.” They should have just put him up in the attic doing his disappearing head trick and left it at that.
In terms of the new movie, it’s going to bomb (sorry, just being realistic) and from a cultural impact perspective it’ll make the previous Eddie Murphy version feel downright iconic by comparison. If anyone at Disney feels there’s a synergistic benefit to reshaping the ride experience/narrative based on the 2023 film then they must truly be possessed.
Disney’s film production units have historically gone through multiple eras when the ideas and storytelling lapsed and quality suffered. We just happen to be in one of those eras now. And as Tom noted, the company can barely move a muscle to integrate elements of their rare successful new films into the parks/rides (e.g., Encanto) so investing in the duds would truly be a fool’s errand.
I guess (per Tom’s post) in this case the movie was the impetus to grant the budget for the “fan service” of bringing Hatbox Ghost to WDW, while at the same time the producers drastically overestimated the penetration of Hatbox Ghost into our cultural zeitgeist (um, Oscar winner Jared Leto?). So they had to stick it somewhere and are putting it into the most convenient spot with least downtime required vs. spending time trying to thoughtfully integrate. We get a brief burst of cross platform marketing and a shoehorned animatronic. Yay!
The Hatbox Ghost was one of the few REAL announcements they made at D23, so I think they just wanted to put him up front where he’ll be the most visible. Probably easier to get the money for it that way, too. Anyway, he doesn’t look too happy, so he’s probably not counted with the other 999…
I just saw the movie, and without giving anything away, the Hatbox Ghost in the film is distinguishable from the other ghosts for reasons relevant to the plot line. But that makes me dislike the placement even more because if that’s their reasoning, they’re turning the(decades old, much beloved) ride into an adaptation of the (while fun for Disney parks guests, not in any way a blockbuster or cult classic) film. And in a manner that is more disruptive to the vibe of the ride than adding Captain Jack to Pirates.
If you have not yet seen the new Haunted Mansion movie, you REALLY need to, as Hatbox Ghost not only appears, but figures VERY prominently.
(The movie btw was much more enjoyable than the Eddie Murphy version, though perhaps not quite as fun as the Muppets Haunted Mansion. This one definitely goes for spooky rather than comic like the other two.)
Thanks for this comment, Amy; I also enjoyed the movie a lot. I’ll also enjoy seeing the addition next time I get there, no matter where they stuck it.
My family really enjoyed the movie, too. Not a fan of the Eddie Murphy one at all. My kids especially enjoyed Tator Tot
We think the Hatbox Ghost should go after the bride on the balcony before falling off the roof.
I tend to agree that the hatbox ghost needs to come later, but thats prinarily because he feels like he belongs more with the other literal ghost figures as just a matter of balance and flow, rather than as a matter of “storytelling.” (Never really bought that story should be the principal value of a theme park attraction.)
Honestly, they should just redo the entire attic sequence to make it scary again with pop up heads and throw the hatbox ghost in either as the transition in or out. The redone bride scene has never worked for me.
Who thought it would be a good idea to release the Haunted Mansion film in July? Very weird timing all around, for the film, and for the release of the AA.
Not just in July, but one week after the movie ‘event’ of the last several years and two weeks after the latest Mission Impossible.
Kinda surprised they didn’t blink on the release date, honestly.
As an engineer, I think you may be underestimating the amount of work that goes into creating the robotic character that is the hatbox ghost, especially one that has to run all day, essentially forever.
Yes, Disney already has base robotic units, and they just created one in Disneyland, never-the-less this would have been a full time job for a small team.
It would be interesting to know exactly what the Imagineering teams *have* been working on given the limited state of new projects at the parks at the moment.
You’re right that I have no clue how long it would take to create this. Regardless of whether it takes 6 months or 6 years, I don’t think it’s the type of thing that should be announced a full year in advance.
I also don’t think it’s unreasonable to think they should’ve started work on this at a time sufficient to have it installed by the movie’s release date.
I sure hope that we don’t lose the chair near the endless hallway! It’s arguably the item that is most reminiscent of Rolly Crump artwork in the attraction!
I think the line goes something like “Actually we have 999 happy haunts here, but there is room for one thousand. Any volunteers?” So I am wondering, with the addition of the Hat box ghost…..
I was wondering this, too! I guess the implication is that the Hatbox ghost kicked out one of the minor background ghouls, hahah. Or one of the hitch-hiking ghosts finally got out…
The particular phrasing “welcoming himself inside from the swinging wake in the cemetery and grinning at the Doom Buggies” at first made me think they were going to install *two* Hatbox Ghosts, one by the hallway and one by the wake scene. However, upon re-reading it, it sounds as if he’ll be coming into an ‘exterior’ door near the endless hallway. There are certainly plenty to chose from (and IIRC there is a picture of him in that area as well.)
I don’t like him being before the seance, though, and I like it even less if he’s coming in and giving us a preview of the swinging wake at a time in the attraction when the music is still very slow and plodding. The musical build in Haunted Mansion is one of my favorite aspects of the attraction, and I’m not seeing a way that this ghost fits in with the somber and exploratory mood that’s set right by the endless hallway. Not unless he’s a different version that looks more alive somehow…
The wording is really awkward, and it could be interpreted to mean that 2-3 Hatbox Ghosts are coming, Jack Sparrow in PotC style.
Social media posts are a bit clearer, and seem to suggest it’s only one AA–in the Endless Hallway. Personally, I think it might be kind of neat to have build up to him, with a hat in the chair and reflection in a mirror before finally seeing the figure. But I doubt that’s what’s happening.
I hope there are multiples of the HG as well. We saw the movie this weekend and loved it – way better than the Eddie Murphy version. Spookier but still with humor, more logic (to us anyway) as to why the ghosts are there, and the HG figures prominently. He makes multiple appearances in the film, so having multiple appearances at the Mansion makes sense in that respect – and in the film the ghosts are in evidence well before they are called to appear. I don’t think the average fan is going to even notice that he’s making an appearance before Madam Leota does her thing. I would just love to have the HG in more than 1 spot. We’re going in December, and I hope they’ve got him there at that time. I do agree that they lost an opportunity by not having him installed by the movie release – it could’ve boosted both park and movie attendance. I know it takes time to put the animatronics together, but it’s not like the movie was filmed in April and they got caught off guard. They started filming back in October of 2021, and pre-production would have started way before that.
Why do you have photos in this article that are not the Hatbox Ghost? They show a figure likely created solely for display purposes since there is no way its head could be made to disappear. It appears to be based on the figure in the Western Ghost Town at the end of Phantom Manor.
That’s the Hatbox Ghost that appeared in the Imagineering booth at D23 Expo prior to the AA’s return at Disneyland.
Created just for display. That was never going to be the Hatbox Ghost.
This is an extremely weird hill to die on.