Haunted Mansion Ride Closing at Walt Disney World Just Days After Movie's Release

By Allison Schonter

Disney may be breathing new life into Haunted Mansion with its Justin Simien-directed 2023 remake, but it is closing the chapter on another part of the fabled story's history. The Haunted Mansion ride at Disney World's Magic Kingdom Park is set to close next month. Thankfully, the closure is only temporary, meaning fans will be able to embark on "a grave journey through a labyrinth of haunted chambers" after a short period of time.

The famed ride will close its doors on Monday, Aug. 7, according to the ride's page on the Walt Disney World website. Thankfully, the closure will be short-lived, as it will only remain closed through Wednesday, Aug. 9, with The Haunted Mansion currently expected to resume normal operations beginning Thursday, Aug. 10. Disney says the closure is for "routine refurbishment," though the company did not share details on the refurbishment project or if it will include the installation of the Hatbox Ghost, which first made his debut in the Haunted Mansion during the ride's initial opening at Disneyland. The character was ultimately removed due to its vanishing head gimmick, which did not function very well. Disney announced at the D23 Expo back in September 2022 that the Hatbox Ghost would debut at Disney World's Haunted Mansion attraction at Magic Kingdom in 2023, though an exact date was not shared.

Located in Magic Kingdom, with identical rides also located in the Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland amusement parks, The Haunted Mansion ride is a haunted house attraction. Riders board Omnimover vehicles called "Doom Buggies" to go on "a grave journey through a labyrinth of haunted chambers." Throughout the ride, guests "glide past a casket-filled conservatory, Madame Leota's chilling séance room and a ghostly graveyard of singing specters."

The ride's upcoming closure will come just days after the release of the new Haunted Mansion movie on July 28. A remake of 2003's The Haunted Mansion starring Eddie Murphy, the new movie stars Rosario Dawson as a single mother who buys a surprisingly affordable mansion in New Orleans. She soon learns it was cheap because the mansion is haunted. Owen Wilson plays a priest, while Tiffany Haddish stars as a psychic. Danny DeVito plays a historian and LaKeith Stanfield plays a paranormal expert. The movie is directed by Simien from a screenplay by Katie Dippold.

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