Haunted Mansion

Description And Comments

The Haunted Mansion is a fun attraction more than a scary one. Disney employs almost every special effect in its repertoire in The Haunted Mansion, making it one of the most inventive and different of all Disney attractions. Be warned that some youngsters build a lot of anxiety concerning what they think they will see. The actual attraction scares almost nobody.

If you ridden any of the Haunted Mansions in the American parks you'll find that Tokyo's features the same "doom buggies," dining room, library, halls, attic, graveyard, and "silly spooks" you know and love. Tokyo's Haunted Mansion is located in Fantasyland, which may seem unusual. Disney's official line is that Japanese people categorized ghosts as examples of fairy tales, therefore Haunted Mansion fits perfectly in to the land of fantasy. It's a cute story but we're guessing they couldn't find anywhere else to put it when they were designing the park.

Haunted Mansion Holiday Nightmare

Haunted Mansion is transformed during the Halloween and Christmas seasons to Haunted Mansion Holiday Nightmare. Inspired by Tim Burton's 1993 stop-motion musical The Nightmare Before Christmas, the overlay features characters such as Jack Skellington and Sally cavorting among the familiar mansion haunts to songs from Danny Elfman's classic score. Everything from the outside facade, the signage, the stretch room pre-show, and the entire ride is decked out with Nightmare story. In Holiday Nightmare mode, it's an entirely different attraction, and definitely worth a look if you've only seen the original attraction. Be aware that the attraction will be closed for several weeks before and after the holiday season to install and remove the overlay.

How's It Different From the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Versions?

Tokyo Disneyland's Haunted Mansion closely resembles Magic Kingdom's ride, both inside and out. Tokyo's Mansion did not receive any of the "upgrades" that were added to Magic Kingdom's Haunted Mansion over the years (such as hologram hitchhiking ghosts at the end of the ride). But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Tokyo's Mansion is like a time capsule version of the ride, but in pristine condition. We can't understate how fascinating it is to experience if you're a Haunted Mansion fan. Tokyo's Haunted Mansion is so well maintained that it looks like it was just installed yesterday. Even if you've ridden the American Mansions 100 times you'll notice details in every scene that are new to you.

Is it English Friendly?

You'll be perfectly fine if you don't understand Japanese. The narration by the "Ghost Host" is all in Japanese, but luckily Haunted Mansion doesn't have much of a story you need to follow. The classic "Grim Grinning Ghosts" song is still in English.

Touring Tips

Haunted Mansion is Disney at its best: another not-to-be-missed attraction. Because The Haunted Mansion is in an especially high-traffic corridor (between Splash Mountain and "it's a small world"), it stays busy all day. Try to see The Haunted Mansion before near park closing, or while a parade is in progress.

Attraction Photos

Special Comments

• We rate this attraction as Not To Be Missed.

Special Needs

• Must Transfer From Wheelchair/ECV
• No Service Animals

Other Attractions in Fantasyland

• Alice's Tea Party
• Castle Carrousel
• Cinderella's Fairy Tale Hall
• Disney Harmony in Color
• Dumbo The Flying Elephant
• Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast
• "it's a small world"
• Mickey's Magical Music World
• Mickey's PhilharMagic
• Peter Pan's Flight
• Pinocchio's Daring Journey
• Pooh's Hunny Hunt
• Snow White's Adventures