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The Haunted Mansion Holiday is a seasonal version of the Haunted Mansion ride in Disneyland that combines the setting of the Haunted Mansion with characters and music from The Nightmare Before Christmas. The ride debuted on October 3, 2001, and has been annually continued since then.

Ride Experience[]

As guests approach the mansion, they will notice the normal sign now has the man-eating wreath around it and Jack dressed in his Santa suit sitting on a pumpkin holding a spinning snowflake. The countdown clock that tells how many days are left until Christmas is mounted on the centre of th mansions columns. The rest of the Mansion is decorated with garlands, candles and pumpkins, while Jack's sleigh is on the roof with his Christmas equation on a list spilling out of the sleigh. A large Pumpkin King scarecrow looms over the queue. As guests proceed through the queue area, they can hear a music box play strange, creepy music.

Guests enter the foyer with garlands draped on the walls before entering the stretching room, where the paintings of the Mansion's former residents are replaced by stained glass windows. When the door closes and the room starts to stretch, the glass shatters, revealing depictions of a nightmarish version of Christmas. The suicidal Ghost Host is replaced by Jack's face saying "Happy Holidays Everyone! EE-HEE-HEE-HEEEE!" and falling. In California only, the ceiling is now a stained-glass window resembling a wreath, as the Ghost Host continues to tell the story, the ceiling slowly starts to shift to orange and purple, as well as a spider seen crawling across it, the ceiling then cracks into a jack o' lantern face before breaking entirely, with Jack and Zero, looking down on guests as Jack yells "Happy Holidays, everyone!" before maniacally laughing and vanishing into the darkness, leaving only the rafters and the Ghost Host's corpse visible.

Upon leaving the stretching room, the guests walk down the portrait corridor, where the portraits have been replaced by Christmas scenes that transform into Halloween, such as a snowman changing into a pumpkin man, Santa to Jack, Sally holding a small tree that turns burnt, and the Haunted Mansion to Haunted Mansion Holiday. The guests then board the Doom Buggies as they see a huge animated mural of all the nightmare characters wishing guests a "Merry/Scary Christmas".

The Buggies travel through all the same rooms as they would in the traditional attraction, but with holiday twists. Zero floats where the Candelabra usually does. Madame Leota recites the 13 Days of Christmas and each gift as cards showing the characters float around her. The ballroom hosts a Christmas party and on the table is a giant Gingerbread house which is different every year (as per the request of creator Tim Burton). The attic scene contains presents, jack in the boxes which pop up to scare guests and the giant snake eating Jack's Christmas list.

After the attic the guests are greeted by the Hatbox Ghost who has decorated the top of his hat with a Halloween-Christmas pin, and his hatbox stack with a Santa Hat. Guests then decend into the graveyard which is covered in "Ghostly White Snow" as they meet Jack and Zero. They travel through the graveyard as they see Sally, the skeleton reindeer and the ghost enjoying Jack's Christmas. Huge snow angels loom over the graveyard and the famous spiral hill can be seen, now covered in pumpkins with singing ones at its base.

Guests then leave through a crypt as they meet Oogie Boogie, who selects a present for them off of his wheel which them appears beside the guests as they pass a series of mirrors.

Before finally exiting, guests see a small figure of Sally as she waves at a projection of Jack flying in his sleigh.

Changes[]

In 2001-2002, an animated mural of Lock, Shock, and Barrel originally appeared in the crypt at the end of the ride. In 2003 it was replaced with Oogie Boogie and his wheel of presents.

In 2001, the original soundtrack was a scary twist on Christmas classics such as "Up on The Housetop", "Carol of the Bells", and "Jingle Bells". In 2002 it was replaced by a new soundtrack based on the songs from the movie.

In 2013, the head of Jack Skellington that appears in the stretching room was replaced by a new animated projection of him.

In 2016, a Sally animatronic was added to the graveyard. She appears leaning on a tombstone as she admires Christmas in the graveyard. As guests pass her, she blinks and raises her leg.

In December 1, 2022, the raven will join the vampire teddy bear in Disneyland California.

Promotional Events[]

On October 3rd, 2001, the debut of the Haunted Mansion Holiday was also a Premier of Jack Skellington at Disneyland. There was an exclusive event allowing only 200 people, as well as dinner at Blue Bayou. The names of these people were added on a list in the attic portion of the ride. It was the first viewing of the Haunted Mansion Holiday as well as the Jack model. The show included an opening number with actors for Jack, Sally, and other Residents of Halloween Town, such as the Clown, Behemoth,and Wolfman,

The dinner party afterwards at the Blue Bayou restaurant consisted of the 200 guests enjoying a performance by the Vampire brothers while Jack and Sally humored them during intermissions. The dinner took place before the opening of the Haunted Mansion Holiday.

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Haunted Mansion Holiday 2001 Event Opening- Premier Jack Skellington Nightmare Christmas Disneyland

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Disneyland EXCLUSIVE EVENT Dinner 2001 Haunted Mansion Holiday in Blue Bayou

To celebrate the second annual welcoming of the Haunted Mansion Holiday, there was a panel event held at the Fantasyland Theater in Disneyland. The panel was moderated by Frank Thompson and starred guests, such as Ken Page, Catherine O'Hara, Glenn Shadix, Kerry Katz, and Randy Crenshaw. The event discussed the making of The Nightmare Before Christmas as well as the Haunted Mansion Holiday. It contained a Sandy Claws-version of Jack, Sally, the Witches, the Clown, a Vampire, the Behemoth, and the Wolfman.

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Disneyland's Haunted Mansion Holiday Event Panel 2002

For the third annual celebration of the Haunted Mansion Holiday event, there was a private event hosting the characters and the talent of Ken Page. Ken read the segments for the event and gave introductions beside Oogie's "Holiday Tricks and Treats" wheel. The characters went onstage and sang Broadway songs with the optional company of Doctor Finklestein, whose segment was to sing "If I Had a Brain" with Sally.

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Haunted mansion holiday OCT 3 2003 event rear video

Gallery[]

Click here to view an entire gallery of high quality images from Haunted Mansion Holiday.

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