Work continues on the reimagining of The Haunted Mansion queue and the construction of a new gift shop at Disneyland Park. The grounds expansion was first announced last August and construction began in January before The Haunted Mansion closed for the foreseeable future.
The Haunted Mansion Queue Construction
In our last construction update, we noted that the outdoor queue had been completely leveled. There are several dirt piles and construction vehicles on the site.
Construction walls aren’t far from the Rivers of America promenade. The walls are decorated with Haunted Mansion concept art and a version of the ride’s portrait gallery.
One construction vehicle, located at the opposite end of the construction site from the actual Mansion, was a Malcolm Drilling vehicle.
Closer to the Mansion was a Takeuchi Manufacturing digger.
Past the digger, we can see the remaining brick wall on the far side of the queue.
Wood walls go down the hillside.
We saw a crew member at the bottom of these wood walls. There were also Cat and Herc Rentals construction vehicles in the area. An orange excavator was at the back of the site.
We saw crew members on the patio of the Haunted Mansion but it didn’t look like they were doing serious construction work there. The Haunted Mansion itself won’t be changed during this project, only the grounds around it.
There were even more excavators moving dirt around. The expanded queue will include gardens inspired by Master Gracey, Madame Leota, and the one-eyed cat. There will be a fountain, gazebo, and greenhouse, as seen in the below concept art.
The pet cemetery and horse-drawn funeral hearse will also be part of the completed grounds, although they have been removed for construction. The update will expand upon the lore of The Haunted Mansion.
The new gift shop will be located on the right when facing The Haunted Mansion, next to the crypt that guests exit from.
Lanterns have been removed from the front of the exit crypt. Two crypts next to it remain standing but the edge of one’s roof has been removed. There’s a sign on the door of the third crypt.
The gift shop, owned by Madame Leota, will be in the Mansion’s carriage house.
When The Haunted Mansion closed this year, it was still dressed for the holidays with its “Nightmare Before Christmas” overlay. Rumors indicate that when the grounds are completed the ride will reopen as Haunted Mansion Holiday in the fall, meaning the regular ride won’t return until 2025.
The nearby plaza will also be updated, turning it into an “elegant park-like setting” with live entertainment and “historic” trees.
For more Disneyland Resort news and info, follow Disneyland News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For Disney Parks news worldwide, visit WDWNT.