Haunted Mansion Changes - Slowly Unveiling!

[innerSpaceman]

Repeatability relies, I believe, on having the story be vague, and having it seem to be happening somewhat to YOU, the observer.

Once it becomes a definable tale that you see happening to a repeating set of characters, it becomes boring to see more than 20 times.


How many times have we ridden the Haunted Mansion? What about Pirates? Note that no character appears more than once in each. That's about to change in Pirates, and is changing before our very eyes on the Mansion.



I think one of Phantom Manor's weak points is its definative storyline. And I really don't need to see the Phantom five times, thanks.

[flippyshark]

A big amen to iSm's theory of vague storyline as being more repeatable. I have long held this to be the case. Open-endedness allows the imagination to run wild, but narrative specificity can really put a stopper on it.

The media-based attractions are probably the best example. HISTA is very specific, and not very repeatable. Once the surprises are known, there's no reason to go back. Even Star Tours gets old, once it starts to seem like a film you watch while being flounced around, rather than an actual journey.

I think one of the key elements to the endless repeatability of Pirates and Mansion are their open-ended non-narrative nature. They are atmospheric, with individiual little moments of humor and character,but no forward narrative drive. This is a good thing, as it allows one to simply relax and wallow in the moment. Once there is a strong narrative pull to "get to the end" of a story, everything else becomes something to get past, not something to linger on.

I don't know how much the changes to POTC and HM will alter their non-narrative feel, but I can see where this kind of thing can shortchange the experience a little if they aren't careful.

[Gemini Cricket]

They should bring back the faceless bride! So much more creepy. You would see the paintings of what she's supposed to look like, and with her shadowy face, you could only speculate what she looks like now... Ooooh spooky!

[CoasterMatt]

A faceless bride, and a pantsless groom - my kinda mansion!

[BarTopDancer]

I was going to stop in on my way home from the game on Sunday but the sunshine stole my brain. I'll have to attempt to remember to ride it on Thursday. Before my nap of course...

I guess this post says it all about how I feel about the changes. In fact I forgot all about them until I ran into DP at MA and then this post.

[innerSpaceman]

I'm gonna be chastised for this ... but I find Phantom Manor to be inferior to the Haunted Mansion in many ways. One of which is certainly the telling of a story that I would become tired of .... if I had the opportunity to become tired of it.


And I don't find G.D.'s history to be revisionist. Certainly, € is right that main argument was between scary and comedic ... but the better part of the decades-long gestation of the Haunted Mansion was the steady pruning of anything resembling a definite storyline. Since Walt was around for all but the last 2 years of that gestation, I find it safe to assume that the storyless direction was the one Walt desired.

I'm not one to say that Walt was always right and it's Walt's way or the highway. But let's face it .... Walt was nearly always right, and the Haunted Mansion was one of Walt's attractions - - and a tremendously successful one.

I would suggest the Imagineers go build their own attraction if they want to veer away from Walt's philosophies for the Mansion. Put Phantom Manor in DCA for all I care. Don't fu ck with the Haunted Mansion. They piss me off at their peril. I have to die sometime, ya know.

[scaeagles]

OK....I'm going to sound incredibly ignorant here, but what is Phantom Manor?

[Scrooge McSam]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

OK....I'm going to sound incredibly ignorant here, but what is Phantom Manor?

The version of Haunted Mansion at Disneyland Paris

[innerSpaceman]

It's a western-themed Haunted Mansionesque attraction at Disneyland Paris. It pretty much follows the Haunted Mansion progression of scenes - Foyer, Stretchroom, Doombuggies, Hallway, Seance Room, Ballroom, Graveyard - - but it does so while telling a definite story of a meloncholy bride and the murderous Phantom who killed her groom.

The Bride and the Phantom appear again and again throughout the attraction, grafting a definitive storyline onto the haunted house experience.

It's not as absurd as having your 80th "first flight" Star Tours pilot, but it does give the impression (to me, at least) of the same thing happening over and over .... not altogether inappropriate for a haunting, mind you.

[scaeagles]

Thanks to both of you, Scrooge and Ism.