The best Easter eggs in the new Haunted Mansion
From doom buggies to a floating candelabra, Haunted Mansion is packed with insider nods to the Disney ride
Film Features Haunted Mansion
The 2023 version of Haunted Mansion, like its cinematic predecessor in 2003 and the Muppet TV special in 2021, is loaded with Easter egg references to the classic Disneyland ride. That’s as it should be—since 1969, visitors and tourists have flocked to the original attraction and its numerous variations, creating generations of filmgoers who’ll absolutely be on the lookout for the inside jokes embedded in director Justin Simien’s remake.
While we don’t claim to have caught them all, we’ve do think we’ve captured a baker’s dozen worth of the best references and callbacks, some of which only obliquely involve the ride itself. But before you dive into our list, let’s be clear about just what an Easter egg is. It is not the appearance by a ride character in a significant role, like Jared Leto’s Hatbox Ghost, or Jamie Lee Curtis as Madame Leota, who both have plenty of scenes and lots of dialogue. Instead, the references that follow are all elements tied to the ride that you could miss without the right context. And before you proceed, here’s one last note of caution: beware of spoilers!
15 Comments
This feels like stealth sponsored content to me. And of course it’s a fucking slideshow.
This article doesn’t really understand what an easter egg is. Almost every one of these slides would be more aptly described as a callback or homage.
That being said, your comment is accurate.
Yep. When something is so obvious as a character being based on a character in the ride… it’s not an Easter egg.
Oh this looks like it’s gonna be fun!*sees Owen WilsonAWWWWW Fuck.
The last time I rode the Haunted Mansion ride, i was kinda struck by how… un-Disney it seemed. Definitely pushed the boundaries of what modern-day Disney would create, I think, with the beheadings and axe murders, etc. Really seemed like a relic from a different time (along with Pirates of the Carribean and all the rapey stuff). Kinda surprised they made a movie out of it.
To me it feels quintessentially Disney–but maybe more old school Disney (certainly some of the original concepts were far darker–as is the Paris version.) Of course, not too long ago Disney did make the Alien Encounter attraction (which didn’t last long) which DID seem thoroughly un-Disney.
It was thoroughly un-Disney. And it was (at least briefly, IIRC) originally going to not just be “Alien Encounter” but Alien Encounter. Like, licensing the xenomorph from Fox (which they didn’t own at the time). That fell through, but the concept remained (and was pretty obvious to anyone who was paying attention). I LOVED that show when I saw it, but I also couldn’t believe it was at a Disney park.
But I’m with you- even if the Haunted Mansion is a little creepier than most Disney things, it’s still pretty tame. I’ll have no trouble walking my five-year old through it when we go, and if the 3 year old can handle some of the other dark rides (Pinocchio, PotC), I’ll probably risk it.
Right, I forgot about the Alien movie element (and of course they DID have an Alien, the movie, sequence in The Great Movie Ride which harkens back to when that park was Disney-MGM Studios, which I still always want to call it.) I’m really sad I missed Alien Encounter (living in BC Canada, I only ever went to Disney in Florida once as a teen,) but what always surprises me is how long it actually stuck around—from 1995 till 2003. I always have it in my head that it only lasted two or so years (and back then I was Disney theme park *obsessed* and followed the news closely.)
I wonder if it would have fit in better, in fact, if it had been at a park like Disney-MGM. While Disney likes to keep all their theming family friendly (although check out some of the seasonal haunted houses they’ve had at Hong Kong Disney with things like an abused/deranged Pinocchio—) it might have been seen as fitting in better at a non-Magic Kingdom format park. I never saw the Stitch replacement, although I gather despite lasting a long time, it was not exactly loved and in the past few years just quietly shut down.
I used to be a kid who scared *really* easily, and the first time I went to Disneyland when I was 7 my dad talked me into going on the Haunted Mansion. By the time we got into the doom buggies, I remember just shutting my eyes and pressing my face into his coat the entire time–but two years later when I went on, I realized that what I imagined was happening just from hearing the Ghost Host and all the sound effects was actually much scarier than if I had had my eyes open. (And at 7 I became obsessed with the Fantasyland dark rides and neither Snow White–back when it was still focused on the scary–or Pinocchio were too much for me.)
Being the theme park fan you are, I’m assuming you’ve seen the video walkthroughs of Alien Encounter. It obviously can’t replace actually being there, but I’ve seen a few that do a pretty good job of capturing all of it. If you haven’t, I’d go check them out.
The Disney now is much more safe than Disney used to be, especially in the 70s and 80s. Walt was never worried about making stuff intense for kids- go watch the forest sequence in Snow White, Malificent turning herself into a dragon while declaring she’ll bring “all the powers of Hell” with her, or ten minutes of Chernabog in Fantasia. Something Wicked This Way Comes is a legitimate horror movie, even if it’s mostly safe for the younger crowd.
One of my favorite Disney Parks adaptations are the “Disney Kingdoms” Comics they made with Marvel right after the Marvel acquisition. The Haunted Mansion one is probably the best adaptation of that ride, period.
When are they going to make a movie based on the teacup ride?
They already did. It was directed by Tim Burton.