BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted March 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 A photo update on the Haunted Mansion queue was posted to WDW Today 3/13 - sounds like it's almost done! :rofl2:Coral Rivera?s 3/12/11 WDW Photo ReportMarch 13, 2011 1:52 pmWDWNT Reporter Coral Rivera visited the Magic Kingdom & Epcot yesterday and has some newsworthy photos to share with us, so let?s take a look:Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMugThe new interactive Haunted Mansion queue is almost completeDetail of some of the new cryptsNotice the raven and the organ from the attraction featured on the cryptThe old tombstones are back in a new arrangementOne little tree is all that separates us from the new areaGlad they kept the old tombstones...Good to see these againSome more trees need to be planted, you can see backstage nowhttp://wdwnewstoday.com/archives/6688#more-6688 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted March 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 More info posted to WDW Magic 3/12...Update on the new Haunted Mansion hitchhiking ghosts sceneMar 12, 2011We have a small update today on the changes taking place in the hitchhiking ghosts scene at the Haunted Mansion. The black curtain that has covered the mirrors has now been slightly lowered, exposing some interesting imaging electronics. First up are pairs of cameras located along the top of the mirrors, and secondly, a row of what appears to be infra-red illuminators are lining the top of each mirror.We know that the new scene will use animated characters instead of the physical props, but it was still expected that glass and mirrors would be used to combine the animation with the reflection of the guests. The amount of imaging electronics now in this scene begs the question as to whether the new hitchhiking ghost scene will use the animated ghosts along with guest images captured by camera, rather than the previous mirror effect. If so, this opens up a whole new level of creative effects that could be included in this scene. Hopefully we'll find out soon, as progress appears to be taking place rapidly at the Mansion.http://www.wdwmagic.com/Attractions/Haunted-Mansion/News/12Mar2011-Update-on-the-new-Haunted-Mansion-hitchhiking-ghosts-scene.htmAnother report with more photos... PHOTOS - Latest look from this morning at the extended Haunted Mansion queueMar 11, 2011Here is a latest look at the newly expanded queue area for the Haunted Mansion. It was not yet open to guests, despite a 25 minute wait, but it looks to be very close to being ready. No signs of any obvious construction are left, so we should get to see some more of the details very soon. Until then, here is a look from the Riverboat. As always, click the thumbnails for the large versions.http://www.wdwmagic.com/Attractions/Haunted-Mansion/News/11Mar2011-PHOTOS---Latest-look-from-this-morning-at-the-extended-Haunted-Mansion-queue.htm Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lou... 3,118 Posted March 15, 2011 Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 Latest from Disney on the HM queue.The new area will be open soon for guests to explore. Upon entering the Mansion?s courtyard, guests will be able to see, touch, hear, and play with several new, interactive elements that have been added into the queue. A preview phase will take place over the next few weeks, Disney will be gathering feedback from guests and adjusting the experiences to make sure they deliver the most fun for guests.The enhanced queue will be open periodically on a limited basis until the end of the month while Disney fine-tunes the guest experience. The full queue will open in April. The Haunted Mansion will remain open while testing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted March 15, 2011 Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 These changes sound pretty cool! I usually don't like when a ride changes so much and isn't true to its heritage, but these changes look like good updates to me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bord1niowa......Curt 79 Posted March 15, 2011 Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 Sounds like they're making one of our favorite rides even better! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted March 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 Update posted 3/14 on WDW Today - I've only copied over a few photos, there are a bunch more, follow the link to the full article at the end.PICTURES: NEW Interactive Queue at the Haunted Mansion Open to GuestsMarch 14, 2011 6:09 pmThe new interactive queue area for the Magic Kingdom?s Haunted Mansion that we have been watching the construction of since October 2010 has finally been completed! WDWNT Reporter Taylor Martina was on the scene to bring us pictures and a first-hand report of the new elements:The line was long, really a perfect day to open the new interactive queueSome small trees are still up in the queue, even though the new area is openThe manager told guests they could take the quick way in or what he called ?the more fun way? through the new queueAfter a few switchbacks?Guests funneled down the side?Cast members can switch this gate open if the interactive queue is not operatingWe?re going in!These busts are still behind small trees, not ready for guests quite yetSome of the old tombstones are peppered through the switchbacks of the new areaThe band from the graveyard scene represented hereEach instrument plays Grim Grinning Ghosts when guests touch itThey are all synced up, so guests can jump in with multiple instruments half-way through a songGuests were loving it!The front of this tomb has the organ from the ballroom scene, and you can play it by touching it! Air even comes out of the pipes of the organ!What?s this?It?s a Ravenscroft, a great nod to Thurl RavenscroftThe other side has some more sinister instruments for guests to play?Master Gracey has a new plot in the DEAD center of the new areaSome of the other old tombstones are up on the hill next to the new areaThe Sea Captain?s tomb sprays water all over guests randomlyThere is a constant mist and water spurts from the sides and top. It was warm today, so expect this to be turned off in colder weatherBookcases reminiscent of the library sceneThis book writes courtesy of the individual who wrote all of the rhyming epitaphsA voice reads the writing as it is transcribed and then asks guests as muses to finish the rhyme by yelling out the proper final wordThe page then wipes for a new oneYou can finish this one since the photo was taken before the final word was writtenThe books on the opposite side of the crypt pop in and out, we are not sure if this will pertain to an activity at this timeA new door is in place for handicap guests to enter towards the back of the new queue area. Notice the references to Paul Frees, Ken Anderson, Rolly Crump, and Blaine Gibson!It didn?t look like this was being used yet?Stairs are probably for cast members, but we can?t be sure yetPrudence Pock is identified as the writer on the back of the bookcase cryptGuests were really enjoying thisThe back of the Sea Captain?s crypt has portholes? am I being too optimistic in thinking these might be from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea?Here is the merge point of the two queuesThe area near then entrance is still behind scrims, but you can see MAdame Leota?s tomb is still thereThe old servant?s quarters hallway is being widened. This shot was taken right after the exit from the stretching roomHere is the other side by the exit, where they have already removed the old handicap entrance signage and widened the doorway. Still no word on how handicap loading will be changing yet?Stay tuned to WDW News Today as we continue coverage of changes to the Haunted Mansion at the Magic Kingdom, including some video of the new interactive queue coming later this week!http://wdwnewstoday.com/archives/6693#more-6693 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted March 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 More on the Disney Parks blog today - follow the link at the end to watch the video...Video Sneak Peek: Haunted Mansion Interactive Queue at Magic Kingdom Parkposted on March 15th, 2011 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney ParksAttention Foolish Mortals: Walt Disney Imagineering has an exclusive first look at the new interactive queue being added to the Haunted Mansion attraction at Magic Kingdom Park ? and it?s something you?ll want to check out. Your experience will now begin with a new story line inspired by some of your favorite characters previously seen only inside the Haunted Mansion. There are new crypts and other ?spooky? sights to see as well as my favorite tombstones with witty epitaphs to the dearly departed like, ?Drink A Toast To Our Friend Ken, Fill Your Glass And Don?t Say ?When.??Today, Walt Disney Imagineering show producer Eric Goodman and show designer and art director Pete Carsillo are giving Disney Parks Blog readers a first video tour of the queue and a look at the amazing Decomposing Composer?s Crypt. The new Tomb has two sides of interactive instruments that sound as weird as they look. See for yourself.Looks great, right? The grand opening of the new interactive queue is tentatively slated for the end of the month. Stay tuned to the blog for the latest information.http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/03/video-sneak-peek-haunted-mansion-interactive-queue-at-magic-kingdom-park/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
doodlebug....Cherie 461 Posted March 15, 2011 Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 Wow that is way cool :rofl2: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted March 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 Another report today from WDW Magic. This one has a ton of photos, many similar to those above, so I won't post them all. Follow the link to the article to see them... PHOTOS - New interactive Haunted Mansion queue opens for guest previews this afternoonMar 14, 2011It has been months in the making (and has evolved so far beyond what was tested back in early 2010), but those guests who braved 65 minute waits for the Mansion this afternoon were treated to a preview of the new interactive queue area.Built near to the end of the regular queue (see these photos for an idea of where the new queue is located), this new area takes guests into an extension of the Haunted Mansion, and provides an additional layer of detail to the backstory to the attraction. In keeping with Disney's push for more advanced queues, the new Mansion queue features all manner of interactive elements. You can touch instruments and hear them spring to life - in the style of the Haunted mansion musical score of course! There are sound effects everywhere, air blasts, water jets, a mini-game and lots of eye candy - including a Marc Davis tribute. The entire queue area is not yet complete, and more is being worked on. But what has been revealed already is a very impressive addition to the Mansion, and will really give fans something to be excited about. No word yet whether the queue will remain open beyond today's previews, but if you are in the area, it's well worth a check to see and interact with it yourself. Today, guests were given the choice of the "fun" route via the new interactive queue, or via the "fast" route, which bypassed the new area. It's not clear if this is how it will operate once it fully opens. If so, it would be a great way to eliminate that pressure of people behind you pushing you through the main queue, limiting your time in the interactive area.http://www.wdwmagic.com/Attractions/Haunted-Mansion/News/14Mar2011-PHOTOS---New-interactive-Haunted-Mansion-queue-opens-for-guest-previews-this-afternoon.htm Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Momoffive aka Loretta 34 Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Here's a You Tube tour...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUQxzdcL7roVery cool!!Attention Foolish Mortals: Walt Disney Imagineering has an exclusive first look at the new interactive queue being added to the Haunted Mansion attraction Magic Kingdom Park Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Total Joker ... TJ 203 Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fWLV3Fqn_k&feature=related Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 We rode yesterday" but just missed the new area. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lil Lisa 53 Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 This is going to be so cool!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted March 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 WDW News Today just reposted the Disney Parks blog video, but also a new video from one of their people as well...http://wdwnewstoday.com/archives/6719 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted March 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2011 Posted on Inside the Magic today. Follow the link at the end for photos/video...First Look: Hitchhiking Ghost animatronics return with enhanced ?spirit? in The Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney WorldbyRicky BrigantePosted on March 23, 2011When we reported last month that The Haunted Mansion?s animatronic Hitchhiking Ghosts had been replaced by projections, we said the change was likely temporary while work continued behind-the-scenes. Today Disney Imagineers materialized the newest versions of these famous specters, once again in animatronic form.Ezra, Phineas, and Gus, as they?ve come to be called, are brighter than ever, with an eerie blue glow. The trio no longer stutter through repetitive hitchhiking motions, instead smoothly waving their hands back and forth, thumbs-out, in a more realistic manner. Their heads turn as well, offering additional realism to the figures.But enough of the description. See the new Hitchhiking Ghost animatronics for yourself in the video below:Also new is what appears to be a stack of luggage (and possibly a portrait) next to Phineas on the left of the scene. While the ghosts are bright blue, the new props are quite dark and difficult to make out, even after two rides through The Haunted Mansion.The overall look of the Hitchhiking Ghosts now more closely resembles that of their projected versions that follows them in the still-covered mirrors in the Mansion?s finale scene. It seems that effect isn?t quite finished, though it does appear that those projections are here to say (and will possibly be interactive once complete).The new Haunted Mansion interactive queue was also not open today, with work still going on inside. That, along with these new Hitchhiking Ghost effects (and likely projections), should be complete by the end of this month or early April. But at the moment, the classic animatronics have returned in an updated form ready to ?follow you home.?http://www.insidethemagic.net/2011/03/first-look-hitchhiking-ghost-animatronics-return-with-enhanced-spirit-in-the-haunted-mansion-at-walt-disney-world/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted March 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2011 Some new pics of the completed graveyard posted to WDW News Today...http://wdwnewstoday.com/archives/6732#more-6732Hopefully some of you are going to be there soon and can get us some pics and first hand accounts. Sounds like the new interactive queue has been up and down lately. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
homebrew 14 Posted March 27, 2011 Report Share Posted March 27, 2011 No pictures to post I'm afraid but my family and I got to sample it and it's pretty cool. When going thru the line, you're given the option to visit it or not. It's well worth doing. :D Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted March 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 Some photos we haven't seen yet from Mouseplanet...A family of busts (or busts of a family) invite you to solve a murder mystery in the Haunted Mansion's new interactive queue. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.Uncle Jacob. Greed was the poison he had swallowed. He went first, the others followed. His killer's face he surely knew. Now try to discover who killed who. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.Bertie: Avid hunter and expert shot. In the end that's what he got. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.Aunt Florence: Never did a dishonorable deed. Yet found face down in canary seed. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.The Twins: Wellington & Forsythia. Departed life while in their beds. With identical bumps on identical heads. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.Cousin Maude: Our Sleeping Beauty, who never woke. The night her dreams went up in smoke. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.Recast replicas of the original gravestones representing Imagineers are still found throughout. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.http://www.mouseplanet.com/9578/Walt_Disney_World_Resort_Update Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted April 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2011 More new pics posted to WDW News Today...The new enhanced hitchiking ghosts effect inside the Mansion...http://wdwnewstoday.com/archives/6754#more-6754 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted April 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Follow the link for the video from WDW News Today...Haunted Mansion Debuts New, Cutting-Edge Hitchhiking Ghost SceneApril 4, 2011 6:00 pmAfter months of speculation as to what was changing in the famous Hitchhiking Ghost scene at the Magic Kingdom?s Haunted Mansion, we don?t have to wonder any longer. Phineas, Ezra, and Gus are now executing some ghostly gags through the use of new infrared technology that was installed while the temporary curtains and projection ghosts (or Curtain Ghosts as we have been jokingly calling them) were displayed. Guests are now seeing their heads ?vanish? before their very eyes and ghosts not only sitting in the vehicle with them, but also on top of their Doombuggy. The technology also recognizes if there is one, two, or even no one in the Doombuggy and gives different effects accordingly as you?ll see in the provided video. This is just the first version of this scene to be tested while Imagineering works out the kinks with the system. Once this test and adjust period is through, expect to see the effect improved through some simple software updates and then rolled out to the Haunted Mansion attractions around the world. Without any further ado, here?s a quick look at the new scene:http://wdwnewstoday.com/archives/6774 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted April 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2011 An even better video with clearer picture posted on Screamscape...http://www.screamscape.com/html/wdw_-_magic_kingdom.htm#Mansion Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Total Joker ... TJ 203 Posted April 6, 2011 Report Share Posted April 6, 2011 THAT WAS TOTALLY WICKED!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
canadianfockerfiend Trevor 1 Posted April 6, 2011 Report Share Posted April 6, 2011 my daugher about crapped her pants when she saw the peoples heads being changed. She was like daddy can we go there now huh huh daddy can we. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BouncingTiggers 98 Posted April 6, 2011 Report Share Posted April 6, 2011 Wow that looks cool. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
beccaewert 10 Posted April 6, 2011 Report Share Posted April 6, 2011 I'm excited to ride it in June (maybe several times) lol,... I thought the switching head thing was neat.....always amazes me how they do it! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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