2025 is a big year for Disneyland. It’s the 70th anniversary of the iconic theme park and the event is bringing back a host of incredible entertainment from years past as part of the celebration. It will also see the debut of an animatronic Walt Disney, a somewhat controversial choice, but one that will certainly be a big deal when it happens. But it’s maybe an even bigger year for the Haunted Mansion, because we’ll actually get that beloved ride.
2024 was the year without a traditional Haunted Mansion attraction. The ride was closed at Disneyland for most of the year for the construction of a new queue area, and only opened in time for the Halloween season, which means we went straight into Haunted Mansion Holiday, the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay that traditionally starts in September and lasts until just after the new year.
For a minute thee it looked like 2025b was going to be different because it was originally announced that Haunted Mansion Holiday would not open until November this year, meaning that we would get the traditional mansion for Halloween. However, in a statement sent to CInemaBlend, Disneyland Resort said...
We look forward to welcoming Haunted Mansion Holiday back for Halloween Time on Aug. 22. Incorrect dates published on the website this morning are being updated.
I'm more than a little bummed that the original news isn't true because keeping the mansion open longer is actually a great idea.
The Haunted Mansion Should Always Remain It’s Traditional Self For Halloween
I don’t dislike Haunted Mansion Holiday, at least not the way Ryan Gosling does. I think it's one of ways Disneyland is better than Walt Disney World. But whether you consider The Nightmare Before Christmas primarily a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie, to me the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay is very much Christmas themed rather than Halloween. As such, visiting it during the Halloween season feels out of place.
At Christmas it makes sense. An attraction that’s a little spooky, combined with some holiday cheer, is exactly what a lot of people would probably like from the Haunted Mansion in November and December... but not October. October needs to have a spookier mansion, and the traditional version has always been better in that regard.
The Haunted Mansion Change Might Be A One Year Anomaly
The Haunted Mansion is currently closed to transition out of the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay and when it reopens on January 18, it will be the first time since August 2023 that the traditional version of the mansion has been open. Considering the extended closure, an extended run of the classic mansion isn't the worst idea.
There’s also the fact that the 70th anniversary of Disneyland is starting this summer, and so having the “classic” mansion open for more of the celebration period makes some sense.
