An annual tradition at Disneyland Resort has continued this year. This tradition comes in the form of gingerbread and can be found in Haunted Mansion Holiday. Every year, a massive gingerbread house is build in the ballroom scene of Haunted Mansion. Through the years there have been many different creative iterations of this gingerbread house. All of them have been creative and impressive. They all have also made this humble reporter hungry… every time. This year’s gingerbread is no exception.
On the opening day of Halloween Time 2023, the Daps Magic team stopped by the Disneyland Resort to check out the new gingerbread house and also see how Jack Skellington had decked the halls this year. As is often the case on the opening day of Haunted Mansion Holiday, guests were full of energy as they eagerly waited to go on the attraction. Knowing that the attraction generally has its shortest wait times in the morning, this is what the team did. Generally throughout the day the line just gets longer and longer. In this case, the line was only about 20 minutes the first time the team stopped by. Unfortunately, something went wrong so the team came back later… and was recognized by one of the cast members (as can be heard in the video). However, the end result was a full ride-through video of this year’s Haunted Mansion Holiday on the opening day. Check out the video and photos of this year’s Haunted Mansion Holiday here:
Haunted Mansion Holiday Fun Facts
- More than 400 flickering candles create a ghostly glow on the façade of Haunted Mansion Holiday. Each night, more than 100 jack-o-lanterns shine their ghoulish light.
- Jack Skellington and his ghost dog Zero appear in a fully animated sequence on the ceiling of the “stretching” room, which transports guests into the depths of the mansion. Zero also makes surprise appearances among the transforming portraits in the gallery corridor.
- For Haunted Mansion Holiday, Kim Irvine, Executive Creative Director at Walt Disney Imagineering, gives a spirited portrayal of Madame Leota, the psychic floating inside the crystal ball. Irvine’s mother, Disney Legend and longtime Imagineer Leota Toombs, originated the role in the classic attraction.
- In the Séance Room, Madame Leota’s “13 Days of Christmas” are featured in 13 spinning fortune cards that tell of the Christmas gifts which, as she proclaims, “My ghoul love gave to me…”
- Each year, a team of carpenters, storytellers, pastry chefs, bakers and confectionary and technical wizards collaborate to construct the mansion’s gingerbread house. The magnificent creation emanates the scent of tasty gingerbread throughout the Grand Hall, tempting Happy Haunts and mortals alike.
- The graveyard is covered with nearly 7,500 square feet of snow, and nearly 1,000 tiny orange lights decorate the trees – making it a festive place to rest.
- From man-eating wreaths to vampire teddy bears, more than two dozen additional animated figures “materialize” as part of the Haunted Mansion Holiday transformation.
What do you think of this year’s gingerbread house in the Haunted Mansion Holiday? What is your favorite part of the entire attraction this year? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
