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Behind the Scenes: Hatbox Ghost Reappears in Haunted Mansion at Disneyland Park

Erin Glover

by , Director, Publicity, Walt Disney Animation Studios

This weekend, one of the 999 happy haunts in the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland park reappeared after decades in hiding. Take a look!

Hat Box Ghost

Hat Box Ghost

Today, I’m excited to share a behind-the-scenes look at this mysterious resident from our friends at Walt Disney Imagineering. Watch as they take us inside the reappearance of the Hatbox Ghost.

Come see the Hatbox Ghost for yourself now at the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland park!

Destinations: Behind the Scenes: Hatbox Ghost Reappears in Haunted Mansion at Disneyland Park

Topics: Behind the Scenes

Comments

  • Will he still be there during the fall/holiday nightmare before Christmas overlay? Or will Jack be forced to take over another area of the park?

  • Kathryn I was going to ask the same thing! We are headed out for a week in Disney in November and was hoping to see him then. Is he going to be a new permanent fixture or just a temporary addition? Hopefully he will be there at least until the end of the Diamond Celebration!

  • Hi Erin,

    Will the Hatbox Ghost still be there when the Nightmare Before Christmas overly happens in October? My family and I are going and we’re really hoping to be able to see him. My brother is “dying” to see him. Can you answer this for me?

  • This is so amazing! What a way to celebrate. I just hope he sticks around for longer than a year. And can WDW get him too, please?

  • So scary! I might have to go through the ride with my eyes shut again… Thanks a lot, highly competent Imagineers!

  • I have been a fan of this ghost for a long time….I am glad he came home (or reappeared). He was missed.

  • I never thought we would ever get to see the Hatbox Ghost! I cannot wait to see him in person!

  • Thanks for your response Erin!

  • I saw old Hattie on Sunday and I must say, WELL DONE DISNEY! This is amazing. The technology is top notch and I am so impressed beyond belief! After seeing this I can’t wait to see what The Matterhorn and revamped Peter Pan have in store 🙂

  • Hi Erin, this is great! Do you have any idea if the Hatbox Ghost will be appearing in Florida? A lot of us fans from the UK don’t make it as far as the West Coast and we’d love to see him! Thanks so much, Tim.

    • I don’t have any information to share on that. I’m sorry.

  • How long will he be in the mansion? I will be at disneyland in December and am wonder if I will get the chance to see him.

  • Since both the CA and FL Haunted Mansions were constructed at the same time (although the FL inner workings were stored for a couple of years, there HAD to have been a Hat Box Ghost constructed for WDW but it just didn’t make it to Florida. I hope the Magic Kingdom’s Haunted Mansion will be restored, too. (By the way, it would also be nice to get back some of the Fantasyland rides in the Magic Kingdom, too–Mr. Toad and a Pinocchio ride rather than a Pinocchio burger joint.)

  • Mark– The general consensus is that the hatbox ghost has always been in the mansion, it’s just now he has finally made himself visible again. So there are still 999 happy haunts. As this post says, the hatbox ghost has “reappeared after decades in hiding.”

  • I’d also love the high-res version for a desktop wallpaper. Thanks!

    • I’m working on it – stay tuned!

  • Wow, just missed it – we were just at Disneyland on May 8th, and were disappointed that the Haunted Mansion was closed. I wish they would have reopened it on May 8th instead!

  • OK, great, but what is the story of the ghost kicked out of the HM to make room? 999 haunts, not 1000, who got kicked out?

    • Don’t worry, Mark – no one was kicked out. We suspect the Hatbox Ghost has been there the whole time, we just couldn’t see him. He has simply reappeared.

  • Saw him this weekend during Tink race then had to go see him twice this morning. He is such a fine fellow. Love it.

  • Guillermo del Toro said that the central spook in his upcoming Haunted Mansion film is the Hatbox Ghost. If the movie does as well as I think and hope it will, I’m sure old Hatty will come out to socialize in Florida (think of the way Captains Jack Soarrow and Hector Barbossa appeared in the PotC rides). But maybe he’ll receive our sympathetic vibrations sooner, and begin to materialize before the movie.

  • Finally after so long. Hope they bring him to WDW down the road.

  • I rode Haunted Mansion on Saturday. The hatbox ghost is fantastic! He looks great. Well done! 🙂

  • Thats awesome Erin! Thanks for posting the pics and video. Can you guys post the pics as high resolution desktops?
    Thanks

    • Great idea! These were taken by Disneyland Chief Photographer Paul Hiffmeyer, of course, so I’ll see what we can do.

  • Giving the guests what they want has always been a key hallmark in how Disney runs their business. This is certainly no exception. Very well done, with their usual storytelling panache, magic, and class.

  • Omg I can’t wait to see him. Is he still in the attic ? Or is tha new room ? Thank you Erin for the video

    • You see him just as you exit the attic and head out to the graveyard.

  • His attitude is positively funereal, Erin. Perhaps a Fried Green Tomato Sandwich from the Hungry Bear might pep him up a little? 😉

    • Always works for me! 😉

  • Awesome! Will be sure to wear my Hatbox Ghost T-shirt when next on this attraction.

  • Very cool! Any chance we see him at WDW as well (sometime down the road perhaps)? Or is this destined to be a Disneyland exclusive?

  • Florida

  • WICKED!!! Will Floruda get one in 2031?!?

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