Is Haunted Mansion closing? There is one rumor that I have heard several times over the past few days, and I think that it is something that needs to be addressed immediately. The rumor states that Haunted Mansion at the Magic Kingdom is going to close, and that it will reopen as a Coco themed attraction. There is not one shred of evidence to support that this is in the works. While anything is possible, I suppose, I think that this rumor is ridiculous. Here’s why.
First and foremost, Disney sells plenty of Haunted Mansion merchandise. There are t-shirts, ornaments, pins, coasters, MagicBands, puzzles, mugs, even Dooney & Bourke bags that sell for $268. If they planned to close the attraction, these things might still be available for a little while, but the list of items wouldn’t continue to grow. When’s the last time that you saw brand new merchandise for The Great Movie Ride? Point made.
The queue for Haunted Mansion was redone not all that long ago. While it’s true that the update was before Coco came out, it doesn’t make sense that they would update the ride if there was even a chance that it would be drastically changed a few years later. There have been other minor updates and improvements since then as well. That doesn’t sound like a ride that they are intending to scrap.
There is a float for Haunted Mansion in Mickey’s “Boo-to-You” Halloween Parade at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. If they were going to change the attraction, they would not be calling attention to it.
Haunted Mansion is a classic. It’s an opening day attraction that is much loved. While Disney does get rid of classics from time to time, it would not make any sense to get rid of something that has stood the test of time for a fairly new product, especially since the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary is coming around in 2021. I would hope that they plan to hang onto the opening day attractions for the celebration.
This isn’t the first rumor about Coco playing a larger part at Walt Disney World. Another rumor that has been around since before the movie was released is that it will replace Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros in Mexico at Epcot. That makes more sense, especially after Malestrom closed to make way for Frozen, with much success. Many still think that it’s a possibility, even though that rumor doesn’t have any evidence to back it up either.
If Disney does decide to close Haunted Mansion to change it to a Coco theme, you’ll hear about it everywhere. I would not be surprised if it made national news. Until then, file this one away into the “who comes up with this junk” category. I’ll let you know if anything changes.