Originally Posted By CuriousConstance I enjoy the haunted mansion holiday almost as much as the regular haunted mansion, so this is exciting! <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.insidethemagic.net/2013/08/haunted-mansion-holiday-to-receive-new-effects-scary-surprises-for-13th-year-of-nightmare-overlay-at-disneyland/">http://www.insidethemagic.net/...neyland/</a>
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I'm bummed that my next two visits (at likely my only visits for the next year) will be when they're installing and removing the holiday overlay. While I prefer the original version, I'd much rather have the holiday version than nothing Really now, whose idea was it to have the ride closed over Labor Day and MLK weekends? Those are both huge times for the park, with an iconic attraction closed those dates year after year
Originally Posted By DBitz2 That is a big bummer. They don't usually close it before Labor Day for the HMH install. I was surprised to see that.
Originally Posted By disneylandfan8 I believe last year was the first time they closed earlier to put in the overlay and opened around Sept 15. Normally, doesn't it open the first Friday of October?
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "The Stretching Portrait Gallery will feature a new animation effect featuring stained glass windows shattering and a surprise appearance Jack Skellington." I'm not a big fan of the Halloween makeover, but that sounds cool.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>I'm not a big fan of the Halloween makeover, but that sounds cool.<< Not to mention, familiar.
Originally Posted By 9oldmen "The Stretching Portrait Gallery will feature a new animation effect featuring stained glass windows shattering and a surprise appearance Jack Skellington." Sounds like the same thing they always have. The part about Zero the ghost dog flying through the changing paintings sounds like something new. It almost sounds like they got that idea from the queue area for Universal's Harry Potter ride, where you're in the Gryffindor common room and you see one of the flying benches flying through those paintings. The gingerbread creation will be new, but again, that changes every year anyway,as we all know.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 It's been a while since I've seen it; I thought you just HEARD the sound of shattering glass, but didn't see it as a visual effect.
Originally Posted By doombuggy I liked the first year much better then now. It used all carols then they switch to using nothing but "kidnap sandy clause". The Ballroom was the best music using "Carol Of The Bells". The grave yard now sounds just god awful, It's all so disjointed.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Yes, the in the past they've had stained glass-looking windows and a breaking sound, but no visual accompanyment. It always seemed strange to me to have the separated stained glass at the top and bottom of the stretching images for no apparent reason, so maybe this will 'explain' it better I never saw the overlay in its first year, but the soundtrack was released in the DL 50th boxed set, and I much prefer it to the current version. Apparently Danny Elfman was unsure if the overlay would be a success, so he didn't want his music associated with it and the first year used and entirely original vaguely-Elfman-esque score. When he saw how successful it was, he gave them his blessing to use his music, which led to the current incarnation. I agree that the new music is much less inspired, and basically just repeats itself the whole time Fun fact: the music box music they play in the queue came from DLP's Phantom Manor queue. It's actually a counter melody to Grim Grinning Ghosts (and completely mindnumbing after about 2 minutes)
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt >>"The Stretching Portrait Gallery will feature a new animation effect featuring stained glass windows shattering and a surprise appearance Jack Skellington." Sounds like the same thing they always have.<< Does it? I guess I don't remember seeing that. It's been a while since I was at the park during Halloween Time.
Originally Posted By phruby I think it would be cool if they had Zero flying overhead through the corridor of doors area. It would be kind of a nod to the original idea of a ghost flying pass the doombuggies in that area.
Originally Posted By doombuggy I loved the music box when I first heard it at DLP. Then when I heard it at HMH I was REALLY happy. But yes after 2 hrs I can see how it would get old. Now I like sitting there listening to it while sipping a mint julep.
Originally Posted By doombuggy "It always seemed strange to me to have the separated stained glass at the top and bottom of the stretching images for no apparent reason" They do serve a purpose. As it progresses each painting has eyes that light up as the GH tells the story. The glass make up the teeth of the now huge mouth. It wasn't until our trip 2 years ago I noticed this.
Originally Posted By 9oldmen I just have this feeling that the stained glass effect will be the same as before, and the article just called in "new" because of a possible miscommunication, and a person writing the copy who's maybe never been on HMH. I said MAYBE. Then again, we're in an era now where a "Mara" face can transform and open his(her?) eyes through projections, and where the Queen from Snow White can transform into a hag, along with her whole throne room transforming in a similar fashion, so maybe I'll be proven wrong. Projected breaking stained glass might be doable and maybe that's what we're going to see.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I was thinking that it would be a projection. In past years, we've seen skull heads 'projected' on the walls of the stretching gallery using searchlight-type lights with a filter over them. It seems reasonable to assume that they could replace those lights with projectors and be able to control the image a lot better, allowing the stained glass effect and other shapes as well As for the monster/teeth, I guess that makes sense. I've seen the glowing red eyes, but just assumed that it was supposed to be the wreath that was alive, since there's a living wreath later in the ride. I never thought of it being a monster of its own
Originally Posted By tashajilek This is the first year in long time that I'm not going to see it I wish WDW would do the same with their mansion, but I can't complain because I like the WDW version better anyways. I wish they would change up Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy ever few years . After seeing it for a few years some changes would be nice. I would also like to see some sort of Halloween overlay in TOT, would be nice to see a overlay in DCA .
Originally Posted By leemac <<It seems reasonable to assume that they could replace those lights with projectors and be able to control the image a lot better, allowing the stained glass effect and other shapes as well>> There were some trials a few years back to see if the stretching portraits would work in a digital format rather than the current analog method. In the pre-show for TDS' ToT there is a large stained glass window that is used to tell the backstory. We tried to see if we could see a similar technology for HMH but is was too difficult to fit both physically and thematically into the octagonal room. I always thought that the sudden blackout and the shattering glass sound effect was going to be preferable to any VFX. It just doesn't need it. The greatest disappointment over TDA's treatment of HMH is the lack of investment to change out the attic scene and final scene. The plan was to change those annually.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>I would also like to see some sort of Halloween overlay in TOT, would be nice to see a overlay in DCA.<< While it was hardly as extensive as HMH or Ghost Galaxy, TOT did get somewhat of an overlay during the first couple HalloweenTime promotions. They had an archway made out of bats that went across the walway near the Hyperion, and added some Halloween props to the lobby and the shop's exterior windows. They also had undead-looking bellhops who would occasionally tell 'scary' stories in front of the attraction. Nothing huge, but a nice touch. When they first started the HalloweenTime promotion, the Sunshine Plaza had a really extensive overlay to become Candy Corn Acres. They knew that they would be redoing that area in the forseeable future, so the props were all designed so they could be used in the farm area after the redo. Ironically, the farm area was also removed in the redo, leaving just enough space for a transition to Flik's Fun Fair. A couple stalks of candy corn got placed next to a statue of Heimlich, but the rest of the props are long gone (many were sold at the character outlet) I think it's sad that DCA really doesn't do anything for Halloween any more. I think Buena Vista Street would look great in fall colors. When they first began HalloweenTime, the focus seemed to be on DCA, with the huge Sunshine Plaza overlay, TOT enhancements, and after-hours trick-or-treat parties. The parties moved to DL during the construction a couple years ago, and the other aspects are long gone
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>I always thought that the sudden blackout and the shattering glass sound effect was going to be preferable to any VFX. It just doesn't need it.<< I agree, but the stained glass always seemed odd to me in the first place. It's only there long enough to break, and isn't particularly Christmas-ey on its own. The images are certainly appropriate, but there's no reason that they needed to be done in windows rather than painted. I guess I'm just disappointed that there arent any portraits that 'stretch' to reveal anything, but rather the windows break to reveal unroll an unrelated scroll >>The greatest disappointment over TDA's treatment of HMH is the lack of investment to change out the attic scene and final scene. The plan was to change those annually.<< What were some of the proposed changes? The attic feels very unfinished to me (as did the normal version before the new bride), and I understand that the regular hitchhiking ghosts were used the first few years until Oogie Boogie was added Does Tokyo change their rooms annually? Or just the gingerbread house, like at DL?
