The future looks grim for some Disney-horror fans — but not for long.
The Anaheim, California, amusement park, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary, is putting a pause on the beloved Haunted Mansion ride, based on the 2003 film.
After looking at the Disney park’s website page for the attraction, fans discovered that it will be closed for a period over the summer, likely for its seasonal makeover.
Starting August 11, park goers won’t be able to hop on a Doom Buggy for a tour of the eerie mansion with grim grinning ghosts.
While the Disney website currently shows no availability for the ride through the end of the month, the Daily Mail reported that its set to reopen on August 22.
When the Haunted Mansion returns from the dead, it will have been given a Halloween makeover with the spooky theme of Tim Burton’s “The Night Before Christmas.” Jack Skellington, Zero and other characters from the movie will be featured.
The ride’s spruce up is the start of the Haunted Mansion Holiday, decorated first for spooky season and later for the winter holidays. The spirited decor will adorn the attraction through early 2026.
Disneyland has not officially given a reason for the closure, but the timing matches up with previous years’ timelines as the attraction gets its seasonal makeover.
In 2024, however, the holiday remake of the mansion opened earlier than usual in July — but that came after a much longer closure as the park made major updates to the ride, such as a more accessible elevator for guests with disabilities, revamped landscaping and the opening of Madame Leota’s Somewhere Beyond gift shop.
Though a temporary closure of an attraction due to updates or makeovers is not unusual, fans typically still get upset regardless — especially for the Haunted Mansion, which is one of the park’s most iconic attractions and people sometimes visit specifically for this ride.
A few other attractions are going to be temporarily closed for seasonal updates as the official anniversary approaches on July 17.
Pixar Pal-A-Round eccentric wheel and the Star Tours motion simulator in Tomorrowland will both be closed then for seasonal refurbishments, as will the Main Street Cinema as they install the new “Last Verse” video.
The Redwood Creek Challenge Trail and the Storybook Land Canal Boats will both temporarily close July 21, and on July 28, DCA’s Incredicoaster and Casey Jr. Circus Train will be put on pause.
