What the NEW Bride Means for the Future of The Haunted Mansion...

[@OffhandDisney]

Only reply to this comment if you're a creepy creep with eerie eyes that is currently starting to shriek and/or harmonize.

[@Lemoncoder103]

I’ve come to socialize!!! 👻

[@cabbagemerchant9428]

Phew! Just made the cut

[@missyann2641]

scary spook sitting by your side 👻

[@disney_expert]

“shriek”

[@murder.8]

ive lost gallons to you

[@onbearfeet]

That AI art is inexcusable. Disney employs thousands of artists, and has for generations! They couldn't have printed out and framed an old piece of 1969 concept art, or given a staff artist an hour to sketch something spooky?

[@wheelsee]

This is covered in the LA Times article “The moment clearly weighed on Irvine. "How they can find one thing out of all this cool stuff," Irvine says of the fan outcry, trailing off as she stood in the shop full of artfully created oddities and references to tarot and mysticism. She stresses that the AI art was a temporary placeholder, noting there are many objects coming to the shop - more paintings and tapestries among them - that are in the process of being fireproofed before final install” "They felt like it would be appropriate for a short time until they could put something else in," Irvine said of the ill-fated art. "They never intended to do anything bad, and it is gone now. We're going to bring something back in that is hand-painted, like all of these other pieces are."

[@chickenwiretire]

I feel like some idiot bought the print NOT knowing it was ai.

[@wheelsee]

@@chickenwiretire 100% it was a placeholder and probably required zero approvals. We’ve all been there.

[@jlewis37]

Glad they went back to beating heart bride but I would’ve much preferred a modern animatronic

[@KRobinson-ko1ne]

Same They do still have the animatronic in Tokyo Maybe the states will follow suit

[@Seonghwa_is_MOTHER]

AGREED

[@ABBY.IS.UNSTOPPABLE]

agreed, thats exactly my thought process, constance used to be a 8/10 for me, shes a screen- but i love her story, but his new bride is a 6/10- i like her story, its nice that shes the og bride, but bro she looks so bad!

[@ginadoyle4089]

I think even peppers ghost…I just don’t know that projections fit….i do prefer the new to the old.

[@TECfan1]

I like the effect of her dress gently moving from the wind and the lighting effect projected onto it. It gives it this eerie, ethereal vibe. However, I am not a fan of the face at all. It gives Virgin Mary. Swapping it out for an animatronic or better looking face is my only gripe.

[@Spalfos]

The bit about “celebrating” Constance makes me think she meant “Disney wants to sell more merch of the Bride, but it feels iffy to make merch about an axe murderer.” From that angle, I get it a little more

[@randomhuman_05]

Oh definetly, I’m a firm believer that the bride is still Constance, her murder/ are just a little more…implied than explicit

[@fusetunes]

me who has an entire corner of constance specific merch on my shelf: 😳

[@ILoveCats2muchYippie]

@@fusetunesi wanted to do that then they announced the new bride Lost my mind I’m so upset

[@indyjones3093]

Which is rather odd considering that they've just recently been selling hatchet-holding Constance in the gift shop. Though maybe that's just Disney needing to sell those out since they have them.

[@DrFranklynAnderson]

…do they realize what real Caribbean pirates were like?

[@Dan-sx9gl]

Just because Kim Irvine is Leota Tombs daughter doesn’t make her impervious to criticism. She’s been making a lot of bad decisions in my opinion. I also don’t buy that the AI artwork was intended to be temporary. I think she was just trying to save face after getting called out

[@gracestaton3618]

I think so too, especially after the whole thing on Reddit where they found a very very very almost too similar barn from Home Depot or Lowes to the one they put to the side of the mansion. It's no secret Disney tries to cut costs a lot.

[@princessmarlena1359]

‘Aye! **raises glass** 🍸

[@OffhandDisney]

I agree, she should be criticized when she has a bad take. She's done a lot of REALLY good things for the Mansion but the AI artwork is kind of wild.

[@beckwells25]

What I feel like big companies have a hard time grasping is that overall, people aren’t opposed to telling stories with controversial themes. In fact, I feel like as a society, we are getting braver and braver about telling stories that are taboo. What people have an issue with is telling these stories without giving them the grace and gravity that they deserve, or without acknowledging the audience who might not be able to handle them safely, for one reason or another. A warning at the beginning of the ride would be a simple, easy gesture that would give them more freedom to work with topics like the demise of the ghost host, or Constance Hatchaway’s… extracurricular activities. It’s easy to say that people are “too sensitive” or whatever, when the truth of the matter is that certain people have always had these sensitivities, we just haven’t given them their due respect until recent years. TELL CONTROVERSIAL STORIES! CREATE THE ART YOU WANT TO CREATE! But always be respectful of those who can’t or don’t want to consume the story you want to tell, and give the warnings that need to be given.

[@officialmonarchmusic]

Art can be created in a box, but that box needs to be set from the start, and the creatives need to be given freedom to work within that box, and the box needs to be roomy enough to fit good stories into. The problem is, it just isn’t like that anymore. Not only is the box there from the beginning, but algorithm execs are popping their heads in every 5 minutes with their rock-brained suggestions and it’s annoying. Stories SHOULD be advantageous. And I agree, trigger warnings are seriously a big deal and something that should be given before, but once it starts, it should be able to tell its own story

[@SirBuzz]

People survived Disney Parks before they started this cens0rship trend. It's not a parkgoer issue, it's a c-suite issue.

[@tufab3494]

Exactly! Our society has been breaking taboos for the past decades and now we'll gonna suddenly create them again? What? Why?

[@Stumme-40203]

The problem is when the people who don’t want to consume the story, try to say you can’t tell those stories because it’s “triggering”. The respect has to go both ways.

[@pizzazombie5209]

Facts

[@lamartya.4042]

You know something,... adults are sometimes more sensitive than children, and people worry about the wrong things. As to the "hanging man" I was almost a teenager by the time I realized it was someone who was being hanged. Before that, all the times as a child that I experienced the Haunted Mansion, I never realized that it was someone being hanged. And as a child experiencing the Haunted Mansion, I didn't really understand the intricacies of it all. All I knew was that they were ghosts of different kinds. Come on people, relax, and don't be so overly sensitive to everything.

[@floridawoman]

As someone who had a family member who took their own life, I still love the haunted mansion as is. However, if I was bothered by this attraction I would just skip it. I would never expect it to be changed to make me feel better. A disclaimer outside the ride would be fine but honestly with the name Haunted Mansion I think scary is implied.

[@KRobinson-ko1ne]

It is a family park and they want to avoid any exclusion as best they can If it’s deemed inappropriate to have a hanged corpse so be it That said they still have to pay off the set up within the narrative with SOMETHING: they can’t just reveal a blank ceiling like they’ve been doing in Orlando This is just a suggestion but in life maybe the host attempted immortality via occult ritual only for it to backfire The narrative can be conveyed visually through four illustrations When the lightning strikes the narrative/illuatrations can appear briefly on the surface of the paintings

[@tufab3494]

Precisely. I myself was already victim of attempt and got myself in a mental hospital for 2 weeks + months of weekly visits in decorrence of that. If I was sensible to it, it could indeed trigger me, but why should Disney change the attraction because of that? Some people can be triggered because they lost their husbands before their marriages, or because seeing a graveyard brings them trauma and many other ways of the mansion could make someone sad. As you and even Dallin said, they could just place a warning at the entrance and call it a day. No need to remove the hanging ghost because of such a reason, actually imo it is kinda of disrespecting not only to the original concept but also to the public itself. It feels like we are expecting to be fed with easily digestible stuff every time, like if all Disney attractions should have the same all-joy vibe to them. Like, no, they do not, some attractions should feel different from the others, that's why Disney is so unique, because they are the ones who set (or at least used to) the standards for other parks to follow. I can't see a logical reason for changing the stretching room in this sense. Add the bats, keep the skeleton, no need to treat the public like ultra sensitive toddlers like that

[@mondenkindqueen]

My question is, what’s going to replace it? A body merely draped over the rafters? It’s important for the special effects that the eye is drawn up.

[@tufab3494]

@@mondenkindqueen a bunch of bats flying downwards spparently

[@Evibbles]

@@mondenkindqueen Especially with the line clearly hinting at something "you could always try my way" suggesting he is about to show us how he "got out"

[@RoseNameMillie]

9:40 There’s a lot of Disney Fans that forget there’s a hanging person from the ceiling in the stretching room in The Haunted Mansion, it’s that fast of a glimpse. 😅

[@LisforLovelyLiz]

The answer that the AI are art work was just a “placeholder” seems like a straight up lie to me. I am trained interior designer and know that there are endless options available even within a quick timeframe especially to types of design firms that Disney is hiring. The fireproofing response is also a strange as well. Bad project management seems like real reason that it wouldn’t all come together at the same time. It’s such a small shop in scale of a project. Headed to Disneyland in two weeks and interested to see for myself!

[@OakForestBoys]

Not to mention they didn't mention this until people started complaining

[@shibalyss]

Exactly! I’m a graphic designer, and I don’t get the “placeholder” thing. I’m very anti-AI to any capacity because… that’s my job, so HOW did AI even come up as a placeholder in the first place. I know that had to have went through multiple levels of people as well who all saw that and OK’d it. Crazy !

[@gracestaton3618]

Yeah they absolutely just hoped people wouldn't notice. As if they don't have probably thousands of cool unused mansion props they could've hung up instead.

[@hamiltoncox7651]

@@LisforLovelyLiz The fire proofing excuse is pretty lame. I have to occasionally fire proof clothing on very short notice and it takes a day at most. If you have months to prepare a space with set dressing, what do you need placeholders for?

[@makkenahdottai4582]

Exactly, she just said that to cover her butt... they never intended to have it as a placeholder. Straight up bs

[@FindingTheForce]

They took away the axe, they’re going to take away the hanging man, next are the ghosts…. And the crows are far too scary. “Welcome to Disney’s Empty Mansion!”

[@Yensid951927]

With a replacement of the Hanging scene, it still has to be something that's scary. Heck, it's a haunted mansion, you're going in knowing that it can be something that scares you, something that alludes to death and creepy imagery. The Stretching Room is meant to give you a jolt of terror before you get onto the ride. Another example being the decaying portrait effect in Magic Kingdom's version. Freaked me out greatly as a kid but now I go in fully expecting it and embracing the macabre element it sets for the rest of the ride. Whatever they replace the hanging man with, it has to do two thing, be scary and make sense with the Ghost Host's line "There's always my way". Whatever that way is, make it scary.

[@KRobinson-ko1ne]

I’ve been saying this all throughout the comment section but here’s a suggestion: in life maybe the host attempted immortality via occult ritual only for it to backfire The narrative can be conveyed visually through four illustrations When the lightning strikes the narrative/illuatrations can appear briefly on the surface of the paintings

[@DrDespicable]

Wait - they're replacing the hanged man?! 😡

[@officialmonarchmusic]

The problem is that removing the hanging man makes the joke not make sense. If there’s just some bats flying around, what was “his way out” supposed to mean?

[@KRobinson-ko1ne]

Yeah I think so I saw some videos from the past month and I couldn’t see them

[@Praxissolomen]

I think with the new Spiderman animatronic or just something that simple. Instead of the hanging man have "someone" animatronically step out the window. No need to change the voice over with death and scary things still involved.

[@W1ldestride]

Some thoughts in general 1. The removal of the grim reaper for a tie in with the bride in the graveyard is one of my least favorite changes ever to the mansion imo 2. The “celebrating” thing has me worried since Disney is adding a show about villains to dhs, and a land about villains to mk. In the end of any villain land rides I don’t want to see a hero win or a villain be toned down, I want to see a villain being their evilest 3. Who do we count as the main villain of the mansion now? Me personally I would go with hatbox or the hitchhikers 4. All in all I love most of the changes to the mansion and would love to see more like this in the future

[@OakForestBoys]

Agree seeing the phantom replaced with a candlestick was so disappointing. Definitely was one of my favorite ghosts

[@michaelsullivan3581]

"Cap'n Gore" is still the bad guy...

[@Vantastic789]

On point 3: Why does the Haunted Mansion need a villain? Not all dark rides need a story, I like the old style that are just about setting up a little world for you to exist in for a while. It doesn't need an antagonist or any stakes.

[@princessmarlena1359]

Especially #2. “Muuuuaaaa-HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

[@RoseNameMillie]

0:56 The fact that you went all the way to Magic Kingdom’s The Haunted Mansion to look at The Bride is amazing. A+ for effort! 🎉🤟🏻

[@AtHomeImagineering-b4e]

Do you think he actually made that mistake?

[@RoseNameMillie]

@AtHomeImagineering-b4e nah, he’s probably revisiting cause he knows the high possibilities of the change to Magic Kingdom’s The Haunted Mansion might will happen, most likely. 🤟🏻

[@AtHomeImagineering-b4e]

@ I figured but I wanted to believe he did

[@jamesmb444]

He reminds me of Kurt from the Gilmore Girls. I could totally see Kurt making that mistake.

[@jamesmb444]

I think the heartbeat adds to the dread. The candelabra ties her to the endless hallway scene. (After all, you don’t actually see the ghosts until you encounter Madame Leota) In my head canon, the fact that her husbands disappear makes her a more tragic figure, like Melanie Ravenswood from Phantom Manor. ALTHOUGH…there is artwork that shows the bride getting dressed with her maid, and you can see an axe hidden behind the mirror.

[@michaelschroeck2254]

0:49 I was laughing so much just recognizing the architecture difference and thinking “ wrong park!!!” Well done.

[@TristanHathaway]

Me too. Liberty Square is very distinct

[@jelly956]

LET👏GHOST👏BRIDES👏BE👏AX👏MURDERERS👏 Although I think the new projection is a neat showoff of new tech, it's so meh compared to Constance ready to strike at any time (and actually saying creepy things to you). Also with the suitors/grooms now just disappearing, they could have leaned more into the Phantom Manor storyline where she's miserable and her father has been the one to cause their disappearances (when they disappear, you see the shadow of a man in the back of the portraits, maybe). Honestly wouldn't make much sense though in just that scene and you'd have to redo the ENTIRE ride to shoehorn him in. Also, from someone with uh... mental health experience (and was terrified of everything for a period as a child) if you're afraid of death/ghosts/etc. and/or have panic attacks related to these topics I don't think the Haunted Mansion should necessarily be your beeline attraction. If it is that much of a concern you can probably look up phobias present in the ride ahead of time, even if it's spoiling the ride (I guess???) It's really a poor excuse to just say they're trying to avoid offending people's sensitivities with "idolizing ax murderer black widow brides" when, no, people are not doing that, you drawing attention to it makes it even more ridiculous because it's literally a horror themed ride where she's seen as evil and scary, Anyways, the real horror here is AI art being used in an official Disney setting. You can tell it from a mile away too, sets a really bad image for a company based around creativity and art. Just buy some candles or find old props in the meantime, it's not ideal but it's better than painting "IM NOT PAYING AN ARTIST FOR THIS TEMPORARY WALL ART" on the wall. Kind of wonder if it was a test to see if people would notice (It's Disneyland. They would.)

[@FantogemeStudios]

The main problem with changing the hanging man is making the dialogue work.. like what was "his way"? Scary Bats in the rafters? That doesn't make sense. Unless they re-record the iconic Stretch Room with AI voices.. like .. idk man. It sets the tone for the entire ride going forward. The dark humor. I don't think they should be messing with that at all imho.

[@joshchandler1302]

Haunted Mansion is my favorite ride. I like the new bride. The removal of hanging man presents a few complex problems: "There's always my way..." has unmistakable context to it which, no matter how you change it, risks running into the same concerns. Replacing the hanging man with new context very likely nulls the scary tone the ride is setting up. This, to me, is like changing the opening shot in "Star Wars" or removing the the drop on Pirates of the Caribbean. It's a more fundamental change than normal.

[@robphillips1797]

I'm afraid they'll just replace the ghost host 's lines. That's removing Paul Frees! No! His recordings are like Beethoven symphonies ! They need to respect the original artists!

[@Found303]

I’m so glad I’m not alone with the Hatbox Ghost being in the wrong place. I went twice last year. The first time, they had taken the candelabra out of the never ending hallway. The 2nd time it was back and I was not feeling it.

[@loogoo]

That was one of my favorite moments - the utter creepiness of the candelabra just quietly floating in the distance, with no other distractions besides the suit of armor that would occasionally move. Now it's just too much going on and breaks the storyline of the ghosts not yet making themselves visible (until after the invocation by Madame Leota).

[@RoseNameMillie]

13:36 In the portrait still there, one of her paintings with her disappearing suitor, her name is still there spelled out, she is still: “Constance.”

[@Caterpillarjon]

Yep, came here to state the same thing.

[@SRKStar]

Yeah but like every bride has a name by the fans to tell the difference in history of the parks.

[@SRKStar]

I’d personally call this one the Banshee bride because I think the cheeks are hallowed out like one. And I suspect she died with malnutrition thus the cheeks are so angled purposefully.

[@Shi_gai]

Kinda hope they change her name because with Constance's full name being "Constance HATCHaway" her name kinda means nothing now if she's not a hatchet-wielding murderer and all the Ghost's names seem to be puns about their lives/deaths.

[@rynewood8243]

She is Constance in a changing world. Husbands may come and go, but she is Constance.

[@melissadahl7561]

I love her! I love that they went back to the beating heart bit but she doesn't look super creepy like some of the older beating heart brides did (she sort of reminds me of the old DL beating heart bride a little bit and I always liked her.) And yeah, I agree re what Kim said about people's sensitivities but at the same time, it's a haunted house. It has ghosts in it. If you just made it so no one would experience shock or fear (to a point) then what's the point of the ride? You might as well rename it "The Happy Mansion." So yeah...if they're really concerned about sensitivities, put a warning up out front like you suggest and let those of us who are okay with the scarier stuff and enjoy it have our ride so everyone wins.

[@loogoo]

This, and there are plenty of KZbin POV videos of this ride that people can preview. If the video's too much, then skip the ride IRL.

[@Neverfate]

I assume the switch to screens is to lower maintenance costs as usual.

[@crazziemonkke]

such a bummer. just build them better so they don’t need maintenance. duh!

[@anthony5775]

Enshittification

[@DiceyAsh]

It’s been so cool watching this channel grow for almost a decade. Keep up the great work man!

[@kelsmister]

Just wish theyd drop the projections.

[@KRobinson-ko1ne]

They have their place but they’re not to be used as a cheap short cut

[@sorcerersapprentice]

I really don't get Kim's logic with some of her reasoning for changing the bride. Just because people like a fictional villain, doesn't mean that they support similar actions in real life. That's like saying that fans of the show Hannibal support cannibalism, because they enjoy a TV show featuring one as a protagonist. People are allowed to enjoy fictional characters of all kinds, including villains.

[@gracestaton3618]

Somebody pointed out the fact that Disney making an entire villain inspired land in DW goes against her words which is absolutely true. How can you say you don't want people idolizing a murderer (which I don't think anyone did in the first place) only to make a whole land themed around murderers and criminals???

[@sorcerersapprentice]

@@gracestaton3618 I agree. It's all very hypocritical indeed.

[@tiki1750]

Truly don’t understand who Disney is appealing to with these changes. If someone finds murder or death so triggering why are they even entering a haunted mansion in the first place ?

[@princessmarlena1359]

Exactly. Too many ❄️ who want to ruin it for others.

[@aeroburger]

I really hope they don't remove the hanging ghost host. A Haunted House is inherently dark in theming. Completely sanitize it and you get casper. Also its been like... 50 years? Why now. The bride is a good change though, but the reasoning has me uneasy

[@KRobinson-ko1ne]

I said it before but if they have to I hope they put in the effort for an alternative reveal and not just reveal a blank ceiling like in Orlando I suggested when the lightning strikes project four images on the surfaces of the stretching paintings briefly The images can convey a narrative of the host in life attempting immortality through an occult ritual that backfired You’d have to replace the prop paintings with screens but I think it work, better than revealing a blank ceiling anyway

[@officialmonarchmusic]

@@KRobinson-ko1neWhat do you mean a blank ceiling in Orlando? They already removed the ghost host there?

[@KRobinson-ko1ne]

Yeah check out any recent video from WDW

[@aeroburger]

@@KRobinson-ko1ne I'm still seeing him

[@randomhuman_05]

I’ve def been feeling the same thing about adding a content warning for HM for years. If they do anything THAT is my preference.

[@disney_expert]

The hitchhiking ghosts at the end have unfortunately been breaking down. Out of the three rides I’ve gotten with the new effect the last 2 times it was just a mirror with no effect

[@jordancasillan5965]

What they could do to replace the hanging man is just switch his position instead of having him being held by the neck, switch it to him being hanged by his feet by a moving body going back and forth like someone is alive then he gets dropped on his neck. Still has that dark idea that "there's always my way" killing someone by hanging them on their feet and just dropping them so high but thats me. What do you guys think?

[@officialmonarchmusic]

Honestly, that’s not bad at all! It took me years to realize that that was the implication of the scene! I always thought it was that the person was going to die by falling after the rope broke. It still makes sense, and if you think about it, it’s almost funnier in a dark way

[@loogoo]

After all, they do have that sound effect after the lights go out of someone falling and landing with a crash.

[@MCRgrrl4ever]

This could work well! It is a brief moment in the ride, but it would be very reminiscent of how the chandelier drops in Phantom of the Opera right over the audience before the lights dim for a minute!

[@nkjellman]

Okay I like that idea. I think it'd be an improvement. Especially if the hanging person jolts down twoards the crowd when you hear the scream.

[@jtjgundam]

I think a content warning sign would be OK, there are worse things they could put out in front of the mansion. As for the celebrating an ax murderer comment, have they looked at the estimated revenue of merchandise with Freddy Krueger‘s face, or Michael Myers, or Jason Voorhees

[@srayj]

I’m guessing she’ll eventually be known as the floating bride.

[@GrimGrinningGhost55]

Well said offhand! I definitely agree that the best way to handle the stretching room is to just put a warning sign out front, but if changes have to be made, then whatever replaces it has be better

[@TheStumpyBrigade]

The thing with corporations using AI art is that we don’t know whether they would have changed it if there wasn’t public outcry. They obviously used it as a cost saving effort on some level and it’s highly likely that if no one noticed they would have taken the cheaper shortcut over paying real people for art.

[@IsaacDavis-p3c]

I think Constance Hatchaway is no more violent then the Evil Queen, Maleficent, Captain Hook, Cruella Deville, or Lucifer the cat. Constance is a villain. She isnt supposed to be idolized. Even the concept of the haunted mansion evokes imagery of evil ghosts who are cursed because of bad things they did.

[@scotth2313]

I agree with your question on why with the hitchhiking ghosts but it is far better than what they did with them in WDW. I hope they bring that upgrade to the east coast.

[@RoseNameMillie]

9:18 I see kids today wanting to ride the Alien ride, it was amazing to ride on as a kid, totally different feeling than what Stitch gave.

[@djphredpr]

Agree! Disney should place a warning sign in front of the Mansion like other rides. I think it’s great, it’s proven to work and help with the decision making when considering riding it! It’s great for first-time-rider. Also, I can agree on adjusting certain things on the ride to adapt it to our modern times as long it doesn’t affect the storyline, essence and experience of the ride itself!

[@samanthabarnhisel3049]

My tolerance for that kind of stuff varies. I saw a scene in a show of someone hanging in essentially the same way as an adult and still have nightmares about it. I need a heads up to know when to close my eyes lol

[@Cornberry]

This is like the Apple iPhone thing where they don’t allow villains to use iPhones in movies to avoid people associating them with bad people lol 😅

[@pcstudios182]

I'd like to think that the New bride's Candelabra is the same one that floats in the Endless hallway almost like an omage to the Phantom Manor where the Bride also holds the Candelabra in the hallway next to the Phantom. So sort of like showing how she's been there the whole time and is the first ghost we actually catch a glimpse of before we are actually able to see any ghosts (i.e. the ones in the ballroom)

[@DonnyG02]

Great video as always! Can’t wait to get back to ride the OG mansion, have a great week!

[@RoseNameMillie]

Honestly, I wish Disneyland in California would’ve went with the animatronic like they have in Disneyland Paris’s The Phanton Manor, I feel if they went in this direction then they should’ve gone all the way including an animatronic. I feel the projected face and body effect will not last long in age, we see this happen with the recent The Bride, Ana and Elsa on their ride, but I’m hoping that I’m wrong, cause the animatronic in The Phantom Manor has been going for some time.

[@cateisme]

They can’t seem to keep Tiana working so I bet they don’t feel like messing with animatronics if they can get away without them… I would have LOVED to seen an animatronic Bride who interacts and what not, it’s just ‘ok’…. It just comes off as an afterthought to me… 🤷🏻‍♀️ Like, kinda anticlimactic for the ‘STAR’ of the attraction….

[@hyperorbit]

The Mansion needs to have the elements of mystery - we shouldn't know all the ghosts by name, or their back stories.

[@pokeperidot3232]

My take on the new Bride’s story: Loosely inspired by Melanie Ravenswood’s story in Phantom Manor, all of her grooms went mysteriously missing on wedding night. Little did The Bride know she had a crazy stalker who was madly in love with her, which turns out to be The Hatbox Ghost. It was him who killed each of her grooms on wedding night out of jealously for her not loving him. Eventually she dies of a broken heart and her ghost now haunts the attic in the Disneyland Mansion.

[@amandah2935]

I will miss Constance Hatchaway. I enjoyed her villainous character and her cheesy dark humor. “I do… I DID!” RIP Constance 🪓💔

[@Lhaffinatu]

When I was a kid back in the 70's, the Haunted Mansion was truly thrilling. The pop up ghosts etc that gave you jump scares were the best! I was sad to hear that most of them had been removed or toned way down because they were too scary for some people. I've never really cared much about the story of the bride one way or the other. I'm happy to see them incorporating new technologies and refreshing things to address more modern sensibilities, though I don't think they need to change than hanging man... If they do, I hope they'll find a clever way to make the scene make sense while keeping the Ghost Host's dialog intact. Also, what's up with all the blank black spaces in this video? Is KZbin blocking some of the content?

[@GingaNinjaTV13]

I wish her face or even her eyes would follow you. I bet they didn’t do this because they want every car to have the same experience but imagine how haunting to be in Doom Buggy 1 and she follows you, but also being in Doom Buggy 2 where her head snaps back to look at you. Incredible.

[@Seonghwa_is_MOTHER]

I love that they bought back the beating heart bride but I would've prefer a practical animatronic instead of a projection.

[@And_Peggy_appreciation]

I saw a Micheal Eisner in the cover and immediately clicked. I feel like this will be a bumpy ride.

[@AnalytiKroll]

I wish they respected Disney history when they replaced Magic Kingdom's Splash Mountain. While it fits well next to New Orleans Square at Disneyland, the same can't be said at Magic Kingdom. It would have been the perfect opportunity to bring back the Western River Expedition.

[@pizzazombie5209]

Dang, Dallin. Adding a trigger warning sign (similar to what they already do for other rides) is such a level-headed compromise. Much better take than all these other people claiming that wokeness is killing the parks. Personally, I don’t want the stretching room to change, but I totally get why it would. Regardless, thanks for the calm cool and collected take as usual.

[@lobsterpizzas]

Kim’s justifying the Constance change because an ax murderer is a “weird story”, meanwhile Disney just put out a new movie where the Hatbox Ghost tries to lure a child into ending his own life. Get outta here. Pretty soon all 999 haunts will have officially died of old age while surrounded by their loved ones so that nobody feels bad.

[@gracestaton3618]

Someone pointed out the fact that Disney is making an entire themed land around villains. I.E. Murderers and criminals. How can you say you don't want anyone idolizing villains just to make a land themed around them. Also I really don't think anyone actually loves axe murderers. They like a fictional character, Disney.

[@MCastleberry1980]

I don't know how you change the hanging man scene without changing the spiel in the stretching room. That just seems sacrilegious

[@KRobinson-ko1ne]

I have a suggestion and I’ve been writing it throughout this comment section Perhaps in life maybe the host attempted immortality via occult ritual only for it to backfire The narrative can be conveyed visually through four illustrations When the lightning strikes the narrative/illuatrations can appear briefly on the surface of the paintings

[@encoder4d801]

the “weird” story about an axe murderer in a haunted mansion? Okay Kim.

[@WFSH30228]

They literally put the murder Bride with axe in the 2023 live action HM movie and credit her as Constance Hatchaway in the film. She even become friend with the protagonist and live together in the end. How come a less scary version of the Axe Bride suddenly became a problem in the park???

[@Juicy-America]

Exactly. If the HM movie had done well, I don’t think they’d have a problem with the ride at all.

[@charityrochford2175]

Bummer I missed seeing you in the parks, but so glad to see this as I’m flying home!

[@XanWithoutA.Z.]

Your comment about the hanging man in the attic is something I brought up recently to my family. All these changes yet a man can still hang himself in the attic? It's just strange what gets changed and what doesn't. I get it, people have issues with things because it can bring up bad memories or relations, but the blind dart board changes are so odd to me.

[@gr33ngirlsea]

Truly! Far more people probably know someone who died of suicide (specifically, hanging in this case), than anyone who has been murdered by an ax.

[@KRobinson-ko1ne]

The problem is they remove the corpse and do nothing else. When he says “there’s always my way” and the lightning strikes the set up isn’t payed off with anything whatsoever Perhaps if they changed the characters narrative: in life he could have attempted immortality with an occult ritual and it backfired. When the lightning strikes the narrative can appear in four panels on the surfaces of the stretching paintings displaying briefly

[@XanWithoutA.Z.]

@@KRobinson-ko1ne true, they would definitely need to replace it, like he says in the video, with someone of greater value. Equal or lesser makes people talk about it more. Plus it’s fairly integral to the pre-ride

[@KRobinson-ko1ne]

@@XanWithoutA.Z. Understood I was just throwing out a suggestion of mine in case they’re listening

[@calihunt24]

I’m surprised you didn’t talk about how the one eyed cat is sitting next to her!

[@Donnetellotheturtle.]

I kinda hope they keep constance (maybe update her a little) for florida. I love the idea of each park having a different version of the bride

[@azicampbell5335]

I went yesterday and I’m telling you, I was genuinely shocked and disappointed at the new Constance projection. I literally laughed it was so bad.

[@tomleavey3345]

I think they should call the new bride chandelabride like candelabra as she’s holding the candles similar to a candelabra love the videos as always 👻

[@nmgg6928]

I would wager the imagineers also would prefer a physical animatronic but higher ups probably said something along the lines of 'ya but the projections cheaper to run and maintain and ehh it looks fine'

[@ConnorCampbell-ch5mk]

I think it looks great! Just can’t wait to see it in person! Keep the hanging man though!!!!

[@KRobinson-ko1ne]

I’ve been saying this throughout this section but Disney wants to be as inclusive as possible and if such a thing is deemed inappropriate so be it Nevertheless they have to actually pay off the set up with something This is just a suggestion but perhaps in life maybe the host attempted immortality via occult ritual only for it to backfire The narrative can be conveyed visually through four illustrations When the lightning strikes the narrative/illuatrations can appear briefly on the surface of the painting It’s not much but again it’s something and it’s better than revealing a vacant ceiling

[@TalysAlankil]

kim irvine's response to the AI art is honestly kinda disappointing. like. the issue isn't that it was a low quality placeholder. the issue is that AI is a plagiarism machine lol. it honestly comes across as backpedaling after backlash

[@crazyfire9470]

🙄

[@gracestaton3618]

Agreed. There is absolutely zero reason a billion dollar corporation that has the best most creative minds at its fingertips, should even think about using AI.

[@jessicakilgore2472]

What I enjoyed the most about the mansion was this ability to have so much story with little need for exposition and to showcase eerie in one scene and then something amusing yet gothic in the next room. The beating heart bride always gave me chills not because of the violence or disappearance of her lovers, but the quiet and stillness of her presence. Maybe I'm remembering wrong but that part always sent a chill down my spine (maybe it was always cold at that point in the ride) but to go from the extravagant ballroom scene to the creeping around the attic and see her silently staring back at you, to slowly descending into the graveyard, I felt made the journey so much more intriguing. Like it was something I could question my friends and family about and everyone had their own interpretation of what it meant. I think if we go back to the concept that was advertised for opening, we are touring this haunted mansion that years ago Walt and the imagineers built to house these 999 haunts, and now we are entering as the potential 1,000. For the streatching room dilemma, i want to try and keep the original sound in the end but add to it. We enter the streatching room to find our ghost host speaking to us like normal. Now if the idea is to make the hanging scene less intense then how about opting for the ghost host to be cutting the suspension cables as we find out it is not a streatching room we have entered but a cleverly disguised elevator. With the figure severing the suspension cable it goes dark as we hear the classic scream (us falling) and the *thunk* sound in the dark (the elevator crashing). We have now "passed on" and are exploring the mansion as a potential new member and are receiving the grand tour. However, we do not have our "death certificate" and must return to the living world and "hurry back" once it has been obtained. Heck, make the new gift shop continue the story and make it so you can purchase your HM death certificate to hang on your wall ( like how they used to do with the family crests in fantasy land)? But thats just my thoughts on it.

[@ThatGuyLondon]

I love the bride! She's stunning! They need to release a doll! I'm 100% okay with the change. I do hope she gets a voice..maybe a song?

[@ABBY.IS.UNSTOPPABLE]

you can really hear the pain in his voice when he says "wax... candle... man.."

[@hair.goblinnn]

I definitely let out an expletive that was not kid appropriate when i saw the hanging man in the stretching room for the first time (at age 27), and the image definitely stuck with me in a haunting way. Its so dark and a bit jarring, but i agree with you, they'd have to improve it, and idk how they would do that, honestly.

[@k.a.tproductions2713]

So much of these changes are so confusing to me. Haunted Mansion is meant to be scary with maybe a pinch of fun, stop trying to take the Haunted out of the mansion. It’s themed around death, ghosts, haunting, etc. I’ve thought and mentioned the plaque idea as well and honestly if it gets us to keep our mansion the way it is by all means. The amount of little kids being pushed by parents when obviously not ready is astounding not to mention babies being carried in “like what are you thinking people.” Don’t force a kid who obviously can’t continue from being so scared unless you really truly know they’ll be ok it’s not cool. But that’s their kids their business I suppose. As for the bridge, projection is cleaner and all buuuuut it sucks. No voice lines, no actions, nothing outstanding but floating? Mkay.. not sure how this is “improving?” I do think the heartbeat bride and Constance are two separate characters and have never thought any of the brides were the main villain. But I do think Constance has more depth, character, storyline, and creativity far more than DLs bride. I honestly wish they’d scrap the projections and go animatronic on the brides. Yes the projection isn’t too grand but who doesn’t love the ghostly “Here comes the briiiiide” echoing closer as you pass the portraits. Plus in all honesty if they are doing it over “sensitivity” you all LITERALLY made a movie with her in it trying to axe someone lol what??? On top of that you’re selling merch with her? So I’m confused is she sensitive because 2% of guest say so or the WDW sensitivity team says so? Or what exactly? It seems Disney flag team just wants to continuously find problems to change that no one asked or complained about and ultimately it will be their own downfall.

[@dembonesz3270]

I have zero belief that AI art was a placeholder - they’re just covering for themselves because they got caught. Glad people are holding Disney accountable for trying to sneak AI art into their parks.

[@bradbartels6778]

Woah!! I just realized theres a spooky disembodied skull projected in the window behind her.

[@honeysuckle754]

2:28 She’s just standing there… MENACINGLY

[@Chrisyork21]

so her holding an ax could trigger ppl but two ghosts shooting guns at each other is fine? .......This is America. ( For the record I think both were/are fine. Just pointing out the inconsistently)

[@princessmarlena1359]

Bingo!

[@RyderWiessWatches]

Hi Offhand!!! I can’t believe I got the chance to meet you while you were here! Glad you could hear my annoying mickey impression and talk haunted mansion with you for a while.

[@spinelander5141]

as a kid what appealed to me about the ride was the dark themes. While not many kids are into scary topics, there is still an audience and those kids don't have many things made for them in the first place. Taking away the fun of child-safe horror takes away something special for those kids, even just one ride is enough to make their Disney trip magical. Constance I adored, and her killing her husbands reminded me of the Addams family movie where Fester's wife tries to kill him, giving more reasons why as a child I loved the ride

[@kenfrancisworld8720]

So if people have new sensitivities today does that mean the horror genre is dead? (no pun intended) I think not. Get over to Paris. That mansion is scary!

[@novusvigor]

I enjoy your channel. I’d really like to see you spend more time in the parks. I know it is not easy, but it is vital for a channel like this.

[@robphillips1797]

So once again it's our fault for liking the classic ride enough to recognize a cheap, inferior offering. I'm referring to the AI in the gift shop. How were we to know it was a..cough..placeholder? I am very happy with the new bride ( although the candle flames look a little cartoony) and am genuinely GRATEFUL that the Hitchhiking ghosts still look and act like the originals. I hope it doesn't turn out that the new technology breaks down more than the original. I've never seen the practical effect fail, and I've gone to HM since 1970. It seems the electrical effect could fail more often, but I could be wrong. At least they look and act the same. Gus seems smaller, but whatever.

[@zacharyeversole]

Been waiting for this one.

[@seth8138]

I feel the new bride is way too static. I mean it looks like just a picture with projection mapping around it. I was expecting to see some form of movement happening. Maybe a smile or a turn of the head or something but just stillness. I don't know now, like you said I probably need to see it in person before I can really give my two cents.

[@CamGold]

I do really love the new bride she looks amazing the way she is floating and love the lighting the only thing is her face does look a little flat and yeah like a video game her face needs a bit of work it isn’t quite creepy enough it could be a lot better

[@Rrusso92]

The new screens for the hitchhiking ghosts may make it easier to change out the Locke, Shock, and Barrel “presents” during haunted mansion holiday. This is my thought as the why they made the change from physical ghosts.

[@jackwimmer2249]

I remember when I first rode the haunted mansion ride as a kid, in the stretching room when they showed the hanging man, I didn’t know what I was looking at. Course, I was only 6 at the time and was too scared to get a good look.

[@indyjones3093]

I don't think people necessarily "celebrated" the aspect of Constance being a black widow murderer, but that she seemed to be the only ghost in the ride that was down-right malevolent. When you look at the history of the Haunted Mansion, from concept to completion, rarely were/are there any depictions of outright murder, along with antagonistic spirites. So when this new bride came along with such a brutal storyline, it brought a new angle of things for the ride and its mythos. At the same time, it may have stuck out like a sore thumb and didn't vibe with the other parts of the ride (from what I've read, there've been HM fans who've hated the Constance story since her inclusion). If they just said that they wanted to take the bride back to a more traditional, heartbroken story, then there wouldn't be as much of a fuss - if you'd call it that. So while I agree that the reasoning is a bit shaky, at least the execution itself is supplemental, and overall came out good. As for the hanging man, the one way I can see them changing the hanging man scene while still being acceptable to the ride's narrative is, rather than the corpse of the Ghost Host hanging, you have an animatroinc/static figure of the *physical* Ghost Host/Hatchetman on the side off the raftors holding the noose. This would similar to the change they did to the hanging scene in Phantom Manor; rather than the Phantom actively hanging Melanie's current fiance, the Phantom holds an empty noose menacingly above the guests. In both instances, it would only imply the idea of hanging rather than an outright deptiction of it. But like Dallin said, Haunted Mansion should absolutely get its own discretion warning given the themes and nature of the ride. Regardless of what changes Disney makes, there are going to be some who don't like the dark, supernatural, and depictions of death that shouldn't be surprised to see it on the ride.

[@cateisme]

I honestly thought the new bride was going to be MIND blowing… I don’t dislike it but …. I mean…..they have just a ridiculous budget, they could have had her move or wail or something interactive but - I appreciate the beating heart… 💓

[@gracestaton3618]

That's my issue with the bride. Disney is a cooperate giant, a billion dollar company and all they could muster was another projection. They have so many amazing creative people who probably had some of the coolest ideas for practical effects and audio animatronics, instead they went with anothert screen. A screen that seems very bright as well. I think it kinda throws off the atmosphere. A dark dusty almost spooky attic, and then BOOM LED screen!!

[@CinnamonGrrlErin1]

It really shows that they've lost a lot of talented Imagineers in the wake of Joe Rodhe's departure. Nothing against the people working hard on these projects, but their hands are tied and they don't have someone like Joe in their corner anymore.

[@josephkastner2804]

Then maybe you shouldn't be riding something called THE HAUNTED FREAKIN MANSION if you don't want to be confronted with violence or death. Don't ride it and let others enjoy it. Stop being a God damn Karen

[@anavalbuenalopez-fonseca1878]

I didn't know about the AI. As a fan of the attraction and artists, I'm disappointed that they used AI. It's true that the images were going to be changed, However if you claim to love the past and the original ideas of the attraction, you had to either hire artists to draw the characters, or even if you wanted to spend no money, Just have your employees wear a costume of the attraction's characters and have a photo shoot at the mansion.

[@gracestaton3618]

I think what really gets me about the AI is Disney has no valid excuse to use it. They have billions of dollars and the best artists at their disposal at all times. Heck they could commission outside artists to do something. They probably have thousands of unused props and paintings for the Haunted Manison they could've put in that gift shop instead of AI garbage but they didn't. Disney, the company who made leaps and bounds in art and animation. Who are known for their art and creativity used AI the antithesis of Art and Artists. It's kinda sad.

[@robphillips1797]

​@@gracestaton3618 I love your idea about actual props decorating part of the shop. I'd go inside every time just to see that! I used to always study the exhibits in the lobby of Great Moments with Mr.Lincoln. We HM fans love stuff like that!

[@Wyattboi701]

Babe wake up Offhand Disney uploaded

[@Jazzy_Waffles]

If they remove the hanging man, it makes sense. I could see them leaving a noose, instead of an actual body. It paints a grim look for a Disney ride. That being said, after allllll these years, I never once heard anyone complain about a dead body. The new bride is fine. Axe or not. Her face does need a little tweak, but, I’m not mad about the new bride. I’m sure it looks better in person than a compressed KZbin video.

[@jillpongo2959]

I went to WDW January 7 and I was happy to see the hat box ghost. Good to see our favorite goober

[@Crimsontides90]

My possibly off-kilter head-canon until proven otherwise is that this new bride is still Constance, either feigning innocence or somehow unaware of her killings (Like maybe Constance is the forlorn bride and “Hatchaway” is the other personality/alter/identity who did the killings. Or that in death whatever murderous intent plagued Constance mortal corruptible form is now gone and she is remorseful and/or has forgotten) I mainly am head-canoning this because Disney did so much to put Constance in adaptations prominently and thus put a lot of time into that character to just toss her now, and in the case of a split-personality/alter it would explain the two versions existing at once as being a way to show she flips back and forth as a ghost.

[@Crimsontides90]

Another Idea is they want the attic scene to be more ambiguous since Hatbox is now there. He’s an intimidating figure with a death’s head and laughs menacingly. So this change could be like: “Oh man the husbands disappeared, did she kill them? Oh wait or did this guy kill them?” Also, another thought just now, the new attic scene reflects the current premise of phantom manor in paris: Suitors disappear, forlorn bride is sad and still waiting in death, this creepy guy in a tophat probably is to blame.

[@Crimsontides90]

So I guess this new bride could also be a form of Melanie(?)

[@julieshanefelt]

I enjoy your take on this. I haven't been keeping up with park news recently, but I was able to go to Disneyland yesterday without knowing of the changes to HM. Don't know if this was just an issue yesterday, but my friends and I noticed that it was really really dark inside the mansion. In the stretching room, a child tripped in front of me and I almost tripped over them because I literally didn't see them! And it wasn't just that room, it was apparent as well in Madame Leoda's scene as well, I couldn't see any of the floating objects around her. I had no idea they were making changes to the bride in the attic, and while I like the idea of leaving the story a bit more ambiguous, for me personally, the projected face greatly takes away from the impressiveness of her floating illusion. I just couldn't stop staring at her face, it looks really off compared to the rest of the attic scene. As for the changes and I guess portrayals of violence, I've never looked at the hanging man in the stretching room. Being a fan of the parks for many years now I know this happens, so I avoid looking at him every time.. but I can't imagine someone with sensitivities to scenes like this going into the ride without knowing. I agree with you that warnings should be added to the front of these attractions. Removing some depictions of violence but not all of them in the name of sensitivities doesn't make sense to me, but as for the story, I like the idea of getting rid of the bride's axe, although I did miss hearing her voice line there.

[@OakForestBoys]

Kim agreeing with downgrades like the AI in the store was pretty sad. As for sensitivities the entire mansion is offensive in one way or another so it's a strange gripe

[@caitlynrichards883]

I’m not a huge fan of how she seemed to be mad at the fans for noticing it.

[@The_Farwall]

Looks like a cool looking 3d character in a game. The unnatural colour highlights and caricature bone structure. So, can't work in a ride that you're experiencing in meat space. "Oh look there's a video game character floating over there, I don't understand how that works in this real-life haunted house."

[@slinky6415]

love that someone else uses the term "meat space" unironically

[@Uncle_Smidge]

I recently cosplayed (and heavily over-analyzed images of ) Shiva from FFX. A magic blue woman in a PS2 game. When the new Bride showed up, my first thought was, "Why'd they put an FMV sprite of Shiva in a wedding dress?!" 🤣

[@gracestaton3618]

I feel like they don't specifically have a warning for people because to Disney, it's literally a Haunted Mansion. Yk? It's in the name you're gonna see death and dead people and scary things. It's supposed to be dark. I feel like the name in itself is a warning? I personally like the rafters scene, it harkens back to the two ideas of the mansion, scary and foreboding. Then later more light hearted. And Disney has always been dark, Gaston's death, Clayton's death, all of Claude Frollo in Hunchback. Snow White's scary adventure. I like it. Horror for kids is a dying genre I really miss. I just wish they'd stop using projections. It's so lazy for a company that prides itself on technological innovations and creativity. And the AI art is absolutely inexcusable. A billion dollar company with hundreds of amazing artists and the ability to employ the most talented people has no reason to use AI. Like you said, just grab something from the vault and put it in as a place holder.

[@rebelalliance77]

These changes to cater to a few are silly. What’s next…do we remove the murdered skeleton pirates in Pirates? Do we remove the scene in Peter Pan in which Captain Hook is almost eaten by a crocodile? Should the water boarding scene with Carlos, mayor of Puerto Dorado, be removed? Maybe the Stormtroopers should carry walkie talkies instead of blasters? 🙄

[@KRobinson-ko1ne]

There’s fantasy violence and then there’s rape and suicide Disney wants to be as inclusive as possible and if such a thing is deemed inappropriate so be it Nevertheless they have to actually pay off the set up with something This is just a suggestion but perhaps in life maybe the host attempted immortality via occult ritual only for it to backfire The narrative can be conveyed visually through four illustrations When the lightning strikes the narrative/illuatrations can appear briefly on the surface of the painting It’s not much but again it’s something and it’s better than revealing a vacant ceiling

[@SRKStar]

We should call her the Banshee Bride because her face looks like that of a banshee which is why it looks like that, the cheeks are hallowed like one. Almost as if she died starved searching for her husband’s. Idk if it will catch on but this makes the most sense to me.

[@CinnamonGrrlErin1]

Ooh, imagine if they put the Banshee from Darby O'Gill and the Little People in there, now *that* would be a really Haunted Mansion

[@amelia315]

Great, insightful video as always! I saw the new bride this past week at Disneyland and thought it looked pretty good, although I think an actual audio-animatronic would have been more effective. I liked the new queue, which was full of whimsical new sights and sounds, as well as the return of old stony friends from the old Fastpass area. My thoughts turn to the cat that is now more fully featured throughout the attraction and even appears in the new store; what do we think is going on with that? Said kitty was even with the bride in the attic. Again, interesting video and hope you're having a pleasant day.

[@chrism3760]

I dont think we should take Kims answers as anything more than just general canned media responses. There's no way for her to say somethings been changed without referencing what was before it. She clearly wants to frame the angle that they were wanting to move away from fans celebrating an axe murderer. Even though no one was doing that, the interview was being published in a media publication which is not only for disney fans and therefore shes getting ahead of any assumptions which could be put out there by those who might not be familiar with the subject. In short = write the narrative to put them in a positive light for an unknowing audience, as unknowing audience may turn into potential customers.

[@limitedfocus8993]

What I think is interesting is that there are so many rides with themes alluding to death that no one has talked about "toning down" People duel in the haunted mansion with guns There are themes of being buried alive in HM Guns in pirates War in pirates Basically the entirety of Indiana getting hit by a train and going to hell in Mr Toad and so many more You know what these things all have in common? Men do them And I think it is entirely possible the idea of a women chopping off her husbands head made grown men uncomfortable and so they complained. All this to say I love Constance and I miss her :(

[@gracestaton3618]

Not to mention Disney media is super dark. Gaston's death, Mother Gothel's death, Clayton from Tarzan's death was insane. The character of Claude Frollo is one of the darkest villains Disney has ever done. Disney has always had a dark side and I actually appreciate it a lot. I also have sort of a unique perspective on this. I know this is my personal opinion, but I have no issue with the Stretching room. I've had several family members who have been suicidal and some who have succeeded, and it's not something I get mad at Disney for. My family members still love the ride to bits, I know that's just my side but I think it's fine. It's in the name, Haunted Mansion, you deal with death.