A short video from Walt Disney Imagineering has fans asking a question they have raised for years: could the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay ever come to Magic Kingdom Park? Nothing official has been announced, but a small tribute to a Tim Burton classic is already tucked inside the Liberty Square ride.
The Overlay Florida Has Never Seen
Each year, the Haunted Mansion Holiday takes over the ride at Disneyland Park in Southern California and at Tokyo Disneyland in Japan. The overlay, inspired by The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), has been a fixture in California for 25 years. Walt Disney Imagineering has never installed it in Central Florida, and Walt Disney World Resort has never said why.
Several explanations are plausible. Disneyland Park is often called a “locals” park, with two theme parks and only a handful of onsite hotels. Walt Disney World Resort has four parks and dozens of hotels, and it hosts far more guests every year. Taking a major attraction offline for a few weeks in August and January to add and remove an overlay would be much more noticeable at Magic Kingdom.
Florida vacations are also frequently once-in-a-lifetime trips. Families who save for years might be let down to find one of the park’s most historic rides dressed in Jack Skellington and Oogie Boogie for a limited time.
The Clue in the Library
Still, Walt Disney World Resort has never ruled out the idea. The @waltdisneyimagineering Instagram account recently shared a close-up of two Easter eggs inspired by the film, with a caption asking:
Did you know you can find a reference to Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas in Walt Disney World’s Haunted Mansion?
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Those references are hidden in the library at the Liberty Square attraction.
“We do have an homage to The Nightmare Before Christmas in this stack of books,” said Jessica, a Senior Illusion Developer for Walt Disney Imagineering.
Guests shouldn’t expect Jack Skellington, Sally, Zero, or Oogie Boogie to take over the Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom Park this season. But the video does show that Imagineers are aware of the connection, and the film has a permanent, if subtle, home in the ride. Whether it ever grows into a full holiday takeover…we’ll see!
Have you ever noticed this Nightmare Before Christmas detail on the Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom Park? Let Disney Dining know in the comments!
