Although Gracey Manor is home to 999 Happy Haunts, the Haunted Mansion hosts more than a few fabulous phantoms. While fans are finally happy to have the Hatbox Ghost in both Disneyland’s New Orleans Square and the Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Square, one sinister specter might be making her grand exit.
Constance Hatchaway, AKA the Attic Bride or Black Widow Bride, is one of the most recognizable characters in the mansion’s lore. After years of menacing guests with her bladed bridal bouquet, she seems to be on her way out.
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This isn’t the first time Disney has replaced its bride character in The Haunted Mansion, so it really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Constance is on borrowed time. However, her significance to Disney World’s lore might cause a schism amongst fans, as Offhand Disney points out in the footage below.
New Ride, No Bride?
As the YouTube creator states, rumors of a massive change coming to the beloved attraction proved to be at least partially true. While Disney is changing the manor, it’s more along the lines of updating the Pepper’s Ghost effects and removing the projection-face animatronics than anything else.
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That said, they seem to be completely uprooting Constance and presumably replacing her with a more modern model. While it’s entirely reasonable to assume that Constance will return in the form of a new animatronic, Disney might still give us a brand new character as the parks have done with previous versions.
Some Haunted Mansion History
As Offhand Disney points out in the video above, Constance Hatchaway isn’t the first iteration of the ghostly bride character, nor is she even the most recent. The Haunted Mansion currently has three incarnations in its history, ranging from the original Beating Heart Bride designed by Marc Davis to Constance in Disneyland and Walt Disney World to Melanie Ravenswood in Disneyland Paris.
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Although it’s suspected that Disneyland’s variant of the ride could be getting the next incarnation of the same character, fans down in Disney World might not have to worry about things changing too much. Not only are there currently no plans to change the attraction in the Florida park, but Constance is also deeply tied to the environmental storytelling (seen here) before the ride even begins.
Whether she’s wielding a hatchet or simply holding a candle as her bleeding heart beats ominously in her chest, the Gracey Manor needs a bride. Although she’s surpassed in popularity primarily by her headless and hatted counterpart, she’s still easily the prettiest ghoul at the ball.
Do you think we’re losing the bride? Let us know in the comments down below!
