With just two weeks to go, Disney fans are counting down to a pair of simultaneous closures: not one but two versions of the iconic Haunted Mansion will be shutting their doors within days of each other this August.
The Haunted Mansion is Disney's macabre answer to the classic haunted house. Guests board Doom Buggies for a tour hosted by the disembodied Ghost Host, gliding past Madame Leota, transparent ballroom dancers, and a graveyard filled with 999 "happy haunts."
Two Mansions, Four Days Apart
In August, two of those ghostly estates will go dark within four days of each other. Tokyo Disneyland's Haunted Mansion closes on August 4, followed by the original Disneyland attraction in Anaheim on August 8.
The reason? Both parks are preparing for their beloved seasonal overlay: Haunted Mansion Holiday. Tokyo Disneyland will keep its mansion shuttered from August 4 through September 14, reopening as Haunted Mansion Holiday Nightmare on September 15. Disneyland's closure is considerably shorter — the California attraction closes August 8 and returns as Haunted Mansion Holiday on August 21, the same day Halloween Time begins across the Disneyland Resort.
No Two Haunted Mansions Are Quite Alike
While the Haunted Mansion is one of Disney's most recognizable concepts, it was never copied brick for brick. Every version was reshaped to suit its park, its land, and in some cases the culture surrounding it.
Disneyland's 1969 original resembles a pristine Southern estate, while Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland feature darker Colonial and Gothic architecture. Their layouts differ as well — Florida added scenes including the endless staircase, while Disneyland uses a real elevator to transport guests beneath the railroad.
Disneyland Paris takes things even further with Phantom Manor, a darker Western story centered on doomed bride Melanie Ravenswood. Hong Kong Disneyland's Mystic Manor abandons ghosts altogether, using trackless vehicles to follow an enchanted music box bringing Lord Henry Mystic's collection to life.
Tokyo and California are also the only resorts to regularly transform the attraction for The Nightmare Before Christmas. The Holiday overlay replaces the happy haunts with Jack Skellington, Sally, Oogie Boogie, and Zero. Major scenes throughout the ride are reworked: Zero floats through the halls, Madame Leota delivers festive incantations, and Oogie Boogie awaits near the exit. Disneyland's ballroom also receives an enormous gingerbread house with a new design each year.
How Long Will the Overlays Run?
Once installed, the overlay lasts considerably longer than the refurbishment required to build it. Tokyo's 2026 version runs through January 7, 2027 — 115 days — before another four-week closure restores the traditional Haunted Mansion.
Disneyland has not yet published the overlay's January 2027 end date. It typically remains through the resort's winter festivities and into early January. The 2025 version stayed open through January 11, meaning Jack Skellington occupied the mansion for nearly five months.
Fans Still Have Concerns About Permanent Changes
These closures are routine, but Haunted Mansion fans have grown wary of any period behind construction walls. Disneyland's version has undergone several permanent updates in recent years, including an expanded accessible queue, a dedicated gift shop, and rewritten scenes inside the ride.
One of the most talked-about changes came in January 2025, when Imagineering removed the ax-wielding "black widow" version of the attic bride and replaced her with a grieving figure holding a candelabra, surrounded by portraits of husbands who mysteriously vanish. Imagineer Kim Irvine, who has since retired, explained that Disney had to be
"really careful about the sensitivities of people."The revised scene returned the character to an earlier story about lost love rather than portraying her as someone who murdered multiple husbands.
Attention has also turned to the Stretching Room. As the chamber reaches its full height, lightning reveals a body hanging by a noose above guests — the implication being that the Ghost Host escaped the windowless room by suicide after telling visitors, "Of course, there's always my way." Imagineers first discussed potentially removing the figure during the attraction's 2021 updates, amid concerns the image could be triggering. Asked again in 2025, Irvine confirmed the idea remained under consideration:
"We're still looking at that. That one is complicated, structurally. One thing at a time."
The body is concealed above a scrim and exposed using lighting, while the Ghost Host's narration builds the entire Stretching Room sequence toward its reveal — making any change a significant creative and structural undertaking.
Do you think Disney will eventually make more changes to the Haunted Mansion? Let us know in the comments!