Disneyland Resort’s Haunted Mansion recently debuted a new version of its infamous attic bride, Constance Hatchaway. Walt Disney Imagineering updated the animatronic to remove an axe–which she allegedly used to murder her husbands–in an effort to erase violent imagery from the attraction. During an interview about the change, Walt Disney Imagineering creative director Kim Irvine revealed that her team is considering changing another controversial part of the historic New Orleans Square ride.
The Haunted Mansion debuted at Disneyland Park in 1969. Originally conceived as a walkthrough museum of the weird, Imagineers transformed Walt Disney’s vision for the attraction into one of the earliest Disney Omnimover rides. Walt Disney Imagineers later developed distinct versions of the ride for Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom Park and Tokyo Disneyland. Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland are home to slightly different haunted house-style attractions, Phantom Manor and Mystic Manor.
The original Haunted Mansion has undergone numerous changes in its decades of operation, from the addition and removal of Constance Hatchaway’s axe to the eye-catching Hatbox Ghost animatronic. But for years, rumors swirled that Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort would remove one of the ride’s most shocking scenes.
As the Ghost Host traps Disney Park guests in the Stretching Room, he informs them that “this chamber has no windows and no doors.” They’re tasked with finding a way out! “But of course, there’s always my way,” he adds.
The room goes dark, and a doll with a noose around its neck drops from the ceiling. The practical effect is visual for just a moment before the Ghost Host returns to his silly-spooky tone.
Disneyland Paris removed this effect from Phantom Manor in 2023 to avoid upsetting those who might be offended by a cavalier depiction of suicide. This only fueled rumors that Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort would do the same, especially after they removed outdated and offensive scenes from historic rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and Peter Pan’s Flight.
In an interview with The Lost Angeles Times, Walt Disney Imagineering creative director Kim Irvine admitted that the company was still exploring possible replacements for the noose scene because it could trigger some Disney Park guests.
“We’re still looking at that,” Irvine said. “That one is complicated, structurally. One thing at a time.”
“In this day and age we have to be really careful about the sensitivities of people,” she added.
Disneyland Resort hasn’t made any official announcements about removing the hanging corpse from the Haunted Mansion.
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