Nearly one year ago, Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion shut its gates as the ride prepared for a big revamp of its queue. The queue would be expanded with a lot more detail being added. In addition to the new line area, the Haunted Mansion would be getting a brand-new store, which would be located at the ride’s exit.

Guests watched and waited as Disney crews worked hard, and this summer, the attraction FINALLY reopened. However, being so close to the beginning of the Halloween season, it reopened as Haunted Mansion Holiday.

Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland, featuring a pumpkin scarecrow dressed as santa claus
Credit: Disney

Related: Disney Continues To Edit Haunted Mansion, Another Change Reported at Classic Attraction

Even though the attraction was open, the shop was not even close to being complete. But Disney crews continued to work diligently, and on December 23, Madame Leota’s Somewhere Beyond shop finally opened.

Unfortunately, while the event was meant to be an exciting experience, fans were quick to call Disney out for its shortcuts. This included decorating the shop with items that appeared to have been purchased from Amazon and Redbubble.

Madame Leota's Somewhere Beyond Shop Disneyland
Credit: Disney

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According to Disney, Madame Leota’s new shop is located inside the carriage house where the famed fortune-teller used to live. Critical fans said that the home looked more like a prefabricated garden shed that could be purchased online. However, it is important to note that guests were able to watch the structure being built, so it is definitely not a building that was made beforehand and then installed at the park.

While that criticism is largely without merit, Disney will struggle to avoid some accusations, mainly regarding where the pieces of art used to decorate the shop were procured.

Concept vs Reality ……..should have seen this one coming.

Related: Disney Fans Can See a “Real” Ghost at the Haunted Mansion

X (formerly Twitter) was flooded with Disney fans who were upset at Disney’s apparent lack of effort in decorating the new Madame Leota shop. One user shared an image of a bust in the store and then showed that the same bust could be purchased on Amazon for less than twenty dollars.

I wonder who’s Prime account they used to get free shipping?

Others were extremely upset by the fact that Disney went online and purchased an AI-generated image of a bride from the website Redbubble. They noted that it would have taken less time for one of Disney’s many talented Imagineers to create a unique image and hang it in the shop.

This is distressing/puzzling because just about every Imagineer I know can draw/paint a better portrait of a ghost probably in less time than it took to buy, ship and frame this heap of hackness.

I can excuse using mass produced ornamentation for queue props, but using generic, AI generated art in a shop that’s supposedly integrated into the Haunted Mansion’s story is abhorrent. Who let this happen?? No care at all for the attraction’s lore or history.

Even fans who praised the new shop retracted their praise after they learned about the cheap props and AI images that were used to bring Madame Leota’s story to life.

Btw I take back everything I said. Except for Leota’s portrait and a few original theming elements inside, this shop has no redeeming factors 🫤. The outside is a copy of a pre-designed barn, the inside is full of mass produced props and WDI is proudly displaying AI art. A mess!

This is far from the first time that Disney has been accused of cutting corners in its theme parks. From decorations to food, and even new lands, Disney is facing growing criticism for taking shortcuts and cheapening its products while raising prices to levels never seen before.

Two years ago, former Disney CFO Christine McCarthy shocked and angered fans when she tried to justify Disney’s cost-cutting food measures by appearing to fat-shame guests.

Do you think Disney has gone too far in attempting to save money? Should Imagineers create or procure unique pieces of art, or is it fine for them to purchase mass-produced products from places like Amazon? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The post Disney Slammed For Using AI Art and Amazon Products in New Store appeared first on Inside the Magic.

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