Halloween Time 2018 at the Disneyland Resort: Haunted Mansion Holiday

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Tradition Continues with 18 ^th Creepy Creation: Gingerbread House Unhinged by Giant Spider

Not only does 2018 mark the 25 ^th anniversary of “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas,” but Also the 18th time That Jack Skellington has visited the 999 Happy Haunts WHO dwell in the Haunted Mansion, transforming esta attraction into Haunted Mansion Holiday. Each year, Jack dresses up as “Sandy Claws” as he and his ghost dog Zero bring ghoulish delights from Halloween Town to visit Disneyland Park .

One of Jack’s holiday traditions is leaving a special treat for the ghosts who dance around the Haunted Mansion’s Grand Hall. The annual centerpiece for this “waltz of the weird” is always a huge, creepy gingerbread creation. Jack delivers new and thrilling surprises every year.

The Ghost Host of Haunted Mansion Holiday always says, “even a gingerbread house can be scary,” and this year’s design definitely lives up to that description. In 2018, the Haunted Mansion Holiday gingerbread house is overtaken by an enormous five-foot multicolored spider with an intricate “stained glass” design on its back. The creepy crawler’s eyes are glowing green as it bobs up and down in an attempt to pry the house from its foundation. The spider, just like the rest of the house, is made out of 90 pounds of gingerbread, 30 pounds of confectioner’s sugar, 10 pounds of white chocolate and 45 pounds of fondant.

A team of 12 pastry chefs created this year’s Gingerbread Mansion. Three of them have been part of the Haunted Mansion Gingerbread House team since the annual holiday transformation began 17 years ago.

Frightfully Fun Facts about Haunted Mansion Holiday

Supernatural Sweets – Every year a new macabre concept is created for the gingerbread house that adorns the Great Hall scene in Haunted Mansion Holiday . The strange and wonderful sweets are almost always “supernatural”.
A mysterious façade – The facade of Haunted Mansion shines thanks to its more than 400 candles and more than 100 pumpkin lanterns that glow every night with a ghostly flash.

The Haunted Elevator – Jack Skellington and his ghost dog Zero appear in a fully animated sequence on the roof of the “lengthening” room, which transports visitors to the depths of the Mansion.
The gallery of portraits – The ghost dog Zero appears surprisingly among the changing and spooky portraits hanging in the corridor of the gallery.

The Cemetery – The Haunted Mansion Holiday Cemetery is covered with almost 7,500 square feet of snow. More than 20 gallons of UV (ultraviolet ray) paint are used to highlight the strange brightness of the snow. About 1,000 tiny orange lights adorn the trees.

Graveyard Ice Angels – The iconic Graveyard Ice Angels were designed with an irregular style and sculpted in ice, while their ethereal wings and bright colors shine this year more macabre than ever.

Environmental decoration – Every season, thousands of feet of “Black Gnarly” garland envelop Haunted Mansion Holiday inside and out. Zero, Jack’s faithful dog, unearthed more than 200 bones to use as decorations, garlands and gifts.
“Come play” – More than two dozen extra animated figures “materialize” inside the mansion when Jack arrives to transform it into Haunted Mansion Holiday. From carnivorous crowns to vampire teddy bears, all of them eagerly await for the rest of the year to participate in the festive spirit.

Home, spooky home – Throughout the year, cobwebs are treated like an art object (never swept!) So that Jack Skellington and the 999 Happy Spirits feel at home.

Seasonal Spiritism – The “13 days of Christmas” of Madame Leota appear in 13 rotating tarot cards that show the Christmas gifts that, in her own words, “gave me … my macabre love”.
- Kim Irvine, daughter of the original Madame Leota – For this seasonal attraction, the Imagineer Kim Irvine takes on the role of the favorite seer of Haunted Mansion, floating inside the crystal ball in the spiritist room. His mother Leota Toombs, Legend of Disney and Imagineer of long career, was the first to give life to the floating head.

Gingerbread aroma – A lingering scent of gingerbread invades the Great Hall, tempting both the Happy Spirits and the visitors.

“Come back soon!” – A more “lively” Sally says goodbye to “Sandy Claws” Jack Skellington and visitors of Haunted Mansion Holiday come out of the attraction.