As thrilling as the Haunted Mansion enhancements are (especially in regards to April/December’s return!) I think it’s worth noting that the previous iteration of the loading area was not a failure or “forgotten corner” as I’m seeing it described as in several tweets. 1/

The decision to move from a heavily wallpapered, gaudily draped hallway into an all-black, almost ethereal void was beautifully illustrated by Ken Anderson in this piece of concept art that I bring up all the time in defense of this unusual loading area. 2/

This area exquisitely introduced & explained just what your Doombuggy was & it’s purpose; indeed, this was the “boundless realm” which your “approaching carriage” would carry you through, so wistfully & eerily floating down to swoop you up and carry you back into the Mansion. 3/

Unfortunately, as time would go on, and codes and standards would require a more illuminated path for arriving guests, the boundless void became more a large black warehouse, effectively killing the illusion. 4/

Magic Kingdom’s Haunted Mansion, Tokyo Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion, and Disneyland Paris’s Phantom Manor have you loading within the house itself; Disneyland’s has always been a funny anomaly! 5/

All this to say that Disneyland’s loading area was and is so much more than “blackness,” or “unfinished,” and bespeaks the otherworldly, supernatural vibe that many of the Mansion’s earliest concepts held, which adds to its haunting complexity and enduring character. 6/6