Haunted Mansion Holiday Materializes on iTunes

What's this? What's this? There's good news for all fans!

The park music digital download scene continues to flourish; The soundtrack to Disneyland's Haunted Mansion Holiday has creeped delightfully onto iTunes and Amazon MP3. For $7.99, you can add the world's most astonishing once-a-year ride metamorphosis to your playlist.

The album's stretched out with nine cute/creepy Halloween-themed parodies of Christmas carols, but--of course--the reason anyone would buy this is saved for the final track: a terrific and energetic 16 minute ride-through mix of the entire Nightmare Before Christmas-themed attraction. Even if you've never actually visited Haunted Mansion Holiday, this soundtrack completely captures the spirit of the experience. The wonderful music and voice work make it an audio celebration you'll want to listen to again and again.

This has been a great year for park music fans! Please Click here for a complete list of all the Disney park albums currently available on iTunes and Amazon MP3.

Park Quote Wednesday

There's Nothing Like an Invisible Hearse Horse

This post's title works better if you remember the 80's Genesis song "Invisible Touch." H'yuck.

Disneyland and Walt Disney World each host a unique ghostly horse outside their Haunted Mansions. In both locations, the spirit beast stands harnessed to a carriage hearse. Disneyland's hearse is painted white to match the New Orleans Square mansion's exterior, while WDW's hearse goes for the traditional Gothic black.

New DL Passholder Freebie Is Just About Perfect

Disneyland's customer base includes about a million California-dwelling Annual Passholders, and the free calendar now arriving in their mailboxes sends a pretty clear message: the management understands its most loyal fans.

My two all-time favorite ride posters

Instead of generic publicity photos or princess posing, the calendar features excellent little 6" x 9" attraction poster reproductions.

Main Street Magic Shop

At some point in many children's lives, the mysterious world of stage magic becomes the most fascinating subject on Earth. I wonder what percentage of today's adult park fans bought their very first magic item long ago on Main Street at Disneyland or Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

My first magic purchase was the famous "Linking Rings" illusion. Cold reality smacked me in the face when I found just how much hard work and practice most tricks require to pull off properly. I realized "gags" were easier to pull off than illusions, so I ended up gravitating toward snakes-in-a-can, ice cube bugs and Haunted Mansion Portraits.

Oh, yes, the Haunted Mansion portraits! Who else here remembers those great souvenirs from the 70's? Each had two faces--a normal daytime face and a hidden "scary" glow-in-the-dark transformation that could only be seen with the lights out! Now, that's an item in need of a comeback!

When Hinges Creak (with Fish Heads & Crumbs)

There's no mistaking this creepy foyer for any other; we've just stepped into The Haunted Mansion, and this is the view you get when you're near the back of the group.

Despite the crowd, this is one of those classic Disneyland moments. How many of you are old enough to remember the pre-internet days, back even before Disney released the music on CD, LP or tape, when the only time you could hear that unforgettable organ theme was when you were actually standing there in the foyer? The creepy awesomeness would wash over you in a wave of...I dunno...welcoming forboding? You felt like you'd come home...to the dead...and it made you grin...It could only happen at Disneyland or WDW's Magic Kingdom!

The 999 Happy Haunts of Haunted Mansion keep looking for number 1,000. They just don't want it to be one particular guy. Shoebox is back. I am so sorry...

More Park Music on iTunes: Pirates, Mansion & Wishes

I don't know which person to thank at Disney for being smart enough to flip the switch, open the vault, turn the valve or whatever happened...but three more great park albums have recently become available on iTunes and Amazon MP3: Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion and Wishes.

If you haven't picked these albums up yet, now's a great time. They each cost $7.99. What you get for that money varies greatly between the three soundtracks. Here's a run-down:

The Haunted Mansion Wannabe (with Fish Heads & Crumbs)

Just a few more days until the Haunted Mansion reopens following the seasonal departure of Jack Skellington and crew (this photo was taken before the holiday switch).

Last week, we met the unfortunate Shoebox Ghost, who just can't get accepted into the Haunted Mansion's exclusive community. As it turns out, once you meet a ghost, they're hard to shake. They tend to, y'know...follow you home...

Dreaming of the Hatbox Ghost (with Fish Heads & Crumbs)

The Haunted Mansion will be closed through January 17th in order to switch back from Holiday mode to HM classic. Each year as this happens, all Mansion fans wonder if any surprise changes or additions will take place during the closure.

Everyone wants the Hatbox Ghost to return someday. That legendary attic dweller (whose head disappeared from his shoulders and reappeared in the hatbox he held) was evicted from the ride soon after its debut, as the lighting-dependent effect didn't work as well as hoped. With all of today's technological advances, there seems to be no reason the Hatbox Ghost couldn't make a triumphant return.

But if they can't get ol' Hatbox back, well...they could always hold auditions for an equally awesome replacement...

Disneyland's Haunted Mansion Vs. Walt Disney World's

The Haunted Mansion recently closed for its annual Nightmare-Before-Christmas overlay, so here's one last look at HM Classic before Haunted Mansion Holiday opens on September 14th.

I love both the California and Florida Haunted Mansions. Although the rides are mostly identical, each has its own touches. If pressed, I'd say the Walt Disney World Haunted Mansion gives a slightly superior experience. The exterior looks more foreboding, and the ride includes a couple of brief, wonderful scenes not found in Disneyland.

Yet there are elements of Disneyland's HM that I prefer. I like entering through the front of the building. I like the fact that the stretching room floor goes down here, as opposed to the ceiling rising in Florida -- it just feels creepier knowing you're descending away from the "living" world. I like walking through the hall of paintings.

And, of course, I grew up with this version and it will always feel like "my" Haunted Mansion. I'm sure Walt Disney World fans feel the same way about their awesome mansion ride.