Often times, doing a deep dive into my Disney files will yield buried treasure. Such is the case today with this piece of rare concept art filed years ago, here depicting the Haunted Mansion as it would have appeared at the end of Main Street U.S.A. Yes, you heard that correct try- Main Street U.S.A.
It was the early 1960's and the great early Imagineer Ken Anderson crafted this piece at the request of Walt Disney himself. It's quite a piece of art!
There's a detail not so easily seen in this size, but if you click on it for the largest version, you'll find two young boys eyeing the decrepit old house with a strange mix of fear and intrigue. Just the right mix of emotions, I'd say. And I've seen those faces on kids today, decades later.
As with so few iconic Disney attractions, the Haunted Mansion is/was a perfect candidate to be placed in different locations in each castle park. And thankfully, it was! Of course, in Disneyland, its home is New Orleans Square and in the Magic Kingdom in Florida, it's found in Liberty Square. Disneyland Paris places the much darker Phantom Manor in Frontierland, but in Tokyo, the mansion is found in- surprise- Fantasyland. We should also add Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disneyland, although it truly is a unique attraction. all its own. Should another Magic Kingdom ever be built with a Main Street U.S.A., I'd vote for the suits to resurrect this original idea and bring the project full circle.
(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)
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