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Techtite's Shows & Parks Reviews! |
"...an eerily-dressed storyteller on Liberty Square heralded the tale of Ichabod Crane and The Headless Horseman. Don't believe him...? Upon each half hour when he completed his story, a headless horseman "in the flesh" would ride his black stallion across the bridge, into Liberty Square, and back again; a cute added touch.." ---from the review
------------- Sidebar :: ------------- Complaints? No. No, really; NO.: While some of the older participants in this event were complaining about how hard it was to carry their merchandise from Adventureland's verandah to their resort (or parked car), I never complained about the exact same thing with Disneyana 2002 (there was too much more to complain about!), so I can't complain here. However, yes, there were a few kinks that could've been sorted out, like how DARK the streets were (ambiance or not, a few street lights would've been nice), though in all, I had no major complaints, and this event's flawless grade of "Deep Impact" stands. Anyone who disagrees can send Techtite.com a letter, though I doubt anyone will... Event Schedule: For the record, here's a small taste of the events offered that night: 10 AM - 8 PM: Registration in the Transportation and Ticket Center 10 - 7: Pre-ordered purchases retrieved in Adventureland Verandah. 7:15 PM - 8PM: Discussion by Imagineering Dept. about the ride's history and future, in Hall of Presidents/Tiki Room. 8 - 11:30 : All attractions open in Liberty Square and Frontierland for Happy Haunts Ball guests only. 8:00 - 10:30: Free Buffet Dining available in all food locations within Liberty Square/ Frontierland. 8:00 - 10: Silent Auction bidding 8:00 - 11:30: Fortune Tellers and Story Tellers 8:30 - 10: Have your photo taken within a "Doom Buggy" 10:00 - 11:30 Special "Skull" dessert (see review) 11:30 - Midnight: Receive Dearly Departed Gift upon leaving via Main Street. |
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The Haunted Mansion 999 Happy Haunts Ball, 2002(A Special, limited-seating Halloween party, heldat Disney World's Haunted Mansion!)
A Techtite Review
Upon reviewing the unmitigated failure that was Disneyana 2002 last August, I was quite forgiving (all things considered), since I felt 1) maybe EPCOT just had first-time jitters, and 2) maybe they didn't have enough expenses for a decent event. Those feelings have now passed, thanks to The Magic Kingdom hosting a Halloween "Ball" that offered in one night what Disneyana 2002 could not offer in three. Simply put, DisneyWorld's first-ever 999 Happy Haunts Ball was a total masterpiece of a good time. The truth is, any fan of Haunted Mansions in general, considers Disney's to be the definitive Haunted Mansion. Even if the most jaded 10 year old comes out of it saying it's "not scary" and "lame," they're going right back into the half-hour line, to see it all over again. Why not...? With all the opaque ghost FX and eerily lit hallways, this is a haunted mansion like no other. So, it makes sense that Disney would want to sell tons of related memorabilia the night before Halloween itself (October 30th, 2002), for "999" of the ride's most devout fans. As the first attempt at such a "999 Happy Haunts Ball," the only dismay was in if this was only to be done once. Some say it will be made an annual event. I can only hope so.
As for the limited edition merchandise; any devout Haunted Mansion fan wanted it all! However, with edition sizes as small as 25 (!), you had to place your choices in order of importance, and hope the random selection process chose the best of them! There are far too many collectibles to mention all that were offered in one review, which included: a stylish leather jacket with The Haunted Mansion logo across the back; another fine art poster by Randy Noble, of Mickey Mouse peeking warily over Madame Leotta's séance table; a statuette of Mickey on the ride next to an eerily-lit ghost (batteries included!); and a whole array of pin sets! Not that collectibles was all there was to do; a whole night party began at around 7:15, lasting all the way until midnight! It began at the Hall of President's theater, with a formal discussion by one of the head "Imagineers" at Disney, chronicling the whole past, present, and future of The Haunted Mansion ride. On the one hand, this presentation had to be divided between both the Hall of Presidents and The Tiki Room, and some people say that the Tiki Room was only a closed-circuit TV view of The Hall of Presidents' presentation. However, those of us who saw the lecture first-hand were more than impressed, with anecdotes galore, and best of all, a sneak peek at Disney Pictures' upcoming Haunted Mansion movie, starring Eddie Murphy as the house's new owner, and Don Knotts as the caretaker!
There was also an auction, which had the added plus of offering "silent" bidding at any time within a two hour time frame. This allowed guests to make their bids any moment they wished, without interfering with their eating or riding the rides. Auction items included miniature statuettes of the hitchhiking ghosts, a colorful array of Haunted Mansion-related artwork, and even some framed 3D artwork of the classic opening prologue "When Hinges Creek in door-less chambers..." I may not have won anything at this auction though it is worth saying that losing in my bid of such items was a disappointment, as any good auction should be.
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Burnout
Near
Miss
Small
Crater
Large
Crater
Deep
Impact
The
event began with Registration, of course, which was completed upon arrival
to the Transportation & Ticket Center for the Magic Kingdom. I never
thought I'd have to compliment an event like this for not having
registration in a mere tent, though after 
However,
the magnum opus of these collectibles would have to be the lenticular pin of
Master Gracey's portrait (from the ride), which even ages into
a skeleton when moved up and down! The pin was held in a wooden case with a hinged glass
cover, which
displays the pin above a diorama-style "fireplace" a la the actual
ride! My vacation partner had bid on this item as well, and not a day of the
vacation went by when she reminded me I won this item and she did not. Maybe
if I let her hold it for a while...? NAH!
Upon
leaving this lecture, the "Happy Haunts Ball" was in full swing.
Both Liberty Square and Frontierland were open to Ball guests, with the
Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, and Thunder Mountain open with no lines.
All food shops were open as well, only tonight they had special buffet
tables available for free, with everything from a
make-your-own-tortilla station to a salad bar and an entrée table with a
chef who carved you a slice of roast beef. Along the streets were a
variety of fortune tellers (palm readers, tarot cards, handwriting
analysts), while an eerily-dressed storyteller on Liberty Square heralded the tale of
Ichabod Crane and The Headless Horseman. Don't believe him...?
Upon each half hour when he completed his story, a headless horseman
"in the flesh" would ride his black stallion across the bridge, into Liberty
Square, and back again; a cute added touch.
The
event concluded with two nice added treats. The first was a dessert
"skull" which was around 6" tall and made completely of white
chocolate. Its hallow interior held a dozen foil-wrapped "chocolate
eyeballs" with peanut butter centers. Upon exiting the park,
you were given a second, more permanent parting gift, of a miniature logo of
the Haunted Mansion, suitable for hanging, which via two AA batteries
(included!) could even be lit from the back. Underneath this parting gift's
battery compartment was the inscription, "You lived to tell...and now,
unless you wish to shed your mortal soul right here at The Haunted Mansion,
you may take home this treasure to prove your courage among those
weak-hearted souls in the world of the living." Indeed; I look forward
to telling many people about how much fun I had at this event. I only hope
that while telling them about it, I can tell them the event will happen again. Hey; how about making it an annual event...? Any party this well
handled deserves nothing less.