The Unauthorized Story of Walt Disney's Haunted Mansion

Really fantastic read! Just completed this book and it left me wanting more! I'm a big Disney fan and Haunted Mansion is by far my favorite ride in the park. I loved reading all about it's rich history and fascinating back story. Also being a loyal WDW visitor, this entire story made me more motivated than ever before to plan a trip out West to the original park. I would recommend this to any person interested in delving further into the world of past imagineering. Jeff also takes part in a very entertaining podcast called Mousetalgia, which is how I found this book. I would also recommend that for a fun listen. Keep up the great work!! My only comment is that I would have enjoyed learning more about the WDW and Disneyland Tokyo versions also, as well as their counterparts Paris and Hong Kong (Phantom and Mystic Manors? What's that all about??) But maybe that's for the third edition!

If you're looking for a pretty picture book full of glossy color photos and cute Disney anecdotes then this is not your book. If, however, what you want is to know how the Haunted Mansion came in to existence then this is the book to get. Baham painstakingly delves into Walt Disney's life to speculate on his desire to have a haunted house in the Mickey Mouse park years before ground was ever broken on Disneyland. You get a sense the many false starts and conflicting direction the mansion took in preproduction. Disney was announcing it before they really had any idea what it was going to be: IE ride through or walk through, scary or funny. Politics and conflicting personalities, as well as Walt Disney's death, almost killed the attraction deader than its 999 resident ghosts. This book is a history book that lays all that out with a few b&w photos along with written descriptions of the various attraction's effects and experiences. I liked the book quite a lot, but if you're more of a casual fan or looking for glossy photos of how the ride works it might not be the book for you. I recommend it for the fan who comes off the ride realizing the tremendous amount of work, collaboration, and determination that went into creating this unique haunted house experience and who wants to know more about those people that created it.

Just finished this book, and the kid in me still LOVES Disney's Haunted Mansion, and also remembers the wide-eyed 10-year old I was in 1975 when I first rode on it and was blown away. That trip to Disney influenced me enough to go to college for engineering and enjoy a 30-year (so far) career in industrial automation.Jeff may go into too much detail or some (devoting entire passages to the architecture of the façade, for example) but I loved the scene-by-scene description of the ride and detailed histories of the illusions, who designed them, how they are maintained. The chapter about the opening night an Disneyland was very interesting, and unknown to me (even though I have studied much about the ride systems and Disney's audio animatronics).If you love the ride I highly recommend this book, UNLESS you prefer to not know about the inner workings and prefer it to remain a mystery. :-)

I am a life-long fan of the Haunted Mansion and have been following Doombuggies.com for many years, so I was extremely excited for the release of this book from none other than "Chef Mayhem"! This book is a very intricate look at the Haunted Mansion, through the development and planning, delays and setbacks, and amazing engineering and "imagineering" feats that were accomplished through its creation. For those who may have limited familiarity with the attraction, the descriptions and walk-through of the attractions in California and Florida (as well as some mention of differences in Tokyo and Paris) will help orient you in the discussion. This attraction was designed and influenced by some of Disney's best artists (in my humble opinion) and it's so much fun to read Baham's interviews with them and get their insight -- and even a little gossip!To be fair, you will have to have at least a basic knowledge of the attraction to find the appeal of this book. (I don't mean to frighten you prematurely) But if you've ever ridden it and wondered "how'd they do that?" or "what kind of person came up with the idea of haunted wallpaper?" this book will answer all those questions and more. I'd recommend to any fan of the Disney theme parks - or theme parks in general, as the Haunted Mansion is one of the penultimate "dark rides" found anywhere in the world.Fun reading, excellent material, wonderful insight and anecdotes -- perfect, all the way around!

As a hardcore Disney (and Haunted Mansion, in particular) fan, I was dubious when I read that this book contained material that hadn't been included in other histories of this great attraction. But who am I, a mere foolish mortal, to question the guy who created the legendary DoomBuggies.com website? And indeed, he did a first-class job on this project. No Mansion collection is complete without it.

As a Haunted Mansion fan, I must say I enjoyed this book. Most of the information I have learned through other books and various Haunted Mansion websites. Mr. Baham writes in a simple but entertaining manner. While I considered getting the book I was concerned with how factual the information contained in the book was. However all the facts are footnoted with a great index at the back of the book. The book is divided into two parts, the first being the history of the attraction and the second half of the book a walkthrough of the attraction with some behind-the-scenes facts thrown in. I purchased the book mostly for the first part, as I love to learn about the thought process that goes into the Disney attractions, however I must say the second half of the book was just as enjoyable. I learned some things about the mansion I didn't know before. If you're a fan of the attraction you will definitely enjoy this book. A quick, fun and enjoyable tribute to a classic Disney attraction.

This was a great read. Packed with information and written in a clear and easy reading style. If you love Disney and the Haunted Mansion especially I highly recommend, you will not be dissapointed!

Awesome book

Great item, thanks

Long, in depth look at surely the best attraction in the world.

The information in this book is very, very interesting. I felt like I learned a lot about the development of the Haunted Mansion, both the Disneyland and Walt Disney World versions. However, the author told many of the stories in a very convoluted way. He'd move us forward in time following one stand, and then a page or so later he'd take us back a decade or so and move another strand forward. At some points it was hard to tell just what point in time we were at.The book is divided into two sections, the first being a a history of the attraction. Baham includes quotes from many of the people who helped develop the Mansion, including Rolly Crump. The second section is a description of the ride. It focuses mainly on the Disneyland version, but Baham does note the differences between it and the WDW version. He also talks just a bit about the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay.That being said, I enjoyed learning about how different parts of the Mansion evolved, like Madam Leota for example. There is also some discussion about the houses that were the inspiration for the mansion. And, Baham writes about just a little bit about the Mansion attractions elsewhere in the world, but I wish he would have spent a little more time on them.While I feel that the writing style can be a bit confusing in places, I still enjoyed this book. However, I think the podcast Stuff You Missed in History Class did a much better job retelling the history of the Mansion.

Love this book all the way through. Especially the stories of the special events at the haunted mansion. Didn't really need the section describing the attraction because I know it well but i read it anyways :) I would love more books like this on other classic attractions from the Disney parks!

nice

Good read if a little dry in style..