We continue to discover new secrets about Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion, decades after its opening. The EarzUp crew delved into rumors around the attraction’s design as a boat ride back in August of 2020. They even consulted Imagineer Rolly Crump to find out if the rumors had any basis in fact. Last week, we learned about another crazy facet of the Haunted Mansion from a rather unexpected source.
Many Mansion fans have seen the special filmed about the attraction in 1970. In one episode of “The Wonderful World of Disney,” Kurt Russell teamed up with E.J. Peaker and the Osmond Brothers to describe the ride and take viewers on a special tour. Donny Osmond mentions the episode in an Instagram post from January 14th.
Since the young Donny was only 12 at the time, he still had to attend school between shots. His teacher came with for the project and somebody at Disneyland set aside some space for a few hours of class work. That space was on the second floor of the Haunted Mansion.
It seems there was a small room behind the ride. This room must have been furnished and comfortable enough for a child and his teacher to conduct class for a few hours. Osmond does not point out precisely where this space was, but if you think about it, there must be space behind riders as their Ghost Mobile glides over the ballroom scene. Enterprising internet users can likely find some plausible floor plans if they search for a few minutes.
While we do not know much about the room’s purpose, we are Disney fans! Just make it up and pretend you are right. Even though the room is probably just storage of some sort these days, it is much more fun to pretend.
Do you think Donny knew at the time he was likely the first and only person to ever attend school inside the Haunted Mansion? What do you suppose the room is used for now? Toss out a few wild guesses below!
