A TNBC Fan

I'm disappointed in general. My family had rooms booked and everything around Halloween/Christmas time this year to go to Disneyland. So far, it looks like we may have to cancel on that or plan again sometime....but I had been really looking forward to the Haunted Mansion Holiday and meeting Jack and Sally. As well with whatever TNBC stuff they had planned this year.

I'm sure other people are disappointed as well. The Oogie Boogie Bash was so successful last year and I had a blast when I went to the parks in 2019. It is a shame that was cancelled, too, for this year. Disney seems optimistic to plan for 2021. Hopefully that can happen.

It's very unclear how things are looking for Halloween/Christmas this year. I'm not sure what I will be doing for Halloween just yet. But the Haunted Mansion Holiday was definitely a disappointment for me.

Ooof….why is this one of the hardest questions I’ve gotten? And, just for context, to those who want to know what I’m comparing exactly:

Tokyo Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion Holiday

California Disney’s Haunted Mansion Holiday:

It comes down to small details, really. But I can tell how much these differences impact the ride from my experience…

I love Tokyo’s elevator scene better - the CGI atop with Jack and Zero in Cali isn’t my favorite; I prefer the Sandy Claws head they used. And I was never a fan of how long it took to have Sally added as more of a major role in Cali’s Haunted Mansion Holiday, whereas in Tokyo’s she has a scene with the Scary Teddy playing a piano beside her. You don’t only get a “glance” at her as you’re rushing past her like in Cali’s, you can absorb the scene and admire Sally’s model more, which in my opinion is better than the one with her leaning over the tombstone.

I also love the constant detail of the Scary Teddy in Tokyo’s; how he’s in a lot of scenes, and I adore the portraits in their waiting line as much as Cali’s(although I love all the Nightmare characters in fluorescent lights in theirs…). I also have a great attachment to Oogie Boogie with that spinning wheel just before the “hitchhikers”, and Lock, Shock, and Barrel had a bit more focus as it is in Tokyo’s…Then again, how could I live without that Jack/Sally scene in the window background of Tokyo’s? It’s my favorite thing in the world, I tell you! And my second favorite thing is Jack and Sally at the beginning of theirs, too…it’s so adorable! For some reason, it feels like their version respects Jack & Sally’s relationship and includes Sally a lot more.

“Both are good” would be my definite answer, as I think they’re charming & enjoyable in their own ways and they both do Nightmare justice with their additions. I know I’m a little biased, as I have never been to Tokyo and only rode California’s…but if I really had to choose, I’d agree that Tokyo’s is better.