{"id":55288,"date":"2017-08-10T12:00:09","date_gmt":"2017-08-10T16:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/?p=55288"},"modified":"2022-04-09T00:38:42","modified_gmt":"2022-04-09T04:38:42","slug":"halloween-time-disneyland-resort-enhancements-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/halloween-time-disneyland-resort-enhancements-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Halloween Time Creeps Back to Disneyland Resort with Eerie New Enhancements in 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Halloween<\/p>\n

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Can you feel it in the air?\u00a0\u00a0 Autumn is right around the corner.\u00a0\u00a0 At night, there is an ever-so-slight, gradual cool down.\u00a0 It seems to last\u00a0for\u00a0only a fleeting\u00a0moment, but it is a glimpse of what lies ahead.\u00a0\u00a0 With each passing week, the phenomenon that I call “Pumpkin Pandemonium” picks up steam, as omnipresent pumpkin spice items\u00a0gently nudge\u00a0the back-to-school\u00a0merchandise off of store shelves.\u00a0\u00a0 Suddenly our favorite brands of ice cream, cereal, toaster pastries, sandwich cookies and\u00a0air fresheners appear in\u00a0harvest-inspired flavors and aromas,\u00a0including (but not limited to)\u00a0candy corn, pecan pie\u00a0and\u00a0caramel apple. \u00a0 Even\u00a0kitty litter has been known to\u00a0get a seasonal makeover (don’t ask — just trust me on that one).\u00a0\u00a0 What does this tell us?\u00a0\u00a0 It tells us that\u00a0someone out there — or at least merchants, consumers and, apparently,\u00a0cats — is ready for the seasons to change.<\/p>\n

As\u00a0a lifelong resident of Los Angeles, I can tell you that “fall” is an elusive\u00a0concept to me.\u00a0\u00a0 I long for crisp, blustery days and piles of brightly colored leaves strewn about on the ground.\u00a0\u00a0 I dream of\u00a0brisk air scented with the faint perfume of fresh rain and burning fireplaces, and the extraordinary sunsets painted\u00a0with Mother Nature’s brush.\u00a0\u00a0 A Southern California autumn feels suspiciously like summer (as do spring and winter as well, if I’m being honest), and there are no convenient apple orchards or true pumpkin patches in which to frolic in the heart of the city.<\/p>\n

So, quite simply, I have to “find the fall” where I can.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I am not a huge fan of the more horror-based Halloween attractions around town — though they are extremely popular with enthusiasts of that genre.\u00a0 I don’t want to be chased around by chainsaw-wielding maniacs\u00a0under a blanket of fog, nor do I wish\u00a0for crazed clowns and strange, unidentifiable creatures to pop out at me from behind curtains or shrubbery.\u00a0\u00a0 I prefer the more whimsical, playful, non-heart attack-inducing Halloween events… the ones I can enjoy without worrying that I might be accidentally disemboweled or dismembered by the end of the evening.<\/p>\n

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To that end, over\u00a0the last 10 years,\u00a0fall has been one of my favorite times to visit Disneyland Resort<\/a>, second only to the Holidays<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 I am a fan of the lighter, happier side of Halloween, and Disneyland<\/a> delivers the perfect delightful dose of spirited fun during its annual Halloween Time<\/a> season,\u00a0which spans\u00a0the second half of September and all of October.<\/p>\n

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While there are plenty of villains, ghoulish gourds and Jack Skellington-esque touches<\/a> to be found\u00a0around Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park’s<\/a> last year of celebrating the\u00a0season in any real way was, sadly,\u00a02009, when candy corn\u00a0dangled from the Golden Gate Bridge and grew on palm trees.<\/p>\n

That is all about to change, as this will be the year that Halloween returns to California Adventure.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 After months of rumors and speculation, the highly anticipated details of the\u00a0upcoming season — which begins on Friday, September 15th, and ends on Tuesday, October 31st<\/strong> —\u00a0were recently\u00a0announced<\/a>, and there are some bewitching new things\u00a0a-brewin’, along with the return of some fearsome favorites.\u00a0 While most of the press about 2017’s Halloween Time festivities was consistent across cyberspace, I found a few extra details when I perused different official Disney websites, and some of those details might have been overlooked in the initial flurry of blogs, articles and media surrounding what is to come, starting next month.<\/p>\n

Here is\u00a0a rundown of most\u00a0of what we can look forward to:<\/p>\n

New in 2017!!<\/span><\/h3>\n

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A general look at the Halloween-ified version of Cars Land, via concept art.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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1.\u00a0\u00a0 Cars Land’s Haul-O-Ween<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0 For the first time since its debut in 2012<\/a>, Cars Land’s Radiator Springs will fully transform into Radiator Screams, and\u00a0will roar with a mechanically macabre theme\u00a0all over\u00a0town.\u00a0\u00a0 Favorite Cars<\/em>\u00a0 characters in Halloween gear will be ready to “trunk-or-treat,” including super hero Lightning McQueen, van-pire Mater, \u00a0pirate Cruz Ramirez, clown Red and punk rocker DJ.\u00a0\u00a0 Scary the Scarecar will greet guests at the\u00a0pathway to\u00a0Route 66. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Luigi\u2019s Rollickin\u2019 Roadsters and Mater\u2019s Junkyard Jamboree will\u00a0receive\u00a0overlays with music and d\u00e9cor, becoming Luigi\u2019s Honkin\u2019 Haul-O-Ween and Mater\u2019s Graveyard JamBOOree, respectively. \u00a0Also in the spooky spirit\u00a0will be\u00a0Fillmore\u2019s Jack-Oil Lanterns, Flo\u2019s Spider-Car and\u00a0Witchy Miss Lizzie\u2019s shop, among other residents of the town.<\/p>\n

Ramone, one of the citizens of Cars Land, will\u00a0observe D\u00eda de los Muertos with a full-sized Sugar Skull Car and a\u00a0traditional\u00a0\u201cofrenda\u201d display honoring Doc Hudson.<\/p>\n

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Concept art depicting what the Dia de los Muertos display in California Adventure will look like.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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2.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u00a0 Dia de los Muertos in California Adventure.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/em>In addition to the aforementioned Dia de los Muertos tribute by Ramone in Cars Land, a new seasonal experience<\/a> will include special entertainment, musicians, dancers and\u00a0interactive activities \u2014 including a representation of Mexican folk art \u2014 as well as\u00a0themed\u00a0enhancements and food inspired by\u00a0this celebration of family.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The festivities will feature special themed\u00a0elements influenced by the Disney-Pixar animated film, Coco<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0 (Disneyland will continue to offer its traditional Dia de los Muertos skeleton display at Zocalo Park in Frontierland, through November 2nd.)<\/p>\n

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Concept art showing what the entrance of California Adventure will look like once Oogie Boogie gets hold of it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The bat theme started by Oogie Boogie at the entrance continues on at Carthay Circle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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3.\u00a0\u00a0 Diabolical decorations. <\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u00a0Appearing for the first time at Disney California Adventure, Oogie Boogie\u2019s\u00a0ominous silhouette — suspended in a state of forever Halloween — will hover above the main entrance to\u00a0the park, bringing to life thousands of bats\u00a0in the night sky,\u00a0swarming around the Bell Tower of\u00a0Carthay Circle Restaurant and Lounge<\/a>.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Buena\u00a0Vista Street d\u00e9cor<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Nightmare Before Christmas<\/em> theme continues in the new decorations package along this busy boulevard. \u00a0A Headless Horseman statue will reportedly be stationed somewhere in the land as well.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0 Mickey’s Halloween Party-California Adventure pre-party mix-in.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 While a version of the party was held in Disney California Adventure through 2009,\u00a0this will be the first time the park is being included as\u00a0part of the “pre-party mix-in” for Mickey\u2019s Halloween Party.\u00a0\u00a0 With a separate party ticket\u00a0\u00a0guests will be able to visit Disney California Adventure (as well as Disneyland) during the three hours prior to the beginning of the party in Disneyland.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This will be a good option for those who wish to attend the party in Disneyland, but who still want some time to see the new Halloween decorations across the Esplanade.<\/p>\n

Also new this year, admission to Mickey\u2019s Halloween Party will include complimentary Disney PhotoPass downloads.<\/p>\n

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Returning in 2017!<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

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1.\u00a0<\/em> \u00a0Main Street Pumpkin Festival<\/em>.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Over 300 pumpkins with individual personalities and unique faces sit\u00a0in window displays, on balconies,\u00a0over awnings and\u00a0in various other creative places as part of the annual Pumpkin Festival.\u00a0\u00a0 Around the Hub at the end of Main Street you will see a series of Disney character pumpkins representing each land in Disneyland, surrounding the iconic Partners<\/em> statue.<\/p>\n

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2.\u00a0\u00a0 Haunted Mansion Holiday<\/a><\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Jack Skellington returns once again to take over the Haunted Mansion and infuse it with a bit of twisted Christmas cheer.\u00a0\u00a0 The annual\u00a0Haunted Mansion Holiday<\/a> gingerbread house\u00a0has a completely new\u00a0a new design each year<\/a>, and this year it\u2019s the creepy Oogie Boogie in the form of a 7-foot-tall cookie on the table in the Mansion ballroom. He is peeling back the roof of a gingerbread Haunted Mansion, exposing gummy bugs and worms.<\/p>\n

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3.\u00a0\u00a0 Dia de los Muertos\u00a0display in\u00a0Disneyland<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Disneyland will continue to\u00a0present this colorful skeleton display<\/a> in Frontierland’s Zocalo Park\u00a0for the Halloween season, from September 15th through November 2nd.<\/p>\n

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4.\u00a0\u00a0 Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree<\/em>.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0On Halloween night in 2007, a stately oak tree in Frontierland was dedicated\u00a0to author Ray Bradbury<\/a>,\u00a0and inspired by his novel, The Halloween Tree<\/em>.\u00a0 Mr. Bradbury, who passed away in 2012, was a longtime Disney fan and Disneyland visitor, and he was in attendance at the ceremony.\u00a0\u00a0 The tree is rather unassuming in the daytime, though many hand-crafted\u00a0pumpkins hang from the branches, but at night the tree comes alive and casts an eerie glow.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0\u00a0 Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0 <\/strong>A reimagining of the popular thrill ride in Tomorrowland, Ghost Galaxy<\/a> is back for another\u00a0season of hurtling guests through space while dodging galactic ghouls.<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0\u00a0 Happiest Haunts Tour<\/em>.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 Though, at the time of this publishing, not much is known about the 2017 version, it is expected that the Happiest Haunts Tour<\/a> will return in some regard, despite reports in 2016 which indicated that it was not as worthwhile (and worth the cost) as it had been prior to that year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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7.\u00a0\u00a0 Mickey’s Halloween Party<\/a><\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Arguably the cornerstone\u00a0of the entire Halloween Time season, the\u00a0lively Mickey\u2019s Halloween Party\u00a0materializes for another year in Disneyland Park (rumors indicate that the party could possibly move back to California Adventure in 2018). \u00a0Costume-clad guests will be able to trick-or-treat throughout Disneyland for candy and healthy snacks.\u00a0\u00a0 Villains and infrequently seen characters, along with classic characters in themed attire, will pose for photos.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This hard ticket event offers viewing of the Halloween Screams fireworks<\/a>\u00a0spectacular, hosted by\u00a0\u201cMaster of Scare-omonies\u201d Jack Skellington, which is only shown during party hours.\u00a0\u00a0 Also exclusive to the party is the Frightfully Fun Parade<\/a>, which debuted in 2016<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Headless Horseman<\/a> gallops\u00a0through the darkness, heralding the arrival of the parade.\u00a0 The Cadaver Dans<\/a> entertain the crowd with a few\u00a0spooky tunes.<\/p>\n

Also returning this year is the event-within-the-event, the Mickey’s Halloween Party Dinner Package at the Blue Bayou<\/a>, which, for a fee separate from the cost of the party ticket,\u00a0offers reserved viewing for the Frightfully Fun Parade and a 3-course prix fixe dinner.<\/p>\n

For the first time\u00a0in over 20 years, the Halloween Party\u00a0is kicking off on a night other than a Friday.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Equally surprising is that this is\u00a0the first time in recent years that\u00a0the party\u00a0will not begin\u00a0exactly\u00a0two weeks after the Halloween Time season has begun.<\/p>\n

Mickey’s Halloween Party\u00a0starts on Wednesday, September 20th, covers 14 nights, and ends on Tuesday, October 31, 2017<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0 Most nights usually sell out, but they don’t sell out right away.\u00a0\u00a0 Still, I would advise acting quickly if you plan to buy tickets.\u00a0\u00a0 These are the exact dates:<\/p>\n