The final piece of the Haunted Mansion expansion is now complete, Madame Leota’s Somewhere Beyond shop at the mansion’s exit is now open!
Join us as we explore the shop… and regions beyond…
Madame Leota’s Somewhere Beyond
Imagineering would have you believe that the carriage house once stored the hearse that sits in the Haunted Mansion’s front yard. The building was also home to the mansion’s head caretaker… until Madame Leota took up residence, that is.
Beyond the backstory, the shop is filled with Leota’s collection of mystical items, including one of her crystal balls and the actual chandelier that hung in the mansion where Leota holds her seances. The chandelier had to be removed when it was decided to make Leota float above the table. Frequent Disneyland guests will also recognize a bat lamp, which once graced the former Le Bat En Rouge retail shop in New Orleans Square. It’s nice to see old Disneyland props were saved and have been placed back in view of guests.
A portrait honors Disney Legend Leota Toombs Thomas, the Imagineer who brought Madame Leota to life. She’s also the mother of Disney Imagineer Kim Irvine, who led the new shop’s design and embodies Leota for the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay. There are a lot of interesting family ties that go well beyond the storytelling of the Mansion itself.
Along with her eclectic collection of antique artifacts and mystical musical instruments, Leota has stocked her shelves with ghoulish gifts themed to the Haunted Mansion and The Nightmare Before Christmas.
The 13-hour clock that appears before the seance room in the Haunted Mansion is reborn as a display case for the shop.
And could that black cat lounging on the chair be a reference to Mark Davis’ painting of the woman who turns into a panther?
The exterior of the shop is festooned with the sorts of things you might associate with a mystic. Dried herbs, bells, and even some poisonous plants decorate the store.
Merchandise Highlights at Madame Leota’s Somewhere Beyond
Since the Haunted Mansion is located next to the store, Madame Leota’s Somewhere Beyond stocks merchandise inspired by the original attraction and the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay starring characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas.
The majority of the merchandise are pieces you have spotted previously at Port Royal Curios & Curiosities and other locations, but there are a few elusive items to uncover. This crossbody bag by Lug is one of those items. It arrived at Disneyland with the opening of this new store.
You may remember seeing this talking Madame Leota figurine at the D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event last summer. A moving version of her face is projected onto the figurine, making it appear as though she is actually speaking.
We would love to see new Haunted Mansion merchandise grace this shop in the future. But even so, the location is worth a visit, even if you have no intention of purchasing anything.
Follow Dusty’s Christmas Day walkthrough of the store in this video:
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New Expanded Haunted Mansion Queue
Beyond the mansion gates, guests will discover new, cultivated grounds filled with mystical mementos, including a pair of ravens (birds that represent a connection between the world of the living and the spirit world).
A familiar Spanish fountain once sat in nearby Magnolia Park.
Master Gracey’s personal garden features a fountain depicting the face of a sea maiden, and inside the wrought iron gazebo sits a bench, a well-read book, an astrological armillary sphere, and a smoking pipe he left behind.
Madame Leota’s garden features statuary of frogs, lizards, rats, and a cymbal-playing monkey – all frozen in time as if under a spell. The garden’s fortune-telling orbs, ornaments, chimes, and bells represent Leota’s communication with spirits.
At the rear, the Mansion Greenhouse provides ghostly residents with opportunities to cultivate unusual plants.
You can view the expanded queue in our recent walkthrough video:
Know Before You Ghost
Guests using mobility devices are able to use the main queue and entrance to the Haunted Mansion. After riding, a new, accessible elevator exit extends the story of the attraction with a gallery of original Imagineering artwork.
A virtual queue is no longer in use at the Haunted Mansion. The attraction is now available via a standard standby queue as well as the extra cost Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Premier Pass.
And don’t forget: the Haunted Mansion is currently being taken over by the citizens of Halloween Town for the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay. The original mansion residents will return to their regular haunts beginning January 18, 2025… and there could be some surprises when the classic Mansion returns.
Read more in our latest Disneyland Update:
DISNEYLAND UPDATE: From Christmakkah to Construction & Swashbuckling Surprises!
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