Robert Niles
Editor
Robert Niles

Mystic Manor soft-opens to guests at Hong Kong Disneyland

April 21, 2013, 1:01 PM · Hong Kong Disneyland has soft-opened the final piece in its expansion program, Mystic Manor, the centerpiece of Mystic Point, which is the third new land to open in the park over the two years.

Mystic Manor
Photo courtesy Disney

Mystic Manor is the home of Lord Henry Mystic, a world explorer who's collected many artifacts and curiosities in his life's travels. Among them is a legendary music box, said to have the power to bring inanimate objects to life. But Henry's little monkey assistant, Albert, wouldn't dare open this Pandora's Box, would he?

This is a theme park ride, where something must go terribly wrong, so of course he does. Here's a first-look video of the ride (found on YouTube), including its pre-show set-up:

Mystic Manor employs a trackless ride system, similar to Tokyo Disneyland's Pooh Hunny Hunt and the upcoming Antarctic: Empire of the Penguin at SeaWorld Orlando San Diego. The system allows riders to experience more intimate encounters with the ride's various show scenes and sight gags than is possible with more traditional Omnimover and flume ride systems.

According to the ride's backstory, Mystic is a member of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers -- a fictional group that's featured prominently in Tokyo DisneySea, in both the Fortress Explorations and the Tower of Terror. The DisneySea Tower's builder, Harrison Hightower, also was a member of SEA, and the lushly decorated pre-show area of that ride is filled with similar artifacts, including one that very maliciously comes to life, as well.

Mystic Manor also includes elements that reminded me of Poseidon's Fury at Universal's Islands of Adventure, especially the final scene that transports you to a different place than where you thought you were.

Mystic Point's debut at Hong Kong Disneyland follows last July's opening of Grizzly Gulch, the home of the Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars roller coaster, and the 2011 debut of the Toy Story Playland kiddie area. Mystic Manor opens officially on May 17, so the ride might not be available to all visitors before then.

Replies (18)

Timchat2
Tim Chatlos
April 21, 2013 at 1:10 PM · Mighty impressive stuff. Any hope for the American parks getting something like this?
MBrilhart
Mike Brilhart
April 21, 2013 at 1:35 PM · I'm so glad you don't mention it in the sense that everyone else seems to be reporting it as the fifth Haunted Mansion. It's not "haunted" because there are no ghosts. It's an awesome stand alone attraction on it's own, but it's not a part of the group with the Haunted Mansion or Phantom Manor.

Finally, Hong Kong Disneyland has something that may make it worth visiting.

anonymous
68.224.136.41
April 21, 2013 at 1:38 PM · This is incredible! The more time goes on, it seems like the parks across the world are getting the more original ride concepts. I wish there were more attractions like these in the states! Ah well, it's yet another reason to visit the parks that are overseas.
CentralFloridian99
Dominick D
April 21, 2013 at 3:35 PM · AMAZING! Clone it to AK!
CalvinEggnog
Gabriel Schroll
April 21, 2013 at 3:37 PM · Excellent! I have all the Disney parks on my bucket list, and this makes HK even more appealing!

By the way, Antarctica is at Sea World Orlando. Not Sea World San Diego.

THCreative
Writer
TH Creative
April 21, 2013 at 5:00 PM · Wow!
Bigwig30
Writer
James Rao
April 21, 2013 at 6:04 PM · ^Ditto!
anonymous
98.227.60.180
April 21, 2013 at 8:17 PM · I would like to see Mystic Point brought to Animal Kingdom. They could have it be this outpost of the explorer in the land of discovering things about animals. They could also build an Adventurers Club restaurant there so we can all once more shout Kungaloosh! I think it would be a great addition to animal kingdom. They could have a lot of mythical animals represented in the art and artifacts in the Manor. I think the connection fits.
Anonymous878
Anon Mouse
April 21, 2013 at 8:20 PM · Except for the beginning that didn't wow me, the ending sure did. The attraction isn't Haunted Mansion. It is an entirely new creation. I can see it being installed in numerous locations. People will want to see it. It is a new Radiator Springs Racer marquee attraction!!! Disney got another hit!!!
anonymous
108.46.184.5
April 21, 2013 at 9:12 PM · Why is an attraction in China in English?
robert
Editor
Robert Niles
April 21, 2013 at 9:51 PM · English in an official language of the Hong Kong SAR (and was the only official language in Hong Kong up until 1974).
anonymous
206.29.182.202
April 22, 2013 at 2:42 AM · I would love to see this great attraction in a US park. I agree it probably fits best in AK. Shame that Disney has yet to build a trackless ride in the states thus far when Japan, Hong Kong, and even soon Paris have one. Oh well at least sea world and Universal are bringing us cutting edge attractions!
DarkrideRod
Rod Whitenack
April 22, 2013 at 6:34 AM · Thank you so much for posting this. This attraction is right up my alley, but the chances of me making it to Hong Kong in this lifetime are slim to none. Reading articles and seeing video like this are what make the Internet such a great modern marvel. I think we take these things for granted, but we have a window to any and every place in the world. Mystic Manor looks amazing. There are homages to the Haunted Mansion, even though the concept is very different. There seems to be as much inspiration drawn from Rolly Crump's original Museum of the Weird concept as from any the Hauntion Mansion variations in the other parks.
anonymous
99.59.167.141
April 22, 2013 at 2:49 PM · While a lot of people are posting that this could be a great new addition to Animal Kingdom, what about making a few tweaks and putting it in Epcot's World Showcase at the China or Japan pavilion? It hurts my heart to think how well this could have fit into Westcot...
Phil_B
Phil B.
April 22, 2013 at 9:00 PM · I love the whole vibe of this attraction. It's fun, whimsical, chaotic, family friendly, technologically advanced, synergistic in it's approach to executing its story using various techniques, and above all, it is an original story, not drawing from any established intellectual property or mythos. This is old school Imagineering at its best, set in our modern age. Bravo Disney, you may have me scratching my head more often than not these days, but that's only because I know you're capable of delivering such stellar, original, quality attractions. Congratulations on creating an instant classic!

PS-Albert is the new Figment. That merch will fly off the shelves!

ursaguydisney
Matt Babiak
April 23, 2013 at 4:13 AM · I know the ride's visuals aren't like HM, but design wise, isn't Manor to Mansion as Indy is to Dinosaur?
anonymous
24.36.150.40
April 23, 2013 at 8:16 AM · Ride looks great I had a part in building the undercarage
of the ride
bagsdeservesbetter
robert morris
April 23, 2013 at 7:29 PM · Was the Winchester House in San Jose in some way an inspiration for the exterior?

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