9 facts you may not have known about the Haunted Mansion Holiday

This year marks the 18th year the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland has been transformed into Haunted Mansion Holiday featuring the characters from “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

Jack dresses as “Sandy Claws” as he and his ghost dog Zero bring ghoulish delights and some thrilling surprises

Each year, the mansion features a specially built spooky gingerbread house. This year’s house is overtaken by an enormous five-foot multicolor spider with an intricate “stained glass” design on its back. The creepy crawler’s eyes are glowing green as it bobs up and down in an attempt to pry the house from its foundation. The spider, just like the rest of the house, is made out of 90 pounds of gingerbread, 30 pounds of confectioner’s sugar, 10 pounds of white chocolate and 45 pounds of fondant.

Disney has provided 9 frightfully fun facts about the Haunted Mansion Holiday:

1. The Eerie Exterior: More than 400 flickering candles create a ghostly glow on the façade of the Haunted Mansion. Each night, more than 100 jack-o-lanterns shine.

2. The Haunted  Elevator: Jack Skellington and his ghost dog Zero appear in a fully animated sequence on the ceiling of the “stretching” room, which transports guests into the Haunted Mansion.

3. The Portrait Gallery: Ghost dog Zero makes a surprise appearance among the spooky, transforming portraits in the gallery.

4. The Graveyard: The graveyard inside Haunted Mansion Holiday is covered with nearly 7,500 square feet of snow. More than 20 gallons of UV (ultra-violet) paint is used to enhance the snow’s eerie glow.

5. Deck the Halls – Each season, thousands of feet of “Black Gnarly” garland is draped and hung inside and outside Haunted Mansion Holiday. Jack’s faithful dog Zero gathered more than 200 bones to use as décor.

6. “Come Out to Socialize”: More than two dozen additional animated figures “materialize” inside the mansion whenever Jack brings his Haunted Mansion Holiday around. From man-eating wreaths to vampire teddy bears, they wait all year to join in the holiday

7. Seasonal Séance Room – Madame Leota’s “13 Days of Christmas” are featured in 13 spinning fortune cards that tell of the Christmas gifts which, as she proclaims, “My ghoul love gave to me…”  For this seasonal attraction, Imagineer Kim Irvine, daughter of the original Madame Leota gives a spirited performance as the Haunted Mansion’s favorite psychic, floating inside the Haunted Mansion’s Crystal Ball in the Séance Room. Her mother Leota Toombs, Disney Legend and long-time Imagineer, first gave life to the floating head.

8. Haunting Gingerbread Smells – The haunting scent of tasty gingerbread wafts throughout the Grand Hall, tempting Happy Haunts and guests

9. ‘Hurry Back!’: A more “animated” Sally bids farewell to “Sandy Claws” Jack Skellington as he, and Haunted Mansion Holiday guests, depart from the attraction.