Mystic Manor – The Best Disney Ride You Don’t Know About

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Mystic Manor is By Far the Best Disney Park Attraction

Since Disneyland opened its gates in 1955, the “Mouse House” has been known for it’s innovative attractions. Whether it’s the animatronics used to bring a band of pirates to life, or digital effects that allow guests to experience Elsa live, Disney does a great job of bringing it’s famous characters to life.

But Disney’s best attraction has little to do with Disney classics, and everything to do with modern innovation.

Mystic Manor Hong Kong Disney

A Re-Imagining of the Haunted Mansion

Mystic Manor is a dark ride located in the Mystic Point section of Hong Kong Disneyland. Unlike the Haunted Mansion attractions known for its lively spirits, Mystic Manor has nothing to do with ghosts. Instead, the attraction is based on Lord Henry Mystic, an eccentric British explorer and collector of art – and his faithful monkey Albert.

According to the Hong Kong Disneyland website, “Mystic Manor was built to house Lord Henry’s ever-growing collection of illustrious art and artifacts, including a newly acquired relic: a beautifully carved Balinese music box said to make inanimate objects spring to life with its enchanting music dust.”

Mystic Manor is a trackless ride, which glides across each room thanks to the use of magnets. Imagineer Mark Schirmer is the Executive Creative Director of Mystic Manor and Mystic Point. He worked with his team to develop the story behind the manor, “The idea of this brand new story and brand new characters – that was something that we really wanted to dive into, but at the same time bring it forward to 21st century and really embellish it with state-of-the-art special effects. So that combination of the old and new was really something we were going after.”

The Backstory

The story takes place in 1908, when Lord Henry Mystic fell in love with Mystic Point. Schirmer tells the story as follows,

“On one of his expeditions he basically fell in love with this location – this uncharted tropical wilderness – and wanted to stake his claim, make his home there. While he was there, that’s where he met and actually rescued his traveling companion, a young monkey that he named Albert, after one of his beloved uncles. Between finding this location and meeting his now lifelong pal and companion Albert, this is really the essence of Mystic Point.

Continuing that idea through, we wanted to tell the story about his collection. Anyone willing to make this hard journey and stumble on or find Mystic Point, he – being kind of a philanthropic character – wanted to open the doors of his home to showcase his collection. And that’s what guests are coming to Mystic Point for, to showcase and be able to view the collection and also meet Lord Henry and Albert.

A Unique Experience

Guests of Mystic Manor glide across each room exploring Lord Henry’s expansive collection. The magic begins almost immediately, as Albert opens the music box releasing it’s magical dust. The glittery dust begins to fly across the room, interacting with the museum’s relics and bringing them to life.

Everything from Knight armor to medieval weaponry is brought to life by the music box’s magical dust – very much to the delight and fear of park guests. The technology used to bring this attraction to life is unique, producing an experience unlike any other attraction. By the end of the ride all is put right again, and Lord Henry is none-the-wiser.

Unfortunately Mystic Manor isn’t located in a park near you, but if you can sneak away to China don’t miss the opportunity to check out this one-of-a-kind attraction.

Michelle McKinley is a journalist and digital marketer from Los Angeles, CA. She earned her Journalism degree from Pepperdine University, and has been writing for the web since 2003. She’s a life-long Disney fan who travels and writes about her experiences for fun.

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  1. Pingback: New Hong Kong Disney Resort Opening in 2017 - Search Princess

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