Let me  recount my traumatic experience while visiting Disneyland with my family. I had just lost my 13-year-old daughter to suicide just four months prior, and my 9-year-old daughter was struggling with PTSD. My sweet sister in law decided to fly us to California to visit family and get our minds off of things. Friends spoiled us with tickets to the happiest place on earth hoping to to turn our mourning into joy for just a moment. Half way through the day, we decided to go on the Haunted Mansion ride, thinking it would be a slow and harmless ride for our 9 year old daughter. However, the first scene we encountered was a hanging corpse, which was triggering for our entire family.

According to Michele Hobbs, who is in charge of the refurbishment of The Haunted Mansion attraction, there have been no changes made yet. However, she did acknowledge the calls to remove the hanging body from the stretching portrait room and stated that it's something they are considering.

The stretching room inside the Haunted Mansion at both Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World and New Orleans Square in Disneyland Park features a scene that some find disturbing. This scene shows a hanging body, which should be removed rather than considered for removal.

Depicting a body hanging from a noose is not appropriate for the happiest place on earth. It trivializes suicide and is gruesome. Additionally, it ties in with the history of lynching, which is not something that should be celebrated or made light of.

The scene in the stretching room can easily be modified by removing the hanging body and reworking the script to eliminate the reference to suicide when the host says “Of course, there’s always my way” and flashes to a hanging body.

This change would be a positive step towards making the Haunted Mansion a more inclusive and respectful attraction for all visitors.

Sticks and Stones Foundation

Lisa Fonseca