Bats

The Bats are characters featured in the Haunted Mansion attraction at the Disney Parks.

History[]

Background[]

The bats, as their names imply, are sentient winged mammals encountered in the Haunted Mansion attraction. Originally, they were portrayed flying in a flock of five bats seen flying together in one part of the attic just before the guests encounter the Bride. Guests were able to avoid the bats as well as the Bride in time.

As of the 2015 revamp, the bats are now displayed behind the Hatbox Ghost in a doorway with six bats hanging upside-down in the attraction with their eyes glowing red. The proximity for these flying animals with the Hatbox Ghost in the scene is sometimes interpreted as being his "pets" after a fashion.

Development History[]

The Haunted Mansion attraction originally featured a singular bat known the "Man-Eating Bat" created by Marc Davis seen in concept art and was originally going to be used in the attraction. The bat was shown in an iron cage with bones inside it which could imply that the bat was more carnivorous than a normal bat. Additionally, the bat has glowing red eyes which are similar to that of the Raven. However, it was scrapped in the final version of the attraction and its design was later influenced by the five bats flying around the attic.

The idea of creating the bats flying around the attic was influenced by a concept art made by Ken Anderson in the 1950s. Yale Gracey created a mobile with bats attached on it to make it believable for the effect used for the flying bats in order to give the attraction more of a frightening theme. The bats seen flying around the attic were placed in the Disneyland version where they are seen flying around the attic in a flock.

Due to the success of the attraction at Disneyland, the Haunted Mansion attraction was later constructed at Magic Kingdom in the Liberty Square area and at Tokyo Disneyland at the Fantasyland area, still featuring the bats in it.

The bats flying around the attic were removed in the 2006 revamp (2007 in the Florida version of the attraction) for unknown reasons. Despite that, the bats in their original incarnation are still used in the Tokyo Disneyland version since it first opened in that park.

In 2015, the bats were reintroduced in the Disneyland version of the attraction as part of its 60th anniversary. Unlike in the opening day, they are seen outside the attic during the part where the guests escape from the Bride.

Years later in 2023, the original Marc Davis concept of a bat in a cage with bones protruding from it was added for the California version of Haunted Mansion after more than fifty years of not being used and was placed in the endless corridor scene.

Appearances[]

The Haunted Mansion[]

From opening day until 2006 in the Disneyland version (2007 in the Magic Kingdom version), the bats are seen flying in the attic scene where they are seen flying around together when guests pass by the attic area while evading the Bride. The effect used for the bats was through the use of a mobile where the bats were attached with a nigh-transparent wire. Although the original prop used for the bats was removed in both of these versions, Tokyo Disneyland's version of the attraction uses the original effect used for the bats in the attic scene.

In 2015, as part of Disneyland's 60th anniversary, the bats were reintroduced in the attraction once again where they are seen hanging upside-down in a doorframe behind to the Hatbox Ghost and this time out of the attic. There are now six bats in the post-2015 revamp of the attraction. The guests manage to evade the Hatbox Ghost as well as the bats in this revamp of the attraction where they find themselves in the graveyard where the song "Grim Grinning Ghosts" plays. In the February of 2023, the caged bat with bones poking out and glowing red eyes was placed near the face chair at the endless corridor of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion.

Haunted Mansion Holiday[]

Since the Hatbox Ghost was reintroduced in the attraction since 2015, the bats can still be seen in the doorway behind the Hatbox Ghost who is decorated with Halloween-themed Christmas decorations all over him after escaping the attic scene. Guests manage to evade the Hatbox Ghost and the bats in time where they end up in the graveyard where Jack Skellington and his dog Zero are at.

Other Appearances[]

Disney Crossy Road[]

Bats appear as non-playable characters in the Haunted Mansion world in the discontinued mobile game when playing as a character from the said world. When the player approaches a bat, it flies away in a manner similar to the standard bird element from the Crossy Road predecessor rather than directly attacking the player. In addition to these, there are also missions where the player must scare away bats to earn rewards are included in daily missions as well as Haunted Mansion-themed Weekend Challenges.

Disney Magic Kingdoms[]

When the player places the Haunted Mansion attraction (specifically the Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland incarnations) into their park, they will see bats flying around the attraction.