Matthew Heid

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Matthew Heid My adventures in film, theme parks and more!

On this day in 2001, Haunted Mansion Holiday opened to the world at Disneyland! After the success of "it's a small world...
10/03/2026

On this day in 2001, Haunted Mansion Holiday opened to the world at Disneyland!

After the success of "it's a small world" Holiday in 1997, Imagineers were looking for ways to bring seasonal cheer to more classic attractions, including the Haunted Mansion. Ideas from offerings based on Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" and Clement Clark Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas" were tossed around before the team settled on Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, a much more eerie and fitting IP for the classic attraction.

It began with "What if Sandy Claws visited the Haunted Mansion before he brought his vision of Christmas to the rest of the world?" and the concept grew from there. On October 3, 2001, the reimagined attraction opened to guests as Haunted Mansion Holiday and it was an immediate hit filled with merry and scary screams.

Yours truly had already become a diehard Haunted Mansion and Nightmare fan later in the decade as I was growing into the Mansionologist that I am today, and when the time came for me to visit Disneyland in December 2010, I was thrilled that I would finally be experiencing the beloved overlay that was inspired by both my favorite attraction and film. To make it even better, I got to experience it with several Imagineers including Kim Irvine, who stepped in to provide the face of Madame Leota for the overlay. I still remember her pointing out Leota and saying "That's me!" to which I responded "That's you?!" and our frightully fun friendship grew from there.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Haunted Mansion Holiday, I will be sharing the history of the beloved overlay with you all for the next three months. Stay tuned for plenty of tricks and treats!

Photos are from December 2010 and August 2024.

Happy 55th anniversary to Walt Disney World and the Haunted Mansion that I call home! Growing up on the east coast, Flor...
10/02/2026

Happy 55th anniversary to Walt Disney World and the Haunted Mansion that I call home!

Growing up on the east coast, Florida was my family's go-to place for summer vacation every year. I love all the Disney Parks and each of their classic attractions, but Magic Kingdom and its Gothic house on the hill will always be the most dear to me because they are what sparked the person that I grew up to be.

Here's to many more years of the Magic Kingdom, its various realms, and the old, dark house at the end of the dimly street. May they forever inspire current and future generations.

"YA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" 🎃🐎
09/19/2026

"YA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" 🎃🐎

Dead Center 💀
09/16/2026

Dead Center 💀

Remember when Chip 'n' Dale were greeted by an eerie butler on the front porch of the Haunted Mansion in the classic 199...
09/13/2026

Remember when Chip 'n' Dale were greeted by an eerie butler on the front porch of the Haunted Mansion in the classic 1991 souvenir VHS tape, "A Day at Disneyland?" Well, I happened to run into that butler at none other than the mansion itself back in May! It was a real pleasure to finally meet Joe Guajardo and listen to his fascinating story about the production! Thank you for being a part of Disney history and for continuing to preserve the magic of the Happiest Place on Earth!

Visiting the Natural History Museum of L.A. took me back to my childhood! I've always been a dino nerd, so experiencing ...
09/08/2026

Visiting the Natural History Museum of L.A. took me back to my childhood! I've always been a dino nerd, so experiencing the relics of our prehistoric past and sharing my knowledge with friends and loved ones really warmed my heart and blasted me with so much nostalgia.

I also really enjoyed the Orcas: Our Shared Future exhibit, which showcases the science of these fascinating, intelligent animals and their history with us with an open mind of what's to come. Throughout my life, I've cared much for the animals we share this planet with, and cetaceans are still misunderstood creatures that deserve the utmost respect and appreciation.

Thank you to The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County for the education and historical preservation that you offer.

Oh, and the Disney fan in me was quite thrilled to see a Carnotaurus skeleton, which as you can see was much smaller than its onscreen counterpart and was native to South America during the Late Cretaceous period.

Happy Lightning McQueen Day from the creepiest little town in Carburetor County ⚡️👻
09/06/2026

Happy Lightning McQueen Day from the creepiest little town in Carburetor County ⚡️👻

09/03/2026

Even Art couldn't handle me 🎄🤡

I had the pleasure of meeting film critic and historian Leonard Maltin at the MiceChat booth while attending D23: The Ul...
08/30/2026

I had the pleasure of meeting film critic and historian Leonard Maltin at the MiceChat booth while attending D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.

I told Maltin that my introduction to him was in 8th grade, when I first watched the 1943 Academy Award-winning Donald Duck short film, "Der Fuehrer's Face," a propaganda piece that makes fun of the WWII Axis Powers. The cartoon, amongst others, is featured in the Walt Disney Treasures DVD collection from the 2000s. Many of the shorts include an introduction from Maltin explaining the historic context and significance of them.

Maltin told me that his favorite film is Casablanca, and I told him that mine is a tie between The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Shining, the latter leading to a long conversation about film adaptations of Stephen King novels. I shared with Maltin many obscure facts about the film, such as Kubrick making adjustments to the scenery of the Overlook Hotel throughout the movie to make the setting appear more "off" and supernatural.

Of course, I also had to ask Maltin what he thinks is the worst movie ever made, and ironically, being on the subject on screen adaptations of King novels, he told me that it's MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE, the only film that King ever directed. He went on to discuss how awful he found the movie to be and how King felt he had to be in control because of how he was tired of other directors making changes to his stories. I don't blame King at all to be honest. It's understandable for creators to want adaptations of their work to be as faithful to the source material as possible, but what works in a book does not always work on the screen and this is why directors change things, and sometimes people who are great at writing stories and brainstorming ideas should, respectfully, leave directing to more-experienced filmmakers.

On a more positive note regarding King, I suggested that Maltin read The Shining because it's still a great book, and that he should watch Doctor Sleep, a masterpiece of a sequel directed by Mike Flanagan.

Thank you, Leonard, for taking the time to chat with me about our love of movies! It was an honor.

is here! Everyone, this is your year! An anniversary like no other! You'll find plenty of faces, both familiar and new...
08/25/2026

is here! Everyone, this is your year! An anniversary like no other! You'll find plenty of faces, both familiar and new, taking you into your worst nightmares. There is so much to see that you'll be coming back for more.

See you in the fog!

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