Sneak peek: A scene-by-scene look at Hong Kong Disneyland’s Mystic Manor

Mystic Manor takes visitors on a circa-1908 tour of an ancient artifact collection belonging to a world-renowned adventurer and explorer. Inside the Victorian home on a remote jungle hilltop, Lord Henry Mystic’s museum comes alive when his mischievous monkey opens an enchanted music box.
Set to open as early as 2013, Mystic Manor is part of a nearly $500-million expansion at Hong Kong Disneyland that calls for the addition of three themed lands.

Mystic Manor will serve as the Chinese theme park’s ghost-less Haunted Mansion, with tributes to the classic Disney attractions Indiana Jones Adventure and Enchanted Tiki Room included throughout the ride.

Spoiler Alert: Join us as Disney Imagineer Dustin Schofield, who worked on Mystic Manor, takes us on a scene-by-scene tour of the new attraction:

Queue
Photos of Lord Mystic, posing with his ever-present pet monkey, Albert, line the waiting area.

Pre-show
A slide show narrated by Lord Mystic previews the rooms on the tour and highlights the latest addition to the collection — an enchanted music box with magical powers that must be opened very carefully.

Loading area
Visitors board turn-of-the-century horseless carriages in the artifact loading dock.

The catalog room
Albert the monkey opens the uncrated music box. The escaping magic dust enchants the artifacts in the room, bringing them to life.

The music room
The magic dust animates the musical instruments, which add to the overall score of the ride. Albert, who will pop up in every scene, watches with wonder and amazement.

The Greco Roman room
The paintings and audio-animatronic statues come to life. An amphora with Hercules battling a lion rocks and spins as the riders pass.

The conservatory
In a transition room, Albert tries to reach a bunch of bananas as a giant Venus flytrap nips at his tail.

The Nordic room
A Nordic god in a painting on the wall blows at the riders, filling the freezing cold room with special-effects smoke.

The armory
A cannon blast knocks the ride vehicle backward. Albert ducks to avoid decapitation by a sword-wielding samurai warrior.

The Egyptian room
A mummy and scarab beetles come to life. Suddenly, the lights go out and the bugs fly at the riders through the darkness.

The tribal room
A two-story-tall tiki statue spews lava from its mouth as flames warm the room. Tribal gods blow darts at the riders, nailing Albert to the wall.

The Chinese room
A golden statue of a monkey king twirls a staff to create a turbulent vortex, causing the ride vehicles to spin around the room.

Return to the catalog room
As chaos threatens to destroy the collection, Albert slams shut the enchanted music box and life returns to normal inside the manor.

Unloading area
Lord Mystic welcomes his visitors back, unaware of the bedlam that has just unfolded.

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— Brady MacDonald, Los Angeles Times staff writer
Images: Disney