Disney PhotoPass is testing generative AI at the Haunted Mansion again. A new Haunted Mansion Magic Shot that turns guests into glowing ghosts began a limited-time test in front of the Magic Kingdom attraction on October 21, about a month after an earlier photo test there drew mixed reactions from fans.
BlogMickey reports the test may run only a handful of days, though that could change.
How The Ghost Photo Works
Two PhotoPass photographers are set up side by side outside the Mansion, BlogMickey observed. One takes a regular photo with no AI involved. The other takes the new Magic Shot, and guests can pick which line they want.
For the ghost version, the photographer takes each guest’s picture, and generative AI then blends it with a backdrop Cast Members designed. Disney says its creative product team conceptualized and finalized the look, that the shot follows the same safety standards and procedures as its other Magic Shots, and that the photos are processed in-house. BlogMickey reports a team of Cast Members checks them before they reach guests.
Disney says the shot is optional and does not replace any current Magic Shots or PhotoPass locations. BlogMickey reports a PhotoPass manager on site explained the option to guests but didn’t bring up generative AI unless asked.
The approach matches how Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro described the company’s AI plans on its August 5 earnings call: “AI amplifies what our storytellers can do. It doesn’t replace them.”
The Stone Bust Test Came First
In September, a test Magic Shot turned guests into carved stone busts modeled on the Dread Family busts in the attraction’s queue, and BlogMickey reports that shot also used generative AI. Some guests praised the result, while others were uneasy seeing AI applied to their vacation photos, and the shot drew backlash online. BlogMickey says the stone bust shot could return.
If You’re Heading To Magic Kingdom
Look for the two photographers outside the Haunted Mansion. If you want a regular portrait, go to the standard PhotoPass line. If you want to see yourself as one of the Mansion’s 999 happy haunts, try the Magic Shot line, and go soon. BlogMickey has not yet shared an example of the finished ghost photo.
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