Construction on the Haunted Mansion took place in 1962, put problems plagued the new attraction. Story line problems were a constant for the Haunted Mansion, and in 1964 Disney's attention was turned towards the World Fair instead of Disneyland. Another blow to the struggling project came in 1965 when Walt Disney, the driving force behind the project died. With Walt gone, Imageneers were divided about what tone to give the mansion. Imagineer Marc Davis wanted to present the ride in a comical matter, giving the mansion a lighter tone. Another Imagineer, Claude Counts thought the Haunted Mansion should be a real haunted house and wanted to give the ride a darker tone. Eventually, Imagineers decided on a compromise. The beginning of the attraction was given a darker tone, and had scarier ghosts. Later in the attraction the ghosts would become more "silly" and the "swinging wake" would begin. With the story line and tone of the Haunted Mansion finally decided, the attraction finally opened on August 9, 1969.
===Disney Imageneers===
The main Disney Imageneers that worked on the designing and construction of the Haunted Mansion were:
*Ken Anderson (story line)
*Yale Gracy & Rolly Grump (special effects)
*Claude Counts (plot/conception)
*Marc Davis (character design/conception)
*Blane Gibson (sculpting-many of the ghosts including the hitchhiking ghosts and the singing busts were sculpted by Blane Gibson)
==Disney World Construction==
During the time the Haunted Mansion was being finalized in Disneyland, plans for a identical version in the not yet open Walt Disney World. Props and sets for the Disneyland Haunted Mansion were copied and shipped to Florida. Unlike the Disneyland version however, the Haunted Mansion was set in the American Northeast, not New Orleans (due to the fact that Liberty Square replaced New Orleans Square in Walt Disney World). The change in location is evident in the architecture. Unlike the Gothic feel of the Disneyland Haunted Mansion, the version in Walt Disney World is built with a colonial/Hudson River Valley architecture. In fact, the Harry Peacher Mansion in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania was the influence for the Disney World Haunted Mansion. The Haunted Mansion opened with the park on October 1, 1971.