Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021)

Release Date - October 8, 2021

Synopsis:

The Great Gonzo receives an invitation to attend a party being held at a haunted mansion on Halloween night.

Directed by - Kirk Thatcher

Written by - Bill Barretta, Kirk Thatcher and Kelly Younger

Story by - Bill Barretta, Kirk Thatcher, Kelly Younger and Jim Lewis

Produced by - Chelsea DeVincent and Michael Steinbach

Cinematography - Craig Kieff

Music by - Ed Mitchell and Steve Morell

Distribution Company - Disney+

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Cast:

The Muppet Performers:

Dave Goelz - The Great Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Beauregard, Waldorf, Chip, Randy Pig

Bill Barretta - Pepe the King Prawn, Rowlf, Dr. Teeth, The Swedish Chef, Howard Tubman, Bobo, Big Mean Carl, Clean Gene, Andy Pig, Bubba the Rat, Beautiful Day, Party Tomato

Eric Jacobson - Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle

Matt Vogel - Kermit the Frog, Uncle Deadly, Floyd Pepper, Sweetums, Pops, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry

Peter Linz - Walter, Joe from Legal, Statler, Robin the Frog, Lips, The Ghost

David Rudman - Scooter, Janice, Beaker, Wayne, Squid Ghost

Additional Muppet Performers:

Alice Dinnean - Mummy, Caretaker's Dog, Miss Cartier

Bruce Lanoil - Duddy, Ballroom Rat

Julianne Buescher - Yolanda, Beverly Plume, Wanda, Screaming Goat

and Special Appearance by:

Brian Henson - Sal Minella

Supporting Muppet Performers:

Sarah Oh - Various Roles

Nicolette Santino - Party Tomato, Various Roles

Colleen Smith - Various Roles

Alan Trautman - Various Roles

Alex Villa - Pumpkin, Various Roles

Starring:

Will Arnett - The Ghost Host

Yvette Nicole Brown - The Driver

Darren Criss - The Caretaker

Taraji P. Henson - The Bride

In Memory of Our Friend:

Edward Asner - Ghost of Claude

Special Appearance:

Kim Irvine - Haunted Mansion Maid

Skai Jackson - Singing Bust

Geoff Keighley - Singing Bust

Justina Machado - Singing Bust

Jeannie Mai - Ghost of Maude

Chrissy Metz - Ghost of Harriet

Alfonso Ribeiro - Ghost of Fred

Craig Robinson - Singing Bust

Pat Sajak - Singing Bust

John Stamos - Famous Person

Danny Trejo - Ghost of Huet

Sasheer Zamata - Ghost of Mary

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Run Time - 49 min. Rated - PG

Budget - Unknown Gross - Unknown

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Review:

Muppets Haunted Mansion is a return to form for the beloved Muppets franchise which has been on a bit of a rollercoaster of ups and downs since the release of The Muppets (2011). Since then Muppet fans got a follow up film, Muppets Most Wanted (2014), that was pretty good, and a couple of uninteresting TV series: The Muppets (2015-2016) and Muppets Now (2020). This Halloween special does an excellent job blending everything we’ve come to expect from a Muppet project (catchy songs, unique humor and celebrity cameos) with the many classic elements of The Haunted Mansion Disney theme park attractions. The Muppet performers are at the top of their game bringing us all the classic characters as well as a huge assortment of supporting characters, many of whom had not been seen in Muppet productions for years. It was really nice to see Brian Henson back as a performer as he had not worked as a puppeteer on a project since The Muppets Wizard of Oz (2005). The three new songs written for the special are all very well done, my favorite being “Rest in Peace” performed by Darren Criss as The Caretaker and the Electric Mayhem’s cover of “Dancing in the Moonlight” is also a highlight of the special. The celebrity cameos are a lot of fun, even if many of them weren't that well known to me, several of them are social media celebrities but it was nice to see so many show up in the relatively short runtime. My only real complaint is that I think they could have expanded this into a full fledged movie, but regardless it was a lot of fun to watch and I really hope they can continue this kind of success with the Muppets property going forward.

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My Score: 87

Plot - 8 Cinematography - 8

Attraction - 10 Editing & Special Effects - 8

Theme - 8 Sound & Music - 10

Acting - 8 Directing - 9

Dialogue - 8 Enjoyability – 10

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Trivia:

• This is the first ever Muppets Halloween special though plans for a Halloween special date back to the 1980s.

• Kim Irvine who plays the Haunted Mansion Maid is a Disney Imagineer and the daughter of Leota Toombs Thomas who is the face of Madame Leota in the Disney Haunted Mansion attractions, though Eleanor Audley provides the voice of Leota in the rides.

• The address of the Haunted Mansion is 924, this a reference to Jim Henson’s birthday who was born on September 24, 1936.

• This was Danny Trejo’s fourth collaboration with the Muppets after The Muppets (2011), Muppets Most Wanted (2014) and the TV series Muppets Now (2020). Though his scenes in The Muppets (2011) were cut from the film, he was seen in some of the marketing for the film however.

• Brian Henson, the son of Jim Henson, returned to perform and voice Sal Minella, a character created for the TV series Muppets Tonight (1996-1998). This was the first time that Brian Henson had performed since The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz (2005).

• Ed Asner appears posthumously as the Ghost of Claude and the special is dedicated to his memory. Asner died on August 29, 2021 at the age of 91 from natural causes.
  

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Availability:

• Exclusive to Disney+

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Watched on October 8, 2021