Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom is my favorite attraction, hands down. The nostalgia combined with the ride itself is one that I could ride over and over. This October, Disney+ released Muppets Haunted Mansion (their fist ever Halloween special) as an homage to the rides at Disney World and Disneyland. But what if you’re not a fan or don’t know much about Haunted Mansion, is it still worth a watch? From plot to cast to Easter Eggs, here’s the scoop.
Disclosure: There are some spoilers in this post. If you have no problem with that, keep on reading!
Table of Contents
Muppets Haunted Mansion: The Plot
In a nutshell, The Great Gonzo and his pal, Pepè, are invited to a swanky Hollywood mansion for a Halloween challenge based on his favorite magician, The Great MacGuffin. He has to spend the entire night in the most haunted mansion in the world (sound familiar so far?). Gonzo’s fearless and Pepè, not so much, making for a dynamic duo.
From the opening limo ride, the spooky plot is set up that no one ever leaves the mansion. In between the singing, there’s plenty of famous, highly-quotable lines, some with a Muppet twist, from the attraction that I really enjoyed as I know them by heart. Honestly, I would have been hurt if the movie didn’t have the lines.
There are also plenty of dad jokes and puns that will keep Muppets fans happy. By far, one of the best scenes pays tribute to both the dining room scenes from Haunted Mansion and the dancing scenes from The Muppet Show. And the plot twist at the end? I didn’t expect it at all.
In the words of Gonzo, “It was terrifying. I loved it!”
Muppets Haunted Mansion Cast
With all of the Muppets movies, the celebrity cast for Haunted Mansion is impressive. There’s everyone from Will Arnett to Taraji P. Henson to John Stamos and Darren Criss. But what I really love is that fact that Brian Henson, Jim Henson’s son and mater muppeteer, gets high billing.
Will Arnett as the Ghost Host, is so good. He plays creepy combined with funny perfectly. And Taraji P. Henson as the famous butchering bride, Constance Hatchaway, is extremely good. She sings, she frightens the daylights out of Pepè, and she’s all-around perfect for the part.
How Scary Is Muppets Haunted Mansion?
Not much, especially for elementary school-aged kiddos. When scenes try to get scary, they’re diffused with Muppet-style comedy. Also, the three original songs, “Rest In Peace,” “Life Hereafter” and “Tie The Knot Tango”, are far more fun than scary and very catchy.
Of course, please use your own judgement with sensitive kiddos. If you’re on the fence, I’d watch it ahead of time just to be safe.
Easter Eggs
If you know the ride, you’ll find plenty of Easter Eggs in the movie. From the tombstones to the attic scene, I plan on watching the movie a few more times to catch more of them. My favorite Easter egg, though, isn’t a tribute to the ride at all but to the movie, “The Shining”.
Walt Disney World Tie-Ins
Recently Muppets Vision 3D at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World received a Muppets Haunted Mansion pre show giving snippets of the movie. It’s been well received, but will probably be removed once Halloween is over.
Should you still want your fill of The Muppets at Walt Disney World, you can always checkout Liberty Square in Magic Kingdom and their show, …Great Moments in American History.
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