Muppets Haunted Mansion

source: Muppets Haunted Mansion

Set on Halloween night, Gonzo and Pepe skip out on Kermit and Miss Piggy's big party to accept the challenge of staying overnight in the creepy mansion of famed magician The Great MacGuffin on the 100th anniversary of his disappearance. Since Gonzo has proven over and over again that he has no fear, he figures the night will be a lark. Pepe, not so much. The mansion itself is modeled on the much-loved theme park ride, The Haunted Mansion, with The Muppets slipping into the iconic characters found inside and outside of the ride. The swaps are pretty inspired, from Fozzie as the Hatbox bear (including teeth!) to Piggy as the disembodied crystal ball head of Madame Pigota. The Muppet wit is particularly funny and ranges from the extremely clever to the familiar, like Waldorf and Statler as heckling ghosts inside the ride carts, down to the incredibly silly; wait for the goat. There are also three new original songs that lend themselves nicely to the Mansion theme, with some gifted pun usage. They may not be instant classics on par with recent efforts for the last two Muppet films, but they are a lot of fun and utilize the depth and breadth of the Muppet bench to bring them to life. A great Muppet special which includes some deep cut appearances like the ghosts in the mansion (going back to The Muppet Show days) to newbies like Walter and Joe the Weasel. As for the humans, Will Arnett is great performing with the Muppets. Taraji P. Henson is also having a great time as resident widow ghost, Constance Hatchaway. Her side story goes on a little too long in parts but her storyline will appeal to the hardcore Haunted Mansion fans. The rogue's gallery of other human talent are basically relegated to very small cameos but that means the focus can remain on Gonzo and the other Muppets, as it should. The Muppets at their best are timeless, and this special captures much of that spirit. The Muppets have had some bumpy years under their Disney ownership with the company trying to reinvent them for contemporary audiences. What they keep forgetting is that The Muppets at their best are timeless and this special captures much of that spirit because of the performances and writing. The old-timers of the current Muppet crew, they convey the right blend of Henson heart and silliness that makes this offering one worthy of a yearly watch. Muppets Haunted Mansion gets the right mix of The Muppets with the classic Disney theme parks ride. It works really well because of the ingenious mix of Halloween with two much-loved properties that all blend together perfectly. From the production design to the cameos, all down the way to Gonzo's impactful and wee bit scary lesson about the importance of your family, this whole special lands the trick of being a huge treat.

The special was fine. Pepe seems to get more exaggeratedly Spanish every time we see him. He's hilarious but not a replacement for Rizzo. Gonzo is great, albeit getting older and less animated or excitable. All of these things are easy to overlook. Except for Kermit. Who was that? I understand they couldn't use the same muppeteer as they have in the past. But I swear any stranger off the street could do a better Kermit than the person currently at the helm. Something is just flat out wrong. And it's jarring and distracts from the magic of the muppets. Disney: correct this. It's a sacrilege.

Absolutely hilarious Halloween Family movie from The Muppet Gang. Main focus of the movie was Gonzo but plenty of laughs and classic bits from the entire Muppet Gang. Definitely for the Family to enjoy.

Unfortunately this was a massive let down! Disney missed a huge opportunity to make another classic like The Muppets Christmas Carol... but have fallen way off the mark.

Ever since the Muppets were acquired by Disney in 2004, they have been somewhat of a redheaded stepchild among the many assets now owned by Disney. As time went by, Disney seemed more preoccupied with things like the parks, Marvel, and Star Wars. When I first heard about Muppets Haunted Mansion, I was adamant, because I love the Muppets and I'm also a fan of the Haunted Mansion attraction. But combining the two, could it possibly work? The answer is a very resounding YES! As I mentioned before, most of Disney's works with the Muppets have been hit or miss, be they the viral Bohemian Rhapsody video (Hit!), the mockumentary series from 2014 (middle), or whatever we're supposed to make of "Muppets Now" (mostly miss). But this special turned out to be a match made in Hades. (And that's a compliment.) This uses practically every trick in the puppetry book, and because the Muppets are playing floating ghosts, that means we get to see a lot more of their legs. The most impressive puppetry is when Kermit plays the Ghost Master of Ceremonies. There are plenty of clever nods to the original attraction and things from The Muppets. (During the ballroom scene, notice how the dancers are making terrible jokes? That should be familiar to fans of The Muppet Show.) I'm still not a fan of the very controversial recasting of Kermit. And, apparently, neither are the people behind the studio, as evidenced by the smaller screen time our favorite amphibian is given. But making Gonzo the central character is actually a stroke of genius, and this being a Halloween special, there are several scenes involving him that are extremely unnerving. So overall, this was a fantastic special for the Muppets done in the vein of Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island, and I really hope that Disney does more stuff like this with our friends of felt in the future.

Disney's handling of the take-over of Muppet franchise couldn't have been handled any more ham-fistedly. We now have insipid characters muttering insipid lines in insipid voices - absolutely zero of the joie de vivre which shone through every element of the original Muppets. I'm glad I still have the DVDs of the original show for my grandchildren to enjoy (though I am mightily miffed that they haven't re-mastered them to HD BluRay). I feel sorry for the kids who're being forced to view this "new age" tripe with precisely zero worth.

This had so much potential and ended up being an uninspired mess. Disney is wasting the Muppets.

Believing they're going to a celebrity bash, Gonzo and Pepe The Prawn spend the night in a haunted mansion. While it hasn't all the dynamics of a film, it excels as at TV movie, director Kirk Thatcher utilising some clever modern technology and virtual sets delivers a sterling production. This tonally line films from the past including Muppets Treasure Island and A Muppets Christmas Carol. It has all the the charm, fun and wit you'd expect from The Muppets. Those who love the Disneyland attraction of the same name will find this a blast with its surprises and Easter eggs all the way through. Although Rizo the rat only appears in paintings (his character being retired due to some off screen issues), Pepe is a good stand-in/replacement having grown a fan favourite over the years. The performers, voice actors, crew, writers and Thatcher bring all Jim Henson favourites to life; from Kermit to Miss Piggy, Scooter to Rowlf the Dog as and everyone in-between. Even adding some genuinely likeable new ghost characters too. Just like the original Muppet Show it delivers a real family experience. Will Arnett is great throughout as they encounter all kinds of Muppet-inspired ghouls, celebrity cameos including, Taraji P. Henson, Yvette Nicole Brown, Danny Trejo (who appeared in Muppets Most Wanted) and Ed Asner in one of his final roles. The Muppet version of The Haunted Mansion thankfully delivers all The Muppet goodness we love. Sharp, punchy, brilliant. It's The Muppets!