Muppets Haunted Mansion is an Instant Halloween Classic
I’ve let it be known once or twice how highly I think of old Muppets movies. And there’s a very special place in my heart for The Muppet Christmas Carol in particular. I watch it every year with the family, and, I have to admit, in some ways traditions like that can become synonymous with the holiday itself.
But Halloween is my favorite holiday, and we haven’t yet had the Halloween equivalent of that perfect Muppets Christmas movie. So I was extremely excited when I saw the announcement for Muppets Haunted Mansion. I instantly had very high hopes that this was going to be something special - maybe even a new family tradition for my favorite spooky holiday.
But during the wait and the build-up, something hilarious happened. I talked about it all the time - “Muppets Haunted Mansion comes out next week! 5 days! 1 day!” And the rest of the family didn’t exactly share my enthusiasm for some reason. But the truly funny thing is what happened on release day. Somehow my kids got it into their heads to dread watching this movie.
As kids sometimes do, my kids convinced themselves they really didn’t want to watch this movie with me and it’s impossible to rationally explain. I probably asked my son to watch it with me while he wanted to play Minecraft or something, so it was inextricably linked with removing him from his happiness. Who knows. And that somehow spread to his sister. So when family movie night arrived and mom and dad announced what we were watching, the kids put on a side-splitting show of despair.
Will Arnett on Muppets Haunted Mansion © The Walt Disney Company and Disney Plus
Our 5-year-old started inconsolably bawling in some sort of solidarity with her brother, with very little understanding what she was supposed to be sad about. “Is that as bad as watching the news?” she asked through her tears. “It’s worse than watching the news!” her brother assured her. We have a long history of our kids falling madly in love with movies after putting up resistance like this, so by this point it’s basically very enjoyable theater.
Worry not! Suffice it to say, Muppets Haunted Mansion did not turn out to be worse than watching the news. Both of our kids adored it. They were laughing hysterically through most of the film, and there were even a few well-timed scares that had them jump and then giggle. The movie did not disappoint at all.
Gonzo and Pepe - Muppets Haunted Mansion © The Walt Disney Company and Disney Plus
Like my beloved The Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppets Haunted Mansion is also a musical. It even features the famous Grim Grinning Ghosts - the theme song for the Disney ride. I have to admit that the new original music had little chance to live up to the standards of The Muppet Christmas Carol, and they’ll never be stuck in my head the same way, but I think making it a musical was still a welcome touch and crucial for that nostalgic Muppets holiday feeling.
And the only other thing that didn’t quite sit well with me is the run time. I was sad to find out that this wasn’t a feature length film. I suppose holiday special is the right term for it, because the run time is about 50 minutes and could potentially fit in an hour-long block on the Disney Channel. I honestly believe the story and the characters could have been fleshed out more, because the exploration of the mansion and the plot did feel ever-so-slightly rushed, and I’m not just saying that because I wanted more!
Darren Criss the graveyard keeper - Muppets Haunted Mansion © The Walt Disney Company and Disney Plus
But that won’t stop me from holding this special up as the Muppets’ great offering to Halloween. Combining the Muppets with the beloved Haunted Mansion was a brilliant concept, and they absolutely delivered the goods with the 50 minutes they had to work with. Sweet, funny, scary - it has everything you could want. And all of the famous details of the ride that they decided to flesh-out were well chosen and well executed.
A big part of the Muppets tradition is seamlessly blending the Muppets with real actors, and the two main actors in this one are Will Arnett - who plays the host for the evening - and Taraji P. Henson - who plays the infamous Black Widow Bride from the ride. John Stamos also had a very memorably cameo. Honestly all of the actors did a wonderful job, and the characters were a lot of fun, and it’s just another reason I wish the writers were able to stretch it out another 30 minutes or so.
Ghost Fozzie - Muppets Haunted Mansion © The Walt Disney Company and Disney Plus
I also have to point out that I very much appreciate Gonzo taking the lead here. It’s very fitting since we’re looking for the Halloween equivalent of The Muppet Christmas Carol to start a new family tradition. I miss the banter between Gonzo and Rizzo that we had in The Muppet Christmas Carol, but, I have to admit, Pepe the King Prawn is really hilarious. I fell in love with him as the crazy game show host on Muppets Now, and he’s a pretty great replacement as Gonzo’s sidekick roll.
And when all is said and done, I also think that parents will appreciate the life-lessons that Gonzo learns in this film - when he steps into that cursed room and faces his fears. In a moment of very sweet sincerity, he learns the importance of friendship and self-worth as well. And Kermit has a very memorable line that my son loved and laughingly repeated several times - “You don’t have to be The Great Gonzo to be great, Gonzo.”
Kermit and Piggy dressed as each other © The Walt Disney Company and Disney Plus
Muppets Haunted Mansion accomplished just about everything I had hoped for. It had a great spooky atmosphere for October, it made both of my kids laugh hysterically many times (and Mom and Dad too!), and it left me thinking that it could be something we watch together every Halloween. I think it’s rare to get a holiday special truly worth adding to family traditions these days, so it’s more than worth finding out if Muppets Haunted Mansion is worth adding to yours.
Are you looking for a new family Halloween tradition? Did you watch Muppets Haunted Mansion yet? Let us know what you think in the comments!
