In Haunted Mansion, a mother and her son discover that their new residence is haunted. So Gabbie (Rosario Dawson) hires a priest (Owen Wilson), a tour guide (LaKeith Stanfield), a psychic (Tiffany Haddish), and a historian (Danny DeVito) to try and rid her new home of the supernatural pests. The Haunted Mansion also has some familiar haunts including Madame Leota (Jaimie Lee Curtis) and the Hat Box Ghost (Jared Leto). Haunted Mansion is inspired by the classic Disney attraction of the same name. Daps Magic was given a review copy of this new movie. Below are my thoughts.
Quality
I will admit, I really enjoyed watching this movie. I think it looks really good. I love how they recreated the Haunted Mansion in a way that was instantly familiar to me as a Disneyland Regular. The recreation of the ghosts I also thought was done in a very enjoyable way. There are a couple of moments where I think the digital effects were a little distracting but overall, I found this to be an enjoyable viewing experience. I think the sound effects are equally well done. They did exactly what they needed to do without being distracting. I should also note that I really enjoyed the soundtrack to Haunted Mansion as well.
Extras
There are just a few extras included with the home entertainment release of Haunted Mansion. Honestly, I would have liked to have seen more. I feel like there were plenty of possibilities for a more in-depth look at how this movie was made and how it connects to the original attraction. Perhaps there will be a book someday. Anyway, the bonus features, while short, were enjoyable and did give some insight into the making of the film. I think my favorites were the deleted scenes this time around actually. I also loved seeing how they recreated the Haunted Mansion physically and the scale and scope of the recreation. It was fun to see how this came to life. Here is a look at the bonus features that were included with the home entertainment release of Haunted Mansion:
Bonus Features*
FEATURETTES:
· Making Haunted Mansion (13:05) Hear from cast, crew and filmmakers about creating this grim grinning adventure based on the world-famous ride. See how the ghosts were “brought to life,” what role new technology played, and how the wildly popular attraction inspired the film’s design.
· 999 Happy Haunts (7:05) There are 999 Happy Haunts inside the Disney Parks’ attraction…but always room for one more! See all the Easter eggs (well, maybe not all of them) where characters big, small, alive, departed, human and otherwise appear in both the movie and the ride.
DELETED SCENES:
Take a look at some moments that passed on before the final version of The Haunted Mansion was finished.
· Carol (0:45)
· 1 Star (0:44)
· Harriet’s House Of Intuition (3:11)
· They Say The Place Is Haunted (1:16)
· Between Realms (1:42)
· Crump Manor (1:07)
· Emergency Baptism (1:01)
· A Good Head For Business (0:32)
GAG REEL:
· Who knew making a scary movie could be so funny!
*Bonus features vary by product and retailer
Final Thoughts
I very much enjoyed watching Haunted Mansion again. The first time I saw it was at the world premiere. While it may not be one that will win a bunch of awards, it is a movie that has a surprising amount of heart. It feels like a Disney movie. It feels like it is true to the original Haunted Mansion. It also deals with loss and grief in a surprisingly poignant way, while also having some humor. This is a movie that I think will become a regular Halloween movie for me. I think the bonus features are fun but wish there were more. This is definitely one to have in the collection and I sure hope that people enjoy it as much as I do! I give this one a hat tip. It isn’t a home run but it is an enjoyable Disney movie that feels very Disney. I would like more movies like this in the future.
[ReviewDisclosure]
Mr. DAPs Hat Rating Scale
- No Hat – Didn’t meet expectations
- Hat Nod – It was ok
- Hat Tip – It was good
- Hat’s Off – Loved it!
