The Muppets Will Visit the Haunted Mansion in a Disney Plus Special
In their long history, the Muppets have gone to outer space, sailed the high seas, hung out with Orson Welles, and even became the characters from Charles Dickens’ The Christmas Carol. Their next destination is a little more contemporary: the Haunted Mansion from Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Muppets Haunted Mansion is the Muppets’ next project, and their first-ever Halloween special. It’s described in the official press release as a “brand-new special” featuring “a star-studded Muppets cast, celebrity cameos, all-new music and spooky fun for families to enjoy together.” How exactly the Muppets interact with the Haunted Mansion — whether they go to spooky house inspired by the ride or if they go to the actual ride — wasn’t made clear, but there is a cute announcement video starring Gonzo and Pepe the King Prawn:
The Muppets have their own Disney World attraction, MuppetVision 3D, which has been a fixture at Disney’s Hollywood Studios since 1991. And the Haunted Mansion has been adapted for the screen before; in 2003 Eddie Murphy starred in a family comedy loosely inspired by the ride. (A remake is currently in development, to be directed by Dear White People’s Justin Simien.) As if the news wasn’t synergistic enough, the announcement of Muppets Haunted Mansion was made in conjunction with a “#HalfwaytoHalloween” promotion for the Disney Parks, hyping up Walt Disney World’s plans for Halloween celebrations this coming fall. Presumably the end point of this act of corporate synergy is a sequel special about the Hatbox Ghost attending a spooky screening of MuppetVision.
Muppets Haunted Mansion premieres on Disney+ this fall.
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