Equals Muppets Haunted Mansion Streaming Special
I like to think that I’m a big fan of the Muppets but I admit I tend to pass on their made for Tv/streaming specials.
While I do recall their Haunted Mansion special coming out in 2021. I just was not in the mood to watch it then and after that I just forgot all about its existence.
Not sure how this title came across my mind agian for the spooky season but here we are 5 years on and I’m ready to give it a watch.
Maybe I’ll be surprised and it’s sleeper hit that will be a staple of the season OR maybe it more akin to other Disney’s Muppet offerings as in it tried but doesn’t really match the classic Muppet’s humor.
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If You’re a Fan of The Ride
I’m going to be a little generous and say that I think this special is more enjoyable for those people who like BOTH the Muppets AND the Haunted Mansion ride as the movie is really just an homage to the ride with Muppets.
Full-disclosure: I do not go to any the Disney Parks with any regularity. I went on the Haunted Mansion ride ONCE but I consume enough Disney content to know the ride through osmose. So meta jokes about Gonzo and Pepe at the “Pre-Show” and the “Stretching Room” were cute and very meta. However they made a joke about there being “animatronics” and there is no visual gag for that, just a one off line. Yes the ride does but not the movie And with just how many animatronics are used at Disney Parks and The Haunted Mansion ride it seems like a weird over-sight not to one visual joke for that line as pay off. A Muppet animatronic would have been fun, they don’t robots they could have figured thins out.
This makes the plot simply Gonzo and Pepe experiencing the Haunted Mansion’ Attraction story beats just with a Muppet flare. However the issue is the Muppet flare as it used it rather watered-down. It still feels like the creatives were still getting used to making the Muppet for Disney and kids. The humor is still “punny” and meta but also cute and less pointed and cheeky as the 70s and 80s style of Muppet style of humor. Also no explosions.
I think the best example of old-school Muppet humor mixed with the family-friendly style was the ball-room scene when they emulated the “At the Dance” sketch and shout-out to Wayne and Wanda.
It’s Time to Play the Theme
One mandate of Disney seems to apply to the Muppets is adding a moral of some kind to their works. Mostly the moral is about how friends and community are great, and they are, but that it not the issue. The older Muppet movies also did have some this theme in them but they were less obvious, a little more nuanced which is weird to state for a Muppet work.
One could say that the theme of Gonzo learning that is his fear is being without his friends had to obvious so kids could get it, but kids are smarter than most media give them credit.
Also they also tacked on that Gonzo feels the need to do stunts so his friends will care even though Gonzo seemed like he just likes the adrenaline rush. It almost feels like they wrote it in to justify this special as being center on Gonzo thus they needed to give him a character arc that was different from friends are great because Muppets and Gonzo have done the before. Perhaps a Muppets special based on a theme park ride doesn’t need moral or tacked on character arcs if there is enough silliness and Muppet artistry.
Ghosty Muppets Effects Forever
So this is more of Gonzo movie with celebrities and Muppet cameos peppered in. Would have been better if the Muppets were playing off each out the more than just Muppet as Haunted Mansion characters for a few minutes? Maybe but let’s just keep to what the special is Gonzo and Pepe in the a Muppet version of the Haunted Mansion.
As should be standard the Muppets do push the art puppetry for Tv/film medium. This special relied a lot CG visual effects which is alright but it’s does pale in comparison to the stuff they did in the 70s. By the special own admission however I guess the budget didn’t allow for complex puppets rigs. Though I did appreciate the “new” Gonzo version they made for the scene where he is facing his fear. It was at least something beyond green-screen effects
Not Quite 999 Final Thoughts
If you’re thinking that I disliked this movie the answered is no. I will admit the pacing is slow even for 50 minutes but while the special isn’t as good as theatrical movies it was still better than some other made for streaming titles. I will say that I did rather enjoy Muppets Mayhem but that came after this special so this so maybe the creatives were more used to handling the Muppets a little better for streaming. I also didn’t mind the human cameos.
While this special from 2021 didn’t have the same flavor as The Classic Muppets, the 2026 Special did. So Disney does know what to do with The Muppets they are just scared. It’s ok big corporation, don’t be scared of the of the silly felted ones, just give the peoples what they want, Which is more what you did in the 2026 special.
As for me, Muppet Haunted Mansion was cute but it did not exceed my expectations. At best I think this might be a fine thing to play at Halloween party where one can zoom in and out attention but it adds to the over-all ambience.
I did like Piggy’s Kermit costume as well as the Bride’s costume. Actually I general liked the costumes in this, so there is a kudos.
