Disney’s new Haunted Mansion movie is far from the first or the only upcoming movie based on Disney rides, but it is unique as it is technically the first remake based on a Disney ride. The first Haunted Mansion movie wasn’t the same success that Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was, and so it never became a franchise in the same way. Director of the new version, Justin Simian says he has a bit of a beef with the first movie, because it doesn’t feature the titular mansion enough.
While some would argue, and I have, that the first Haunted Mansion movie is actually pretty good, one certainly cannot argue that it didn’t resonate with fans. Justin Simian recently told EW that his big problem with the film is that it doesn’t actually give fans of the popular attraction much of a starring role. He said…
I had a little bit of beef with the first film, because the first thing you've got to give the kids is the candy of the mansion that they know and love.
It’s certainly true that the references to the actual Haunted Mansion attractions at Disneyland or Walt Disney World are mostly pretty subtle. Beyond Madame Leota being a character and the singing busts making a cameo, there aren’t a lot of direct references to the ride. This was likely done on purpose, in an attempt to make the movie more than just a series of easter eggs, but the movie may have ultimately gone too light on the familiar.
It’s clear from the first trailer for Haunted Mansion that the new movie won’t have that problem. Madame Leota, the Hatbox Ghost, and the Bride are all major characters. We’ve seen the famous stretching room as well as the dueling ghosts. This movie may have even more ride references than Muppets Haunted Mansion did. The new Haunted Mansion cast is also more of an ensemble rather than being a star vehicle the way the first one was for Eddie Murphy.
Justin Simian isn’t entirely without praise for the new movie, however. He specifically praises the first Haunted Mansion film’s production design, which he says he studied quite intently, though mostly in order to be sure he didn’t copy it. The director continued…
Not to dunk on the movie. It's a movie of its time, and it's also a movie that, frankly, a lot of people grew up with and love hardcore. In theaters, I was a little too old for it, but what I appreciated was Rob Minkoff. He's a genius. And I appreciated the elevation that they were going for. They had this beautiful book of all the production design, and I spent a lot of time walking through what their intentions were. I think a lot of that was interesting, but I also didn't want to repeat any of it.
Certainly, no matter what you thought of the first Haunted Mansion movie, the new one wants to stand on its own, so it makes sense to look at the first film, in order to both look for ways you might improve the story, but also to simply be sure that you’re not copying the good parts, even unintentionally. Being based on the same source material both Haunted Mansion movies will have a lot in common, but they don't look like they have that much in common.
