Disney Announces Major Change For ‘Haunted Mansion’

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Haunted Mansion exterior at night at Disney World's Magic Kingdom

Credit: Disney

There may not be a more iconic attraction at Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort than Haunted Mansion.

The classic Disney Park attraction, which was an opening-day attraction in Liberty Square in Magic Kingdom and has been opened since 1969 in New Orleans Square at Disneyland Park, gives Guests the chance to come up close and personal with 999 Happy Haunts.

The Hitchhiking Ghosts at The Haunted Mansion, Ezra Beane, Professor Phineas Plump and Gus
Credit: Disney

The disembodied voice of the Ghost Host is your private guide through the cadaverous realm of an eerie haunted estate, home to ghosts, ghouls and supernatural surprises. You glide past a casket-filled conservatory, Madame Leota’s chilling séance room and a ghostly graveyard of singing specters as you attempt to find your way out. Beware of hitchhikers—these phantom pranksters may follow you home.

Because of the iconic nature of this attraction, it should come as no suprise that Disney has attempted to capitalize off its name and make movies.

Disney confirmed in 2020 that it would be making another live-action version of Haunted Mansion. The first live-action film, made in 2003, starred Eddie Murphy as Jim Evers but was not well-received by the public, receiving just a 5.1 rating on IMDb and 13% on Rotten Tomatoes.

haunted mansion holiday at disneyland resort
Credit: Disney

Disney is attempting to undo the fate of the Haunted Mansion’s entertainment reputation by making another film, this time with a star-studded cast. Tiffany Haddish (The Kitchen, The Secret Life of Pets, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder) Owen Wilson (Cars, Marley & Me, Night At The Museum), Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween, Freaky Friday) Rosario Dawson (Rent, The Lego Batman Movie, Eagle Eye), Danny DeVito (Matilda, Twins, Dumbo), and LaKeith Stanfield (Get Out, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mandalorian) are all set to star in the movie, which began filming in Louisiana in October 2021. Haunted Mansion is being directed by Justin Simien.

Now, we have good news to report.

The film had been pushed back to a release date of August 11, 2023, but now Disney has moved the release date up by almost a month and it will now debut in theaters on July 28, 2023.

Jamie Lee Curtis and Justin Simien sit in a Doombuggy in front of the Haunted Mansion logo.
Credit: @DisneyD23

The Hollywood Reporter previously reported that “Story details are being kept in the dark but it is known that ostensibly the film will follow a family that moves into the titular mansion. However, it is the characters around that nucleus that will have a big portion of the moonlight shining on them.”

In other news, Disney CEO Bob Iger recently announced that three animated franchises would be getting sequels. Toy Story 5, Frozen 3, and Zootopia 2 are all on the docket to be made. This comes on the heels of the animation portion of the company seeing some major box office failures, highlighted by Lightyear (2022) and Strange World (2022).

Are you excited for the Haunted Mansion movie? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!

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