Credit: DisneyThis piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.
Haunted Mansion (2023) is the Walt Disney Company’s third attempt at bringing the beloved Disneyland attraction to life. And this time, Justin Simien and company completely knocked it out of the Park.
Of all the attractions at Disney Parks, the most beloved are easily the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. While the latter had massive success with film adaptations, the first of which was Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), the Haunted Mansion wasn’t quite as lucky.
Its first venture into cinema, The Haunted Mansion (2003) starring Eddie Murphy, is a notorious Disney flop. While the second title was better, Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021) wasn’t quite what fans of the ride were asking for since it was more Muppets than Haunted Mansion (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
All of these circumstances have put a lot of pressure on the new Haunted Mansion not just to meet the standards set by The Curse of the Black Pearl but to surpass the two Haunted Mansion movies that came before. Fortunately, director Justin Simien‘s film more than succeeds.
The Haunted Mansion is a Clear Love Letter to the Ride
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Haunted Mansion follows the story of Ben (LaKeith Stanfield), an antisocial astrophysicist who developed a camera lens to see the “ghost particle,” meaning he can take pictures of ghosts. However, now that his wife died, he spends his time drinking, avoiding people, and leading the ghost tour she used to run.
He is recruited by Father Kent (Owen Wilson) to take photos and ease the minds of Gabbie (Rosario Dawson) and her son, Travis (Chase W. Dillon), who moved into the titular mansion. After a ghost follows him home, Ben and Kent recruit a team of experts (Tiffany Haddish and Danny DeVito) to rid the estate of its 999 happy haunts.
The first thing worth noting is that everyone who worked on the film clearly loves the attraction. Almost every single gag, effect, and character from the Haunted Mansion ride is found in the movie. While Madame Leota (Jamie Lee Curtis) and the Hatbox Ghost (Jared Leto) were the most advertised specters, many others make their appearance, including the Bride (Lindsay Lamb), the Hitchhiking Ghosts, and even the caretaker at the beginning of the graveyard sequence.
Then there are the more minor touches that make you realize that Katie Dippold was the perfect writer for the job. Little details like working in the ghost following you home, making the stretching room actually feel scary, and figuring out how to make a Doom Buggy part of the plot. What’s particularly surprising is none of it feels forced, just another day at the Haunted Mansion.
It’s also clear that the production crew are fans of the ride. While the mansion seems appropriately spooky and haunted, looking closely at the smaller details brings even more aspects of the ride to life. There’s a bed and breakfast that has the bat stanchions from the queue, the wallpaper in the ghost realm is the same as on the ride, and the paintings change in the lightning to react to the Hatbox Ghost, much like the paintings when you walk through the hallway after the stretching room.
Every piece of design in this film is immaculate, from the visual effects to the costumes. Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland deserves praise and an Oscar nomination for the Madame Leota outfits alone. Everyone working on this production was at the top of their game, which rings just as true for the cast.
The Cast is Killing It
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While seeing every aspect of the beloved ride come to life is cool, a movie would be nothing without its cast. And everyone in Haunted Mansion is bringing their A-game, committing to every scare, joke, and ridiculous scenario thrown at them.
LaKeith Stanfield makes a great leading man, playing Ben much more subtly than you’d think in a movie like this. That’s because Stanfield isn’t just the lens for the audience. He’s the crux of the film’s theme: grief. Despite having the loss of his wife fresh in his mind, he still needs to carry on, despite how much he wants to retreat into a hole. However, he’s forced into this situation and can relate to the ghost of the former owner, William Gracey (J.R. Aducci), because of it.
The biggest surprise is newcomer Chase Dillon who plays Rosario Dawson’s son, Travis. He’s an adorable 9-year-old nerd who dresses like a 70s law professor and plays Marvel Monopoly by himself. He’s afraid of everything and feels alone, leading to some beautiful scenes between him and Stanfield.
The rest of the cast rounds this out nicely, playing roles that they have perfected in the past. Tiffany Haddish is smart and sassy, Owen Wilson is charming and earnest, Rosario Dawson is somehow dorky and cool simultaneously, and Danny DeVito is stubborn and excitable. They’re all likable and nail their jokes perfectly, winning over hardcore Disney fans and stuffy critics alike.
This brings us to our last two prominent cast members: Jamie Lee Curtis and Jared Leto. Unlike the rest of the cast, their characters are defined by the digital effects surrounding Madame Leota and the Hatbox Ghost, respectively. While Curtis can still bring the gravitas and charisma she’s so well-known for since we can see her face, it’s hard to think that Leto was necessary for this part. There is so much vocal augmentation and computer work that it doesn’t feel like he brings anything to the character. But after his performances in Suicide Squad (2016) and Morbius (2022), that might be a good thing.
Overall, the cast is the perfect foundation for what a movie like Haunted Mansion needs. Everyone is funny and terrified when they’re supposed to be, and equally likable and believable throughout the film. Director Justin Simien has assembled the exact ensemble needed for his vision to succeed.
This is the Haunted Mansion Movie Fans Have Been Waiting For
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Disney’s Haunted Mansion is the perfect love letter to the best Disney Park ride out there. The aesthetic is properly macabre, the cast is cast perfectly to fill their roles, and the design elements take everything to the next level. With plenty of scares and jokes to delight audiences of any age, Haunted Mansion is the best movie based on a Disney ride since Pirates of the Caribbean.
What’s your favorite part of the Haunted Mansion ride? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!