Ready to take another trip to Disney’s ‘Haunted Mansion’? The studio is certainly hoping you are, with a first teaser trailer for the company’s new live-action/CG take on the theme park favorite.
Yes, despite making a previous version (see more on that below), Disney is hoping that the ghostly story can finally spark a franchise with a blend of comedy and gentle scares.
(L to R) Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, LaKeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson, and Chase Dillon star in director Justin Simien’s ‘Haunted Mansion.’
What’s ‘Haunted Mansion’ about?
‘Haunted Mansion’ stars Rosario Dawson, Tiffany Haddish, Lakeith Stanfield,Owen Wilson and Danny DeVito.
It’s the story of a doctor (Dawson) and her 9-year-old son (Chase Dillon), looking to start a new life, who move into a strangely affordable mansion in New Orleans. They soon discover that the place is much more than they bargained for.
Desperate for help, they contact a priest (Wilson), who, in turn, enlists the aid of a widowed scientist-turned failed-paranormal expert (Stanfield), a French Quarter psychic (Haddish) and a crotchety historian (DeVito).
Also aboard? Jared Leto, who is the Hatbox Ghost, while Jamie Lee Curtis is aboard as Madame Leota, the ghost of a psychic whose head is encased in her crystal ball.
‘Dear White People’s Justin Simien is directing the new movie, working from a script that has seen contributions from D.V. DeVincentis, Katie Dippold and Guillermo del Toro (who was, at one point, planning his own full adaptation).
The new trailer certainly promises some spooky fun, with plenty of ghostly visions and some elements that will be familiar to fans of the ride –– especially the stretching hallway that ushers visitors into the main section of the attraction.
Related Article: Jared Leto and Jamie Lee Curtis join ‘Haunted Mansion’
What’s the history of the ‘Haunted Mansion’ theme park attraction?
The original ‘Haunted Mansion’ attraction originally opened at Disneyland in California in 1969, a few years after it was initially dreamt up by Walt Disney as a walk-through attraction. It then evolved into a ride that takes guests through a supernaturally charged mansion in Louisiana.
Later versions at other parks have altered the theme and location, with both Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland’s editions featuring more show scenes, a longer ride time, and a Gothic aesthetic, while Disneyland Paris’ version, known as ‘Phantom Manor,’ is themed to a decimated house on the American frontier.
Disney, of course, has tried to bring the Mansion to the movies before, with 2003’s ‘The Haunted Mansion,’ which starred Eddie Murphy, Terrence Stamp, Marsha Thomason and Jennifer Tilly in the story of a family who have to work out their issues while also dealing with spooks and spirits.
That adaptation didn’t exactly win over the critics and it was far from a smash at the box office either, though it did manage to scare up $180.2 million worldwide (though it cost $90 million to make before marketing costs).
‘Haunted Mansion’ will haunt theaters from July 28th, a change from its original planned March release.
Disney’s ‘Haunted Mansion.’
