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Muppet Haunted Mansion premieres October 8 on Disney +.
Shocking as it may be, the Muppets, as a performing troupe, never had their own Halloween special. Yes, it’s an entertainment tragedy, but luckily it’s finally resolved with the Disney + original, Muppets Haunted Mansion.
The hour-long special features all the familiar faces from Kermit to Miss Piggy and everyone in between, but the narrative is owned by Gonzo the Great (Dave Goelz), with Pepe the King Prawn (Bill Barretta) s ‘occupying tasks related to crustaceans. This dynamic is truly the perfect alignment of the vacation nutcase, giving the intrepid daredevil a bespoke opportunity to show off his nerves of steel and reinforce some Muppet fundamentals about the importance of family, whatever it is. found or organic.
On Halloween night, Gonzo and Pepe skip Kermit (Matt Vogel) and Miss Piggy (Eric Jacobson) ‘s big party for the challenge of spending the night in the spooky mansion of famous magician The Great MacGuffin for the 100th anniversary. anniversary of his disappearance. Since Gonzo has proven over and over again that he is not afraid, he thinks the night will be a lark. Pepe, not so much.
The mansion itself is modeled after the theme park’s popular ride, The Haunted Mansion, with the Muppets slipping into the iconic characters found inside and outside the ride. The exchanges are pretty inspired, from Fozzie as Hatbox bear (including teeth!) To Piggy as Madame Pigota’s disembodied crystal ball head. Writers Kirk Thatcher, Kelly Younger, and longtime Muppet performer Bill Barretta crafted a framing device and footage inside that makes the mash-up delightfully natural and never forced. The Muppet spirit is particularly funny and ranges from the extremely intelligent to the familiar, like Waldorf and Statler as rowdy ghosts inside the wagons, to the incredibly silly; wait for the goat.
There are also three new original songs that lend themselves well to the Mansion theme, along with some talented puns. They might not be instant classics to match recent efforts for the last two Muppet movies, but they’re a lot of fun and use the depth and breadth of the Muppet bench to bring them to life, which is always a plus. A great Muppet Special is one that honors all eras of felt artists, and this special does so by including deep appearances like Ghosts in the Mansion (dating back to the days of the Muppet Show) to newbies like Walter and Joe the Weasel. .
When it comes to humans, Will Arnett is so perfectly at ease playing with the Muppets, I’m a little angry that he hasn’t been a part of those projects in years. Taraji P. Henson is also having a great time as resident black widow ghost, Constance Hatchaway. Its side story lasts a little too long, but its storyline will appeal to die-hard Haunted Mansion fans. The thug’s gallery of other human talents is essentially relegated to very small cameos, but that means the focus can stay on Gonzo and the other Muppets, as it should be.
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The Muppets have had difficult years under their Disney ownership, with the company trying to reinvent or modernize them for contemporary audiences. What they keep forgetting is that The Muppets at their best are timeless, and this special captures a lot of that spirit due to Goelz and Baretta’s performance and writing mix. The alumni of the current Muppet crew, they convey the right mix of Henson heart and silliness that makes this offering worthy of an annual watch.
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