This is another old review I never posted. About a year, so this was seen last Halloween. Or was it two years ago...eh, times a weird soup. anyone, onward!
Why do I do this to myself. it's a cheaply made Disney movie. Are muppets really that important to me? to go through this?
The answer is yes, this is Muppet's Haunted Mansion, a Halloween special based off...the Disney amusement park ride. Why.
Found on Disney+, Disney's new online streaming service, I actually saw an ad for this on youtube, and was happy just to see the Muppets again.
I love the muppets. I first started watching the muppet show as a kid, (from DVD's or VCR tapes, no, I'm not that old.) and have grown extremely fond of these characters. I'll admit they're....extremely strange entertainment, especially since these were meant for adults as well as kids.
Anyway, the premise behind this special is that Gonzo and Pepe le Prawn go to the titular Haunted Mansion on halloween to stay one night in it, with Gonzo knowing full well it's haunted, but he...forgot to inform pepe for some reason. It's also the place where the great magician...The great...Look, he's called Macguffin the Great and they're looking for him, okay? I hope I don't need to explain why I cringe whenever I hear that name.
As much as I love the muppets, I do question why pepe is the second main character here. He's a mild to moderate lech, and that's about it. Can you imagine if Rizzo the Rat was in this special? Where is he Disney? WHERE IS HE!?
...Anyway, the film has musical numbers in it, including a variation of grim grinning ghosts. The...songs aren't great, in either performance or writing. But they're...not...okay they are bad. A few are okay.
There's also -a lot- of guest starts in this, but most are in it for just one scene or even just one line. The main one is the Host who invited Gonzo over, played by the Canadian comedian Will Arnett. Who, honestly, I enjoyed watching. Maybe it's becuase his lines were the best, maybe it's because he had the best jokes, but I got the impression he enjoyed the role he was in. I could be totally wrong though.
This film also tugs on nostalgia hard. Ridiculously so. every major and even minor muppet is included, even if just for a few seconds, and they even make a ghost version of the muppet show. I...can't say I didn't enjoy this film but it made me think about the fact that Disney owns a huge amount of entertainment companys, and that with no competition, at least at there level, they don't need to compete. Just watch star wars 4824, we're just selling to nostalgia now.
Anyway, the film's writing is....not good. at all. I almost walked out several times due to how bad it was. But it's 'barely adequate', so good enough. If you like the Muppets, anyway. I did, however, enjoy the moments where they broke the fourth wall, but I'm sucker for those kind of jokes.
I give this...a 2.5 stars out of five. That's with the addition of Muppet appeal, so yeah. I'd only see it if you really like the Muppets, and if you haven't seen them before....just watch the Muppet Christmas Carol.
Anyway, that's all for now, see you all, next time.
