Review by Jack Seiley
After the humongous critical and commercial success
of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black
Pearl, there were high expectations for the next
ride-based Disney movie, The Haunted
Mansion. Like its predecessor, it was taken
from a popular “New Orleans Square” attraction, yet
offered a somewhat more family-friendly experience.
Though it disappointed critics and audiences at large,
the movie is not as bad as word of mouth might imply.
Eddie Murphy plays Jim Evers, a real estate
salesman who always seems to let work get in the way
of spending time with his family. Just another
example of this is when Jim takes a quick business
side trip to the Gracey Manner on the way to a
vacation. After making acquaintance with the spooky
place’s inhabitants, the Evers realize they were
brought to the mansion for a reason quite different
than real estate. To save his wife, Jim teams up with
his kids to brave the grim, grinning ghosts that come
out to socialize.
In the vein of the 1960s Disney comedies (I can
almost picture Dean Jones in Murphy’s role),
Mansion adheres strictly to a “family fare”
formula, and its characters and messages/morals can
get a little too typical and contrived at times.
Despite the uninspired script, the actors and
actresses all do well with their parts. Aside from
humorous references to the ride (which only those
familiar with it will get), the jokes and gags are
amusing, offering a few fun thrills.
Yet, there are a few highlights of the film which make it
really enjoyable. Starting off with a bang, the movie
boasts an inventive opening titles sequence that lists
the cast while telling back story. The set design is
breathtaking and atmospheric, to the point where I
felt like I was inside the mansion myself, exploring
it with the Evers. Terence Stamp simply steals scenes with his
performance as the spooky butler. In my
opinion, he is to this movie what Johnny Depp was to
Pirates.
As a whole, however, I can’t picture a great
majority of the film’s audience readily enjoying it.
Despite its somewhat insipid nature, fans of the
attraction or ghost stories should find it
entertaining, as I did. If you’re neither of those, I
doubt you’ll find much in this film to love, but I
still recommend at least one viewing.
Arriving on a single-disc DVD package, The
Haunted Mansion comes in a standard black amaray
keepcase, with a cover that looks like a really bad
Photoshop job. Held alongside the one-sided disc is a
4-page insert, with chapter listing & bonus material
highlights, an entry for a Tower of Terror
sweepstakes, and a coupon booklet for other Disney
DVDs.
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DVD
Details 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
(Separate Pan & Scan Version Released)
Dolby Digital 5.1 (English, French, Spanish)
Subtitles: English, Spanish
Closed Captioned
Release Date: April 20, 2004
Single-sided, dual-layered disc (DVD-9)
Suggested Retail Price: $29.99
THX-Certified; Black Keepcase
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VIDEO and AUDIO
The movie is available on DVD in separate
Pan-and-Scan (“Oh, eeew!” – Jim Evers as he opens an
old coffin) and Widescreen versions. On the
Widescreen version, the film is presented in its
original aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1,
enhanced for 16x9 televisions. This is a very fine
transfer, appropriately reproducing both the rich
tones and the gloomy tones of the film’s murky
environment. Detail looked good, except for a few
scenes that seemed a little too soft.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is just as good. For the
first half of the film or so, it is largely dialogue
based. For these parts, the sound was pedestrian, but
accurate. However, towards the end of the film, the
audio really struts it stuff, displaying great range
and use of the subwoofer. Where adequate, surround
sound was used effectively.
BONUS MATERIALS
Despite the outside packaging only acknowledging a
single audio commentary, there are in fact two on this
disc. The first includes producer Don Hahn, visual
effects supervisor Jay Redd & writer David Berenbaum,
and the second features director Rob Minkoff & costume
designer Mona May. All the participants are lively
and fun, while both tracks carry a significant amount
of information on the production as a whole. Each has
their own unique information too. The first track
gives attention to matters relating to the script,
while the second dwells on the costumes. Commentary
fans should find them worthwhile.
“The Haunted Mansion: Secrets Revealed”
(12:35) is a fragmented mini-documentary that feels
like a bunch of separate featurettes crammed into one.
Making appearances are Don Hahn, Rob Minkoff, Mona
May, Jay Redd, production designer Rob Myhre, make-up
effects wizard Rick Baker, visual effects producer
Lynda Thomspon, and actors Eddie Murphy and Jennifer
Tilly. Starting off with the cast & crew’s praise for
the original Disneyland attraction, the piece then
spends time on an overview of make up, costumes, set
design, and visual effects.
More in-depth than the previous featurette is
“Anatomy of a Scene: Ghosts in the Graveyard” (11:05).
Back again are Rob Minkoff, Jay Redd, Lynda Thompson,
Mona May, Rick Baker, second unit director Thor
Freudenthal (no, he is not the comic-book hero that
smashes enemies with a mighty hammer), second unit
liaison Lolly Howe, steady cam operator Kirk Gardner,
and lighting technician John Priebe. All discuss the
many layers it takes to bring one complicated scene to
life, from actual sets, to actors against bluescreen,
costumes, and matt paintings. I found this to be the
most interesting bonus on the disc.
With a name that sounds like Disney has turned its
virtual games into a continuous franchise, “Disney’s
Virtual DVD Ride: The Haunted Mansion” is less
interactive than the ones that have come before it.
Two ghost characters from the film escort you through
different areas of the mansion and its graveyard.
Most of it is footage of the actual sets, and the only
choice the player makes is which order to visit the
various areas. This made it less fun than what was
possible, and somewhat cheap, but its nice to get a
better look at the sets anyway.
“Deleted Scene: Emma and Ezra” (2:20) makes an
appearance with no reason given for it having been
cut. Instead of an entire deleted scene, it is an
extension of a sequence already in the film, in which
the Evers children meet two ghosts in the attic and
discover a plot to capture their mother.
A few dull features round out the roster of extras.
“Outtakes Reel” (5:22) is made up entirely of actors
flubbing on their lines, and does not particularly induce laughs.
“Superstition Music Video” (3:12) features Raven (on a
Disney DVD for 45th time this year, is that right?),
performing a hip-hop remake of Stevie Wonder’s classic
tune. It’s kind of fitting – Stevie is blind, and
Raven is blind to her own lack of talent. (Ohhhhh,
snap!)
DVD-ROM ‘Enhanced Computer Features’ offer some
other worthwhile bonuses. Similar to the program
found on the Pirates DVD, “Morphing Ghost Host
Maker” allows the user to transform a picture of his
or herself into something more ghoulish. “The History
of the Haunted Mansion Attraction” (12:00) dwells on
the ride, while an Image Gallery houses concept art
and production photos. “Haunt the Mansion Ride” is an
enhanced version of the DVD Ride on the disc, with
more interactivity. In addition to wallpapers,
screensavers, and icons, there are printable
activities for kids like coloring pages that are a
nice touch.
Skippable trailers play before the menu loads for
the DVD releases of Aladdin: Special Edition &
Ghosts of the Abyss, and the theatrical release
of Pixar’s The Incredibles. These can be found
under the ‘Sneak Peeks’ menu, next to more trailers
for the theatrical release of Ella Enchanted,
The Haunted Mansion video game, the “Witch”
book series, ABC’s “My Wife and Kids”, and The
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney’s California
Adventure theme park. Also, within the ‘Set Up’ menu,
a THX Optimizer lets one calibrate the audio and video
of his or her home theater system specifically for
this title.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
The Haunted Mansion is a movie some will
find entertaining, while its formulaic plot &
characters may disappoint others. The DVD release is
unspectacular and it seems like it was planned as a two-disc set,
but was pared down to one. However, this
package is definitely solid, with spot-on film
presentation and some interesting extras. Recommended
for those who liked the movie.
More on the DVD