Haunted Mansion Trailer: Disney's Beloved Ride Returns To The Big Screen
Disney is, once again, bringing one of its most popular theme park attractions to life on the big screen with a brand new adaptation of "Haunted Mansion." They did try this 20 years ago with Eddie Murphy in 2003's "The Haunted Mansion" which, interestingly enough, came out the same year as "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl." The latter worked out far better critically and commercially at the time, but Disney is ready to try it again. We first saw a glimpse of the final product at D3 last fall, but now we've got a trailer so the whole world can see the new take on the attraction.
"Haunted Mansion" is directed by Justin Simien ("Dear White People," "Bad Hair"), with a script by Katie Dippold ("Ghostbusters," "Spy"). They're also working with an A-list cast, led by Rosario Dawson ("Daredevil," "The Mandalorian") and Owen Wilson ("Loki," "Wedding Crashers"). Are these pieces going to make for a winning formula this time around? Let's have a look.
Haunted Mansion trailer brings the Disney ride to life
And there we have it! Dawson and Wilson are just the tip of the iceberg with this cast, as Disney seemingly spared no expense in that department. The ensemble also includes the likes of LaKeith Stanfield ("Knives Out"), Tiffany Haddish ("Girls Trip"), Danny DeVito ("It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia"), Jamie Lee Curtis ("Halloween"), Jared Leto ("House of Gucci"), Winona Ryder ("Stranger Things"), Dan Levy ("Schitt's Creek"), Chase Dillon ("The Harder They Fall"), and Hasan Minhaj ("The Daily Show"). As for the story at hand? The synopsis reads as follows:
In this mysterious adventure, a doctor (Dawson) and her 9-year-old son (Dillon), looking to start a new life, move into a strangely affordable mansion in New Orleans, only to 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).
Disney first launched "The Haunted Mansion" as a dark ride back in 1969. While the parks have evolved immensely in the decades since the attraction debuted, this one has endured and remains wildly popular to this day. That being the case, it makes sense that they would decide to give this one another go as a potential movie franchise. We'll see if the second time's the charm here.
"Haunted Mansion" is set to hit theaters on July 28, 2023.