Muppets Haunted Mansion just hit 5, and Disney fans are still spotting ride secrets
Muppets Haunted Mansion reached its fifth anniversary on Oct. 8, five years after the Disney+ special mixed Gonzo, Pepe and Haunted Mansion lore.
Muppets Haunted Mansion has reached its fifth anniversary, marking five years since its Disney+ debut on Oct. 8, 2021. For Muppets fans and Haunted Mansion regulars, the milestone puts the spotlight back on a Halloween special built around ride references, celebrity cameos and original music.
What changed, and who it affects
The change is simple: Disney’s Muppets Haunted Mansion has now been around for five years. The special premiered on Disney+ on Oct. 8, 2021, and Disney billed it as the Muppets’ first Halloween special.
That matters most to Disney+ subscribers, Muppets followers and parks fans who like catching Haunted Mansion nods on screen. The story centers on Gonzo, described by Disney as a world famous daredevil artiste, taking on a challenge to spend Halloween night inside the Haunted Mansion. Pepe the King Prawn goes with him. If they do not make it until sunrise, they are stuck there forever.
Why parks fans keep coming back to it
The special blends the Muppets with Disney’s Haunted Mansion attraction and pulls inspiration from all four versions of the ride around the world: Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris, where the attraction is called Phantom Manor.
Its sets are packed with ride callbacks, including a Muppet take on the stretching room, a floating candelabra on the stairs, portraits that turn eerie and Miss Piggy appearing in a crystal ball as Madame Pigota, a Muppet spin on Madame Leota. Walt Disney Imagineering also shared a look at Haunted Mansion wallpaper redesigned with Muppet characters in the pattern.
One deeper cut is a cameo from Imagineer Kim Irvine as the Haunted Mansion Maid cleaning Madame Leota’s crystal ball. Irvine’s mother, Leota Toombs, was the original Madame Leota on the ride in the 1960s and one of Disney’s first female Imagineers. Irvine later became the face of Leota for Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland.
Cameos, songs and how Disney pulled it off
The cast mixes Muppets performers with Haunted Mansion style stunt casting. Will Arnett plays the Ghost Host, Yvette Nicole Brown the Hearse Driver, Darren Criss the Caretaker and Taraji P. Henson the Bride. Fozzie Bear shows up as the Hatbox Ghost, a ghostly Kermit appears, and John Stamos plays himself. The lineup also includes Chrissy Metz, Alfonso Ribeiro, Ed Asner, Jeannie Mai, Danny Trejo, Sasheer Zamata, Craig Robinson, Skai Jackson, Pat Sajak, Geoff Keighley and Justina Machado. Several are credited simply as Bust, echoing the attraction’s singing graveyard busts.
The soundtrack added three original songs, Rest in Peace, Life Hereafter and Tie the Knot Tango, plus a cover of Dancing in the Moonlight by Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. Walt Disney Records released the songs as an EP on premiere day.
Director Kirk R. Thatcher said the production worked on a tight schedule and used a virtual set on a giant LED screen rather than building a full mansion set. Pandemic safety rules also meant Muppets and human actors were often filmed separately. The special later added an Emmy win to its résumé.
