Publisher: Buena Vista Home Entertainment

Rating:

Ages: eight and up

Family Value:

Parental Advisory:
Violence and scary zombies

Violence:

The most fun that one can have with Disney's
Haunted Mansion is discovering the many
references to the popular Disney theme park
ride. Haunted Mansion is the third film based
on a park attraction after the bumbling "Country
Bears" and the dashing and entertaining
"Pirates of the Carribean" (Daytrum Review). Haunted Mansion has moments, but it's scary for young kids and doesn't deliver the laughs that one expects in an Eddie Murphy film.

Murphy stars as a slick real estate agent whose family comes face-to-face with 999 grim, grinning ghosts in a creepy old New Orleans mansion. With the help of supernatural psychic Madame Leota, based on the disembodied character from the Disney ride, the family searches and battles to break an age-old curse.

The writers successfully created a convoluted plot that integrates many elements and gags from the Haunted Mansion ride. (But where are the stretching portraits?) Those who know the ride will enjoy the obvious and less-obvious references. For a comedy based on a mostly family-friendly ride, the film has scary zombies that will frighten timid youngsters. The special effects are first rate and convincingly create a spooky house.

The DVD features deleted scenes, a funny blooper segment and a "making of" featurette. But instead of the Raven music video and other fluff, I would have preferred to see more background on the Haunted Mansion ride. The Pirates of the Caribbean DVD featured lots of such background material, and surely, almost as much exists for the Haunted Mansion.

4/13/04 Wayne N. Kawamoto, Managing Editor

DVD - Haunted Mansion