User reviews

Overall this was cute and entertaining. The songs were good and the puppetry was alright. Unfortunately these later Muppet outings will never live up to what the original artists could deliver. Doubt that? Go and watch the original The Muppet Show, or The Muppet Movie. In this case, Kermit was all wrong. His voice was so far off as to be almost unrecognizable. Bring back Steve Whitmire! At least his Kermit voice was close to Jim Hensons. Miss Piggy was also off, not just the voicing, her character was missing all of its nuance. At least we had Dave Goelz there for Gonzo.

What in the name of cheap awfulness has happened to Kermit's voice. I was enjoying the film until Kermit spoke. Even our 4-year-old questioned it. My wife's impression of Kermit is better, and her impression is awful.

Disney need to rectify this. Never before has their character integrity been this poor. It's nothing like him.

Not the greatest output by our furry friends but it killed an hour and kept the kids quiet.

I'm aware the voice actor for Kermit has changed but I didn't realise we were now having to just ignore the fact it sounds like Kermy permanently has a cold.

I can actually do the voice better. Disney, if you're reading this, I'm happy to talk....

Muppets Haunted Mansion isn't a perfect Halloween special but you have to admit it resolves a lot of problems from Muppets Now. The jokes are better, the characters aren't off, the celebrities aren't a waste of time and actually have decent acting, the sets looked neat, and it even references the original Muppet Show. If there is one thing I don't like about this special it's obviously Matt Vogel doing Kermit the Frog's voice but Kermit doesn't have a main role here so it's not very distracting. This special mostly did a solid job. It may not be the Kermit we wanted or the quality of a Muppet movie from the Jim Henson era, but it atleast solves a lot of the problems that Muppets Now had. So I'm fine with it.

Muppets Haunted Mansion: my wife's favorite IP and Disneyland ride blended together; she was happy as a clam throughout. And to an extent, I enjoyed this vicariously through her. I liked it; it's a decent holiday special, good message, it's got plenty of feels.

But I couldn't shake the feeling that this is all that Disney plans to do with the Muppets: advertise other Disney stuff. That vertical integration has already leeched onto The Simpsons (cross-breeding it with Star Wars and Marvel) and that's toxic for these characters.

It's not lost on me that I should be happy we're getting new Muppet content at all, but at what cost? There's a GEICO commercial that features Animal, and it's not bad; and this property absolutely needs more pop culture visibility. But it feels dirty if they're just pimping the Mouse's wares.

I hope I'm wrong.

Disney really screwed the Muppets over with the newer voice actors. After firing Steve Whitmire, Gonzo is no longer paired with Rizzo but with Pepe the Prawn, and there's no chemistry between the characters. And thank goodness Kermit doesn't show up much, his voice actor is awful.

The songs aren't too bad, nice nods to the original Haunted Mansion song, too. The story is okay, it's nice that Gonzo is the main focus, and the cameos and guest stars are okay.

But overall it just feels like a cheap imitation of the Muppets. At the very least they could have gotten another voice actor closer to Whitmire's style and kept Rizzo.

Kids might like it for some family friendly fun, but for lifelong fans of the Muppets, it's a disappointment.

Lots of great references to the ride while also adding fun new twists with the muppets.

Muppet Christmas Carol is my favourite movie of all time and I absolutely love the Muppets (and the Haunted Mansion is one of my favourite Disneyland rides) so I was both excited and nervous to watch this special.

I really enjoyed the first half -- the songs are fun and quite catchy, there are some pretty good moments and jokes (the goat's appearances made me laugh out loud) but the second half was really strange and creepy -- and not in a fun way. It definitely doesn't deliver the same level of pure joy as Muppet Christmas Carol but, to be fair, that is a high bar to meet.

Also, not enough Rizzo.

(I also miss Steve Whitmire's performances but sounds like they're better off without him, here's a paragraph from Wikipedia on his dismissal: "Brian Henson stated that issues with Whitmire began in the mid-1990s, and said that Whitmire would make "outrageous demands and often played brinkmanship", and additionally stated that Whitmire would "send emails and letters attacking everyone, attacking the writing and attacking the director". He also expressed guilt for not dismissing Whitmire and recasting Kermit before selling the Muppets to Disney in 2004, because "I knew that it was going to be a real problem". Lisa Henson stated that Whitmire was opposed to having an understudy for Kermit and refused to train one, which became problematic when it came to "B-level performances, such as a ribbon-cutting," at some of which she said he was unwilling to appear. She also stated that he "blackballed young performers" by refusing to appear in shows with them.")

First thing I noticed was Kermit's voice. It wasn't like his normal one. I didn't really understand what was happening in this film, felt like there was no story. Bang average.

Dun-dun-dun! Dun-dun!

Lifelong Muppet fan here and I have to say, I loved this special! I smiled the whole time and thought the jokes and the puns were great! You won't find any better family viewing fun this Halloween season, with this going in my must watch category for every Halloween to come! Thank you Disney+ and Muppets Studio!

I was disappointed when I learned they were not going to capitalise on the fact that the parks were closed due to Covid, which would have been the perfect opportunity to film inside of the actual mansion at Disneyland. I was hoping for more of a backstage feel of the actual attraction featuring the muppets.

We have seriously lost something here and its truly sad. We've gone from seeing things like Kermit riding a bike (Which was an impressive feat of puppeteering) to having muppets whos mouths dont move at the time as the voice over and CGI flames on a candle stick. I found myself asking questions like, Where is Rizzo? Who is Pepper? (Its Pepe) and why doesnt Kermit sound anything like, well Kermit? I really don't think Jim Henson would have let this pass, There are far too many points where CGI is used instead of puppeteering. Over all this just feels lazy. If this is the future of the Muppets I am saddened to see something that really was special cheapened so much.

Believing they're going to a celebrity bash, Gonzo and Pepe The Prawn spend the night in a haunted mansion.

While it hasn't all the dynamics of a film, it excels as at TV movie, director Kirk Thatcher utilising some clever modern technology and virtual sets delivers a sterling production. This tonally line films from the past including Muppets Treasure Island and A Muppets Christmas Carol. It has all the the charm, fun and wit you'd expect from The Muppets. Those who love the Disneyland attraction of the same name will find this a blast with its surprises and Easter eggs all the way through.

Although Rizo the rat only appears in paintings (his character being retired due to some off screen issues), Pepe is a good stand-in/replacement having grown a fan favourite over the years. The performers, voice actors, crew, writers and Thatcher bring all Jim Henson favourites to life; from Kermit to Miss Piggy, Scooter to Rowlf the Dog as and everyone in-between. Even adding some genuinely likeable new ghost characters too.

Just like the original Muppet Show it delivers a real family experience. Will Arnett is great throughout as they encounter all kinds of Muppet-inspired ghouls, celebrity cameos including, Taraji P. Henson, Yvette Nicole Brown, Danny Trejo (who appeared in Muppets Most Wanted) and Ed Asner in one of his final roles.

The Muppet version of The Haunted Mansion thankfully delivers all The Muppet goodness we love. Sharp, punchy, brilliant. It's The Muppets!

I was looking forward to watching this. I love the Muppets and I was excited for something Halloween-y. But this was very forgettable and not something I would watch again. I gave it a six for Pepe, my fave, who was featured prominently.

It felt like it tried too hard to have a message but I didn't feel any heartwarming. Kermit sounded nothing like Kermit, this voice actor needs to be recast.

Simply if you were brought up with the Muppets then it's always possible to watch them , just a shame more of the Muppets weren't involved.

Overall enjoyable.

Two criticisms: 1. Too much CGI!! Totally killed the usual Muppet charm.

2. A bit too meta.

It's nice to see Disney doing more with the Muppets, and there are a lot of Muppets in this special. Unfortunately, if you're expecting anything more than that, you might end up disappointed, as this special is pretty bland.

This is basically "Gonzo and Pepe walk through The Haunted Mansion Ride and Sometimes There's a Random Celebrity Cameo." There's not much of a plot to follow, and mostly it's an excuse to deliver corny Muppet jokes. Cornier than usual, too; a lot of the humor in this feels a little "off" compared to Classic Muppets material.

For example: the opening of the special establishes that most of The Muppets are at Kermit's Halloween party, and we see them having fun in their costumes. Except that all those Muppets ALSO pull double duty and simultaneously play different characters in The Haunted Mansion itself. It's confusing.

That's on top of cheap effects. All the lighting is flat, the sets are all simple green screen CGI effects, and generally the whole thing looks super low budget. It looks worse than a lot of TV shows.

Kids probably won't mind, but The Muppets used to be a lot better than this, and a lot more grown up. This is a hollow imitation.

About time Pepe THE KING PRAWN got some justice!

I loved this hilarious, little special and kept thinking throughout: this would make a perfect double feature with The Muppet Christmas Carol. Yes, I know that is for Christmas and This is Halloween (I know) but it worked as one in The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Gonzo (who also starred in/narrated TMCC) and Pepe are going to party with the peoples, but since it takes place in a replica of Disney's scary mansion, they might not make it out alive! There's always room for two more...

The songs were good and the humor perfect for the whole family. I loved how G-rated they basically made this so both kids and adults can enjoy and also love the extended role for my favorite Muppet of all time: Pepe.

Highly recommended and I think I will indeed watch it with TMCC in Dec.

***

Final Thoughts: Please, don't ask me to compare this to the Eddie Murphy version. Never cared to see that and still don't have a desire. This will do just fine.

'Muppet Haunted Mansion' (2021)

Opening thoughts: Am a great fan of the Muppets and an admirer of Jim Henson in general. 'The Muppet Show' and 'Muppets Christmas Carol' were major childhood favourites (the latter still a Christmas tradition). Really like to love most of the films, 'The Muppet Movie' and 'Great Muppet Caper' particularly with 'Treasure Island' being the last great one, with only 'Muppet Wizard of Oz' doing nothing for me. Also love Halloween, the Haunted Mansion is one of my favourite Disney rides (despite scaring me hugely first time) and the concept sounded great.

While not hating it, 'Muppet Haunted Mansion' disappointed a lot on a number of levels. A few things are done nicely, but so much is wrong (badly so) and most of what made the Muppets so great is absent here. As far as Muppet films etc go, 'Muppet Haunted Mansion' is one of the weaker endeavours easily and really does not live up to one of the on paper more interesting concepts given less than interesting execution. Marginally better than 'Muppet Wizard of Oz' but not by much.

Good things: Sure there are good things. The sets have a good amount of atmosphere and are appropriately Halloween-ish. Did enjoy some of the nods to the Muppets and the Haunted Mansion as well as the haunting and spookily staged "Grim Grinning Ghosts" number.

Gonzo, the only Muppet to make a positive impression, is a joy, suitably amusing and likeable as well as in character. A couple of the human cast are fun, with Taraji P Henson enjoyably hamming it up as the only interesting non-Muppet character in terms of development. Will Arnett amuses, despite being a bit random.

Bad things: It is sad however that the Muppets on the whole are very underused and/or confusingly utilised, with only Gonzo and Pepe having anything more substantial than fleeting come and go appearances. Pepe himself is on the bland side and doesn't have enough chemistry with Gonzo. The voice acting is mostly distractingly bad to put it mildly, especially the very bad head cold-like one for Kermit.

Other than Henson and Arnett, the human cameos are easily forgettable at best and are too random and contrived. Being lost amidst the overuse of cheap CGI, the direct to video look of the photography and editing and the very unhummable and pre-school level songs. The script is on the whole witless and too heavy on corny puns and low on charm. The plot is very thin and dragged out, as well as having too little mystery or creepiness. With a story as thin as it was, it did mean that the pace was dull. Did appreciate the moral and how well intended it was but it was too trite and shoehorned in delivery and felt out of place.

Closing thoughts: Concluding, lacklustre and not spooktacular enough.

4/10.

A Halloween treat from Disney Plus, Muppets Haunted Mansion comes off better than their current Muppets Now, which got off on a slow start. The hour-long special is based on both the Muppets and Disney's Haunted Mansion ride (which already got a movie in 2003, though not seen by many and now forgotten). Although this sounds like a cynical move, the spooky fun played off against the Muppets' irreverence and sarcasm play off on each other nicely. And, I'm glad the Great Gonzo was made the star, as he is my favourite secondary Muppet, better than Fozzie. What's missing is, of course, Rizzo, who is Gonzo's natural sidekick.

Muppets Haunted Mansion goes over nicely with enjoyable musical numbers and visuals, including the ghostly puppetry. Arrested Development's Will Arnett is a welcome addition to the Muppets franchise and works well. The usual meta humour is here.

Matt Vogel still needs to work on his Kermit, unfortunately. And, we need Rizzo back. Steve Whitmire's departure from the franchise has hurt, and I'm still hoping Vogel can pull this together. In the meantime, it's good to keep the Muppets franchise alive - or undead, in this case.

I haven't seen anything with the Muppets in ages, so when I stumbled upon this 2021 TV special titled "Muppets Haunted Mansion", I just had to sit down and watch it. Especially given the title and the theme of the special.

Yeah Disney definitely delivered a wholesome Muppets movie for the entire family here. As if there ever was any doubt about it. I mean, this being a Disney production and being The Muppets. So that was a win-win right there.

The storyline told in "Muppets Haunted Mansion" was enjoyable, and it was a story that offered something to both me and my son, so there is something for all ages here, both kids and adults alike. And I will say that "Muppets Haunted Mansion" makes for a great family movie suitable for viewing around the time of Halloween.

Visually then "Muppets Haunted Mansion" is great. Lots of nice details and even have some funny nods to other scary movies throughout the course of the story.

The setting of "Muppets Haunted Mansion" was great, as was the props and scenes. Lots of great details and nice touches to be found and see, especially if you are a fan of the Muppets.

The voice acting was good, as it usually is with these types of productions. And they also had a good ensemble of actual actors and actresses live in the movie - no pun intended.

My rating of "Muppets Haunted Mansion" lands on a well-deserved six out of ten stars.

I was really looking forward to this....but I have to say I was so incredibly bored. The writing was predictable, which is to be expected with The Muppets, but it was lacking the charm that usually makes that okay. There were a lot of celebrity cameos, but they weren't even that interesting. Honestly, I was most excited to see Pat Sajak, just because it was so random and woke me up for a second. I always enjoy Will Arnett, but it felt like they thought the humor you get from his Will Arnettness would be enough to carry this special. It just felt tired.

The absolute worst part was Kermit's voice! I really couldn't get over it. Sooo many people can do a better Kermit. I don't even know how they make a muppet movie thinking that a bad impression is okay. Seriously, the next time you do this, hold a YouTube contest or something to find a new Kermit. I guarantee you can do better.

This was the muppets, the jokes were passable, it seemed a bit like an extended, dramatised ride through the Disney Haunted mansion, which is fair enough, but what on earth has happened to Kermit's voice? Who ok'ed that? #NotmyKermit.