Disney held its world premiere of Haunted Mansion without actors due to the SAG-AFTRA strike and the first reactions of the Justin Simien-directed film are coming in.
Inspired by the classic ride at the Disneyland Resort theme park. The story of the film is about a woman and her son who enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters.
Steven Weintraub from Collider praised Simien and screenwriter Katie Dippold saying they “did great work” in the adaptation.
“Happy to report Haunted Mansion is one of those family films that will spook kids, make adults laugh (a lot), and fans of the ride will keep pointing at the screen because it’s loaded with Easter eggs,” Weintraub tweeted.
POC Culture editor noted on Twitter that they saw Haunted Mansion before the strike and called the film “a love letter to the iconic Disney ride & a family-friendly thriller.”
“The cast, led by LaKeith Stanfield, is outstanding & hilarious. Full of fun cameos, references to the ride & a healthy dose of jump scares,” they added.
Although the founder of Nightmarish Conjuring was still gathering their thoughts on the film, she said, “the amount of heart it has couldn’t have been achieved without the writing of Katie Dippold. She weaves together a story that tackles death/grief in a palpate way while riding a fine line btwn humor/horror.”
Screenrant’s Joseph Deckelmeier tweeted that Haunted Mansion was “an entertaining movie for your whole family can enjoy. There’s some fun scares for the kids and a lot of Easter eggs for you eagle-eyed #disney parks fans.”
Journalist Laura Sirikul said Haunted Mansion “should have been a Halloween release instead of a summer release. It makes [no] sense. It’s up against Barbie & Oppenheimer.”
Of the film itself, Sirikul tweeted, “Haunted Mansion was entertaining, filled with one-liners & quirky jokes. The first act was a bit slow but speeds up in the 2nd&3rd to a good pace. Good scares for kids. Disney fans will love the Easter eggs. Tries a little too hard to be deep, but it’s still fun to watch.”
The cast of the film includes LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson, Chase W. Dillon, Jamie Lee Curtis as Madame Leota, Jared Leto as Hatbox Ghost and Winona Ryder. Hasan Minhaj and Dan Levy also make an appearance in the film.
Haunted Mansion opens in theaters on July 28.