Muppets Haunted Mansion

Premiered October 8, 2021.

One hundred years ago, on All Hallows' Eve, the a magician known as the Great MacGuffin disappeared in a haunted mansion.  In the present day, on Halloween night, Gonzo The Great (Dave Goelz) and his friend Pepe the King Prawn (Bill Barretta) are participating in a fear challenge in the very same mansion, which is believed to be the most haunted mansion in the world.  Gonzo is especially excited about this, since MacGuffin is his favorite magician.  Pepe is along for the ride because he believes the mansion will be filled with partying celebrities.

At the same time, their friends Kermit the frog (Matt Vogel) and Miss Piggy (Eric Jacobson) are hosting the Muppets' annual costume party.  They're disappointed Gonzo and Pepe won't be attending. 

Upon arrival at the mansion, Pepe and Gonzo are greeted by the caretaker (Darren Criss) and several ghosts. 

Inside, they meet their "Ghost Host" (Will Arnett), who gives them a tour of the mansion and explains the terms of the challenge: Inside the mansion's walls, they must face all their fears bravely.  Pepe and Gonzo must stay in the mansion all night but if they fail to do so, they will be trapped inside forever!  The host says the house is filled with spirits that will respond to their "sympathetic vibrations."  

Throughout the evening, they will encounter lots of interesting characters, including:

Madam Pigota, the spirit of a psychic medium who speaks in rhymes.  She gives clues to Gonzo and Pepe that may help them find a way out of the mansion.

Gauzey the Hat Box Bear (Eric Jacobson), a comedian who performs at the mansion's vaudeville show.

Constance Hathaway (Taraji P. Henson), who tells Pepe she wants to marry him. 

And John Stamos! 

Unbeknownst to Pepe, Constance has killed all five of her previous husbands and their ghosts are now stuck in the mansion.  She plans to kill Pepe after marrying him.  Gonzo figures this out and tries to intervene.

However, Gonzo has his own problems.  The ghost host informs him that if he wants to survive the night, he must go to room 999.  Inside that room, Gonzo must face his greatest fear.

Will Gonzo and Pepe make it through the night?  Or will they be trapped in the Haunted Mansion forever?

J.A. Morris says: 

Since the Jim Henson's death, the Muppets haven't always been handled well.  Muppet movies and TV have been very inconsistent in recent decades.  What Henson and his collaborators understood was that Muppets programming needed a combination of child-like sentiment and a little bit of edgy humor.  I'm happy to report that Muppets Haunted Mansion reminds me a lot of the humor of The Muppet Show and the early Muppets films.  

Gonzo and Pepe get the spotlight here, instead of usual "leads" like Kermit or Miss Piggy.  Dave Goelz (of the the original Muppeteers) and Bill Barretta do a nice job carrying the special.  All the other Muppet performs are good as well, especially puppeteers who play the Electric Mayhem band.  Their performance of "Dancing In The Moonlight" is a nice moment.  

The human actors in Muppets Haunted Mansion are also entertaining.  Will Arnett brings just enough spookiness and mystery as the mansion's ghost host.  Taraji P. Henson is great as the murderous Constance Hathaway.  Most of Henson's scenes feature her interacting with Pepe.  It takes a lot of talent to believably interact with a king prawn.  

Lots of famous actors make cameo appearances as ghosts.  I don't have the time or space here to name of all of them, but it's worth noting that the late Ed Asner plays one of the ghosts.  It's one of his final roles and it was nice to see him here

The only problem I had with Muppets Haunted Mansion was the performance of the song "Grim, Grinning Ghosts," a song that originated at Disney's Haunted Mansion theme park attraction.  It's one of the best original songs written for their parks. 

I didn't have a problem with Darren Criss' performance of the song, I just thought "Grim, Grinning Ghosts" deserved a bigger number than what we get here.  The special's major production number is reserved for the original song "Life Hereafter," which I also enjoyed.  

I enjoyed Muppets Haunted Mansion more than any recent Muppet production and I hope it's the start of a new "golden age" of Muppets film and TV.  It's highly recommended to fans of Muppets fans of every age and it's something I figure I'll watch often around Halloween in the future.

J.A. Morris' rating:

4 jack o'lanterns!

RigbyMel says:

Having a nostalgic affection for both the Muppets AND Disney's celebrated Haunted Mansion dark ride, I was quite intrigued when this Muppets special was announced for Disney+.   I was also a little bit nervous about it because, as J.A. Morris points out above, post-Henson Muppets output has been on the uneven side.  

It turns out that this new special contains enough Muppet mayhem and Haunted Mansion spookiness to make my nostalgic heart very happy indeed. 

Not only was the story fun, but there were all kinds of cool little Easter eggs (Halloween treats?) sprinkled throughout.   

For instance, we see Mah Na Mah Na candelabra in the stretching room near the beginning of Gonzo and Pepe's adventure. 

When Statler and Waldorf show up, they heckle the proceedings from a "Doom Buggy" - the mode of transit park guests take during the actual Haunted Mansion dark ride

There are also appearances by some pretty old school Muppets like Wayne and Wanda.   

Plus the "casting" of the Muppets in various ghostly Haunted Mansion roles was pretty darned inspired -- and we even get non-sequitur screaming goats thrown into the mix for good measure!

It is quite evident from all the clever meta-humor and an optimal balance of spooky and funny that the writers (Bill Barretta, Kirk R. Thatcher, and Kelly Younger) love the Muppets and the Haunted Mansion and they've done a great job of bringing the spirit of Jim Henson and his creations to the screen in this special. 

 

Muppets Haunted Mansion is the Muppets/Halloween/Haunted Mansion (monster?) mash-up we didn't know we needed and is recommended viewing for Muppet fans and Haunted Mansion fans of all ages. 

RigbyMel's rating: 

4 jack o'lanterns! 

A Muppet Family Christmas

Robin: We always come together at Christmas!
Kermit:  Yeah. Life would just pass in a blur if it weren't for times like this.

Note:we normally try to tell you cast members' names in our reviews.  But this special features just about every Muppet that existed at the time and they are voiced by a small group of puppeteers.  Naming all of them could get monotonous so please check the imdb page for A Muppet Family Christmas for more information about the cast.

Premiered December 16, 1987.

Kermit and friends traveling through the snow

Fozzie Bear has decided to spend Christmas at his mother Emily's farmhouse and is bringing along all his Muppet friends.  Kermit the frog thinks they should have called first, but Fozzie says she loves surprises.

Emily Bear is ready for surfing in Malibu! 

At the farmhouse, Emily Bear is packing up and getting ready to fly to California for Christmas. She's rented out a room to Doc (Gerry Parkes, the only human cast member in this special) and his dog Sprocket.  They have come to the farmhouse to spend a nice quiet Christmas by themselves.

Doc and Sprocket arrive at "Grizzly Farm"

When Fozzie and friends arrive, Emily isn't very happy, since she's been taking surfing lessons. Suddenly, she has dozens of house guests and not enough sleeping space for everyone.  Doc is also disappointed since he wanted a peaceful holiday.

One of the Muppets is absent.  Miss Piggy is running late, due to a modelling photo shoot gig.  She phones Kermit and says she will arrive as soon as possible.

Miss Piggy hams it up at her photo shoot

The house gets even more crowded when the Sesame Street gang shows up.  Big Bird, Bert, Ernie and their friends will also spend Christmas with the Muppets.  

MORE houseguests for Mrs. Bear! 

The Swedish Chef is planning to cook a turkey for their Christmas dinner.  But when the (still living) turkey arrives he has other ideas.  The turkey tells the chef that Big Bird would make a better dinner.

Is Big Bird in trouble?

Piggy's trip is  delayed by her last minute Christmas shopping.  It's later further complicated by a major blizzard.  Kermit and friends are worried about Miss Piggy's safety.

Plus, Kermit's nephew Robin discovers a Fraggle hole in Emily's basement, leading him and Kermit to Fraggle Rock!

Frogs meet Fraggles

J.A. Morris says:
I didn't see this special when it originally aired.  I was "too old" for Christmas specials at the time and didn't watch this until a few years ago.  This is a wonderful special.

Many Muppets! 

It was nice to combine all the Muppets' "universes" that existed at the time.  It feels like a love letter to the fans who grew up watching Sesame Street, The Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock.   It's all the more special when you remember that Henson would be gone in less than three years and Richard Hunt (who performed Scooter, Beaker and Janice, among others) would die in 1992.  It sort of feels like a celebration of everything Henson and company had done.

The Fraggles, including Gobo's uncle Matt, climb up from underground to join the party.

Muppet Family Christmas doesn't have much of a story, other than Miss Piggy's trip through the snow (spoiler alert:she arrives unscathed).  It's really just a series of funny interactions between Muppets. Which is fine, it's fun and entertaining from start to finish.

There's a great scene where Kermit and his nephew Robin are talking about how special Christmas is to them, which leads to their duet of "Jingle Bells."  Then suddenly, the Electric Mayhem joins with with a revved-up version of "Jingle Bell Rock."  It's a nice reminder of how Henson's Muppets could go back and forth between sentimentality and subversion.

The Electric Mayhem rocks out!

Dressing the Muppets in Winter clothing was also a nice touch.

Grover and Scooter (in a Christmas sweater!) participate in the Christmas sing-a-long.

.A Muppet Family Christmas ends with a medley of holiday songs.  It's sweet and touching without being maudlin at all. 

This special is currently out of print, but you can still find copies at libraries all over the country.  It should be noted that the version that was released on DVD and VHS is different than the one that aired on TV, with some songs cut for copyright reasons.  But that version is better than nothing.

A Muppet Family Christmas is an overlooked classic that is absolutely must see for Muppets fans.  

J.A. Morris' review:

4 candy canes!

The Sesame Street gang's Christmas pageant features "The Night Before Christmas" - note how Grover is NOT stirring in his role as the mouse

RigbyMel says:

A Muppet Family Christmas was a recent discovery for me as well.   It really is a lovely treat to see all of the Muppets from different shows interacting with one another.    

Oscar the Grouch meets Rizzo the Rat

It also feels pleasantly like an old-school Christmas variety special what with all the random people showing up at Emily Bear's home.    (I must say that Mrs. Bear, Doc and Sprocket are exceptionally good sports seeing as their holiday plans get rather significantly altered by Fozzie and company dropping in unexpectedly!)

Fozzie meets a snowy friend

As with most Muppet specials, there are some delightful character moments. I particularly enjoyed seeing Fozzie find a new comedy partner in a talking snowman and the Swedish Chef's (ultimately unsuccessful) attempts to prepare a  Christmas turkey.   Kermit and Robin's brief visit to Fraggle Rock also yields a catchy song about giving (and re-gifting) called "Pass It On."

The Muppet Babies also show up in a "home movie" clip segment 

In light of the fact that the world would lose Jim Henson & Richard Hunt just a few years after A Muppet Family Christmas was produced, this special feels extra poignant in hindsight.

Henson's cameo appearance near the end of the special makes me farklempt. Every. Time.

In addition to all the more traditional Christmas songs presented, it's also nice to see callbacks to songs from other Muppet specials like "Together At Christmas" (re-used from 1986's The Christmas Toy)  and "It's In Every One Of Us" (which first appeared on the 1979 album A Christmas Together featuring John Denver and the Muppets and also in the 1983 Rocky Mountain Holiday TV special).

Gonzo and Animal are okay with these sleeping arrangements in the crowded house

A Muppet Family Christmas is a classic and well worth seeking out.    I hope that one day we will see it re-released on DVD/Blu-Ray in an un-edited version.

RigbyMel's rating:

4 candy canes!