Director Justin Simien says his goal is to make Haunted Mansion the film feel like everything came right off Haunted Mansion the ride. In the new two-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, Simien’s cast confirms that’s exactly what he’s accomplished, from the busts down to the wallpaper. LaKeith Stanfield even describes it as really feeling haunted.
“What we wanted to do was preserve the details that fans remembered and expand the universe around them,” explains Simien. “The thing that makes the ride so cool is that the mansion already has a history, and our characters are discovering it.”
LaKeith Stanfield stars as Ben, Tiffany Haddish is Harriet, Owen Wilson is Kent, Danny DeVito is Bruce, and Rosario Dawson is Gabbie. The cast also includes Chase W. Dillion, Daniel Levy, Jamie Lee Curtis as Madame Leota, and Jared Leto as The Hatbox Ghost.
Disney describes the latest adaptation of a theme park ride as the story of “a woman and her son who enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters.”
Disney’s sending Haunted Mansion into theaters on July 28, 2023.
