The Haunted Mansion was a fun Disney movie. Because Disney produced this film, you wouldn’t expect the film to be scary, but to the contrary, my wife screamed several times and grabbed my arm for protection. I was on my honeymoon in Lake Tahoe when I went to see this movie. My new wife thought it would be fun to see so I agreed to see it with her. I was thinking that it would be lame as I thought Eddie Murphy did a bad job on Dr. Doolittle. I was shocked to find that the movie, Haunted Mansion, was actually acted out and directed very well. The scary scenes mostly were a little scary and the funny scenes were funny enough to be laughed at. I can’t remember any part of the movie where I wanted to look down at my watch and see how much longer we had before we could leave…and I’m a stubborn goat. The film would be wonderful for children of any age as long as children under 8 had an adult close by for those scary moments. There are very many wonderful treats film-wise (effects and sounds). I am one who analyzes films enough to predict the next action taken, but this film gave a few surprises (I will be creating films as a computer animator, thus I analyze). I found it interesting that the story was told well and it corresponded enough with the ride to have a familiar tone, but had enough originality that I did not feel as though I was on the ride…I have ridden hundreds of times before (being a former mouse employee). The beginning of the story took a while to run and made me a little anxious to get on with the rest of the film so I could see how the movie would relate to the ride. I would suggest this movie as a date movie or a “friends or family” gathering movie…and a fun one to watch in a theater setting. As for home viewing, I would suggest it if you have a good bass backing. Wonderful job, Disney!

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8