By: debbie lynn elias
In its third attempt to bring a theme park attraction to the big screen, those magicians at Disney find another winner with “The Haunted Mansion.” Although not in the same league as this year’s blockbuster “The Pirates of the Caribbean”, “Mansion” is far superior to the earlier effort, “The Country Bears.”
Loosely based on the popular attraction found at both Disneyland and Disney World (although more in keeping with the scarier Disney World version as opposed to the slightly more cartoonish one on the West Coast), “The Haunted Mansion” also marks another success in a string of family-oriented vehicles for Eddie Murphy.
Workaholic realtor Jim Evers is finally off for a vacation with his family; that is until he gets the chance to put the old Gracey Mansion on the market. Invited to the mansion, Evers jumps on the opportunity to mix business with pleasure and hauls the family off to the foreboding, vine covered, dust bin of a place for a fun-filled time. (Bear in mind, this place makes the Munster home look like Shangri-La!)
Fully staffed, the Evers clan find themselves blessed with the good fortune of having a butler and two servants at their beckon call. (So, they might not be corporeal. Good help is so hard to find. You’ve got to overlook a few flaws.) As an added bonus, the disembodied head of Madam Leota hang around in a crystal ball, dispensing ghoulish advice to all who will listen. But it doesn’t stop there, Lord of the manor, Master Gracey, also makes his presence known – especially on seeing the beautiful Sara Evers. Seems many years ago (try antebellum New Orleans) Lord Gracey was in love. When he was unable to marry his beloved, they each committed suicide. As luck would have it, Sara Evans is the spitting image of Gracey’s true love and his heart once again goes pit-a-pat, resulting in the Everses becoming “prisoners” of Gracey’s love, forcing Jim and kids into a spectral scavenger hunt to save mom from her admirer.
Surprisingly, there is a story here and even more surprising, are the racial undertones throughout which are all predicated upon Gracey’s New Orleans’ romance. Apparently, devoted butler Ramsley contributed to its demise because the family would be destroyed by an interracial marriage. While the film never specifically addresses the issue or the race of any of its characters, the concept continually bubbles to the surface, which although an accepted, unquestionable part of the film has a disconcerting edge due solely to the visual silliness that veils the issue posed.
As comes as no surprise, production values are high and the art direction is masterful, capitalizing on the well known features found in the mansions at the theme parks – creaky doors, a picturesque graveyard, the singing marble busts, oil portraits with moving eyes, and that mesmerizing floating head of Madame Leota. The screen explodes with technicolor creepiness and well balanced mix of spectral animation and live action.
Eddie Murphy, while enjoyable as Jim Evers, gives what for him, is a somewhat lackluster and tempered performance. Often relegated to the background, many of the jokes sound recycled and Murphy comes across as more of a straightman to the more interesting and humorous ghosts. The real treat though comes from Terence Stamp. As Gracey’s butler Ramsley, Stamp (like his mercurial and sinister character) steals every scene. Equally amusing are Wallace Shawn and Dina Waters as the house servants, Ezer and Emma. But let’s not leave out Jennifer Tilly. Known for her own brand of offbeat quirkiness, Tilly is in her element giving a rather spirited performance as disembodied Madame Leota.
Hot on the heels of “Pirates”, Disney is now faced with the daunting task of equaling or surpassing that success with “The Haunted Mansion.” Unfortunately, if you’re looking for a film with the same elan of “Pirates”, stop right now. Disappointingly, “Lion King” director Rob Minkoff loses the charm and wonder of the park attractions in this film adaptation. And while an extremely enjoyable 99 minutes, clipping along at a faster pace than “Pirates,” Minkoff never achieves the captivating frenzy generated by Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. Still, “The Haunted Mansion” is entertaining and amusing fun that’s still a little bit cheaper than spending the day at the theme parks.
Jim Evers: Eddie Murphy Sara Evers: Marsha Thomason Master Gracey: Nathaniel Parker Madame Leota: Jennifer Tilly Ramsley: Terence Stamp Ezer: Wallace Shawn Walt Disney presents a film directed by Rob Minkoff. Written by David Berenbaum. Rated PG. (99 min)
