Muppets Haunted Mansion (TV Special 2021)

Muppets Haunted Mansion (TV Special 2021). Muppets Haunted Mansion: Directed by Kirk R. Thatcher. With Will Arnett, Danny Trejo, Chrissy Metz, Ed Asner. On Halloween night, Gonzo is challenged to spend one night in The Haunted Mansion.

“My love of the Muppets stems from a very young age and itu0026#39;s incredibly hard to watch what Disney has done to them in the last few years especially. I loved Jason Segalu0026#39;s take on the Muppets back in 2011 as well as itu0026#39;s sequel Muppets Most Wanted. I even enjoyed the ABC Muppet show to some degree, even though I knew it wasnu0026#39;t nearly as good as their other works in the past. Recently though with Disneyu0026#39;s run of Muppets Now and now the Muppets Haunted Mansion special, it has gone incredibly downhill. What I loved about the muppets wasnu0026#39;t just the charm they exuded in nearly every special, every movie, and every episode- but also the dedication to the craft and characters that made each piece of their work at least a little unique.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhatu0026#39;s so disappointing about Muppets Haunted Mansion is that they finally had their chance to step up again, and now they have completely blown that. The special is unfortunately a formulaic and tiresome little piece of muppet entertainment that seems to imitate the spirit of past works, without having any of the charm whatsoever. The puppet work is as good as ever, but the needless display of cheap CGI gimmicks takes away the magic that these performers used to hold dear. The celebrity cameos also feel incredibly forced this time around for the most part, and hold no significant value other than to show off what Disney can afford on screen. I will have to say though, Will Arnettu0026#39;s character, as predictable as it can be at times- is quite fun to watch- and his dedication to the character is easily some of the best parts of the special in total.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFinally, Iu0026#39;ll talk about the voicework- of which Iu0026#39;m vastly disappointed in. Some returning voice performers from the more recent muppet films are fine, but itu0026#39;s incredibly heartbreaking to see Disney has still not reversed their decision in firing Stdeve Whitmire. Kermit sounds horrible in this special, and Iu0026#39;m not exaggerating, itu0026#39;s honestly the worst portrayal of him ever. Seth MacFarlene has a better Kermit voice than the new voice actor, and itu0026#39;s incredibly painful to see Disney play this off like nothing has changed when Kermit is clearly the heart and soul of the muppets since the very beginning.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn the end, the special has its entertaining moments- but itu0026#39;s too formulaic, too heartbreaking, and too commercial to truly enjoy. In the end, the muppets most recent special is most certainly a dud, and I hope Disney can finally learn from their mistakes in dealing with Jim Hensonu0026#39;s beloved creations in the future.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMy Rating: 3/10.”