The first official look at Disney+’s upcoming Muppets Haunted Mansion reveals Kermit the Frog dressed up as Miss Piggy. The Haunted Mansion has been one of the most popular and longstanding attractions at Disney’s theme parks. This year marks the 52nd anniversary of the attraction at Disney’s original Anaheim location, and it looks as though The Muppets are going to be helping the celebration along with their upcoming special.
It might seem hard to believe, but Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzy and the rest of the gang have been appearing on TV and the big screen in one capacity or another for over 50 years now. The success that Jim Henson’s group of lovable misfits found was particularly solidified throughout the late 1970s/early ’80s with The Muppet Show – a concept that was resurrected in 2015 with The Muppets. Unfortunately, The Muppets didn’t get the chance to establish itself with a new generation in the way The Muppet Show had, as it was cancelled after just one season. This setback did nothing to stop the franchise from pushing on, and as of last year, Disney+ began airing Muppets Now to middling reviews.
Disney’s latest effort at bringing The Muppets to both a new and established fanbase is the Disney+ special, Muppets Haunted Mansion. Though there’s currently no official release date, the teaser trailer does reveal that the special – which features Gonzo and Pepe the Prawn – will be arriving on the subscription streamer this Fall (likely just in time for Halloween). There does appear to be plenty of the sort of wacky fun that only The Muppets can provide, and the images provided, thanks to EW, show off Kermit as a very fetching Miss Piggy and Piggy as an equally lovely Kermit. Check out the images and teaser trailer below:
As the trailer hints at, Gonzo does indeed play a substantial role in Muppets Haunted Mansion. The famed Muppet is challenged to spend Halloween night in the Haunted Mansion, undoubtedly kicking off plenty of hilarious scares and paranormal fun. Gonzo has previously featured as a leading man (bird?) in the 1999 feature film, Muppets from Space, and although that film was far from a blockbuster, it did show fans Gonzo in a different light. Hopefully, Muppets Haunted Mansion continues to explore one of the franchise’s most enduring and wonderfully bizarre characters.
For Disney, The Muppets have proved to be a bit of challenge. The 2011 Jason Segel and Amy Adams film, The Muppets, was a surprise hit that even secured an Oscar. But a follow-up to that film failed to achieve similar acclaim, and Disney has struggled ever since to find a strong audience for the franchise. Muppets Haunted Mansion seems like the sort of thing that could play off the popularity of Halloween and help draw in new viewers. However, without strong success for the special, it’s hard to say how long Disney will keep working to deliver new takes on the long-running IP.
Source: EW/The Muppets
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