The Haunted Mansion
Short description
Workaholic real estate agent Jim Evers puts a family trip on hold when an offer comes in on a large old mansion, and he brings his wife Sara, who is also his business partner, and their children along for a quick look at the property. A storm leaves the family stuck at the estate with its reserved owner, his butler and other residents, some of whom are not among the living. Jim has to work out what holds the spirits to the house and settle the matter before it is too late for his family.
Rob Minkoff directed the film, the fourth title in his directing career after The Lion King, Stuart Little and Stuart Little 2. David Berenbaum wrote the screenplay, and Don Hahn, Andrew Gunn and Ben Apley produced for Walt Disney Pictures. Eddie Murphy plays Jim, with Marsha Thomason as Sara, Terence Stamp as Ramsley, Nathaniel Parker as Master Gracey, Jennifer Tilly as Madame Leota and Dina Spybey-Waters as Emma. The production had a budget of 90 million US dollars and took in 182 million US dollars worldwide.
On IMDb the film holds a rating of 5.2 out of 10 from around 61,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 5.7 out of 10 from more than 2,000 votes. A film critics' rating of 4.3 out of 10 from 139 reviews places it below both audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Ramsey's makeup was designed to make him resemble actor Boris Karloff (1887-1969).
- A significant part of the plot was inspired by the Phantom Manor attraction at Disneyland Paris, an analogue of the haunted house in other amusement parks. Unlike others, however, Phantom Manor has a clearly traceable storyline, elements of which include a bride, her lost lover, and a haunted mansion.
- Initially, actor Don Knotts (1924-2006) was cast as the gatekeeper at the cemetery, but this character was cut from the plot as the script was rewritten and changed, leaving the gatekeeper and his loyal dog only as ghosts inhabiting the cemetery.
- A crow appears in the film, but during filming, they used a bird native to Africa instead of a crow. California, where the filming took place, has very strict laws regarding birds of prey, so they had to film with a similar-looking bird instead of a crow.
- Filming took place from December 1, 2002, to April 4, 2003.
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