So this special has had an interesting development period. For a number of years, those responsible for The Muppets wanted to do a Halloween special. One attempt had one that would tentatively be a Halloween one, but got cancelled in favour of Muppets Tonight. A second attempt following Disney's purchase of The Muppets was then announced, but also cancelled in favour of the Muppet Studio wanting to be solely focused on the 2011 film. Finally, earlier this year, Disney went ahead with creating this special. Not only is it the first Halloween special for The Muppets, but it also kind of serves as a crossover or a loose adaptation of the iconic Disneyland ride, the Haunted Mansion. Which funnily but unsurprisingly enough, did have a film adaptation years ago with Eddie Murphy, but the less we talk about that film, the better (it wasn't very well received). But there have been talks of another adaptation, but much darker in line with the actual ride and with Guillermo del Toro being part of its development. For now, let's take a look at the first-ever Muppets Halloween special:
Every year, The Muppets have an annual Halloween party. But this year, Gonzo (performed by Dave Goelz) and Pepe (performed by Bill Barretta) decide to take on a fear challenge event in the mansion that was the last known place that Gonzo's favourite magician, the Great MacGuffin (played by Will Arnett) was at before his mysterious disappearance from the world. The duo enters the mansion and seem to remain oblivious of it being haunted, at least at first. But a lot of strange occurrences await within this so-called Haunted Mansion.
Although I will admit that some of the comedy from The Muppets can be a bit cringy at times, it's actually OK in this special. It is a comedy, like the film was, but it's all good. The jokes are good, the roles each Muppet has are well executed, and there's even a sense of fear and scary moments in this musical of a special. Not too shabby for the first-ever Muppets Halloween special. 7/10
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