Two movie flops later, Disney is rebooting The Haunted Mansion ride as a series

You’ve probably noticed that Disney can turn just about any of its rides into a film or TV juggernaut—except for one very atmospheric, creaky old favourite: The Haunted Mansion. It’s not for lack of trying, either. After two serious goes at the box office, what we’ve got is more franchise flop than evergreen hit, and the best the Mansion can usually do on screen is spook up a few decent merch sales.

The ride itself? Still attracting absurd queues, scaring up the cobwebs for over 50 years at Disneyland and beyond. But every time Hollywood tries to stretch those 999 happy haunts into a blockbuster, things get a bit, well, haunted.

Not-So-Spooktacular Film History

Let’s look at the cinematic record, because it’s not pretty:

• 2003 brought us The Haunted Mansion with Eddie Murphy. The film sort-of broke even in cinemas but wound up as a full-blown critical disaster. Murphy’s charisma could only do so much, apparently.
• Fast-forward to 2023. Disney forks out a hefty $150 million for a reboot under Justin Simien, but the cash gets stuck in the walls. It grossed about $117 million and ended up leaving Disney out of pocket to the tune of another $117 million loss. Critics weren’t buying it either (37% on Rotten Tomatoes, if you still trust those numbers).

Audiences were, to be fair, a bit kinder to the 2023 incarnation—but clearly not enough to haunt cinemas more than once.

What Happens Next? Not Another Film

Here’s the surprising bit. Rather than charging up Hollywood Hill a third time, Disney’s now giving The Haunted Mansion a manga makeover. Disney The Haunted Mansion – Stray Spirits launches this autumn through Tokyopop, with issue one dropping on 14 October for $4.99 and running 32 pages. No cinemas, no streaming; just comics.

Instead of regurgitating the misadventures of Eddie Murphy or trying to clean up last year’s mess, Stray Spirits goes in its own direction. The story revolves around Adrienne, a 12-year-old with a knack for getting in trouble and not much support at home. Her only mate is a one-eyed stray cat. Chasing after the cat, she tumbles into the Mansion—where the ghosts are less about jump scares and more about unfinished business (mostly their own).

'Rather than fleeing the ghosts, Adrienne ends up having to help them tidy up their messes. It’s more bumbling spectres than banshee horror, which is very much in keeping with how the ride actually feels when you’re queuing through it.'

The creative team is writer Sammie Crowle, artist Francesca Follini, and colourist Pascal Tora. They seem to be skewing younger and funnier—still recognisably The Haunted Mansion, but not interested in subjecting kids (or their parents) to a two-hour CG ghost gauntlet.

Mansion Facts and Timing

Couple of quick points for any die-hard Mansion fans or Disneyland regulars:

• The ride’s been operating at Disneyland since 1969, racked up comics and video games over the years, and even got a Muppets TV special back in 2021. Clearly, it doesn’t need a movie to survive.
• If you fancy a ride on the classic version, check your calendar: The Haunted Mansion closes from 8 August to 20 August for its yearly Nightmare Before Christmas overlay (called Haunted Mansion Holiday). The spooked-up version with Jack Skellington opens 21 August—coinciding with the start of Disney’s Halloween Time, if you’re into seasonal chaos.

Manga isn’t Disney’s usual approach for a property this famous, but after failing to conjure up a blockbuster, maybe going back to a simple tale about a lonely kid and her cat is exactly what The Haunted Mansion needs.