The new Haunted Mansion trailer brings the iconic Disneyland ride to life

Last year when Walt Disney Studios announced they were making a new Haunted Mansion movie, we only knew a few things. For instance, how it would be live-action rather than animated and that it wouldn’t be a remake of the 2003 version with Eddie Murphy (which, let’s face it, disappointed a lot of the ride’s fans for not incorporating more of it into the movie).

We also knew who would be starring in the new Haunted Mansion movie, as well as the synopsis. But how much would the ride itself factor in? Would it be more like what they did with Muppets Haunted Mansion? I don’t know about you, but I was hoping so. (As far as incorporating elements of the ride. I was hoping they’d spook the movie up a bit.)

Well, they just dropped a teaser trailer that answers the question and assuages any doubt. The ride is most definitely featured in this new Haunted Mansion movie. Big time!

Home is where the haunt is

Right from the get-go, we’re welcomed to America’s most beloved haunted home. It starts when the iconic gates recognizable from the Disneyland version of the ride are unlocked. And then we see the profile of the house that graces the California park.

That was another criticism of the 2003 version: The house didn’t really resemble any of the ones in any of the parks. Well, maybe the one at Magic Kingdom. A little. But this new movie leaves no doubt which house will be featured in this movie.

And perhaps that also sets the stage for sequels featuring the other houses and storylines from the other Disney parks? Because while the ones in California and Florida are similar, as far as the insides, the outsides are different styles of architecture. So are the ones in Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong, which also each add their own flair and narratives to the Haunted Mansion rides in their parks.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. While I’d love to see a spooky franchise blossom from this movie, let’s get back to discussing all the parts of the ride that appear in the trailer.

Here are the things I noticed:

1. The gargoyle
2. The knight
3. The hallways
4. The creepy portraits on the wall
5. The bride
6. The candelabras
7. The wallpaper (well, a very close version of it)
8. The attic
9. The Hat-Box Ghost
10. The stretching room
11. The clock
12. The organ
13. The graveyard

Funniest line from the trailer

Rosario Dawson plays a single mom who quickly finds out why the mansion she recently bought was so affordable. It comes complete with “supernatural squatters.”

I don’t know if it’s before or after she enlists the help of an exorcist played by Owen Wilson and the team of so-called paranormal experts he assembles to rid the house of the spirits; however, I’m inclined to say before. She tells her son Travis, played by Chase Dillon, “But I’m going to light a vanilla candle, and it’s gonna be a game changer.”

With fear-ridden, doubting eyes and a trembling voice, Travis responds, “Will it, though?”

Later on, he makes another funny expression when he shivers about something. I’m going to channel my inner Madame Leota and forecast that, even with comedic powerhouses like Tiffany Haddish, LaKeith Stanfield, Danny DeVito and even Jamie Lee Curtis in this movie, Dillon is going to steal the show, and it will be his breakout role.

The new Haunted Mansion movie will “appear” in theaters on July 28.

New Haunted Mansion teaser trailer

What parts of, or people from, the Haunted Mansion ride did you notice in the teaser trailer? Let us know in the comments!