With Will Arnett and Disney theme park nostalgia, ‘Muppets Haunted Mansion’ is a real Halloween treat

You’re going to reach a moment early in Muppets Haunted Mansion where you’ll squint at the screen as you utter, “Is that…? Could it be?”

Yes, that well-dressed man with the comically extended handlebar mustache who looks like a Sgt. Pepper extra is Will Arnett, gravelly-voiced comedic hero of BoJack Horseman and Lego Masters fame. He’s hanging out with Muppets in a Disney theme park ride turned film set, and he’s having the best damn time.

From the outside, Muppets Haunted Mansion looks like the kind of lighthearted filler that keeps the Disney+ streaming service hype rolling in between big-deal Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar launches. In some ways, that’s accurate. Coming in at just under an hour, this isn’t a huge commitment. You sit down, chuckle at puppet antics for 50 minutes, and get on with your day. It sure is a magical 50 minutes, though. And Arnett is a huge piece of that.

This is a more subdued Arnett than his fans are probably used to seeing, explaining my confusion when I first saw him. He plays the part that’s needed. As the master of ceremonies, he’s our main human connection. It’s impossible for any human to go bigger than a Muppet. So, Arnett mines for laughs in the smaller moments while keeping the journey on track as the Muppet shenanigans pile up.

More delightful than frightful.

The special’s journey is a fundamentally wholesome story about friendship and facing your fears. It starts with Gonzo (Dave Goelz) and Pepé the King Prawn (Bill Barretta) ditching their puppet pals’ Halloween party. Instead, they plan to spend the night in the mansion that once belonged to Gonzo’s favorite magician, The Great MacGuffin.

For Gonzo, this is his next, great gamble as a fearless daredevil. It’s the 100-year anniversary of The Great MacGuffin’s disappearance, and that means the mansion is home to a “fear challenge.” What’s a night with friends to Gonzo when he can cement his greatness? As for Pepé… well, Pepé just wants to party with the “famous peoples.” Pepé doesn’t always get the assignment.

There’s much to be said for a wild Muppets adventure that casts Arnett as the story’s caretaker, but we haven’t even gotten to the hook yet. It’s right there in the title: Muppets Haunted Mansion is an extended riff on the beloved Disney theme park ride through a ghost house.

Every inch of this Halloween special shows a deep reverence for the Haunted Mansion ride and the experience it delivers. If you’ve ever been on this attraction before — even just one time — you’ll catch reference after reference. Even Arnett’s role, the Ghost Host, is a direct and knowing nod to the original ride’s booming, baritone narrator.

From the very start, every moment Muppets Haunted Mansion spends in that house is a reference in one way or another. When Gonzo and Pepé first arrive, they step into a room with their mysterious Ghost Host and watch as the painting-adorned walls creepily stretch downward, just like the elevator at the start of the ride.

As they delve deeper, more familiar faces, scenes, and ideas pop up. Early on, we learn that there are 999 ghosts residing within the mansion… but there’s always room for one more! (That’s the premise behind the ride as well.) When Gonzo and Pepé check out the local graveyard, you’ll hear the familiar strains of “Grim Grinning Ghosts.” There’s even a moment where Arnett echoes the ride’s fateful warning to guests: No flash pictures.

And don’t get me started on Taraji P. Henson (no relation to Muppets’ creator Jim Henson), who steps into the frayed wedding dress of Constance Hatchaway. Just like the ride’s eternal bride with a visibly beating heart, Henson’s Constance has murdered her way into widowhood many times over. Now, she’s found her next mark in Pepé. The Empire star leans all the way in with a creepily seductive performance that has no place in a Disney Muppets special yet somehow, fits perfectly

Even John Stamos has a moment. His quiet chit-chat with Pepé in the prawn’s long-sought “famous peoples” room is very brief and best left unspoiled, but it’s maybe my favorite thing Stamos has done since Uncle Jesse.

In the end, the story comes together around a sweet and wholesome wrap-up. Gonzo and Pepé both learn a thing or two. Will Arnett has a blast, and our own nostalgia buzz from all those theme park ride references lingers on and on. More delightful than frightful, Muppets Haunted Mansion is the perfect Halloween treat.

Muppets Haunted Mansion is now streaming on Disney+.