The Haunted Mansion

As mechanical as an old Disneyland automaton, this kiddie horror-comedy is the third movie in a year from the Mouse House studio based on one of its own theme park rides--and while it's certainly no inspired delight like Pirates of the Caribbean, at least it's not as insufferably brain-dead as The Country Bears. Eddie Murphy is at his family-flick hammiest as a sycophantic, workaholic real estate agent who drags his one-dimensional Movie Family (beautiful wife and smart-lipped, eye-rolling kids) to a cobweb-covered manse he wants to sell, only to discover that the joint is possessed and the Edwardian ghost of the former owner wants his wife for a bride. Taking design, F/X, and story cues from the Disneyland ride of the same name, The Haunted Mansion goes through its motions with ironically little spirit as Murphy grins, mugs, and screams at the kid-friendly spookiness of featherweight specters and ghouls (designed by creature king Rick Baker). But without the star's madcap magnetism, this would collapse like a 20-bedroom house of cards. Very optional. [Note: Available in both widescreen and full screen versions, DVD extras include two audio commentaries (one by director Rob Minkoff and costume designer Mona May; the other by producer Don Hahn, visual effects supervisor Jay Redd, and writer David Berenbaum), a “Secrets Revealed” production/visual effects featurette (13 min.), the 11-minute behind-the-scenes segment “Anatomy of a Scene: Ghosts in the Graveyard,” a thorough “Virtual Ride” tour of the titular haunted mansion (featuring ghostly servant costars Wallace Shawn and Dina Waters), the music video “Superstition” by Raven, an outtakes reel (5 min.), a two-minute deleted scene, trailers, and DVD-ROM features. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a so-so film.] (R. Blackwelder)