Guillermo del Toro is the right man for Disney’s new “Haunted Mansion” movie

Jim Hill

14 years ago

In the wake of yesterday's announcement that Guillermo del
Toro would be riding herd on a brand-new "Haunted Mansion" movie for Walt
Disney Pictures, the film & fan community erupted. And not necessarily in a
good way.

Guillermo del Toro. Photo courtesy of Walt Disney PIctures.
All rights reserved

Don't believe me? Then head on over to AintItCool's Talkback
section. Where posters there (who are still clearly pissed off that the director
of "Pan's Labyrinth" recently opted out of helming "The Hobbit") are accusing
Guillermo of grabbing " … a quick paycheck from Disney." Meanwhile over at Hollywood
Elsewhere, Jeffery Wells — following yesterday's announcement — actually posted a piece with a headline that
read "Del Toro Cash-In."

Which is just unfair. Given that — if there's a person on
this planet who should be producing, writing and (hopefully) directing a new "Haunted
Mansion" movie — it's Guillermo del Toro.

I mean, a lot of filmmakers go down to Comic-Con and then give
lip service to the fanboys. Saying that "I'm
one of you. Now go see my movie." Whereas Guillermo really is one of us. And by
that I mean, not just a fanboy, but also a big honking Disney dweeb.

Don't believe me? Okay. Then check out this photo of del
Toro's Los Angeles home which was taken for a 2009 Wired magazine article. Directly
to the right of that large statue of the Sammael beast from "Hellboy," there's a bookcase. Do you see that round, green thing on the shelf there? That's Mike Wazowski from "Monsters, Inc."

And that's just the start of Guillermo's Disneyana
collection. From what I've been told, this guy literally owns dozens of
versions of the Nautilus from Disney's 1954 film. Which perhaps explains why –
when asked where his happy place is – del Toro was said to reply "Mysterious
Island at Tokyo DisneySea."

Speaking of theme parks … When Guillermo was growing up in
Mexico, his family used to drive up to LA every summer in the late 1960s /
early 1970s. And the highlight of that trip (for del Toro, anyway) was his
family's annual trek to Disneyland. Which means that – during this filmmaker's formative
years – he regularly visited the original Haunted Mansion. Which is why that version
of this quintessential theme park attraction is now burned into Guillermo's brain.

August 8, 1969. Opening day at Disneyland's Haunted Mansion.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

So – as hard as this may be for "The Lord of the Rings" fans to understand
— directing "The Hobbit" wasn't del Toro's passion project. But getting the chance
to write & produce a new "Haunted Mansion" movie (and hopefully erase the
memory of that artfully-designed-but-when-you-get-right-down-to-it-God-awful Eddie Murphy movie from 2003) … That's something that Guillermo has wanted to
do his whole life.

You want proof that del Toro's the right guy for the job? As
part of yesterday's "TRON: Legacy" panel at Comic-Con, Guillermo showed a
stylized rendering of the Hatbox Ghost and then explained that he hoped to make
this character the linchpin of the whole project. The freakin' Hatbox Ghost!?

You see what I'm saying here? del Toro knows the backstory
& mythology of the Mansion inside and out. Which – given that he's supposed to have a room at his house that's dedicated to this attraction. Which is decorated with the wallpaper from the really-for-real Disneyland ride – only makes sense, I guess.

Guillermo at yesterday's "Haunted Mansion" announcement in Hall H. Photo courtesy of
Walt Disney Pictures. All rights reserved

More to the point, given the number of times that Imagineers
& longtime Disneyland employees have told me that they've see Guillermo at
that Park … This is a guy who genuinely knows this attraction. Why is why del
Toro is sure to serve up a genuinely scary story that finally does justice to
The Haunted Mansion cinematically.

Which brings us to the next question: Where does Disney
Double Dare factor into all of this? Back in September of 2009 at the D23 EXPO,
Dick Cook announced this new horror-themed production label for the Mouse.
Where all of the films were supposed to be produced under Guillermo's guidance.

But then – just a week after Disney Double Dare was
announced – Cook suddenly stepped down as Chairman of Walt Disney Studios. And ever
since then, there's been little or no public talk about this Disney's new horror-themed
production label. Which – in addition to producing scary animated projects like
"Trollhunters" for the Company – was also supposed to help Mickey move into the
horror-themed merchandise and book business.

But like I said, since last September, there just hasn't
been a lot of talk about Disney Double Dare. Not publicly, anyway. Though I have
heard whispers lately that this allegedly dormant production label may soon be
used in conjunction with that "Fright Night" remake that DreamWorks Studios is making
for Disney. Which is supposed to begin shooting in Greenwood, Mississippi sometime
next week.

Anyway … Will del Toro's new "Haunted Mansion" movie be used
to help resurrect the Disney Double Dare production label? To be honest, I don't
know. Not yet, anyway.

Following yesterday's announcement at the "TRON: Legacy"
panel, I sent e-mails out to a lot of my sources at Walt Disney Studios. But
given that most of those folks are still down in San Diego, battling the crowds
at the convention center, I don't expect that I'll be hearing back from any of them
'til Monday morning or thereabouts. But as soon as I hear something, I'll post
it here, okay?

But maybe del Toro will be bringing this topic up himself
later today when he makes his second appearance in Hall H at this year's
Comic-Con. That'll be from 2:15 – 3:45 p.m.,
when Guillermo will be talking up that new horror film that he co-wrote and
produced for Miramax Films, "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark." Which will be
hitting theaters in January of 2011.

Anywho … Don't listen to those nameless nerds who have already
posted negative stuff about this new project on the Web. Having Guillermo del
Toro write, produce and (hopefully) direct a new "Haunted Mansion" movie is a
very good thing. A very good thing
indeed. I mean, this is the motion picture that this acclaimed filmmaker has
been dreaming of making since he was 10 years-old.

As del Toro said in a statement that the Studio released
yesterday:

I couldn't be more excited to be a part of my own adaptation
of the original theme park attraction Walt envisioned and that remains, for me,
the most desirable piece of real estate in the whole world. The scary will be
scary. We're being true to the spirit of the original imagineers.

So get ready to " … hurry back … hurry back" to your local
multiplex. Where in 2012 (or thereabouts), thanks to Guillermo del Toro, we're
finally gonna get a "Haunted Mansion" movie that's loaded with "… wall-to-wall
creeps and hot & cold running chills."

Your thoughts?