First Impressions: Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021)

Hey, a new first impressions. Yeah I'm still not super comfortable going to movie theaters, so first impressions have been really slow. However, let's do another one, and let's talk about something else that is near and dear to my heart, The Muppets.

I haven't been the biggest Muppet fan as a child, which was mostly due to not having access to a lot of the material. Nowadays, The Muppets are one of the things I can point to as pushing me down the path of becoming an artist. The Muppet Movie was a life changing experience for me, and The Muppet Christmas Carol is one of my all time favourite movies. That being said, I am not super fond of more modern Muppet material. A part of it is that I don't think the magic is the same, but it could also be that the writing is not as good. So, while I was interested with the new Muppets special, I'll admit, I did have some reservations. How did it all end up?

First and foremost, the original Muppet magic is, I don't want to say gone, but I don't think there is a better word for it. A lot of people would say it was all Jim Henson, but the reality is, especially for people my age, Jim was not a big part of the Muppets. Yes, he was the main guy behind it, and he did build a lot of the puppets, but he also had Jerry Juhl to write for him and a myriad of other amazing performers to bounce off of. Just like the Muppets themselves, there was no One person to make the magic happen. With most of the original team dead, Jerry Juhl having passed in 2005, or have left or been fired, there is no way the original charm of The Muppets can be recaptured. That being said, I think this one came close.

I think this special did a good job in focusing on Gonzo and Pepe, partially because I myself have a bit of trouble really jelling with Matt Vogel as Kermit, but also because it really lets us look into Gonzo's character. I think a lot of us relate to Gonzo because, even in a group like The Muppets, he is an outcast. We know that everyone is a Frog, Bear, Pig, Chicken, Rat, Eagle, Frackle or Gofer. Gonzo has always been described as a "Whatever" or a "Thing", and so when we get to look closer at our favourite Blue Weirdo, it allows us to connect better with him. This is why, while "Rainbow Connection" is my favourite song from the original Muppet Movie, "I'm Going to go Back There Someday" is my favourite scene.

I will also admit, some of the gags made me laugh. I liked the joke Uncle Deadly made regarding King Henry VIII, I think I laughed harder at that one than I was meant to. While I don't think it was as funny as Muppet Treasure Island, come on that is a high bar to reach in the first place. Actually, that is kind of the biggest issue with the special, not the only issue, but the biggest one. No matter how good it is, we will, either intentionally or not, compare it to the previous movies and shows. So, is it as funny as Treasure Island or Great Muppet Caper? No. Is it as heartful as The Muppet Movie or Muppet Christmas Carol? No. If you're expecting it to be, you're not going to enjoy this special as much.

On the topic of problems, while I enjoyed the humour of this special, I will say they did run some gags into the ground. The screaming goat especially became less funny with each use, honestly the same could be said for all the running gags. I was also expecting a bit more from the advertised cameos, I get they're cameos, but they literally just showed up for one song they don't even sing, and then show up at the end to deliver one line. If you want my advice, watch this before you watch the new UP series on Disney+, let Ed Asner's final role be that. I also kind of saw the end reveal coming, but let's be real, there weren't a lot of prominent human characters here, so the choice was pretty slim pickings.

Honestly, I kind of wish this was longer, give us more time to focus on Gonzo's fears, give us more time with the cameos, both human and Muppet kind. There were a few lesser known and forgotten Muppet cameos in this special, which was a nice touch. However, I do have to admit that as a special, it was fine. Maybe it would not have worked as a full movie, especially because, again, Jerry Juhl and a lot of the original Muppet cast are not with the series anymore. I will say that this was the best of the Muppet works done without them. I could not get into the 2011 series or Muppets Now!, but this, I could enjoy. I do recommend it for some spooky fun.

Monster High: 13 Wishes (2013) - Nothing special, but harmless

Well, it's the October month, and that means spooky scary fun and also spooky silly fun. Last year I didn't end up reviewing any kind of spooky movie, I got a copy of The Thief and the Cobbler earlier and I really wanted to talk about it, and I also looked at the Recobbled Cut that same month. So, this year I thought I'd make up for the lack of a spooky review by taking a look at a Monster High movie... Goodie. Well, hey I enjoyed My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, I have a soft spot for Jem and the Holograms, and I've watched Ruby Gloom growing up, so maybe this won't be so bad. Also, if you're wondering, I chose 13 Wishes because it is the one I am the most familiar with, in the sense that it was the only one I knew existed and vaguely what it was about. Thanks online internet video game reviewers!

Plotwise it is about the younger sister of Clawdeen Wolf, Howleen (As an aside, I hate these names) finding a magic lantern and summoning a Genie, who gives her thirteen wishes. You can  probably tell where this goes, but to the movie's credit, they do twist your expectations a little bit. First off, this genie has an evil shadow doppelgänger, which is not a part of genies that I have seen before, but also is that while Howleen does begin to make selfish wishes, she actually does start by trying to make others happy. It isn't until she gets bullied by others that the shadow genie begins to manipulate her into using the wishes selfishly. It's actually kind of clever, or it would be if the bullying was more than two sentences. Otherwise, you know what you're going to get with this plot, character gets ultimate power, uses it unwisely and almost puts a great evil in power. The plot is nothing that special.

I think that is my biggest problem with the movie, or should I say, special. Yeah, this would be another "Technically" review, but the movie is over an hour long. Despite that, it really is not written or edited like a movie. Most movies would hold on shots or let scenes linger to really let the weight of the scene take hold, they can do this because they have a rather lengthy time limit to really experiment with. A television show does not have this time to play around with, so emotional scenes have to be done differently. The ending conversation between Pearl and Amethyst in the Steven Universe episode "On The Run" would probably have been written differently if it was for a movie. This movie is not really written or edited like a movie and more like an extended television episode, which I'll be honest, is only a problem if that is not what you're expecting. I hear people complain that some movies based on shows are "Just an extended episode" and I usually never see that, well, now I think I know why, those movies are still written and edited like movies.

Character wise, well... I mean they aren't bad. The main cast are friendly and want to help people, which is nice, Clawdeen is very much the "Big sister", but she doesn't really remind me of my brother like the sister in "Whisper of the Heart" did, in that she doesn't come off like she's trying to be a controlling figure in her younger sibling's life. Gigi the genie is kind of bland, honestly so is the villain Whisp, she's just kind of your basic villain. Howleen is a high school girl, probably freshman, maybe sophomore, I'm sure some Monster High fan is gonna correct me on that one. I dunno, the characters to me never seem to go beyond the basic characteristics that we expect of characters like these. I will say, I do like one of the background characters, just a dude with an eyeball as his head, it's like if someone from The Residents was a cartoon character, and I adore it.

I also have a few criticisms with the voices. For the most part the actors do fine, I never heard a flat read or a bad take in there, but a few of them out on rather generic accents, and Draculaura's voice is clearly pitched up a little, like other people noticed that right? I just found it really distracting. Otherwise, again the voice acting was fine. That is also my opinion of the animation, it isn't bad, it's smooth and has some appeal to it, but television quality 3D animation is never going to look as good as it could.

Really that is the best thing to take away from this review, this is a television movie, and it feels like it. On some level I do have to admire the fact that they didn't try to emulate a theatrical experience. I think if you go into this movie knowing what you're gonna get, you might have a good time. Nothing about this movie is that special, but it isn't terrible, as a whole I can recommend this is a certain type of audience. Hey, there is nothing wrong with a movie that is made for specific audiences. If you want a silly spooky something to put on this Halloween, well I'd recommend other things first, but if you want to try something new, I don't see the harm in this one. I may only slightly recommend it, but it's still a recommendation.