Disney’s Haunted Mansion has a PG-13 rating and a mythology to rival Pirates of the Caribbean

The Motion Picture Association has revealed that Disney’s Haunted Mansion – a film based on the dark ride attraction than can be found at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, and Tokyo Disneyland – has earned a PG-13 rating for “some thematic elements and scary action.” And on the same day this rating is revealed, Disney is holding their presentation at the CinemaCon convention, where they showed a new trailer for the July 28th theatrical release and boasted that the film “has a mythology to rival the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.”

JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray is at CinemaCon, and he had this to say about a Haunted Mansion sizzle reel that was shown during the presentation: The history of the Mansion is set up by Danny DeVito in narration. We also get to see the core cast together (the same group from the poster) as they explore the mansion for the first time. Owen Wilson seems to be playing a VERY Owen Wilson style priest (“Oh no, forgot my lucky crucifix.”) DeVito is a conspiracy theory guy.

As for the new trailer, he said the conceit is the mansion constantly shifts and every room is a different trap. LaKeith Stanfield seems to be the romantic lead, and him and DeVito play off each other well. Looks like they will be a fun pair. I assume Stanfield would be the love interest to Rosario Dawson‘s character.

Dawson, Stanfield, DeVito, and Wilson are joined in the cast by Chase Dillon, Tiffany Haddish, Jamie Lee Curtis, Winona Ryder, Jared Leto, and Dan Levy.

Directed by Justin Simien (Dear White People) from a script by Katie Dippold (Ghostbusters), Haunted Mansion has the following synopsis: In this mysterious adventure, a doctor (Dawson) and her 9-year-old son (Dillon), looking to start a new life, move into a strangely affordable mansion in New Orleans, only to discover that the place is much more than they bargained for. Desperate for help, they contact a priest (Wilson), who, in turn, enlists the aid of a widowed scientist-turned failed-paranormal expert (Stanfield), a French Quarter psychic (Haddish) and a crotchety historian (DeVito).

Curtis and Leto play popular characters from the ride: Madame Leota, who is “a ghost of a psychic whose head is encased in her crystal ball”, and the Hatbox Ghost.

The Haunted Mansion ride has previously inspired a film of the same name that was released in 2003 and a Muppet version that was appropriately titled The Muppets Haunted Mansion.

Simien had this to say about his version of Haunted Mansion: “As a lifelong fan of the Haunted Mansion attraction, I’m beyond excited to share the teaser trailer for our new film adaptation featuring an incredible cast. Our team has worked tirelessly to create a scary, funny and cinematic otherworldly adventure for both new and die-hard fans to enjoy! I can’t wait for audiences to experience this big screen version of the iconic Disney attraction.“

The film was produced by Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich, with Nick Reynolds and Tom Peitzman serving as executive producers.

Are you looking forward to Haunted Mansion? Let us know by leaving a comment below.