Director Justin Simien Talks About Some of the Hidden Easter Eggs in His Disney Movie THE HAUNTED MANSION

This year’s Disney film The Haunted Mansion was a super fun take on the classic Disneyland attraction. The film told a modern story about a mother and son who moved into the mansion, but became stuck as anyone who sets foot inside becomes haunted by its ghostly inhabitants, even if they leave. They call on a crew of misfits to take on the ghoulish ghosts, and it’s a really fun ride! Each scene pays homage to the fan-favorite theme park ride with references and Easter Eggs, but not every hidden gem has been widely noticed or talked about.

The film’s director, Justin Simien, sat down with ComicBook to talk about some of his fun additions to the film, in particular the painting that hardly anyone has been talking about since the movie's release.

"People don't really talk a lot about the painting on the Seance Room door, but that's a May to December. It's a painting that was in the Haunted Mansion and it left and it came back, but she ages as the film goes along, and that's a little one that people don't always notice. Also, there's a lot of faces on the ride. There's a lot of hidden faces and eyes and things, and you certainly feel that a little bit in the wallpapers. I think you see it in the doorknobs and stuff. But that was something that was sort of like, it's like the hidden Mickeys at Disneyland. We were constantly working in odd things that it just gives you a sense that you're being looked at or that's something staring back at you, but maybe it's a little subconscious. But I have to say, the fans are quite keen, so there's very little that they haven't found yet."

The May to December painting shows a woman getting older as time passes. In the film, that painting is located on the door to the Seance Room. If you look out for it as the film goes on, you'll notice that the woman in the painting ages every time she's shown on camera.

The Hatbox Ghost, played by Jared Leto, is the main antagonist in the Haunted Mansion movie, which is an interesting choice given how small a part he plays in the ride itself. 

Longtime fans of the Haunted Mansion attraction have helped make the Hatbox Ghost popular over the years, despite the fact that he hasn't been featured in the rides for very long. Simien went on to say that the love the fans had for the character is why it made so much sense to feature him in a prominent role.

"There were these images, these framed pictures of him around, and people just over the years became obsessed with him and he crept into the canon, and you always got to pay attention to stuff like that in fandom because that's where the magic always happens. There's always a creative intention, but then when the audiences get ahold of it and they start to pick apart things and hone on things, it's the excitement about him being a character actually preceded him being a character the way we understand him."

I really enjoyed this movie, and I hope Simien is able to make another one. He mentioned at Comic-Con that he would also really like to remake the 1978 film, The Wiz. I’d be down to see that! Haunted Mansion is now available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD. The film is also streaming on Disney+.