‘Welcome Foolish Muppets’: Spatial Transmedia and Corporate Synergy in Disney+’s Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021)
2022; Oxford University Press; Volume: 15; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1093/adaptation/apac002
ISSN1755-0645
Autores Tópico(s)Asian Culture and Media Studies
ResumoSince the Walt Disney Company’s acquisition of Jim Henson’s Muppets characters in 2004, the fortunes of the puppet troupe have fluctuated. Disney has rebooted the franchise in two big-screen outings—The Muppets (James Bobin, 2011) and Muppets Most Wanted (James Bobin, 2014)—and the television series The Muppets (2015) and Muppets Now (2020). Whilst the new movies were relatively well-received, the 2015 series was critiqued for its lazy spoofing of the late-night talk show format and the mockumentary style (Heritage, 2015), leading many to lament that Disney had run out of ideas to revitalize the Muppets for the twenty-first century. Meanwhile, however, Disney continues to use the characters within its theme parks, offering seasonal shows such as Great Moments in American History in Florida’s Magic Kingdom and the Muppet Christmas Caroling Coach at Disneyland in California. Disney also opened the new fast-food restaurants the Regal Eagle Smokehouse in EPCOT and PizzeRizzo in Hollywood Studios in Florida, while also maintaining the popular MuppetVision 3D attraction in the same park. Although the screen versions of the Muppets proved more divisive, their presence within the rooted locations of Disney parks continues, offering moments for adaptation of their textual adventures into physical experiences and moments of ‘spatial transmedia’ (Williams, 2020).
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