Jamie Lee Curtis, Tiffany Haddish bring big laughs, big nostalgia in 'Haunted Mansion'
NEW ORLEANS (WPVI) -- If you've been to Disneyland or Walt Disney World, you've probably ridden on a Doom Buggy inside the "Haunted Mansion." Walt Disney himself had a hand in creating those 999 Happy Haunts.
And the cast of the new live-action film inspired by the famous ride is truly a "who's who" in Hollywood.
It includes Jamie Lee Curtis, who just won her first Oscar this year, and Tiffany Haddish. They both say they grew up going on this ride, so this has all been a bit surreal.
Jamie Lee Curtis is "Madame Leota," the spirit of a psychic medium, who appears as a disembodied head inside a crystal ball.
"I remember being a little kid seeing her inside that crystal ball," Curtis says. "For me, this was a no-brainer. I was thrilled."
WATCH: Jamie Lee Curtis, Tiffany Haddish bring special brand of comedy skills to Disney's 'Haunted Mansion'
Tiffany Haddish is Harriet, a psychic who is called in to get the haunts out of this haunted mansion.
"What I loved most about this was when we first came on the set, I was like, 'Oh my! Look at this! Look at that!'" Haddish recalls. "I'm like, 'Yo, how did y'all do this magic?"
The ensemble cast really gels and they had a lot of hard laughs, but the film is also deeply emotional.
"A haunted mansion is basically spirits that you're trying to reconnect with," Curtis says. "And that's a serious idea. Grief and loss are a part of life."
Each character goes through this arc as they work against the clock to get the haunts out.
"Everyone in that house is grieving something," Haddish says. "...is hurt by something, has lost something."
The two actresses have great chemistry, both on and off screen.
"There's been a lot of fun to be had," Curtis says. "It's a Disney movie, so you know it's going to be fun."
"Haunted Mansion" is in theaters on Friday, July 28th.
Disney is the parent company of this ABC station.
