All the movies based on Disney theme park rides and attractions
By Joel Leonard
Last month, the Haunted Mansion movie was released, the latest in a long line of movies based on Disney theme park rides. But while most people might be aware of one or two other movies based on Disney theme park attractions, the full list is surprisingly long.
Pirates of the Caribbean
We'll start with the biggest and most obvious example of them all. When Pirates of the Caribbean was released in 2003, there were plenty of snide comments about how this was the real example that Disney had run out of ideas because they were now trying to make entire movies based on theme park rides. Of course, then the movie went on to become a critical and commercial smash, with massive box office returns, earning Oscar nominations, and launching one of the biggest Disney Franchises in history.
The Pirates of the Caribbean was such a success, that the movies have had a major influence on the ride itself. The ride has been revamped after the success of the movie to feature Jack Sparrow multiple times throughout the ride. Several other parts have also been updated to be more appealing to modern audiences since the ride's seen a surge in popularity after the movies were released.
The Haunted Mansion
Of course, this isn't the first time The Haunted Mansion was adapted into a movie. After the surprise success of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, the anticipation for the Haunted Mansion movie that was scheduled to be released later that year grew considerably. It turns out that the response to Haunted Mansion wasn't as big as the one for Pirates of the Caribbean. While the movie wasn't well reviewed at the time, it did reasonably well at the box office and has become something of a cult-status movie over the years. Perhaps it's the love for the ride itself, but interest in another Haunted Mansion movie started almost as soon as the first one came out.
While it seemed like a sequel wouldn't be happening, a new adaptation of the ride was announced back in 2010. This reboot would go through several changes before it would eventually become the movie that's being released this year.