Del Toro, Hill Haunt Hall H: Comic Con 2010 Day One, Part One

Jonah Hill's admiration of Mel Gibson and Guillermo Del Toro's "Haunted Mansion" highlight Comic-Con's first day.

Everyone who left the panel could go home happy knowing that their cheers had been recorded by Skywalker Sound technicians to be used for the crowd scenes in “Tron Legacy,” a particularly nice touch by director Joe Kosinski and Disney. Many did leave, thinking the panel was over when the panel’s host Patton Oswalt said, “You might want to put your 3D glasses back on because we have a special message from somebody who dropped by last year.” That’s when Johnny Depp appeared on screen on behalf of “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” stopping many on their way out of Hall H dead in their tracks. He gave this message:

My name is Captain Jack Sparrow. I take it some of you’ve heard of me. As you may well know, there are times — almost constantly, in fact — where I prefer to look at the world through the bottom of a glass…rum – something like this [thrusts out a bottle of rum in 3D]. You may have also heard whisperings and rumors that Jack Sparrow be recruiting a crew to undertake a voyage to the Fountain of Youth…not true. Of course not.

But even if it were not true, you wouldn’t be interested in joining me, would you? Ay? No…no. I do admit that there be very substantial dangers along the way, including but not limited to zombies, cutthroats, mermaids and the vicious and vivacious Penelope Cruz, which is why I’m not going, no sir. Impossible to find a place anyway. No one knows where it is. Plus, I’d have to have a bloody map. Or a Bloody Mary or both, which is not a bad idea. In fact, a Bloody Mary. Bloody Marys all around, to maps! Bye!

Again, people started leaving, which was problematic considering Disney had saved their biggest news for last. Oswalt asked a confused audience, “If there was one Disney property that you guys could remake and reboot, what would it be? Don’t say ‘Newsies.’” After limited enthusiasm from what crowd remained, Oswalt didn’t wait for a answer, “I agree. The Haunted Mansion,” which seemed to be another punchline, something that was supported by a not particularly inspired promo pairing the narration from the ride with a ghostly green visage on screen.

Even when Oswalt actually made the announcement that Guillermo Del Toro would be handling it — to say he would be directing might be a misnomer since Disney’s press release later in the afternoon was intentionally vague — it still seemed like a put-on, though apparently “The Haunted Mansion” is deadly serious to Del Toro.

As soon as he got onstage, Del Toro admitted, “I’m very nervous, first of all because this is a Disney panel, so my language is limited to about 20 words less and this for me is one of the few holy grails in life because to me the Haunted Mansion is the most precious real estate on earth.”

He went on to explain that he’s visited Disneyland every year since he was three, he has his own Haunted Mansion room in his mancave complete with gargoyles and art by Disney Imagineer Marc Davis, and that when his 1997 thriller “Mimic” was going south, he retreated to the Haunted Mansion where he relaxed because “that’s how freaky I am, unfortunately.”

After saying the film would be in 3D, something that has been unpopular with the Comic-Conners, he assured the crowd, “We are not returning Eddie Murphy’s call” and promised, “This is really for the hardcore fans.” (I grimaced, who knew?) Del Toro has built this film around the Hatbox Ghost, whom he hopes will be reintroduced to the ride and might not have even been around during Del Toro’s first visit to Disneyland, since he was removed from the ride before it opened publicly.

In the director’s words, “he’s one of the scariest creations, but he’s also incredibly whimsical,” before adding, “If you take your children, they will scream. But we hope that happens.”

[Additional photo of Guillermo Del Toro, courtesy of Walt Disney Studios, 2010]

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