** Spoilers Could Be Ahead **

How Is This Relevant To Adoption & Foster Care?

The movie is not related to foster care. However, the main theme of the movie is about accepting and facing fears which is something that children in care may relate to. Gonzo, the main character, starts off feeling like he has to stay in a haunted mansion to prove that he’s The Great Gonzo. He repeatedly states that he’s not afraid of anything. However, he realizes there are a few things he is afraid of like being alone, that he’ll never see his friends again, and that no one will care about him if he doesn’t do dangerous stunts. Children who have experienced trauma may have a lot of fear and anxiety, but they may also feel like they can’t express these fears because they don’t feel safe doing so, they need to ‘be strong’ or protect others such as younger siblings. Because of this they may relate strongly to how Gonzo feels.

Discussion Points:

• Care isn’t something that has to be earned
  Early on in the movie Kermit says to Gonzo, “You don’t have to be The Great Gonzo to be great, Gonzo.” One of the reasons Gonzo decides to try the haunted mansion challenge is because he is trying to prove that he deserves the title and that he’s fearless. Later, after some self-reflection, he finds out one of his fears is that his friends won’t care about him unless he’s doing dangerous stunts. He realizes that this isn’t true and that his friends like him for who he is, and not because of tricks or what he does. This can be a great opportunity to talk to children about some of their own worries around having to earn friendship or love and that when people really care about you, you shouldn’t have to try to impress them.
• Acknowledging/Facing Fears
  A big theme in the movie is that Gonzo doesn’t believe he’s afraid of anything but his experience at a haunted house helps him realize that there are a few things he’s afraid of – being alone, his friends not caring about him unless he does dangerous stunts, and not seeing his friends again. Just like Gonzo we all have fears of varying degrees even though sometimes we may not recognize or admit them. Children who have experienced trauma are even more likely to have a lot of things they might be afraid of or anxious about. Depending on their comfort level this could be an opportunity to talk about some of their own fears but if not, the conversation may need to stay focused on Gonzo and how he realizes and accepts his own fears. This could also be an opportunity to share that there are things that you’re afraid of or worried about too, and that even adults get worried sometimes and that it’s a very normal thing.

Cautionary Points:

• Some Scary Imagery
  While the movie is only rated PG and it is The Muppets things don’t get too scary but there are spooky elements including a haunted mansion, thunderstorms, graveyard, ghosts, spiders, etc. Even in cartoon form these elements may be frightening or upsetting to some children.
• Frequent Mentions of Death and Ghosts
  The movie is set in The Haunted Mansion (like the Disneyworld ride) so there are ghosts frequently throughout the movie. Most of these are cartoons but there are a few that are live action actors including The Bride who plays a fairly large role. There’s also a scene towards the beginning that takes place in the graveyard and various ghosts come out of their graves and sing about how they died. It’s meant to be humorous but if children have recently experienced the loss of a loved one the graveyard, ghosts, and mentions of death may be a lot for them to handle.
• Inappropriate Romantic Relationship
  The Bride is a ghost who tried to lure Pepe to his death by pretending to be in love with him. During these scenes she does things that seem to make him uncomfortable like feeding him spiders, but follows them up with reassurances that she loves him or romantic gestures to lure him back into acceptance of what is happening. This scene is somewhat creepy especially given that this romance is happening between someone who is clearly a grown woman and one of The Muppets who are somewhat ageless. Pepe’s consent is also not 100% clear and the fact that we know she’s planning to kill him after they’re married just adds to the inappropriateness. It’s clearly done in jest and not meant seriously, but for children who have been sexually abused or experienced grooming, manipulative or gaslighting behavior this storyline may be very triggering.

About the Author: Jenn Ehlers

Jenn is a central Virginia native who received her BA in Psychology from the University of Virginia in 2012. Since then she has worked for a local mental health agency and the Department of Social Services in various capacities and has been involved in her community’s efforts to create a Trauma Informed Network. Currently Jenn works in vocational rehab and mentors youth in foster care. When she isn’t working, Jenn enjoys writing stories, anything and everything Harry Potter, and spending time with her niece and nephew.

**Transfiguring Adoption is a nonprofit organization seeking to nurture growth in foster and adoptive families by giving a HOOT about their families. Transfiguring Adoption does not intend for its reviewers nor its review to be professional, medical or legal advice. These reviews and discussion guides are intended to help parents to better be able to connect and understand their children who come from traumatic backgrounds.