In 2003, Disney released a movie based on one of its most iconic theme park attractions — the Haunted Mansion. The movie of the same name starred Eddie Murphy as Jim Evers, a work-focused realtor who takes his family to an old mansion that he hopes to sell. Shockingly, the mansion is haunted! And Jim and his family must try to escape. Sadly, the movie completely bombed, and fans consider it one of Disney’s biggest flops. The movie only has a 14% critics score and a 31% score on the ratings website Rotten Tomatoes.
Disney is not one to give up and in 2010, they announced that a new Haunted Mansion film was in the works. The film was originally supposed to be written and directed by legendary filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro. But after three years, Del Toro announced that he was no longer directing, but would still be a part of the film. Things have changed immensely since then, including when the film was supposed to come out. Finally, the film is complete and is slated to be released nationwide in theaters on July 28.
Haunted Mansion will star a number of big-name actors, including Rosario Dawson, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Jared Leto, and Jamie Lee Curtis. Disney has released several trailers for the film and a couple of different posters. However, the most recently released poster is causing Disney a bit of a problem. The new poster features the use of White Sage, which has some people accusing Disney of cultural appropriation.
Twitter user Weshhoyot Alvitre called out the problem.
This is some cultural appropriation @DisneyStudios @Disney and needs to be remedied with an apology NOW!
Our traditional plants are not yours to exploit in this way #ProtectWhiteSage
Please #retweet. Our medicine is NOT for your entertainment
This is some cultural appropriation @DisneyStudios @Disney and needs to be remedied with an apology NOW!
Our traditional plants are not yours to exploit in this way #ProtectWhiteSage
Please #retweet. Our medicine is NOT for your entertainment pic.twitter.com/ZmiGD17HGW— Weshoyot Alvitre (@weshoyot) June 27, 2023
White sage has come into prominence lately, as many people use the herb to clear out negative energy from spaces and drive away bad spirits. This is also called “smudging”. Native American tribes have been using White Sage for centuries, but not just for smudging. White Sage is also used by many Native American tribes — mainly on the West Coast of the United States — to treat ailments such as stomach problems, sinus attacks, nosebleeds, and headaches.
Because White Sage has become something that’s considered “trendy”, it has led to overharvesting of the herb, as well as poaching. Native tribes are finding areas where they harvest white sage completely destroyed by poachers. Native tribes honor this ancient herb and are calling on people to stop buying it just so they can “sage” an area and then get rid of it. Many people do not know the history behind white sage or how important it is to native tribes.
Haunted Mansion takes place in New Orleans, Louisiana, and does not appear to involve any native tribes or their traditions. Many worry that Disney throwing White Sage into the film because it is popular will only worsen the overharvesting and poaching of the sacred herb.
