Halloweentown is a 1998 Disney Channel Original Movie released in October 17, 1998 and first film of Halloweentown film series.
Summary[]
On her 13th birthday, Marnie (Kimberly J. Brown) learns that she comes from a family of witches and that she too is a witch. Soon she and her younger siblings return with their estranged grandmother, a good witch (Debbie Reynolds), to her home in Halloweentown, where witches, goblins, and vampires lead normal lives. Marnie soon discovers that an evil force is plotting to take over Halloweentown, and she must help her mother and grandmother to save the day.
Plot[]
The film begins with Marnie Cromwell and her mother, Gwen, arguing over why she and her younger siblings Dylan and Sophie can never go out for Halloween and wanting to go to a costume party that the "whole world is going to". Gwen patiently explains, but with no more detail than that, it is little surprise that Marnie still has a problem with her mom's order. Gwen has more or less restored order when her mother Aggie, who is an expert witch shows up for her annual Halloween visit. The kids are happier to see Aggie than Gwen is, and it is soon shown why: Aggie openly encourages the kids to get more involved in all things Halloween, and Gwen is nearly powerless to stop her.
Aggie seems especially intent on training Marnie as a witch, since it is Marnie's 13th Halloween. Marnie, of course, has no idea about any of this. Aggie drops a huge hint as she is about to head home: reading the kids a bedtime story. When Sophie sees a drawing of a witch that closely resembles her big sister, Aggie does nothing to stop Marnie from imagining such a thing. Gwen and Aggie get into an argument about all of this, and Gwen insists Marnie will be raised as a normal person and not a witch. Aggie says she disagrees with this, but actually she is there for another reason: people back home have started disappearing. Gwen thinks they just moved, but Aggie says it is not that simple. Aggie desperately asks for Gwen's help, but Gwen declines.
Marnie, eavesdropping the whole time, runs back upstairs and quickly changes. Dylan catches her and asks what she is doing. Marnie tells him what she heard and the two follow Aggie to a bus stop. Marnie and Dylan climb into the back of the bus that Aggie gets on, while apparently not noticing their younger sister, Sophie, getting on as well. After arriving in Halloweentown, Aggie does not see Marnie and Dylan getting off the bus. At the same time, Marnie and Dylan don't see Sophie getting off the bus. Dylan notices her, and Marnie asks what she's doing here. Sophie says she was only pretending to sleep; she heard everything Marnie told Dylan, and followed them. They all begin to look for Aggie who they have lost when they are approached by Kalabar, the Mayor of Halloweentown. He whistles for the cab which is driven by Benny, a skeleton with a bad sense of humor. Kalabar tells Benny to take them to their grandmother's house. The three siblings ride in the cab while listening to Benny talk, and finally at their grandmother's home. Against her better judgment, Aggie decides to not take them home immediately. She says she'll start Marnie's witch training, but has to take care of the bad thing first. She shows her grandchildren what she is talking about: in the cauldron, a vision of a hooded demon appears, laughing maniacally.
In town, Aggie takes the children to the ice cream shop and Marnie discovers a broom shop, allowing the family to be introduced to Luke, who looks like a normal human kid. He makes a clumsy pass at Marnie, which she turns down on the spot. Benny had earlier explained that Luke was once looked like a Goblin, but claimed a shadow demon made him handsome. Aggies allows Marnie to get her first broom and the two take it for a fly above the town. Gwen arrives and catches up to them where she plans to bring her children home much to Marnie's objections. Gwen can't find another bus back to the mortal world upon being told by a Two-Headed Ticket Person that there isn't one coming. When Gwen tries to see if the mayor can do anything, Marnie is shocked to see that Mayor Kalabar was her old boyfriend. When Kalabar briefly leaves to handle another problem, Gwen and her kids see Aggie walking somewhere with Luke. Sensing Aggie might be in trouble, they follow Aggie and Luke to an abandoned movie theater.
Upon arriving at the theater, they find Aggie and the hooded demon arguing. Gwen tells Marnie to keep her younger siblings back. Luke makes a break for the exit, but not before being covered by flowers. The hooded demon freezes Gwen and then Aggie, and she tells Marnie to go. Marnie, Dylan, and Sophie flee the building and head into town to get the needed ingredients to light the talisman: hair of a werewolf, sweat of a ghost, and fang of a vampire. They are successful and are approached by Benny, who tries to get them to go with him. Sophie unleashes a nearby dog that chases after Benny, making him release his grasp on Dylan's shirt collar and speed off in fright. They return to the house and mix the ingredients, planning to light the talisman. The first two tries are unsuccessful, but the third time is the charm. Sophie and Marnie are able to light the talisman and the three siblings head off to save they're mother and grandmother.
They arrive back at the movie theater, trying to unfreeze Gwen and Aggie but to no avail. Marnie realizes that the talisman had to go in the large jack-o-lantern in the center of the town, so the three of them leave. Marnie is stopped by Luke, who tries to warn her that it was a trap. He explains that he realized the error of his ways and wanted to help. Kalabar reveals himself and tries to rally the residents of the town, to side with him against the Cromwells and help him reclaim the mortal world as it was rightfully theirs. With the help of Luke, Marnie slips past Kalabar long enough to climb up onto the jack-o'-lantern and try to place the talisman inside. Kalabar, finally noticing her, tries to freeze her. Just as she is about to pass out the talisman drops from her hand and lands in the holder inside the jack-o'-lantern, lighting it and unfreezing Aggie and Gwen, as well as all the other Halloweentown citizens whom Kalabar had trapped in the theater. After they wake, Gwen and Aggie rush to the kids to find out what happened. Marnie, Gwen, Aggie, Sophie, and Dylan confront Kalabar and defeat him. The film ends with the family boarding the bus to the mortal world, with a happy goodbye and thanks with Luke as the bus driver, and they blast off. The movie ends with a blackout after they go out unto the sky to the mortal world.
Cast[]
- Debbie Reynolds - Splendora Agatha "Aggie" Cromwell
- Judith Hoag - Gwen Piper
- Kimberly J. Brown - Marnie Piper
- Joey Zimmerman - Dylan Piper
- Emily Roeske - Sophie Piper
- Phillip Van Dyke - Luke
- Robin Thomas - Kalabar
- Rino Romano - Benny
- Judith M. Ford - Harriet
- Shannon Day - Aerobics Insructor
- James W. Crawford - Dentist Creature
- Jordyn E. Field - Friend#1
- Elizabeth Fugere - Friend#2
- Nurmi Husa - Frankenstein
- Johnny Useldinger - Ghost
- Vincent Gambino - Goblin
- Kenneth Choi - Hip Sales Creature
- Michele Mariana - Pincushion Secretary
- Michael Patrick Egan - Wolfie
- Hank Cartwright - Two Headed Man#1
- Todd Tolces - Two Headed Man#2
- Betty Moyer - Vampire Patient
- Sherilyn Lawson - Vampire Mother
- V. Jude Hill - Witch#1
- George A. Keller - Witch#2
Filming Location[]
- Halloweentown was filmed in the towns of Scappoose and St. Helens, Oregon.
Trivia[]
- Halloweentown appears as a City in the Countryside, unlike the other films.
- Aggie states that they used to get great movies. She is then startled by the fact that the theater is closed. This is contradicting seeing as she knew previously that the theater was closed. Unless of course, the theater used to get great movies, but the movies they had more recently were not as good.
- The name of the film is not to be confused with Halloween Town from The Nightmare Before Christmas.
- Kimberly J. Brown was interviewed for The Tiara Talk Show about working on this film and it's sequel.
Goofs[]
- When Gwen tells the kids to go to bed, we hear, "...We'll be right up," but she appears to be saying "...I'll be right up."
- After Marnie has installed the talisman, we are given a glimpse of her where she is flipped. She had been resting on the giant pumpkin with her right leg hiked up and her right foot resting inside the pumpkin's left eye. But she is flipped, with her left leg hiked up and her left foot resting in the pumpkin's right eye.
- When we first see the movie marquee in Halloweentown it says "Closed Forever" across the whole sign, but when Luke takes Marnie into the theater, you see that the sign has moved to just one side.
- As the flying bus enters Halloweentown, the face of the Jack-o-lantern is facing away from City Hall, but after the children get off the bus (and for the rest of the movie), the face of the Jack-o-lantern is facing City Hall.
- In the beginning credits, it reads "Robin Thomas as Calabar", however in the sequel, his name is spelled "Kalabar".
- When the vampire gets her tooth pulled, you can clearly see the actor's actual tooth painted black to look like a space.
Sequels[]
- Halloweentown was followed by three sequels; Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge, Halloweentown High, and Return to Halloweentown.
Gallery[]
See also[]
- Disney Channel's Hauntober Fest