Halloweentown (film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Halloweentown |
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Promotional poster
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| Genre |
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| Screenplay by |
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| Story by | Paul Bernbaum |
| Directed by | Duwayne Dunham |
| Starring |
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| Theme music composer | Mark Mothersbaugh |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) |
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| Cinematography | Michael Slovis |
| Editor(s) | Martin Nicholson |
| Running time | 84 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Singer-White Entertainment |
| Release | |
| Original network | Disney Channel |
| Original release | October 17, 1998 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge |
Halloweentown is a fun Disney Channel Original Movie from 1998. It was directed by Duwayne Dunham. This movie is the very first one in the popular Halloweentown series. It stars Debbie Reynolds, Kimberly J. Brown, and Judith Hoag. It was the fourth Disney Channel Original Movie ever made!
Contents
Story of Halloweentown
The movie starts with 13-year-old Marnie Piper (Kimberly J. Brown). She is arguing with her mom, Gwen (Judith Hoag). Marnie wants to go to a Halloween party, but her mom says no. Gwen never lets Marnie or her younger siblings, Dylan (12) and Sophie (7), celebrate Halloween.
Marnie's grandma, Aggie (Debbie Reynolds), arrives for her yearly Halloween visit. The kids love Aggie because she encourages them to enjoy Halloween. What the kids don't know is that Aggie and Gwen are secretly witches! Gwen, however, wants to live a normal life without magic.
Aggie wants to teach Marnie how to be a witch. Before leaving, Aggie reads the kids a story about "Halloweentown." It's a magical place where witches, vampires, and monsters live together peacefully. Sophie points out a witch in the book who looks like Marnie.
Later, Marnie overhears Gwen and Aggie arguing. Gwen is upset that Aggie encourages the kids to like Halloween. She wants Marnie to grow up without magic, just like her dad did. Aggie explains that Marnie needs to learn magic before she turns 13, or she will lose her powers.
Aggie also tells Gwen that people in Halloweentown are disappearing. Gwen doesn't think it's serious, but Aggie believes something bad is happening.
Adventure to Halloweentown
When Aggie leaves to go home, Marnie and Dylan secretly follow her. They see Aggie get on a magical bus and sneak on too. They arrive in Halloweentown, but Aggie doesn't see them. They also realize that Sophie has sneaked onto the bus with them!
The kids start looking for Aggie. They meet Kalabar (Robin Thomas), the mayor of Halloweentown. He calls a taxi driven by Benny (voiced by Rino Romano), a funny skeleton. The kids find Aggie's mansion. Aggie decides to let them stay for a bit. She says she will start Marnie's witch training.
First, Aggie needs to deal with "the bad thing." She shows them a vision in her cauldron: a hooded figure laughing. Aggie explains she needs to use Merlin's talisman with a special spell and potion to defeat this evil creature.
Searching for Ingredients
Aggie tries to light the talisman but fails. She takes the kids to town to buy the right ingredients. They meet Luke (Phillip Van Dyke), a goblin who looks handsome because of a shadow demon's spell. Luke tries to flirt with Marnie, but she isn't interested.
Meanwhile, Gwen realizes her children are missing and goes to Halloweentown. She finds them and wants to take them home right away. Gwen tries to find a bus back, but the two-headed ticket vendor says there isn't one. She decides to ask the mayor for help. Gwen is shocked to see that the mayor is Kalabar, her old boyfriend!
Kalabar leaves for a moment. Gwen and the kids then see Aggie walking with Luke. They follow them to an old movie theater.
Facing the Villain
Inside the theater, Aggie meets the hooded demon. Many Halloweentown citizens are frozen there. Aggie refuses to give the talisman to the demon. Gwen and the children enter the theater as Luke runs out scared. The demon then freezes Gwen and Aggie.
The children escape and gather the ingredients for the potion. They need werewolf hair, ghost sweat, and a vampire's fang. They realize they must place the talisman in the giant jack-o'-lantern in the town center to defeat the demon.
When they arrive, the demon appears. He reveals himself to be Kalabar! He is angry that Gwen chose to marry a human instead of him. Kalabar tries to convince the townspeople to join him and take over the human world.
With Luke's help, Marnie gets past Kalabar. She climbs onto the jack-o'-lantern to put the talisman inside. Kalabar tries to freeze her, but just as she's about to pass out, Marnie drops the talisman into the jack-o'-lantern.
The jack-o'-lantern lights up, unfreezing everyone. Kalabar becomes very weak. He grabs the talisman, planning to rule both worlds. Then, Dylan discovers he has magic powers! He joins Gwen, Aggie, and his sisters. They combine their powers to defeat Kalabar. Luke returns to his goblin form.
The movie ends with the family heading back to the human world. Gwen and Aggie agree to train Marnie as a witch. Aggie decides to stay in the human world to spend more time with her grandchildren.
Main Characters
- Debbie Reynolds as Agatha “Aggie” Cromwell: A kind and powerful witch from Halloweentown. She is Marnie's grandma.
- Kimberly J. Brown as Marnie Piper: A curious 13-year-old girl who discovers she is a witch.
- Judith Hoag as Gwen Piper: Marnie's mom, who tries to keep her family away from magic.
- Joey Zimmerman as Dylan Piper: Marnie's 12-year-old brother, who is smart and later discovers his own magic.
- Emily Roeske as Sophie Piper: Marnie's 7-year-old sister, who is also a witch and very observant.
- Phillip Van Dyke as Luke: A 13-year-old goblin who helps Marnie.
- Robin Thomas as Kalabar: The mayor of Halloweentown, who has a secret evil plan.
- Rino Romano as the voice of Benny: A funny skeleton taxi driver in Halloweentown.
Filming Locations
Halloweentown was filmed in the towns of St. Helens, Oregon, and Scappoose, Oregon, in the United States.
Reception
Many people enjoyed Halloweentown. The film has an 80% approval rating based on reviews from critics.
Complex magazine listed Halloweentown as one of the best Disney Channel Original Movies. People often say the first three movies in the series are a great part of Halloween.
Sequels
Halloweentown was so popular that it had three sequels:
- Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge (2001)
- Halloweentown High (2004)
- Return to Halloweentown (2006)
See also
In Spanish: Halloweentown para niños
