Halloweentown proposes that fantasy beings such as warlocks, vampires, werewolves, mummies, ghosts, trolls, ogres, zombies, pumpkin heads (a race of people with jack-o'-lanterns for heads), skeletons, goblins, and humanoids with varying numbers of heads, limbs, and sensory organs are real, but have separated themselves from Earth's history to escape humans' fear and persecution. These characters created their own community, "Halloweentown", a thousand years ago in an alternate universe.
Travel between Halloweentown and the ordinary, historical world (which Halloweentown residents call "The Mortal World") is only possible with magical aid, and only at regulated times (on Halloween), until the portal seals at midnight. In the second film, they permanently open the portal between the Mortal World and Halloweentown, and events of the third film breach the gap even more.
It is stated that many of the traditions of Halloween in the Mortal World are parallels based on regular traditions in Halloweentown. An example of this is how mortals wear costumes that mimic the creatures of Halloweentown, and are often depicted as being more frightening than they are naturally. In Halloweentown, the residents dress up every day, and most are much friendlier than humans generally depict them.
Although magic is present in many of the details of daily life of Halloweentown, it appears that only a limited number of persons actually practice or control magic. These people are mainly human, and are called witches (female) and warlocks (male). These beings appear human, but possess some sort of biological extra-sensory ability that allows them to harness magic unlike their "mortal" counterparts. Magic is also hereditary in their families.
The Halloweentown films concern episodes in the lives of the Cromwell–Piper family. The family matriarch, Agatha Cromwell, has been a pillar of Halloweentown society for centuries. Her daughter, Gwen Piper, married a mortal and chose to leave Halloweentown for a life in the Mortal World. At the time of the films, she is apparently widowed. She has decided to raise her three children (Marnie, Dylan and Sophie) apart from magic, and thus rejects contact with Halloweentown and the influence of her mother.
In the first film, Marnie Piper (Kimberly J. Brown), her brother Dylan (Joey Zimmerman), and her sister Sophie (Emily Roeske) discover they come from a family of witches.
Two years after the first film, an angry warlock named Kal (Daniel Kountz) has stolen a magic spell book and plans to turn everyone into the costume they're wearing at midnight on Halloween.
Two years after the second film, Marnie Piper (Kimberly J. Brown) organizes a student exchange program between her mortal school and Halloweentown High. The first students to participate in this program are a witch named Cassie (Eliana Reyes), a warlock named Ethan Dalloway (Lucas Grabeel), a troll named Natalie (Olesya Rulin), and an ogre named Chester (Clayton Taylor).
In the fourth film, Marnie Piper (Sara Paxton) arrives at the Halloweentown University, known to everyone as Witch U. The teachers have been waiting for her arrival to fulfill a prophecy.
Future
In October 2017, producer Sheri Singer expressed interest in doing a fifth film, but would need Disney to sign off.[1] Actress Kimberly J. Brown had previously expressed interest in reprising her role as Marnie Piper should a fifth film ever materialize.[2][3] In a 2020 interview with E!, Phillip Van Dyke expressed interest in returning for another film if the rest of the cast also returned.[4]
Novelization
Tales From Halloweentown: The Witch's Amulet (2007)
In 2007, Disney produced the book Tales From Halloween: The Witch's Amulet, heavily based upon the fourth installment in the franchise, Return to Halloweentown. Set during summer break at Witch University, the plot follows Marnie becoming a Resident Advisor by keeping an eye on her young sister, Sophie, who is enrolled in the university's junior sorcery school. At Witch University, Dylan is working as a lab assistant to Professor La Biel, a powerful warlock who is developing a youth serum. When La Biel steals The Gift, an amulet that gives its wearer ultimate power over hearts and minds, it's up to Marnie to stop the cunning warlock before her entire family falls into La Biel's spell. The ending of the book leaves plenty of room for a sequel.
Short films
Halloweentown: As Told by Chibi (2020)
Halloweentown: As Told by Chibi, released on October 4, 2020,[5][6] continued the trend started by Big Hero 6: The Series of creating spin-off shorts such as Big Chibi 6 The Shorts. This was followed by other series such as Amphibia and Phineas and Ferb, which also had their own versions known as Chibi Tiny Tales. Each of these shorts offers a simplified retelling of their respective stories.
Halloweentown: Haircut (2020)
Halloweentown: Haircut was released on October 11, 2020.[7][8] The plot revolves around Marnie, who wants to use magic to cut her hair, but her grandmother, Agatha 'Aggie' Cromwell, has a different plan in mind.
Halloweentown: First Date Fright (2020)
Halloweentown: First Date Fright was released on October 18, 2020.[9][10] The plot revolves around Marnie's first date in the world of Halloweentown, but the magical dishes served at the dinner are too much for her to handle.
Sabrina: The Animated Series is an American animated television series based on the Archie Comics series Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Produced by Savage Studios Ltd. and Hartbreak Films in association with DIC Productions, L.P., the series is an animated spin-off of the 1996–2003 live-action series Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
Kimberly Jean Brown is an American actress. She is best known for her leading role as teen witch Marnie Cromwell in the Halloweentown film series (1998–2004), co-starring Debbie Reynolds.
Hocus Pocus is a 1993 American fantasy comedy film directed by Kenny Ortega from a screenplay by Mick Garris and Neil Cuthbert, and a story by David Kirschner and Garris. It follows a villainous comedic trio of witches who are inadvertently resurrected by a teenage boy in Salem, Massachusetts on Halloween night.
Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge is a 2001 American fantasy comedy film released as a Disney Channel Original Movie for the Halloween season. It is the second installment in the Halloweentown series. Set two years after the first film, Marnie returns to find Halloweentown's citizens transformed into dull, black-and-white humans. With the help of her friend Luke and Grandma Aggie, she seeks to uncover and reverse the "Grey Spell" before it is too late.
Halloweentown High is a 2004 American fantasy comedy film released as a Disney Channel Original Movie that premiered on Disney Channel on October 8, 2004. It is the third installment in the Halloweentown series. It stars Kimberly J. Brown, Debbie Reynolds, Judith Hoag, and Joey Zimmerman. In the film, Marnie persuades the Halloweentown Council to allow magical students to attend a mortal school, but risks losing her family's powers if something goes wrong before midnight on Halloween. The film attracted over 6 million viewers during its premiere.
Judith Hoag is an American actress. She is known for playing April O'Neil in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) and Gwen Cromwell Piper in the Disney Channel television film series Halloweentown, from 1998 to 2006.
Return to Halloweentown is a 2006 American fantasy comedy film released as a Disney Channel Original Movie that premiered on October 20, 2006, and is the fourth and final film in the Halloweentown series. The story follows Marnie Piper going to college at Witch University in Halloweentown, where dark forces try to control her magic.
Daniel Kountz is an American actor and realtor.
Halloweentown is a 1998 American fantasy comedy film directed by Duwayne Dunham. The first installment in Halloweentown series, it stars Debbie Reynolds, Kimberly J. Brown, Joey Zimmerman, and Judith Hoag. It is the fourth Disney Channel Original Movie. It centers on Marnie, who learns she is a witch on her 13th Halloween and is transported to Halloweentown—a magical place where ghosts, ghouls, witches, and werewolves live apart from the human world, but she soon finds herself battling wicked warlocks, evil curses, and endless surprises.
31 Nights of Halloween is an American seasonal programming block on Freeform. It originally began airing in 1998, after the Family Channel became Fox Family, and was continued through the channel's change into ABC Family, and later, Freeform. The 13 Days of Halloween block was created mainly due to the success of the channel's 25 Days of Christmas, which had started two years earlier. The special block lasted from October 19 until Halloween night, covering the thirteen days before the holiday. Starting in 2018, the program aired throughout the whole month of October.
Dara Reneé is an American actress, model, singer and songwriter whose notable roles include Kourtney Greene in the Disney+ mockumentary series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and Uliana in the film Descendants: The Rise of Red.
Mickey's Tale of Two Witches is a Halloween television special that premiered on October 7, 2021 on Disney Junior. It is produced by Disney Television Animation. It is the first spin-off special of Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures before Mickey and Minnie Wish Upon a Christmas. The events of the film take place after the final episode of the series.
Chibiverse is an American animated television series developed by Gino Guzzardo, produced by Disney Television Animation and premiered on Disney Channel on July 30, 2022. The series is based on the studio's Chibi Tiny Tales short series.
Hocus Pocus is an American media franchise consisting of two films, a sequel novelization, and other Disney media and merchandise. The series was created by David Kirschner and Mick Garris.
↑ Janice Rhoshalle (November 14, 2004). "When 'No Sex' Really Sells". Multichannel News. Retrieved October 5, 2018. Over those five showings, Halloweentown High delivered 22.6 million viewers, including 6.1 million for its premiere.
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