Plot
Widowed mother, Gwen Piper, always refuses to let her kids Marnie, Dylan and Sophie go out on Halloween. Gwen's mother Aggie shows up for her annual Halloween visit. The children are happier to see Aggie than Gwen is, as Aggie openly encourages the children to get more involved in Halloween. Aggie and Gwen are secretly witches, but Gwen is determined to live a normal life as a mortal instead.
Aggie reads the children a bedtime story called "Halloweentown", about a mystical place where witches, vampires and monsters live in peace away from mortals. Sophie points out a drawing of a witch in the book that resembles Marnie; Aggie does nothing to stop Marnie from imagining such a thing. Gwen and Aggie get into an argument as Marnie eavesdrops. Gwen is angry that her mother encourages the children to enjoy Halloween, and insists Marnie will be raised as a mortal, like her father was, and not a witch. Aggie wants to train Marnie before she turns 13, as at this point without training, she would lose her powers. Aggie then asks Gwen for help; citizens of Halloweentown have been disappearing, and while Gwen suggests the missing have simply moved, Aggie believes that foul play is involved.
When Aggie leaves to return home, Marnie and Dylan covertly follow her. They see Aggie getting onto a magical bus, and sneak onto it and arrive in Halloweentown. Marnie and Dylan realize that Sophie had snuck onto the bus with them. The three begin looking for Aggie, and are approached by Kalabar, the mayor of Halloweentown, who gets them a cab driven by Benny, a skeleton who tells corny jokes. The children find their grandmother's mansion, and Aggie decides not to take them back to their home immediately. She says she will start Marnie's witch training, but has to take care of "the bad thing" first: in her cauldron, a vision of a hooded figure appears, laughing maniacally. She says she must activate Merlin's talisman with a spell and potion to defeat the evil creature.
Failing to light the talisman with "instant" potion, Aggie takes the children to town for ingredients. The family encounter Luke, a goblin who was made a handsome human by a "shadow creature". He makes a clumsy pass at Marnie, which she turns down. Gwen arrives in Halloweentown to retrieve the children, to Marnie's objections. Gwen cannot find another bus back to the mortal world and sees the mayor for help. She is shocked to see that the mayor is Kalabar, an ex-boyfriend of hers. However, Kalabar leaves to handle another problem but says he'll help when he returns. Gwen and her children see Aggie walking somewhere with Luke. Sensing Aggie might be in trouble, they follow Luke and her to an abandoned movie theater.
Aggie meets the hooded demon in the theater, where the missing Halloweentown citizens have been frozen in time. Aggie declines to give the talisman to the demon. Gwen and the children enter the theater as Luke rushes out in fear. The demon freezes Gwen and Aggie. The children escape, and obtain the necessary ingredients - the hair of a werewolf, the sweat of a ghost, and a vampire's fang - to make the potion that will activate the talisman. They then realize they must place the talisman in the large jack-o'-lantern in the center of the town to defeat the demon.
When they arrive to install it, the demon appears and reveals himself to be Kalabar, who is bitter that Gwen married a human instead of him. He tries to persuade the townspeople to join him in taking over the mortal world. With Luke's help, Marnie climbs onto the jack-o'-lantern and tries to place the talisman inside, but Kalabar casts a spell to freeze her. As she is about to pass out, Marnie drops the talisman inside the jack-o'-lantern, which causes it to illuminate. This unfreezes her and everyone trapped inside the theater, and weakens Kalabar. The children are reunited with their mother and grandmother. Kalabar obtains the talisman and says he will use it to become the ruler of both the mortal and magical world. Dylan is revealed to have magic powers and joins Gwen, Aggie, and his sisters in defeating Kalabar. Luke is restored to his goblin appearance, though receives a kiss from Marnie on the cheek.
Aggie decides to stay in the mortal world to spend more time with her grandchildren and Aggie and Gwen decide to train Marnie as a witch, and they get on the bus and blast off into the mortal world.
Production
Development
Steve White was the head of NBC's 'Movie and Miniseries' department in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1986, White left the company to establish his own production company, Steve White Entertainment.
The Wonderful World of Disney , which had been airing on NBC since 1988, was a sought-after property, and ABC wanted to return to the network. [4] NBC agreed to reliquish the rights to ABC on the condition that Walt Disney Television produced six movies for NBC in return.
In 1991, Sheri Singer, senior vice-president of TV movies [5] for Walt Disney Television, was assigned to collaborate with White on movies to fulfill the contract with NBC. [6]
After working together, they began dating and in 1993, Singer and White married. White shared a comment with Singer from his daughter: "I don't know where to go with this, but my daughter said to me, 'Dad, where do all the creatures from Halloween go the rest of the year when its not October 31?'" [7] Dubbed Halloweentown the concept was pitched to NBC as part of the movie deal, and the network greenlit the project. [7] With the green-light, Singer and White approached screenwriter Paul Bernbaum to write the script. [8] Bernbaum took inspiration from his own life, and used the names of his children, Marnie, Dylan, and Sophie as the protagonists. The first draft of the film was geared towards an adult demographic. [8] In 1994, the script was presented to NBC, and the network decided to pass on the project. [7] Singer ended up leaving the Walt Disney Company at the end of January 1994.
In 1997, Singer and White established Singer/White Entertainment, [5] and returned to the idea of Halloweentown. The duo pitched it to Disney Channel, who initially passed on the project as well. The executives at the network changed their mind after they aired Under Wraps , which was well received. The network returned to Singer/White Entertainment and the film was redeveloped into more of a children's film. [7]
In a 2018 interview with Insider, director Duwayne Dunham revealed the film was presented to him as a "$20 million to $30 million project" — but the budget ended up only being $4 million. [1] [9]
Casting
After receiving the go ahead from Disney Channel, Singer/White Entertainment began casting. The first person cast for the film was Debbie Reynolds, who at the time had just decided to venture into television work. A list of actors were purposed to Singer/White, and Sheri Singer said: "When we saw the list, we took one look at her name and said, oh my god, would she really do it? This is absolutely unbelievably blessed and terrific idea for casting... We never went to anyone else". [7]
In September 2016, Kimberly J. Brown recalled her audition for the film which she had to react to the conversation where it's revealed the character Marnie is a witch. [10] Brown read for the role twice before being cast. [11]
In a 2020 Galaxy Con question-and answer panel, Judith Hoag revealed she had a meeting with the head of Disney Television where she read for the part. Hoag, who had previously played April O'Neil in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles said: "I kind of knew in the room that I had gotten the job because his son was a die-hard Ninja Turtle fan". [12]
According to Singer, the hardest role to cast was that of antagonist Kalabar, "...he had to be scary-but-Disney-Channel-scary". [7] Robin Thomas, who had previously worked with White on Amityville Dollhouse was brought in to audition, and was the final choice.
Pre-production
After Kimberly J. Brown was cast as Marnie, artists used a photo of her to create the "Halloweentown" book prop. The image of the witch flying across the page needed to resemble the actress. [13]
The initial ending of the film featured Marnie traveling deep into an enchanted forest to place the talisman. With each step the character was supposed to grow older the deeper into the forest she went, the make-up department took a life-mask of Kimberly J. Brown to make the different prosthetics to age Marnie. Before the make-up process was completed, the ending was rewritten, with Marnie placing the talisman in the Jack-o'-lantern. [14] [13]
Filming
Halloweentown was filmed in St. Helens, Oregon, [15] and Scappoose, Oregon from May to June 1998, across 24-days. [1] The 'Nob Hill Riverview' bed and breakfast in Saint Helens was used for exterior shots of Aggie Cromwell's Halloweentown home. [13] The voice of the skeleton Benny was added in post-production; as a result, the actors on set were performing opposite a voice-less animatronic. [10]
While filming a dance scene in the theater, Debbie Reynolds pulled a muscle. [7] Singer went on to say how impressive it was for the young actors on set to see what a "real work ethic" was.
The final scene shot during filming was of Marnie and Aggie flying. The flying scenes took a day to film, capturing the actors in front of a blue-screen. [16]
Release
Halloweentown premiered on Disney Channel on October 17, 1998. [17] It was made available to stream on Disney+. [18] In 2018, Disney made the movie available for streaming on Disney Channel's YouTube channel through a live broadcast. [19]
D23 celebrated the 25th anniversary of Halloweentown with special screenings in St. Helens, Oregon, on October 21, 2023, allowing fans to watch the film on the big screen in the theater where it was filmed, just before the original premiere date of October 17, 1998. [20]
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 83% based on reviews from 6 critics, with an average rating of 5.7/10. [21]
Laura Fries of Variety said that Halloweentown gains momentum after a slow start, largely due to the presence of "screen legend" Debbie Reynolds. They noted that although the film does not fully showcase Reynolds' acting skills, the actress manages to embrace her role as a matriarchal witch returning to guide her granddaughter into the family tradition. Fries also praised Kimberly J. Brown's portrayal of a young girl navigating her identity, avoiding the typical pitfalls of adolescent characterizations. Furthermore, Fries complimented the writing by Jon Cooksey and Ali Matheson, saying it incorporates topical humor and whimsical elements. [22] Allison McClain Merrill of The Daily Beast stated that Halloweentown features strong performances, citing Kimberly J. Brown and Debbie Reynolds, saying they brought a unique charm to the film. Merrill found that the movie's setting provides a fresh and enchanting dimension to Disney Channel’s fall programming. They took notice of the film’s enduring appeal, noting that it has become a beloved tradition among viewers, particularly millennials who grew up with it. Moreover, Merrill appreciated the film’s message of creativity, individuality, and the importance of supportive relationships, which continues to resonate with audiences decades after its release. [23]
Ashton Tate of MovieWeb asserted that Halloweentown stands out as one of the pioneering Disney Channel Original Movies. Tate said that despite its limited budget and outdated special effects, the film remains a top favorite. They praised Halloweentown for its role as a memorable introduction to its world and characters, noting the charm and nostalgic appeal of its low-budget effects. Tate also acknowledged that the success of the original film was pivotal in establishing the franchise, which has since become a beloved annual tradition for many fans. [24] Ellen Dendy of Common Sense Media gave Halloweentown a score of three out of five stars and praised the film for its focus on brave and empathetic female characters who work together to protect their community, and for resolving family conflicts with love and mutual respect. [25]
Complex magazine ranked Halloweentown as number nine on its "The 40 Best Disney Channel Original Movies" list. [26] Katie Heaney for BuzzFeed called the first three films of the Halloweentown series one of the best things about Halloween. [27]
