Halloweentown (1998) A Disney Channel Original Movie
Directed by: Duwayne Dunham
It's that time of year again! Where your neighborhood is full of people in costumes going door to door to get candy. It's a crisp fall night and the joy of other's can not be silenced. Unfortunately, for one house there is no fun and the joy that others feel can only be appreciated from a window this night. Marnie is 13 and all her friends are going to a costume party and she hopes this is the year her mother allows her to finally celebrate one Halloween. At least this one! Her mother refuses and with it diminishes what joy she has for Halloween night. There must be something in the wind that carries her disappointment somewhere because right on cue is the well received arrival of Marnie's Grandmother Aggie! Aggie unlike her daughter is full of the festive spirit of Halloween! She arrives on time to save what's left of Halloween for her grandchildren. YAY!!!! Then again, Gwen steps in and a verbal disagreement resumes between them while the children are sent to bed. Marnie sneaks downstairs and hears their argument. She discovers much to her surprise that she is a witch! She must use her powers before she turns officially 13 or GASP they will be lost forever!!! So Marnie obviously decides to follow her Grandma back home in hopes that she can begin training to be a witch. She brings with on her journey the costume on her back and her two siblings to see Grandma Aggie! There adventure continues to fill them with more excitement as they arrive to a beautifully yet familiar town... the town they read about with Aggie that very night!! Yes, they arrive at Halloweentown. Trust me, it's bursting with life as you can expect. There's different beings around town. The spirit of Halloween can definitely be found here! Everyone and I mean everyone get's along! There's pumpkin's and the busyness of creatures both big and small enjoying yet another peaceful day in Halloweentown! The Piper kids can not begin to comprehend the joy that was just a world away! They catch up with their Grandma and much to her surprise they are welcomed. Marnie tells Aggie that she overheard obviously everything and she wants to help her Grandmother even if her mother chooses not to. So begins the journey of the Piper kids! Will Marnie discover her powers? Will Gwen find out her children are gone and what will come from it? Will the Piper Kids help Aggie solve the mystery behind the missing people? Where have they gone to? Well, tune into this Disney Original Channel Classic to find out the answers to these questions and more!
When I was a teenager this was one of those Halloween Specials I really looked forward to. I loved it so much and anticipated this time of year for it! No matter how many re-watches came it was still as awesome to me as the year before. However, like most things in life your perspective evolves as the years go by.
I firmly believe that the initial draw to me as a teen to this film was because in a strange way I identified closely with Marnie. The misunderstood "weird" kid who loved Halloween. Yep, that was me lol... I look back at this film rather nostalgically at all the Halloween's in my teens. The last few years of trick or treating. The handmade or random put together costumes I managed to put together because I couldn't afford one. (I started working a few years earlier. A paper route really didn't pay that well.) I enjoyed every minute of it! I would call friends or go with my cousins. I can see why this film had such an impact on my memory then. After scoring all the delicious candy we would go home and watch all these Halloween specials. The memories I have are rather pleasant ones of Halloween. Like most things in life your perspective changes.
After this re-watch I think my opinion of this film has changed. It lost the spark it had when I was a teen maybe because in a strange way I have outgrown that mentality. I'm no longer the awkward teen full of angst and edge. I've grown to be more accepting of who I am. The characters were memorable but I don't remember her brother Dylan being THAT annoying lol He got the worst lines! I mean come on!! lol He was the worst character he made the cheesy joke skeleton cabby seem witty lol Everything about the development of his character from lines to performance was cliche! Marnie now in my stage at life came across as a brat in comparison to how I viewed the film years ago. lol Some of the lines in general were general Disney channel family cheese. The villain was easy to spot so when the big reveal was given of their true nature I wasn't remotely surprised. In comparison to when I was a teenager I was surprised and I didn't think this character was the baddie. Obvious scenes where the "nefarious" influence was going down fell on me as a teen as a shock. In comparison to now where I saw it coming and was confused why I didn't spot this earlier on.
If this is something completely new to you I think you'd enjoy it. At least for the 90's Halloween Nostalgic throwback. I did enjoy it for that reason! It was interesting to re-watch this now as an adult and do a contrast take on a film I really did enjoy throughout my teens. It does have it's strong points and it's not entirely bad. There's the family dynamic that can be appreciated. There's the spirit of Halloween. The setting considering it's mostly set in Halloweentown was great. The plot felt consistent. Some of the character's and they shall remain nameless... LOL were a bit campy even for my taste. They were predictable and at points hard to not be tempted to fast forward on my remote...All things considered it was a good film for what it's worth and now going forward new people will watch this and perhaps draw the same conclusions I did in my teens. That no matter how different you are and no matter how many obstacles come your way. You can always count on your family and your bond only strengthens when it works together.
So check this out if you like nostalgia, Halloween, a somewhat strong family dynamic together against the unknown forces at play! 7.1/10
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