Halloweentown (film series)
Halloweentown is a series of fantasy Disney Channel Original Movies released by the Disney Channel between 1998 and 2006. It consists of four films: Halloweentown (1998), Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge (2001), Halloweentown High (2004) and Return to Halloweentown (2006).
| "Halloweentown" | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Duwayne Dunham (1) Mary Lambert (2) Mark A.Z. Dippé (3) David Jackson (4) |
| Starring | Kimberly J. Brown Joey Zimmerman Emily Roeske Debbie Reynolds Judith Hoag (More) |
| Distributed by | Disney Channel |
Release date | 1: October 17, 1998 2: October 12, 2001 3: October 8, 2004 4: October 20, 2006 |
Running time | 333 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Background
Halloweentown proposes that fantasy beings such as witches, warlocks, vampires, werewolves, mummies, ghosts, trolls, ogres, zombies, pumpkin heads (a race of people with jack-o'-lanterns for heads), skeletons, goblins, humanoids with varying numbers of heads, humanoids with varying numbers of limbs, and humanoids with varying numbers of 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 movies 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 movies, 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.
Films
Halloweentown (1998)
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.
Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge (2001)
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.
Halloweentown High (2004)
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).
Return to Halloweentown (2006)
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 the prophecy.
Cast and characters
| Characters | Films | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halloweentown | Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge | Halloweentown High | Return to Halloweentown | |
| Aggie Cromwell | Debbie Reynolds | Debbie Reynolds | ||
| Sara Paxton (young) | ||||
| Marnie Piper | Kimberly J. Brown | Sara Paxton | ||
| Gwen Piper | Judith Hoag | |||
| Dylan Piper | Joey Zimmerman | |||
| Sophie Piper | Emily Roeske | |||
| Luke | Phillip Van Dyke | |||
| Benny | Rino Romano | Richard Side | ||
| Kalabar | Robin Thomas | |||
| Harriet | Judith M. Ford | |||
| Kal | Daniel Kountz | |||
| Astrid | Xandra Radley | |||
| Alex | Peter Wingfield | |||
| Gort | Blu Mankuma | |||
| Ethan Dalloway | Lucas Grabeel | |||
| Edgar Dalloway | Michael Flynn | |||
| Cody | Finn Wittrock | |||
| Cassie | Eliana Reyes | |||
| Principal Phil Flanagan | Clifton Davis | |||
| Pete | Todd Michael Schwartzman | |||
| Chester | Jessie Harward | |||
| Natalie | Olesya Rulin | |||
| Bobby | Bob Lanoue | |||
| Scarlett | Kristy Wu | |||
| Sage | Katie Cockrell | |||
| Sapphire | Kellie Cockrell | |||
| Silas Sinister | Keone Young | |||
| Chancellor Goodwin | Leslie Wing | |||
| Professor Precilla Persimmon Periwinkle | Millicent Martin | |||
| Dr. Grogg | Scott Stevenson | |||
| Aneesa | Summer Bishil | |||
| Burp-Urp-Snurt-Pfsfsfsfst III | Christopher Miller | |||
Crew and other
| Crew/Detail | Halloweentown | Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge | Halloweentown High | Return to Halloweentown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director(s) | Duwayne Dunham | Mary Lambert | Mark A.Z. Dippé | David Jackson |
| Producer(s) | Ron Mitchell Brian Pogue |
Peter Lhotka | Sheri Singer Steve White |
Sheri Singer Don Schain |
| Writer(s) | Paul Bernbaum Jon Cooksey Ali Matheson |
Jon Cooksey Ali Matheson |
Paul Bernbaum Daniel Berendsen |
Paul Bernbaum Max Enscoe Annie DeYoung |
| Cinematographer(s) | Michael Slovis | Tony Westman | Rob Neal | Denis Maloney |
| Composer(s) | Mark Mothersbaugh | Kenneth Burgomaster | ||
| Running time | 84 minutes | 80 minutes | 82 minutes | 87 minutes |
Ratings
| Film | Ratings (in millions) |
|---|---|
| Halloweentown | 3.4[1][2] |
| Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge | 6.1[1][3][4] |
| Halloweentown High | |
| Return to Halloweentown | 7.5[1][5][6][7] |
References
- Denise Martin (October 23, 2006). "Disney bewitches young aud". Variety. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- Stacey Grant (March 7, 2016). "What Is The Best Disney Channel Original Movie of All Time? Vote Now". MTV News. MTV. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- 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.
- Matthew Dort (December 2, 2004). "Guest Column: State of the Disney Channel". laughingplace.com. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- Kimberly Nordyke (October 24, 2006). "'Halloweentown' draws big audience". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
- Anthony Crupi (October 24, 2006). "Disney Beats ESPN to Lead Cable Ratings". AdWeek. Archived from the original on November 12, 2007.
- Mike Reynolds (October 30, 2015). "Disney Gets 'Halloweentown' Treat". Multichannel News. Archived from the original on November 26, 2006.