Return to Halloweentown

Felix Vasquez started his review by saying, “I’m not sure why, but Kimberly J. Brown is nowhere to be found in this final film of the “Halloweentown” series. I read an interview online from Kimberly J. Brown that explains she never got a call to come back to the movies, even though she was more than willing. I peg it to the fact that Sara Paxton was then blossoming to be tailored for Disney Channel stardom, thus they kicked out the very adorable and quite talented Brown in exchange for the more streamlined and younger Sara Paxton.” The difference is very noticeable as the character appears completely different from the original Marnie. Sara Paxton is a good actress, but she’s not as lovable or nice spoke as Kimberly J. Brown was, and there’s an element missing from this final film. Also, Debbie Reynolds is nowhere in the film, another sad fact seeing how she was a main person to help form Marnie. She was her mentor figure. Without her, Marnie is just another character.

Vasquez noted, “I’m also assuming Disney just wanted to reboot the whole shebang, which fails on every level.” The greatness of the franchise is Kimberly J. Brown and without her, this last movie is just empty. “Return to Halloweentown,” released in 2006, is in no way a Halloween movie despite they try to convince the audience it’s a part of the series. It shows hinds to the character Sophie who apparently is so far into her training she’s traveling galaxies, while Marnie is still learning her magic (how does that work?), she is never seen or heard but we hear she’s doing better than Marnie and yet the movies never focused on Sophie. Vasquez said, “Marnie is now a ditzy bubble head prone to using her magic in about as girliest a way as possible in spite of seeing her mature in a more matriarchal position in the former films, and Aggie is seen in only a few moments with Millicent Martin added to replace Mrs. Reynolds in her absence.” There is also no mention to any of the other characters from the previous films including Marnie’s boyfriend Cody.

Instead, Marnie is now just a self-involved college girl starting Witch University disobeying her mom, reprised by Judith Hoag, who wants her to go to school in the mortal realm. With Dylan, reprised by Joey Zimmerman, going with her, she sees the same clichés of school life we saw in “Halloweentown High” except now we really get to see a lot more monsters and the town, which was the point of the franchise initially. Lucas Grabeel who was rising to stardom in “High School Musical” is completely forgettable as Ethan Dalloway, Marnie’s love interest who had his powers taken away in the third film and returns to help Marnie when she tries to stop a brotherhood wanting to rule Halloweentown through Marnie who is a prophesized queen. Because there never mentioned a queen or king in the last films, it’s really convenient.

To its credit, this attempted reboot wants to try and attract a new audience with Paxton’s popularity, however it’s a boring a completely confusing little kids film with none of the innocence or originality of the first two films, and it doesn’t have any of the trouble of the first movies particularly because everything’s been done before. Vasquez noted, “But what with Paxton and Grabeel being the poster children for Disney at the year this was made, “Return to Halloweentown” is much more concerned with being a vehicle for the two stars than making any sense or acting as a proper finisher for the series.” For those who enjoyed the franchise, this is a shame. This just wants to raise popularity and nothing more. It recycles old plot themes, wanders from the real story, collects no entertainment or inspiration from its audience and is in the end a lifeless and lethargic conclusion to what as an enjoyable family franchise. Vasquez ended his review by saying, “But that’s okay, there is at least “Wizards of Waverly Place” to come along years later, an admitted guilty pleasure of mine. Don’t judge me, man.”

Sorry to say, but this film is the weakest of the franchise. If you liked the first two movies, don’t bother with the last two because they are just weak and boring. You will not like any minute of watching it, so just avoid it.

Tomorrow I will look at the second “High School Musical” movie in “Disney Channel Original Movie Month.”