The Cromwell children, Marnie (Kimberly J. Brown), Dylan (Joey Zimmerman), and Sophie (Emily Roeske), didn’t know they are from a long line of witches, until their Grandmother (Debbie Reynolds) comes to visit their mother (Judith Hoag), and lets it slip. The kids follow their Grandmother back to Halloweentown, where friendly monsters and magical entities live in a bright, bustling community. But an evil force has come to Halloweentown, and Marnie is going to help her Grandmother fight it, no matter how much her mother wants her to be a normal kid.
The idea’s good. Crossbreed Harry Potter with The Nightmare Before Christmas and aim for families with young kids. I can’t argue with that. Not when the plot has a clever, easy to understand for those six-year-olds, finale, and when Debbie Reynolds pops up as the still-pretty-cute grandma. What kid doesn’t love monsters or want to be a witch? And who wouldn’t want Debbie Reynolds as an eccentric relative?
But the execution is amateurish. Most of the monsters, wearing latex masks or given quickie makeup jobs, look no better than what you’d find at a Halloween party. The set could be a new “land” at Disney World (Is it?), never giving the mildest illusion that it actually exists, or is bigger than a few building. The acting is as good as the makeup. Young Emily Roeske manages the adorable little girl part, and Reynolds is fine in a one-note role (not good, but “fine”), but the rest of the cast don’t measure up to the level seen on bad sitcoms.
All of that could be forgiven if the script was better. Yes, the idea might be good (the advantage of stealing) but the dialog doesn’t live up to its potential. There is a disconnect between the writers and real children and teens. To make it “real,” a substantial portion of the movie is filled with a steam of insults no kid would use. That would be OK if they were cleverer than what children say. No luck. It is dialog in search of a lowest common denominator and never realizing it has sunk too low.
The characterizations could use some help too. Harry Potter’s relatives try to deprive him of his heritage because they are horrible people who exist for us to hate (oh, there’s motivations given, but they don’t matter). So, what’s the deal with Gwen Cromwell? She’s doing the same thing. That’s fine in an off-the-wall comedy character, but she’s a “loving” mom and we’re supposed to like her. Half the film is taken up with this loathsome mother trying to keep her kids dull. Unfortunately, they are dull. The joke, that Dylan doesn’t believe anything that is happening to him and has no imagination, could have been funny once or twice (though in this case, it wasn’t), but never fifty or sixty times. Your three-year-old will be annoyed at this kid. Marnie needs to be a whole lot more likeable as well to hold the story on her shoulders. Maybe if she’d killed her mom… Hey, it could work in a Disney film. Do you know any company that makes more films where parents die?
Halloween could use more pleasant family entertainment. Don’t expect to find any here.