Halloweentown High

Halloweentown High

DVD cover
Based on Characters
by Paul Bernbaum and Jon Cooksey & Ali Matheson
Written by Paul Bernbaum
Daniel Berendsen
Directed by Mark A.Z. Dippé
Starring Kimberly J. Brown
Debbie Reynolds
Joey Zimmerman
Judith Hoag
Emily Roeske
Lucas Grabeel
Olesya Rulin
Theme music composer Kenneth Burgomaster
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
Production
Producer(s) Sheri Singer
Steve White
Cinematography Rob Neal
Running time 83 minutes
Release
Original network Disney Channel
Original release October 8, 2004 (2004-10-08)
Chronology
Preceded by Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge
Followed by Return to Halloweentown
External links
Website movies.disney.com/halloweentown-high

Halloweentown High (also known as Halloweentown III) is a 2004 Disney Channel Original Movie that premiered on Disney Channel on October 8, 2004 for the holiday of Halloween. It drew 6.1 million viewers for its premiere.[1] This is the third installment in the Halloweentown series. It is also the last Halloweentown film to feature Kimberly J. Brown as Marnie, and the last film in the series to feature the character of Sophie (Emily Roeske).

Initially intended to be the final installment in the Halloweentown series, a fourth film, Return to Halloweentown, was released in 2006.

Plot

Two years after the previous movie, 17-year-old Marnie Piper (Kimberly J. Brown) prepares to begin a new school year. She asks the Halloweentown Council to work toward openness between Halloweentown and the mortal world. She proposes bringing a group of Halloweentown students to her own high school in the mortal world. The Council is initially apprehensive, mostly due to the legend of the Knights of the Iron Dagger: a fanatical knighthood who wanted to destroy all things magical. The Halloweentown Witches' Council, however, agrees to accept the plan after Marnie mistakenly bets "all the Cromwell magic" that her plan will work. If she does not prove she is right by midnight on Halloween, then her entire family will lose their magical abilities. Marnie, regretting what she said to the Council, wants to cancel the program she has made, but her grandmother Aggie (Debbie Reynolds) opposes, saying that they have nothing to fear.

The Halloweentown students arrive and are magically given human appearances to disguise their true non-human natures. School begins with Marnie acting as a tour guide for the exchange group, claiming they are from Canada. Aggie substitute teaches so she can be available in case of need. Cody (Finn Wittrock), a new student, shows a romantic interest in Marnie.

While Aggie proves unable to teach any subject effectively, the Halloweentown students keep to themselves, hiding in the refuge that Aggie magically creates for them in a remote student locker. Marnie gradually encourages the students to join sports teams, school activities, and to make new friends.

Marnie's progress is interrupted by a warning that appears to be from the Knights of the Iron Dagger, then by a magical incident at the mall that results in the Halloweentown students assuming their natural appearances in public. This is followed by a break-in at the secret magical locker and the disappearance of one of the students.

Meanwhile, Marnie's developing relationship with Cody parallels an unexpected romance beginning between Aggie and the school's principal, Phil Flannigan (Clifton Davis). Aggie suspects Cody of being the cause of the trouble, and tries to convince Marnie to halt their relationship, but Marnie in turn suspects Flannigan. They eventually discover that Flannigan is the Knight in question; he was told prior to the students' arrival that he was the last of the Order.

Edgar Dalloway (Michael Flynn), head of the Witches' Council and father of one of the students, is the real root of their problems. He wants to keep Halloweentown isolated from the mortal world, and used Flannigan to ensure the failure of Marnie's project. This, he hoped, would cause a negative reaction in Halloweentown and keep the portal between Halloweentown and the mortal world closed.

The Halloweentown students use the school's Halloween carnival to improve mortal attitudes toward magical folk. Their haunted house depicts the ordinary lives of creatures that have typically been seen as monsters in the mortal world, including displays like the "Monster Tea Party" and ogres "picnicking in their natural setting", which winds up boring the carnival goers. Meanwhile, Marnie's mother, Gwen (Judith Hoag), uses a Witch's Glass to hunt down the missing student imprisoned by Dalloway.

At the school carnival, Dalloway launches magical attacks against the mortal students by bringing the inanimate monsters in the haunted house to life. The ensuing panic spirals beyond Marnie's and Aggie's ability to contain the monsters. Flannigan incites a mob to corner the Halloweentown students. Cody shames the crowd, the students reveal themselves, and the crowd accepts them for who they are. Flannigan also renounces being a knight and accepts Aggie.

Dalloway claims the Cromwell magic, and explains that his son Ethan (Lucas Grabeel) helped with most of the things that happened, but Gwen has shown the evening's events to the Witches' Council. They return the Cromwell magic, Gwen returns with the imprisoned student, and the Council imprisons Dalloway in another Witch's Glass.

The portal between Halloweentown and the mortal world opens inside the haunted house, and crowds of children from Halloweentown cross over to enjoy the carnival together with children of the mortal world. Marnie flies off for a romantic broom ride with Cody. While flying over the carnival, they kiss.

Cast

See also

References

  1. ↑ Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn (November 14, 2004). "When 'No Sex’ Really Sells". Multichannel News. Retrieved 2016-08-15. Over those five showings, Halloweentown High delivered 22.6 million viewers, including 6.1 million for its premiere.
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