Return to Halloweentown

What’s the Story?

When a witch graduates from high school, where does she go? To Witch University, of course. That's where Marnie Piper (Sara Paxton) heads in RETURN TO HALLOWEENTOWN, the fourth made-for-TV movie in the Disney Channel's successful Halloweentown franchise. But the path to higher learning won't be smooth for the young witch. And first she must convince her over-protective mother to let her go. Once independent-minded Marnie is off on her own, she finds herself at odds with the Sinister Sisters, a trio of vain, pretentious young women bent on making Marnie's college days miserable.

Is It Any Good?

This being Disney, Return to Halloweentown has very little for parents to worry about. Marnie is an earnest but relatable teen with good intentions. She has some typical tensions with her mother, but in the end turns to Mom for help. Embedded in the story are lessons about the danger of too much power, the benefits of working together, the value of diversity, and the virtue in selflessness.

Parents interested in the more subtle messages being communicated should be aware that mom Gwen (Judith Hoag) is a caricature of a stay-at-home mom who lives through her children. The conflict between Marnie and the Sinister Sisters treads upon the well-worn path of teen female rivalry, especially for male attention. And the outward sign that the Sisters are evil (aside from their scowls) is their heavy makeup and sexy clothing -- equating sex with sin, perhaps?