 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Halloweentown High
- Review Date: September 5, 2010
- NR
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 2004
Common Sense Media says
Ho-hum Halloween tween film is fine for older kids.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this made-for-TV Disney movie about monsters and humans at a high school is the third of a trilogy that centers around a family of witches. Tweens won’t be scared off by the somewhat crude special effects, but younger kids might. One scene has monsters running amok when a Halloween haunted house attraction actually turns into one.
What's the story?
Marnie (Kimberly J. Brown), a young witch, is convinced humans and otherworldy creatures can get along perfectly well in the real world. She wagers that her assertion is true, which lands her with a passel of monsters attending her high school to see if she’s right. But what’s on the line is her magical powers, which just may be too big of a bet. Especially when a war of words at a mall dissembles into chaos, and the Knight of the Iron Dagger makes an appearance.
Is it any good?
What is the legendary Debbie Reynolds doing in this movie? Although in truth, she was in the previous two Halloweentown films in the Disney-produced trilogy. The special effects are so rudimentary as to be laughable, the plot, hair-thin. (It’s hard to imagine Disney making a movie with awful special effects, given its history, but when you see the monsters divest themselves of their human costumes, you’ll understand.) And though Reynolds is, of course, a pro, biting into her role with relish, nearly everyone else is hokey. They act as if they’re on a high school stage, which, in a way, they are.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about the message beneath the allegorical monsters vs. humans debate: Just because two people are different, is it automatically true that they can’t get along or appreciate each other?
Why do most movies tap into the scary side of Halloween? Is there another side?
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Teen, 15 years old
June 9, 2011
AGE
halloweentown high
The Hallween town movies are amazing!
What other families should know:
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Kid, 9 years old
November 1, 2010
AGE
Halloweentown High
Well I Guess I Shoulnt Keep My Hopes Up Too High.There I Said It Halloweentown High.Another Diispointment By The Director Mark A.Z. Dippe.I Feel Like Dipping That Stupid In Fire.He Ruined A Great Movie.Good For Ages Six And Up.
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| Studio: | Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment |
| Director: | Mark A.Z. Dippe |
| Cast: | Debbie Reynolds, Judith Hoag, Kimberly J. Brown |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 86 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | October 4, 2004 |
| DVD release date: | September 13, 2005 |
| MPAA rating: | NR |
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