Return to Halloweentown

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Return to Halloweentown

DVD cover
Directed by David Jackson
Produced by Don Schain
Sheri Singer
Written by Max Enscoe
Annie DeYoung
Paul Bernbaum
Starring Sara Paxton
Joey Zimmerman
Judith Hoag
Lucas Grabeel
Keone Young
Summer Bishil
Music by Kenneth Burgomaster
Distributed by Disney Channel
Release date(s) October 20, 2006
Running time 88 min.
Country Flag of the United States
Language English
Preceded by Halloweentown High
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Return to Halloweentown is a Disney Channel Original Movie that premiered on October 20, 2006. It is the fourth sequel to the DCOM Halloweentown. In this sequel, Marnie Piper (Sara Paxton) and her brother, Dylan Piper (Joey Zimmerman), go to Witch University to attend college in Halloweentown. While at college, dark forces try to control her magic. 2.8 million viewers tuned into this movie in the U.L placing 3rd in it's timeslot.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Marnie Piper is extended a full scholarship to Halloweentown's "Witch University", a prestigious school built out of an old Cromwell family castle. Gwen is doubtful at first, but allows Marnie to go if Dylan can go along with her. They head into Halloweentown, and are driven by Benny the Skeleton to the school. There, they meet the Sinister Sisters. Dylan falls in love with the trio's leader Scarlett immediately and Marnie instantly hates all of the Sinister Sisters: Scarlett, Sage, and Sapphire because they used magic, before Marnie knew about the rule, then she hates them. Marnie begins to levitate her suitcases, but they collapse when Dr. Grogg recites the school's newest rule: No Magic. Marnie becomes upset, stating that the whole reason she wanted to go to a witch school was to use her magic.

Marnie goes up to her dorm room and is visited by a hologram of her grandmother Aggie. She explains that there is something going on in Halloweentown, but a disruption causes Aggie to disappear. Marnie receives a letter to meet with her Resident Advisor. She knocks and enters into the RA's room, but does not see anything but a lamp on the floor. Suddenly she is whisked away into the Genie's lamp where she meets Aneesa, her Resident Advisor. Aneesa is also a genie.Aneesa gives Marnie information about what's happening at Witch University.

During one of Marnie's classes, a silver box with the words "S. Cromwell" on it presents itself to her, as if it belonged to her. The box is confiscated by the fossil himself, Dr. Grogg. Then it is revealed that Grogg, the Sinister Sister's father (Silas), and some of the teachers are in a group called "The Dominion" that Ethan's father used to be involved in. Later on in the movie, "The Dominion" plans to try to get Marnie to open the box, which supposedly holds a special Cromwell "Gift".

After the class, Marnie goes to one of her teachers, Professor Periwinkle, who tells her that S. Cromwell stood for Splendora Cromwell. She speaks about how she was Splendora's best friend. Marnie asks Dylan to help her find more information about Splendora. He leads her to a library where all of the books are about the Cromwell family history. He reveals that he has been using magic to "speed read", which gives an explanation to him skipping a grade. He speed reads through all of the books in the library, and discovers that Splendora hid "The Gift" in that silver box for a thousand years. The scene cuts to a lair, where Silas and the rest of The Dominion reside. It is revealed that they are watching Dylan, and they decide to use him in their plot to take over Halloweentown.

While Marnie is on a date with Ethan, she witnesses the Sinister Sisters at an ice cream parlor with Dylan, using him to do their homework. She becomes upset, and tells Dylan get away from them, but it becomes evident that he is under a spell by the Sinister Sisters, and he won't come along with Marnie. The Sisters and Dylan exit the ice cream parlor, with Marnie and Ethan following. They get on Ethan's broomstick to fly after them, but the broom crashes and turns into a snake- the evil symbol of Sinister Industries, a company ran by Silas Sinister. They realize that someone- or something - is spying on them.

Meanwhile, The Dominion, frustrated that Marnie hasn't opened the box yet tell her that she would be saving Halloweentown if she acquired "The Gift", saying that the prophecy is meant to protect the city. Marnie tries to break the spell that Dylan is in so that he can assist her, but needs more help. Meanwhile, Ethan, who overheard her conversation with "The Dominion" comes to try and stop her. However, she tries to ask him to help her break the spell on Dylan, but Ethan says that he can't. He then tells her the truth, but she thinks that he is lying, so he won't get in trouble for using magic on campus. She gets upset with him, and decides to go to Professor Periwinkle and asks her for help. Professor Periwinkle helps Marnie go 1,000 years into the past to find Splendora and ask her about the Gift.

Marnie travels back in time to find the creatures of Halloweentown (i.e. monsters) all working while human resembled people are free and some rich (some elves and the rich people are witches). She, with a younger Periwinkle (who still says "Fiddle-sticks," a clutz, and says she is "educated unlike some of the other people in Halloweentown) a young girl who resembles her closely (everything except for blonde hair and eye color), refusing to become Queen of Halloweentown. This girl, Splendora tells Marnie that "The Gift" is a curse. Marnie learns that The Gift was a necklace that had great power to give the wearer complete control over any person--but it could only be worn by a Cromwell witch. She also says that "The Dominion" wants her to use The Gift to control Halloweentown, and turn those witches and creatures into slaves. Marnie realized that Ethan was telling the truth, much to her embarrassment. Marnie asks Splendora why can't she just destroy the gift, but she tells Marnie that, since it took three Cromwells to create, it could only be destroyed by three Cromwells. Marnie then learns that Splendora is her grandmother, when she says that she wishes to change her name to Aggie, after everything ends. Splendora gives the key to the box to Marnie. She says that she will train her herself, and therefore trusts Marnie to keep it safe in the future. Then, Splendora helps send Marnie back to Halloweentown.

When Marnie returns, it is Halloween night and she needs to find two more witches that have Cromwell blood to help her destroy the Gift. Marnie finds Dylan under the control of the Sinister Sisters, who turn him into a dog. Marnie calls on her mother for help, and Gwen quickly rushes to the scene. Gwen has been waiting all this time for her children to say they need her, she felt as if they had "flown away from the nest" and forgotten about her. She is very excited to help out and quickly changes into witch's clothes. Gwen and Aneesa watch Dylan on a witch's glass that resembles a laptop computer, and soon Marnie is transported to the Dominion's lab. Silas explains that Marnie can be Queen for one night, if she will wear the necklace and make all of the creatures slaves and at midnight the spell will be permanent. He tells her that if she doesn't use the Gift to put Halloweentown under their control, then Dylan will be a dog forever. Marnie, Gwen and Aneesa make a secret plan to stop the Dominion.

That night, Marnie tricks the Dominion when she receives the Gift. Instead of making all of the creatures slaves, she orders Aneesa, Dylan, and Gwen to help her destroy the gift to save Halloweentown. The gift is put into Aneesa's lamp and Marnie, Dylan, and Gwen use their magic to destroy it. The Dominion try to escape, but they are caught and trapped in a witch's glass by Professor Periwinkle, who reveals that she has been in the "Halloweentown Anti-Dominion League" for ten centuries. It is later found out that Ethan is now a mortal because when his father was exiled, Ethan chose to denounce his own powers, but Marnie still accepts him and they continue their blooming relationship. When Gwen finds out Ethan is now mortal, she smiles, telling Marnie, "I knew there was something I liked about that boy!" Since their father is captured and stripped of his powers, the Sinister Sisters (along with the rest of their family) lose their powers as well, which means that they're now mortal. One of them even exclaims sadly, "We might as well be ugly!" At the end of a hectic adventure, Gwen decides to let Dylan and Marnie stay at Witch University. The last scene reveals that Marnie didn't really destroy the Gift, and that she actually gave it to Dylan, and because all spells cast at midnight are permanent, The Gift now belongs to him. He quickly hides it in a book (whose spine begins to glow red with the Sinister Industries logo), not ready to handle its power. Dylan's door closes and the credits roll.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Production

  • Emily Roeske's character, "Sophie" does not make an appearance in this movie, as she is witch training with Debbie Reynolds' character Aggie who only appears briefly in this movie.
  • Professor Periwinkle says her family and Marnie's family were friends since before Halloweentown but a little while after that, she says that she met Splendora a little while after Halloweentown was made. This could be due to Professor Periwinkle's family having been friends with the Cromwell family before Splendora was born and Professor Periwinkle could have been away somewhere from before Splendora was born until a while after Halloweentown was created.
  • It reveals that Marnie's grandmother's full name was Splendora Agatha Cromwell but after stopping the Dominion's plan to take over Halloweentown, she shortened her name to Agatha "Aggie" Cromwell.
  • Aggie is 1018 years old because Halloweentown was created 1000 years ago and she was 18 at the time.


[edit] Deleted scenes

There is a scene in the trailer where Marnie and Dylan are in a strange room holding identification cards showing to a pumpkin headed figure as Dylan says in the background "I want to go to a real college". It has also been said by Lucas Grabeel and Sara Paxton that they filmed a kiss for the end of the movie, but for some reason was cut in the editing. These deleted scenes did not make it into the DVD.

[edit] External links

[edit] Official

[edit] Unofficial/Information Sites

[edit] Trailers

v • d • e
Halloweentown series
Films
Disney Channel's Hauntober Fest
Preceded by
The Cheetah Girls 2		 Disney Channel Original Movies Succeeded by
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