Day 30: Just a Little Hocus Pocus

October 30, 2022

Dear Disney,

When Darling and I were in elementary school, Disney produced a Halloween film that, in my opinion, was what all 90’s kids wanted: candy, scares, and a little romance. We watched Disney try something relatively new and refreshing, but sadly, audiences did not seem to enjoy it. However, Darling and I both agree, we enjoy this movie very much. For the 30th day of Disney Halloween we would like to introduce the 1993 cult classic, Hocus Pocus.

As Darling and I watched this movie tonight, we realized that we finally live in a neighborhood that resembles this representation of Salem, Massachusetts. Our area has (depending on the weather) tons of trick-or-treaters hunting the streets in search of sugar. Growing up, the Trick-or-Treating represented in Hocus Pocus was the trick-or-treating that we wanted to experience. I always thought that somewhere in the United States, some neighborhood was EXACTLY like Hocus Pocus, but I realize that this fantastical neighborhood could never exist anywhere other than a Disney movie.

Another wonderful thing about this movie is the great characters. It would have been very easy for Disney to create a normal Hero character, but they decided to make most of the characters flawed, real. Max has anger issues. Dani is self-obsessed. Allison is a bored, rich girl. The parents are absentee at best, and neglectful at worst. Every character feels relatable.

Darling says she relates more to the parents, now that we are order. If the parents had been more attentive, more understanding of their children, the whole plot of the movie would be easily resolved. But then we would not have this treasure of a Halloween movie.

Hocus Pocus also introduced Darling and I to the amazing Doug Jones. How he can transform his body and facial expressions are outstanding. The other casting, the Sanderson Sisters (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy), as well as Max, Dani, and Allison (Omri Katz, Thora Birch, and Vinessa Shaw), personify their characters perfectly.

Lastly, Darling and I found ourselves quoting some of the perfect one liners to each other even when it’s not Halloween. The callback to Midler as Mama Rose in Gypsy is an absolute cherry on top. ‘Hello Salem, my name’s Winifred, what’s yours?’ The writing is superb, witty, and is still funny and campy decades later. There is not one scene that involved Bette Midler that she did not immediately become the main attraction. She was wonderfully melodramatic.

There is one more day left in 31 Days of Disney Halloween, we cannot wait to share it with you. Any guesses as to what we’ll watch on Halloween?

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 29: The Perfect Halloween to Christmas movie doesn’t exis-

October 29, 2022

Dear Disney,

Today is the last weekend until Halloween. Darling and I have decided to review two classics and new movie for the last three days of 31 Days of Disney Halloween. Today’s classic is the sleeper hit of the century, Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas.

I never watched this movie until I grew up. This movie was considered too dark and “evil” for my family. I had no idea what I was missing. Finally, in high school, Darling introduced me to this movie, and I was amazed. When growing up, Darling related to Sally: lovelorn with a feeling of always being over-looked.

Darling loves the art direction this movie brings forward and she cannot be the only one. It has been almost three decades since the movie was created and the Disney company has made millions of dollars in merchandise and even has an annual Halloween bash, the Oogie Boogie Bash, at Disney California Adventure.

Darling says that she sees some inspiration from the artist Edward Gorey in some of Burton’s elements, whether he actually took that inspiration we shall never know. The too tall figure in Jack and the backgrounds: trees without leaves and desolation. Every time we watch it we find something new. I cannot count how many times since high school, or how many times Darling has watched it, yet we still find new things. We never noticed that in the scene of the Holiday Trees that the steps leading up to each were made up that holidays theme: toadstools leading up to St. Patrick’s Day and presents leading up to Christmas.

Darling has said she’s always been fascinated by this movie. The only other stop-motion movies she had ever watched were the Rankin-Bass Christmas productions, and this was nothing like it. Like a take on a scary Christmas. This was dark and scary, yet not so scary that it was horrific. The audience is still able to cheer on Jack for his attempt to make Christmas, even though it was doomed from the onset.

Modern stop-motion, like ParaNorman or Kubo and the Two Strings, are so crisp, clean, and polished. The audience is lulled into a sense that what you are watching is NOT stop motion. Nightmare Before Christmas is not polished. If you look closely, you can see the strings on the puppets and fingerprints in the clay. Instead of being a detriment, this lack of polish increases the authenticity and sheer amount of hard work that went into this film.

Lastly, no one can review Nightmare Before Christmas without talking about the witty dialogue and amazing music. In my opinion, this movie is one of Caroline Thompson’s, the screenplay writer, best work. The language between songs portrays the characters ambitions perfectly. The amazing Danny Elfman shines. From a singer/songwriter for the New Wave band Oingo Boingo to one of the more prolific Movie Score writers are not the most “normal” progression. HIs music is haunting, and his lyrics are keen and beautiful.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 28: Duck Pimples

October 28, 2022

Dear Disney,

Today I would like to go back to 40’s for this classic Disney short. “Duck Pimples” is today’s featured short for 31 Days of Disney Halloween. This entire series has seen movies from Disney’s earliest days to modern animation styles and social fears. “Duck Pimples” is a great example of perennial fears depicted through classic Disney animation that could not be done for modern audiences.

I love the idea of Radio Dramas and Film Noir, but frequently when I listen to them, they lull me into a false sense of common and I fall asleep. Donald is no different in this short film that brings to light how our imagination can cause us problems. He creates illusionary friends and enemies throughout the short. I cannot determine what is “real” and what is in Donald’s head.

I was worried that this would not be Halloweenie enough for 31 days of Disney Halloween, but this short is scary. It could be seen during the Halloween season, or any other time of the year, but to say it does not belong on the 31 Days of Halloween is just incorrect. This short is more cerebral, more surreal than any other Disney short that I have seen, and for that reason alone, I love this short.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear

Day 27: Haunted Ducklings

October 27, 2022

Dear Disney,

Yesterday was a blast from the past with the Disney Afternoon show Goof Troop. Today, we are going in the opposite direction. In 2017, Disney XD announced they would be rebooting the original Disney Afternoon show, Duck Tales. Amazing actors signed on for the reboot. Darling and I were really excited for the new show…and then life got in the way. We never watched any of the shows and the show ended in 2021. For today’s 31 Days of Disney Halloween we are looking at the 2021 Halloween Special of the Duck Tales, “The Trickening!”

I expected to find myself having some nostalgic feelings for this show, but I did not. The reboot is both similar and significantly different from the original. From this one episode it appears that Donald plays a large role than the original series. The whole reasons why Donald’s Nephews went to Uncle Scrooge’s house was because Donald was being shipped off to sea as Donald was a member of the Navy. If this happened in the reboot, I have no idea. “The Trickening!” happens in the third season, the last season, and there is so much Duck Tale lore that I am unaware of. There are new characters, and new voices, and it appears that Huey, Dewey, and Louis must be in their late teens based on the voice actors.

IT may appear that I did not like the episode. On the contrary, I thought it was great. It was interesting. The characters made me want to know more. I do not know when, but I must now watch the entire series. I must have my questions answered.

Furthermore, the episode was scary. It was what you want from a Halloween Special. I finished the episode, and it took all of my willpower not to start the series from Season 1. Alas, I have other commitments.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear

Day 26: Guh…Guh…Guh…Ghosts!

October 26, 2022

Dear Disney,

When I was in Elementary School, the best part of any day was the Disney Afternoon. Sometime soon, we should dive into that delightful line of Nostalgia, but today, we are going to be looking at one small part, the 1992 tv sitcom called Goof Troop,” specifically the Halloween episode, “Hallow-weenies.”

Goof Troop, as stated in the opening, was one of Disney’s forays into Non-Disney exclusive television. Disney had had the DIsney Channel since 1983 as its premium subscription-based tv services, but in 1989, Disney created Ducktales, and then Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers, and the Disney Afternoon was created. Early on it was just the two shows, but starting in 1990, it became a two-hour long block of content. For a young, relatively poor, unable to watch Disney, yet completely Disney-crazed youth of the 80’s/90’s, the Disney Afternoon was the ONLY option.

When Darling and I stopped our busy lives to watch one episode of Goof Troop, memories came flooding back. I started, first, humming the theme song. Then, a part of my memory I did not know I had clicked on and I began singing the theme song.

We lounged on our couch and watched the episode. Things about the episode that I did not know as a youth and would not have even considered became apparent. The pitfalls and physical gags between Goofy, Pete, and the ghosts had obvious allusions to “The Lonesome Ghosts” short from the 50’s. The art direction was comical, but retained the style of the Disney Renaiisance, albeit adjacently. Watching that one episode was cathartic in ways that I did not expect.

Darling and I will do a full look at the Disney Afternoon shows, but for this small glimpse, I was very satisfied. I feel that, unlike some of our Halloween specials, my nostalgia does not eclipse the underlying tone of this show. I feel that Goof Troop is timeless. However, it’s going to take more than one episode for me to be positive in my theory.

What do you think? Is the Goof Troop a great animated tv sitcom, or am I blinded by nostalgia.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear

Day 25: Fangs for Nothing

October 25, 2022

Dear Disney,

There is 7 days left in the 31 Days of Disney Halloween. Darling and I have looked through many different genres and styles of Disney movies and shorts: animated and live action; hand-drawn and CGI. Today’s feature comes from Disney: Launchpad, a very interesting program that helps diversify the Disney stable of story-tellers. Season One of this series/program brings us this delightful coming-of age/acceptance story, “Growing Fangs”.

As this short is still relatively new, I will not spoil the story to anyone. However, the logline from the story is “Val Garcia, a Mexican-American half human/half vampire teenager, struggles to fit in either world.” I can tell you a few more things without spoiling too much. Val, played by Keyla Monterosso Mejia, is wonderful.

Similar to the Halloweentown series, Darling and I are not the target audience, but unlike the previous series, “Growing Fangs” portrays something that we can identify with. Darling and I can still remember what it was like to try to fit in. To have a secret that you are afraid to tell your friends because of the fear of the unknown, of being denied or rebuked by someone you care about and for. This short did all of these things and more.

This Halloween season, and really anytime, try out the short “Growing Fangs.” I think you all will really like it.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

p.s. For more information about the Disney Launchpad program, check out Disney Launchpad.

Day 24: Halloweentown U

October 24, 2022

Dear Disney,

Today was the 24th day od Disney Halloween and we watched something that I was dreading all month. I put it off to almost the last minute, but Darling and I cannot put it off any longer. Today we watched Return to Halloweentown and I must say, it’s not as bad as everyone described.

If you want a review of Return to Halloweentown, you are going to be disappointed. I did my research. I read multiple reviews and backseat producers and directors and there is nothing left to be said about this movie regarding critiquing. What Darling and I will be doing is highlighting some of the things that this movie did right.

1. The plot wasn’t terrible. None of the movies are Oscar award winning scripts, and this one was, at times, decent. At other times, it was just okay. Seldomly, it was terrible.

2. The actress that played Marnie was good…good enough. Sara Paxton was a good Marnie. If she was originally cast, no one would have had any problem with her or this movie.

3. Judith Hoag is adorably funny. I love her as Gwen. She accepts her role, doesn’t over play it, and seems to really enjoy being on screen.

4. Joey Zimmerman’s best performance of Dylan. He’s smart and a-dorkable.

I am very happy that Darling and I watched this entire series, but I do not think that we will be watching them again. Except for the first movie, Darling and I were not the target audience. The entire series is dated. If you have nostalgia for these movies, it is not my place to argue. I can see where people would enjoy this movie and the entire series.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 23: Halloweentown meets Degrassi

October 23, 2022

Dear DIsney,

In 2004, Disney brought forth their 55 Disney Channel Original movie, Halloweentown High. Disney had now been making made-for-tv movies since 1997. Darling and I had never watched this movie when it came out, so we popped our popcorn, turned off the lights, and got ready for the feature.

Darling commented to me last night that sometimes, during these movie reviews, it is less important to reiterate the plot, and more important to explain what we thought.

We are almost done with the Halloweentown series, and to be honest, I am looking forward to another movie. This is my least favorite of the series. Darling and I have no nostalgia experiences for this movie. Coming out in 2004, Darling and I were already in College and far from the target audience.

The Special effects are finally relatively descent. The plot is cute, as is all of them. In 2004, the Disney Channel was still trying to figure out how to make good made-for-tv movies. This movie straddles the line between ok adn terrible.

I will say it is nice too continue to see the actors reprise there roles over and over. Tomorrow is the last in the Halloweentown series so far. Come back and join Darling and I for Return to Halloweentown.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear

Day 22: The Return of Revenge!

October 22, 2022

Dear Disney,

Today we are continuing with the Halloweentown series with Halloweentown 2: Kalabar’s Revenge. I watched Halloweentown and Halloweentown 2 on that same day. Darling found out that I had never watched any of the Halloweentown movies and over a weekend we watched all four. As such, my memory blurs the first two Halloweentown movies into one, much longer, movie.

Halloweentown 2: Kalabar’s Revenge, is a more interesting movie than the first. The story is set 2 years after the first movie. Marnie has had two years of witch training. The relationship between Grandma Aggie and Gwen, Marnie’s mom, is strained again. Marnie meets a new mortal named Cal, played by Daniel Kountz, and tries to impress him by showing him that she has real magic and Grandma Aggie’s magical room with her spellbook. It quickly becomes apparent that Cal is more than what he seems when he leaves the party and casts a spell. After the spell, Grandma Aggie’s magic bag that is connected to her house back in Halloweentown. Grandma Aggie takes Marnie back to Halloweentown where everything has started to turn grey and lose their magic. Luke, the goblin helps Marnie figure out what is happening once Grandma Aggie also becomes grey and magicless. Turns out the new guy, Cal, is none other than the villain Kalabar’s Son! Marnie, Luke, Dylan (Marnie’s brother), and Sophie(Marnie’s sister) save the day through some time travel.

I like this movie, but mostly for its charming attempts than any real virtues. The movie beats you over the head with who the villain is before the first 20 minutes is over. The movie has no subtlety, and it does not have to have any. Its cute and interesting. The movie tries really hard to be hip for the 2001 crowd.

One of the things I do want to address is that this movie is where the actors who play Marnie and Cal, Kimberly and Daniel, met. These two actors are now married and that is wonderful.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear

Day 21: This our Town of Halloween …no the other one

October 21, 2022

Dear Disney,

No 31 Days of Disney Halloween can be complete without the Halloweentown series, and today, for the 21st day of Halloween we will be starting the Halloweentown original, Halloweentown.

Halloweentown was one of Darling’s movies growing up that she remembers, but for me, I never saw it. Halloweentown was a 1998 Disney Channel original, the fourth Disney Channel Original movie, starring Debbie Reynolds, Kimberly J. Brown, Joey Zimmerman, and Judith Hoag. The story, at its core, is about family, mother/daughter relationships, and accepting oneself. There are four Halloweentown’s in all, so we will cover some of the more obscure things in other articles, but for today, we will focus on the first.

The story starts with an argument between Marnie, played by Kimberly J. Brown, and her mom Gwen, played by Judith Hoag. Marnie wanted to take her younger sister and herself out trick-or-treating, but her Mom forbade it. In comes Gwen’s mom, Grandma Aggie, played by Debbie Reynolds. Aggie and Gwen fight. Aggie wants to train Marnie as a witch, but Gwen does not. Before Aggie leaves, she reads the kids a story about “Halloweentown”. Aggie asks Gwen for help as citizens of Halloweentown are disappearing. Gwen does not help. As Aggie leaves, Marnie and her brother follow her out and into a bus driven by a Skeleton. The bus takes them to Halloweentown. Instead of sending the kids back, Aggie shows them around. After showing the kids around and explaining what is happening to the people of Halloweentown, Aggie tries to make a spell of protection, but fails. The three of them head back to downtown Halloweentown, where Aggie is captured by a hooded figure. The kids escape, they go back to Aggie’s house and collect all the needed ingredients for the protection spell. They make the spell, a talisman, and bring it to the towns Jack-o-lantern, where they are confronted by the hooded figure, who turns out to be Kalabar. Kalabar is defeated and everyone is returned to Halloweentown. Aggie brings the kids home to Gwen. Aggie decides to stay and be with her grandchildren and Gwen decides to teach Marnie how to be a witch.

The town of Halloweentown was filmed in St. Helens, Oregon. St. Helens has embraced the concept of Halloweentown and every year decorates the town to look like the movie. If you have the chance, you should come and see it.

There is so much more interesting facts to talk about, but we will leave that till tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 20: The Haunted Mansion

October 20, 2022

Dear Disney,

Before we go any further, as stated in the description, this movie has some triggers that need to be discussed and will be discussed, in part, when we talk about the plot. Those triggers are racism, classism, murder, and suicide.

Disney is a pretty conservative company, all things considered. I know some people are going to say otherwise, but Disney plays things pretty safe. Pushing boundaries is not really the “Disney way,” so when the 2003 movie, based off the ride of the same name, was announced and the trailers shown, I was intrigued. Today’s feature for 31 Days of Disney Halloween is the 2003 cult-classic The Haunted Mansion.

The Haunted Mansion tells the tragic story of the Gracey Family. in the Antebellum period of American history, Edward Gracey, played by Nathaniel Parker, fell in love with Elizabeth Henshaw, played by Marsha Thomason, an African American woman. On the night they were to elope, Elizabeth poisons herself. Finding his love dead, Edward hangs himself. Fast forward to present day, Jim Evers, played by Eddie Murphy, is a realtor who places closing the deal to be more important than his family, misses his wedding anniversary in order to land the deal of representing a new client, a Master Gracey. Coming home, he promises his wife Sara, played conveniently by Marsha Thomason, and his children that they will be going on a vacation…as soon as he finishes with Master Gracey. The next day they arrive at Gracey Manor, meet the Butler, Ramsley, played by Terrence Stamp, and Master Gracey, played by Nathaniel Parker. A storm comes in, trapping the Evers family for the night. During the Night, the children go missing and Jim goes to find them. Master Gracey confronts Sara about being the re-incarnation of Elizabeth. The Evers family find out that everyone, other than themselves, in the Manor are ghosts! The Manor is cursed because of the untimely deaths of Elizabeth and Edward. Jim and his kids find out that Ramsley poisoned Elizabeth as he felt that the interracial relationship was not appropriate. Ramsley blackmails Sara into marring Master Gracey to break the curse. Master Gracey, blinded by his love for Elizabeth, believes that Sara will remember that she is Elizabeth eventually. Elizabeth’s ghosts finally shows up, confronts Ramsley, and Ramsley is sent to hell. The curse of the Manor was lifted and everyone lived(?) happily-ever-after.

Although, the film was a commercial failure and was panned by critics, I love this movie. There are some arguments within Disney themselves about when was the first interracial kiss, some say it was the live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, others say that the first kiss was in the 2002 Cuba Gooding Jr. film Snow Dogs. Snow Dogs may have been the first film, but I remember it being The Haunted Mansion. I was so excited to see that representation on film, from big named stars! From Disney! Without getting political, it took almost half a century for that type of relationship to be ingrained enough in US culture for Disney to represent it. Now, interracial relationships are pretty common for Disney, but I want to believe that with movies like this allowed Disney to understand that it was okay.

The film did not do well. Not sure why. Critics said it was not interesting. Parent groups said it was too scary. I thought the plot was well done. Maybe it was not a good as Pirates of the Carribean, the previous film based on a ride, but it was still well done. The make-up and effects were great and still look good on modern screens. I love the mansion itself. The set designers did a wonderful job making that amazing building feel so real.

If you have not seen this movie, I strongly suggest that you do. You cand find it on Disney+ or on almost any Disney cable channel during the Halloween season.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 19: Haunted Disney…OOooOoo

October 19, 2022

Dear Disney,

The 80’s was a wild time. For the 18th Day of 31 Days of Disney Halloween, Darling and I found a 1983 educational film called “Disney’s Haunted Halloween.” Neither of us had ever seen this or even knew about it until a few days ago. What follows is a 1980’s historical rendition of the beginnings and history of Halloween.

There is no plot or story to this short. The sole purpose of this short, educational film is to talk to the audience about Halloween, the history of Halloween (as they knew it in 1983), and some safety guides for children trick-or-treating. The narrator is Hal Douglas, a prolific voiceover actor, who was uncredited for this picture. All of the voice work was uncredited, but as this short was actually a re-edit of Disney’s Christmas Treat, the credit error is mainly due to the re-edit then anything else.

Disney put out two specials like this in 1983, the first being Disney’s Halloween Treat and the second was Disney’s Christmas Gift. Disney’s Christmas Gift does not seem to have an educational video like the Halloween special.

I found everything about this to be cute and quaint and fun. The short had parts of The Haunted Mansion ride interspersed throughout that gave it a creepier feel, but it mostly was just filled with nostalgia. The nostalgia had nothing to do with Disney, but more to do with the educational films that my school would have us watch in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades. They would wheel out the projector, and the teacher would thread the machine and turn it on. The wizz of the film reels and the flap flap of the film when it was finished are still vivid memories to me.

I hope Disney releases these someday, until then I hope you enjoy them however you can.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 18: Scaredy Duck

October 18, 2022

Dear Disney,

When I was little, I could do a Donald Duck impersonation that was pretty good. As such, I thought I enjoyed Donald Duck. I watched the shorts, I had a Donald plushie and when people I asked, I loved Donald Duck. So when Darling and I made the list of Halloween specials I was thrilled that there was more than one. Today’s 31 Days of Halloween review is of the 2000 Donald Duck short, “Donald’s Halloween Scare.”

“Donald’s Halloween Scare” is more a Huey, Louis, and Duey short than a Donald short. As such, the story is about the tricks Donald plays on his nephews and then the revenge the nephews pull on Donald. Huey, Louis, and Duey, dressed as 3 devils, go trick or treating around the neighborhood: to Minnie’s, who is dressed as a witch; to Mickey’s, who is a vampire; and to Goofy’s, who is an Easter Bunny. The nephews comment on Goofy’s choice of costume, then head off to the last house, Donald’s. At Donald’s house, they see Donald watching tv and all of the lights our off. The nephews comment on how cheap Donald is and then turn to leave. When they do, a masked and hooked man comes out, scares the nephews, and takes the nephews’ candy. The hooked and masked man turns out to be Donald. The nephews, fearing for their uncle’s life, return to Donald’s house to warn him. Once at Donald’s house, they see Donald take off the hook and the mask, replace the dummy that was sitting on Donald’s chair, and begin to eat all of his nephew’s candy. Vowing revenge, the nephews creep into Donald’s house, pour glue into the hook and mask, then creep out again. The Donald’s doorbell rings, hoping for more candy, Donald puts back on his costume and opens the door. On the front step is a police officer who asks Donald if he has seen a masked and hooked man who may have kidnapped Huey, Louis, and Duey. Unable to take his costume off, Donald runs for his life. The following is a chase scene that has Donald go back through the neighborhood and end up at a cemetery where his nephews scare him into getting all their candy back. The short cuts to Huey, Louis, and Duey holding Donald a pitchfork in order to get Donald to get all the candy back. Donald rings the doorbell. Form inside, a shadow of a man with a hooked hand comes into view, scare Donald and his nephews. Donald and his nephews run away. The hooked man comes out into the light to reveal that it was only Goofy, dressed as Santa Claus, holding candy canes.

This short is fun. The art style of the early 2000’s Mickey is different. I am so used to either the older Mickey or the newer Mickey look, that I am unsure what to think about the short lived 2000’s Mickey look of the House of Mouse series. I did enjoy the music, which was another Edvard Grieg piece, “The Hall of the Mountain King.” Edvard Grieg appears to have really enjoyed making creepy songs, or the Disney animators enjoyed it because they use his works a lot.

I started today’s letter stating that Donald was my favorite character. As I have gotten older, Donald is no longer my favorite. I still enjoy his shorts, but not to the amount that I did in my youth. That being said, I still can do a pretty good impersonation.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear

Day 17: Winnie-the-Boo!

October 17, 2022

Dear Disney,

For the 17th Day of Disney Halloween, Darling and I wanted to walk down a path of nostalgia. When I was younger, I loved Winnie-the-Pooh. The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh was my daily naptime movie. To this day, I cannot make it through “Winnie-the-Pooh and the Very Blustery Day” without falling asleep. As the rain, rain, rain, comes down, down, down; so do my eyelids. As I was going through the lists of potential Disney Halloween shorts, specials, and feature length movies, I came across the 1996 Halloween Special, “Boo to You Too! Winnie-the-Pooh.” I remembered watching it after Trick-or-Treating and I asked Darling if we could watch it tonight. She said, “Yes.”

“Boo to You Too! Winnie-the-Pooh” was a Halloween special set in the New Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh series world. The New Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh aired 1988-1991 on the Disney Channel and ABC. After that, specials would be created using mostly the same voice talent and art style. This lasted most of the rest of the decade of the 90’s. Darling and I remember the shows to be cute, and silly, but relatively tame compared to modern cartoon aimed at the same target audience. One of the things that I remembered was that the colors and visuals were stunning, sharp, and differed enough from the older work to look, to my childish eyes, to be new and cool. When we watched this short tonight, I had hoped that some of my childhood nostalgia would come back as it has for many other works, but, alas, it did not.

The story is simple. It is Halloween. The creatures of the Hundred Acre Wood are getting ready for Halloween, except Piglet. Piglet is too scared to partake in Halloween. Piglet tries to build up his tolerance for fear, but it does not work. Eeyore, Tigger, and Pooh try to support Piglet by leaving Piglet alone. Pooh then decides to come back to Piglet and spend Halloween, or as they are calling it “Hallowon’t” with Piglet. This frightens Piglet, who runs away. All the creatures get lost and scared. Finally finding themselves at Rabbit’s, Piglet accidentally saves the day and everyone is happy.

The story is cute enough. The characters are cute enough. Everything is cute enough, but it was missing something. Or maybe I am missing something. I guess with somethings you can never re-live. Darling says that as she gets older, she stop relating to most of the creatures and start mostly relating to Rabbit. I must agree with this as well. Maybe as we age, we all become Rabbits?

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darlin

Day 16: Oh, It’s like a show!

October 16, 2022

Dear Disney,

I love the Muppets. Some of my earliest memories are sitting in the living room of my grandmother’s house, eating macaroni and cheese from a pressed tin Pac-Man tv tray, and watching The Muppet Show on her old, turn-knob tv, the kind with the satisfying click that you heard every time you changed the channel. I would laugh at Miss Piggy and Kermit, at Fozzie’s terrible jokes, and Gonzo’s bizarre behaviors. The Muppets are madness, chaos, anarchy, and I love them. So, in 2021, Disney announced a new Muppet special bring Muppet’s to one of my favorite holidays and rides/franchises: The Haunted Mansion. My excitement was palpable. When it came out, Darling and I sat on our couch, got our popcorn, and I fell into a nostalgic bliss. Today, for the 16 day of Disney Halloween, we will be watching the Muppets Haunted Mansion.

The plot is relatively loose, with Gonzo and Pepe participating in a challenge to spend one night in the same mansion that Gonzo’s favorite magician, The great MacGuffin, stayed in before he vanished forever! Gonzo and Pepe stay in this haunted mansion, hi-jinks ensue, and, eventually, everything turns out in the end. I do not want to spoil it for anyone, as it is only a year old, but if you have not watched it yet, go to Disney+ and watch it. It is well worth your time.

One of my favorite things to do on Muppet specials is play the “where/Who’s that cameo?” and watch all the walk-on bits that random stars will do for the show and how the Muppets react or don’t. Because the Muppets Universe is tied with the real world, I never know if they are going to place a lamp on why this “A-list” star is now the janitor or digging graves. it’s just delightful.

The Muppet Haunted Mansion is the first Muppet Halloween Special. I always assumed that a franchise as old as the Muppets should surely have done a special for all of the holidays, but alas, it took until 2021 for a spoopy Halloween special to be produced.

Before I go, I wanted to bring up a couple of things to highlight: as you are watching this special, see how many easter eggs from the ride you can find.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear

Day 15: I don’t have any training!

October 15, 2022

Dear Disney,

In 1995, history was made. The first full length fully digital animated movie was made, Toy Story. Darling and I loved it. Toy Story was endearing, and interesting, and so cool. Even to this day, Darling and I will sit down and watch Toy Story and get drawn back to our childhoods. Since that original movie, four other movies and multiple shorts were created. Each of them wonderful. For this 15th day of Disney Halloween let us look at the Halloween special released October 2013, “Toy Story of Terror!”

“Toy Story of Terror!” follows sometime after Toy Story 3. I won’t spoil too much of that movie, but understand that the Woody and Buzz and the gang now live with Bonnie, a little girl of 4 or 5. Bonnie brought Woody, Buzz, Jessie and some of the other friends on a road trip. Using as portable DVD player, the toys were watching a horror movie to set the scene and get everyone scared. Bonnie, her mom, and the toys, stop for the night in a hotel. Outside, it is dark and stormy. After Bonnie and her mom are asleep, the toys explore the hotel room. While exploring, Mr. Potatoe head goes missing. Then another toy goes missing. Then another, until finally it is only Jessie. Jessie is saved by another toy named Combat Carl. He shows her what has happened to her friends. The hotel clerk has set his iguana to go and steal all the toys so that the clerk can re-sale them on the internet. Jessie, working with Combat Carl, unmask the clerk to Bonnie’s mom. Bonnie’s mom calls the police and everyone is saved.

The plot is predictable and cliched, but we love this short. The over-arching plot is a common horror film convention. The more personal story is that of Jessie, working through her abandonment issues and fear of being alone and left. That is the real story. That very real fear of being left behind by your friends and family.

For all the Toy Story franchise, the plot is less important than each characters over-arching story. It’s this large picture that makes this franchise, and really most Pixar productions, so wonderful. The dialogue is clever. The animation is smooth. These toys are as real as any character that is actually alive.

We won’t say that we watched this every year since it came out, but since Disney+ has made this, and many other films, easily obtainable, it has become one of our perennial favorites.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 14: It’s Alive…Again!

October 14, 2022

Dear Disney,

Yesterday, we discussed the 1984 short film “Frankenweenie",” and today we are going to be looking at the 2012 3D stop-motion remake Frankenweenie. Tim Burton used the opportunity for this remake to throw in every classic horror movie cliche he could think of. The end result is an interesting, quirky, heartfelt story about a boy and his dog.

The story is almost exactly like the original but extended from the original 20 minutes to almost an hour and a half. Where some of the scenes in the original seem to quick or edited interestingly, the remake allows the characters to exist and become more real.

Tim Burton brought together a star studded cast to bring this remake to life, including Catharine O’hara, Winona Ryder, Martin Landau, and Martin Short. They actors brought much more to the table and modern audiences seemed to enjoy the film.

In addition, some of the many easter eggs Tim Burton placed in the movie are the allusion to Dracula’s monster killer Van Helsin in Victor’s neighbor, Elsa Van Helsing. The cemetery that Sparky is buried in is also the resting place for Zero for The Nightmare Before Christmas. The allusion to Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee, monster movie alums, in the character Nassor and the footage Victor’s parents are watching respectively.

This film was more interesting to me then the short, probably because I saw it at a different stage in my life. Frankenweenie is all the weird and bizarreness that is Tim Burton, with a cute twist. I strongly encourage anyone to watch both the short and the feature length film, but if you cannot, try the feature length film for the modern audience.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear

Day 13: It’s Alive!

October 13, 2022

Dear Disney,

The 80’s was a wild time. I love Disney in the 80’s. Trying new things. Allowing young creative minds to do weird ideas. For the 13th day of Disney Halloween, I would like to bring back a show that I did not understand as a kid, but that has been the gateway for many a beloved project since, the 1984 short film, “Frankenweenie".”

“Frankenweenie” is the story of a boy and the love he has for his dog. It’s rather touching in a weird. Tim Burton-esque sort of way. The film opens with Victor Frankenstein, played by Barret Oliver of The Never-ending Story fame (coincidently also released in 1984, this was a big year for Barret) a boy of 10-12 years old, making a movie together with his dog Sparky, a bull-pit terrier. After finishing the movie, Barret and his dog were in the front of their house playing when Sparky his hit and killed by a car. After learning about electricity and how it could muscle contract, Victor creates an elaborate machine to harness the electric power and re-animate his dog. The plan was a success, and Sparky was returned to life. Obviously, the re-animation of a corpse did not appeal to his neighbors who chased Sparky and Victor into a miniature golf course. Victor and Sparky hide in the golf course windmill. A neighbor, using a lighter to see into the windmill, drops the lighter, setting the windmill ablaze. Victor falls and gets hurt. Sparky rescues Victor and everyone accepts the re-animated dog into the neighborhood. The last scene shows Sparky and a french poodle, whose haircut is reminiscent of The Bride of Frankestein. Sparks shoot out of Sparky’s tale, showing that he is attracted to the poodle, and the sparks spell out “The End.”

I will be honest, this short is weird. Very weird. The Disney Company thought so as well as after the completion of this film, Disney fired Tim Burton as an animator. Probably for the best, without this film, basically cementing Tim Burton’s style into the zeitgeist, we would not have The Nightmare Before Christmas. I think Burton needed Disney to hone his skills as a movie maker. Burton also needed Disney to cut him loose.

I still don’t really like this short, for personal reasons. The shots are fine. The allusions are fine. The acting by Barret is great. Susan Duvall’s portrayal of Victor’s mom is great and accepting. It’s a fine short, I just do not have the nostalgia needed to make this interesting to me. I saw this the first time on one of the Disney Channel’s free weekends that they would have in the early 90’s and I just wasn’t old enough to get it or care. Now, I do get it. I do care, but there are better representations of this, such as the 2012 stop-motion re-make of this short into a feature length film by the same name "Frankenweenie.”

Speaking of which, I believe I will be watching next.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear

Day 12: Ghostlight!

October 12, 2022

Dear Disney,

In 2006, in the DVD box set of Cars, Pixar brought audiences back to the world of Cars in a short that is a horror/supernatural/prankster piece called “Mater and the Ghostlight.” This short is quick and witty and always fun to watch, but, similarly to “Legend of Mor’du,” I never considered this to be especially holiday related. I was wrong. “Mater and the Ghostlight” is a perfect, spoopy, Halloween-esque short for all ages.

The short opens with Mater pulling a series of pranks and scares on the citizens of Radiator Springs. Lightning MCQueen thinks all of these pranks are relatively foolish, and Mater asks Lightning if he knows about the Ghostlight of Route 66. Sheriff overhears the conversation, and when asked by Lightning if this was true, Sherrif tells the urban legend of the blue orb that haunts Radiator Springs. He tells about a couple vanishing, leaving only two out-of-state license plates behind. Mater finds that his imagination has run wild with Sheriff’s story and is scared of the Ghostlight now that he is alone as all of the citizens of Radiator Springs have gone back to their individual houses and stores. Throughout the night, Mater thinks that the Ghostlight is behind every bush. Mater is even scared by a small lightning bug, thinking that the bug was the Ghostlight. Suddenly, Mater is encompassed with a light-blue glow: the Ghostlight! The remainder of the short is Mater being chased throughout Radiator Springs by the Ghostlight. By the end of the short, Mater learns that there is no such thing as the Ghostlight. The light that had been following him all night was none other than a lamp affixed to his tow-hook.

The short is fun and campy and spoopy. I kind of love how campy it is. We can really see the characters of Radiator Springs interact with each other on a day-by-day basis and that is what I like about it.

Watching the short for 31 Days of Halloween has got me interested in watching the other Cars shorts. I think I will do exactly that.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear

Day 11: A Brave Halloween

October 11, 2022

Dear Disney,

As I was looking at the Disney+ Halloween section, I saw a short that I thought I had never heard of before. I looked at it, selected it, and began to watch the short. I was very confused. I finished the 8 minute short and sat back in my chair. Why did I just watch this? What had this short have to do with Halloween? I still do not know. So today, for the 31 Days of Disney Halloween we are looking at the 2012 Pixar Animation short, “The Legend of Mor’du.”

“The Legend of Mor’du” tells the story of the main villian(?) of the 2012 Pixar movie Brave. Mor’du was the eldest of four princes, each known for a specific trait. Mor’du was known for his incredible strength. When Mor’du’s father was on his deathbed, he asked Mor’du and his brothers to share the throne as hi felt that the brother’s were stronger together than they were apart. Mor’du felt betrayed, as he thought, as the eldest, he deserved the kingdom all for himself. He fought his brothers for the throne, and although he and his army was mighty, so were his brothers. Finally, he found himself alone in the woods when he came upon an old hut. In the hut was a witch. He asked the witch to give him a spell that would let him have the strength of multiple men. She saw in him the strife that the war with his brothers had created, as such, she created a spell that would indeed give him the strength he wanted but also a way to mend his familiar ties if he wanted. Taking the potion, he brought his brother together under a banner of truth. He took the potion and he turned into a giant bear. Refusing to mend the ties, he killed his brothers and remained a bear for all time.

When I watched this short, I remembered that I had watched it years ago on the DVD extras. I have no idea why Disney+ has specifically earmarked this short as a Halloween movie, seeing as it has nothing to do with Halloween. Darling says it is considered a Halloween movie because it is creepy, similar to “The Mad Doctor” or “The Skeleton Dance.” I can see the rational, but it still bothers me a little.

I have no real emotions or memories associated with this short. I do not want to make people assume I did not like it, because I did. The visuals were pleasing. The transitions between the 3d digital portions and the hand drawn animatics are very pretty and smooth and scream Pixar-perfection.

As far as a 31 days of Halloween feature, its scary and dark adn I suppose that’s everything anyone could ask for.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling