In 1998, the Disney Channel introduced original movie Halloweentown. It was about a girl, Marnie Piper, who discovers she's a witch. Her grandma (Debbie Reynolds) is a great witch, while her mom, who has chosen to live the mortal life, refuses to accept her being a witch. It's Marnie's 13th birthday, and if she isn't trained to be a witch, she will lose her powers forever. Can this newcomer witch learn the ropes quickly enough to save Halloweentown?
In 2001, the first sequel premiered, Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge. Marnie, now more experienced, has to stop her family's enemy from enslaving Halloweentown (recurring theme). Three years later, in the third movie, Halloweentown High, Marnie attempts to prove that humans and creatures can live peacefully together, so she invents a human-witch high school exchange program. Although most like the idea, others are determined to stop it.
Finally, last Friday, October 20, the fourth movie in the series came out: Return to Halloweentown.
In the fourth movie, Marnie gets a full-ride scholarship to Witch University. This sounds too good to be true to Marnie. Marnie's mother (Judith Hoag) is, as usual, completely against the idea. She reluctantly agrees to let Marnie go, but makes Marnie's non-magic brother, Dylan (Joey Zimmerman), tag along. At school, Marnie reconnects with Ethan Dalloway (Lucas Grabeel), whose father was the evil villain in the last movie.
On the first day, she makes enemies with the Sinister sisters: Sage (Katie Cockrell), Saphire (Kellie Cockrell), and Scarlett (Kristy Wu). Dylan is in love with all three of them after they cast a spell on him.
Some people Marnie trusts too much, as they are seeking to use her power to take over Halloweentown. With then help of Ethan, Aneesa the genie (Summer Bishil), and a professor who is a-look-a-like of her grandma, she has to stop these evil forces, learn about her family past, and save Halloweentown... again.
In the first three movies, Marnie Piper was played by Kimberly J. Brown. Kimberly is a great actress and she has many devoted fans online. Kimberly decided not to sign on to the fourth movie. Obviously, you cannot just write out the part of Marnie: she's the main character! She was recast with Sara Paxton.
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Article comments
1 - Victor Lana
Maddy, my daughter is 5 and we watched the first 3 movies in the Disney marathon last week and then the new movie. If she noticed that Marnie was being played by someone different, she never told me. Maybe younger kids just think she grew up. I don't know, but she really enjoyed it (and so did I). Thanks for your review.
2 - Joan Hunt
Congratulations! This article has been selected for placement on Advance.net
3 - lamore
hey i think hollaweentown was great but the girl who plays marny is boring
4 - Sasha
I'd like to say first that I loved the Halloweentown series, that was before the fourth one came out. I was dissapointed in the fact that Sara Paxton was going to play Marnie. I thought that Sara Paxton was limited in her ability to act before I saw Return to Halloweentown, and this movie proved my suspicions. I was pleasantly surprised with Lucas Grabeel's performance, even though I was not a big fan of HSM. I was truly excited for the fourth Halloweentown movie to come out and was dissapointed when the old Marnie was not cast in it. One of the main reasons I did not like Sara Paxton in this movie was because she broke character many times and seemed to go back to her Aquamarine roots. I truly hope that Disney casts the old Marnie back in the 5th installment and that they try to avoid such obvious pick up lines and cliches.
5 - DAren
sara paxton is boring i like kimberly more better
6 - andrea patterson
I think every one is wrong about the movie return to halloween town because it is a really grea movie and i am glad that they picked someone else t oplay marnie because kimberly was arired i the first three so it was good that they let someone else new play marnie and sara paxton was great!!!
7 - Gemma
I think Sara did a great job. I really like the genie and hope they bring her back for all the future Halloweentowns. Maybe as a romantic interest for Dylan, they would be really cute together. I know all my friends liked it and my younger sisters friends were crazy about it.
8 - Deena
Hey I loved this movie I really don't remember the other ones to much, but this one was fun to watch. I really liked the genie and think they should have used more of her. I hope they bring her back for the next one and increase her role. Maybe as Ethan's or Dylans girlfriend.
9 - Ariel
i luved that movie. it doesnt really matter who was who cuz they were all great actors. i recomended this to my sister and she LOVED it as well and now she got her friends hooked up on it. i hope they bring the genie back too. she could become a more important character
10 - lucas lover - emma
i hate sara paxton not just because hes a terrible acctres but besause i know they cut it out but the still filmed it and i know this because i sent an email to lucas grabeel about it
i was shocked that there lips touched for longer than a second and a half if i ever meet her ill flatten her like road kill
kissing my man she better keep her hands off him of ill beat her like a pinata
11 - hannah
i love that movie every single time its on the dineychanel!!!
12 - nellie
i want to get the movie halloween town