Marnie Piper is given a scholarship to Witch University, a very prestigious college in Halloweentown. Accompanied by her brother, Dylan Piper, Marnie quickly adjusts to life at Witch University. She makes three friends, Aneesa (a genie), Ethan Dalloway, and a troll whose name is almost not pronounceable, and three enemies, Sage, Saphire, and Scarlett Sinister. As the film progresses, Marnie becomes aware of a conspiracy led by a secret organization called "The Dominion." The Dominion plans to harness the Cromwell magic locked away in a stone container by Splendora Cromwell, one of the earliest Cromwells, and take over Halloweentown. What follows is betrayal, romance, time travel, and Disney Channel suspense.
Like many, I was a little disappointed that Kimberley J. Brown did not reprise her role, but Sara Paxton did a very good job in her stead. Paxton's Marnie is different from Brown's Marnie; this Marnie is a bit more invigorated and definitely personifies teenage angst.
While Judith Hoag and Joey Zimmerman return as Gwen and Dylan Piper, Emily Roeske (Sophie Piper) does not have a role in the movie, and Debbie Reynolds (Aggie Cromwell) only has two cameos. While in my opinion, the loss of Roeske is not very tragic (she was barely in the third movie), I was surprised that Reynolds did not have a larger role.
The Sinister sisters (Kelly Cockrell, Katie Cockrell, and Kristy Wu) seem rather one dimensional. Scarlett (Wu) is the only sister who does not seem next to lifeless. I was also surprised that Sage and Saphire (Cockrell and Cockrell) did not have larger roles; their apparent purpose in the movie is to accompany Scarlett, who, of course, walks in the middle as if leading the pack.
I would write about the teachers and other faculty members that Marnie and Dylan meet at Witch University, but this website does not mention the names of at least two of them. What I can write is that Dr. Grogg is falsely benevolent, Dr. Goodwin (Leslie Pomeroy) has an aura of menace, Silas Sinister (the Sinister sisters' father) is repetitive and rather flat, yet imposing, and Professor Periwinkle, who was a friend of Marnie's grandmother, is very likable.
Ethan's (Lucas Grabeel, reprising his role from "Halloweentown High") character seems to have completely changed. He went from static and pompous to unusually flirtatious and caring. That was not a bad change; it was just unexpected. Aneesa (Summer Bishil) is a newcomer, but fills out her role very well.
But enough about the characters. The story was very good. There were a few pop culture references (some of which seemed a little anachronistic) such as "ring tone," "G-Unit," "shimmy," and "Spiderman," but their usage was funny. And every so often there was a shot of Judith Hoag yelling odd things at a birdbath or a toilet. The whole time travel storyline was very interesting; it was marred ever so slightly by the fact that Splendora Cromwell was not as ancient an ancestor as she would be expected to be. Overall, though, the movie was very enjoyable, and I feel that it was the best Halloweentown installment to date.
Like many, I was a little disappointed that Kimberley J. Brown did not reprise her role, but Sara Paxton did a very good job in her stead. Paxton's Marnie is different from Brown's Marnie; this Marnie is a bit more invigorated and definitely personifies teenage angst.
While Judith Hoag and Joey Zimmerman return as Gwen and Dylan Piper, Emily Roeske (Sophie Piper) does not have a role in the movie, and Debbie Reynolds (Aggie Cromwell) only has two cameos. While in my opinion, the loss of Roeske is not very tragic (she was barely in the third movie), I was surprised that Reynolds did not have a larger role.
The Sinister sisters (Kelly Cockrell, Katie Cockrell, and Kristy Wu) seem rather one dimensional. Scarlett (Wu) is the only sister who does not seem next to lifeless. I was also surprised that Sage and Saphire (Cockrell and Cockrell) did not have larger roles; their apparent purpose in the movie is to accompany Scarlett, who, of course, walks in the middle as if leading the pack.
I would write about the teachers and other faculty members that Marnie and Dylan meet at Witch University, but this website does not mention the names of at least two of them. What I can write is that Dr. Grogg is falsely benevolent, Dr. Goodwin (Leslie Pomeroy) has an aura of menace, Silas Sinister (the Sinister sisters' father) is repetitive and rather flat, yet imposing, and Professor Periwinkle, who was a friend of Marnie's grandmother, is very likable.
Ethan's (Lucas Grabeel, reprising his role from "Halloweentown High") character seems to have completely changed. He went from static and pompous to unusually flirtatious and caring. That was not a bad change; it was just unexpected. Aneesa (Summer Bishil) is a newcomer, but fills out her role very well.
But enough about the characters. The story was very good. There were a few pop culture references (some of which seemed a little anachronistic) such as "ring tone," "G-Unit," "shimmy," and "Spiderman," but their usage was funny. And every so often there was a shot of Judith Hoag yelling odd things at a birdbath or a toilet. The whole time travel storyline was very interesting; it was marred ever so slightly by the fact that Splendora Cromwell was not as ancient an ancestor as she would be expected to be. Overall, though, the movie was very enjoyable, and I feel that it was the best Halloweentown installment to date.