While the Halloweentown leading lady may be different, there are plenty of callbacks to the first three films to enjoy. For starters, the made-for-TV movie included several returning characters, including Grandma Aggie (Debbie Reynolds), Gwen (Judith Hoag) and Dylan (Joey Zimmerman). Lucas Grabeel also reprised his role of Ethan Dalloway, who was one of the only highlights of Halloweentown High.
Still, it’s the changes that make this movie a standout. Fellow witch Scarlett (Kristy Wu), who had a flair for half ‘dos and animal prints, proved to be the perfect millennial antagonist for Marnie. Speaking of mid ’00s fashion, Marnie’s Return to Halloweentown look—including layered shirts, colorful scarves and a side part—accurately reflected the time.
The college aesthetic was a nice change of pace from the Halloweentown we’d grown to know. The updated special effects—shout-out to the CGI castle and cool spells—and the creative time-travel story line certainly didn’t hurt the film either.