Dawalk-1
I don't believe I ever heard of this animated Halloween special nor do I remember seeing this when I was little/younger before finding out this was airing on This TV over a couple of months ago. I won't say no wonder I don't recall viewing nor hearing of this one because it's rare, that's not exactly the case since I also learned that after originally airing on NBC, it aired on Fox and the Disney Channel from 1983 to the late '90s. Oddly, I don't remember it ever airing on Fox either and it airing on DC was unbeknown to me.Anyway, to get to the point of my review. This is an inventive Halloween gem and Halloween high jinks abound when a witch, who's dejected that nobody has sought after her for quite some time, soon becomes upbeat once she hears of a couple of kids named Small and Tender wish they could be a real werewolf and a real ghost. In the meantime, four adults named Goodly, Nicely, Rotten, and Malicious prepare and set up everything for a Halloween party. That night, while Small and Tender are being read a bedtime story by their babysitter, Bazooey, the Witch rides on her flying broom and zooms to their house, crash landing through the kids' bedroom window upstairs. She arrives to turn Small and Tender into what they desired with her wand, then turns Bazooey into a Frankenstein's monster at his request. Afterwards, the four head to the Halloween party to have some fun scaring the party-goers. As Small, Tender, and Bazooey do so, it worked so much the party-goers are convinced they're actually the real things, maybe it worked a little too well. This leads to a misunderstanding when the townspeople decide to form a mob and pursue the foursome, but this is resolved later.Another reviewer pointed out the odd, abnormal, unconventional names of the characters. With Goodly and Nicely, as well as Rotten and Malicious, I believe they're named as such, because the former pair are supposed to represent polar opposites and counter the latter pair, especially pertaining to their differing attitudes toward the holiday. Small and Tender's names refer to what children are. Bazooey's name is simply nonsensical. One of my favorite parts is after Rotten and Malicious steal the Witch's wand, they attempt to conjure up what they want, but they fail at it, as neither seems to know what they're doing and don't seem to be well-versed in magic. Although the animation isn't quite bad, I wish it were better and it would've been great to see it on the same level as today's animated things. I like that the citizens are multicolored, which I don't find distracting, and the voice cast did great. I wonder if this served as somewhat of an inspiration for one of the Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror segments, "I've Grown a Costume On Your Face", which has a similar plot. I loved this so much, I, too, wish somehow, something else could've been done with the characters and this served as a pilot to a series. This gives a message on what the Halloween spirit is, all in the name of thrills and fun. The whole thing was/is great, I enjoyed it.
Mandice
I love, love, love this movie! I remember watching it as a kid. Then, when I was lucky enough to find a copy on a "bargain basement" online shop, I was thrilled! My three year old watched it 4 times, yesterday (It's 26 minutes long, so I suppose that wasn't long enough for her). The only questionable portion, for me, is the suggestiveness of the females in the animation. It's not terrible, but when one of the characters becomes a vampiress, It's kind of funny that her costume is a bikini.A great holiday film!
Brett Walter
Every year at holiday times, my family always watches the same specials. Come Halloween time, this is one of our favorites. My only complaint with this special is the colors. Every single person is a different color, and it is kind of annoying and distracting the first couple of times that you watch it. But it has a great voice cast, and is worth seeing.
BROOKE
Great for kids! A classic must have for your Halloween munchkin. A wonderful look at a washed up witch, & a town that has forgotten how much fun Halloween can be. Gilda Radner is hilarious! The animation although a little outdated is still engaging. So pick up a copy, & enjoy!
