“How Many Halloweentowns Are There?” & 9 Other Disney Channel Halloween Logic Questions, Answered

Halloween was a special time for kids of the 1990s and 2000s, but Disney Channel made the event even more magical. The network was the place to be in October for years, and while they don’t make new scary movies much anymore, all the good times can be relived on Disney+.

After all those years tuning in for “Hauntober Fest,” adult Disney Channel movie fans have some questions. Grab some popcorn and candy; secrets will be revealed before the portal closes.

10 How Many Halloweentowns Are There?

There are four movies in the franchise. Halloweentown (1998), Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge (2001), Halloweentown High (2004), and Return to Halloweentown (2006). Kimberly J. Brown played Marnie Cromwell in the first three of the four films, and Sara Paxton played Marnie in the fourth and final movie.

The first two installments carve out the identity of the series, and the third made it a satisfying trilogy. The fourth has a much darker tone than the earlier movies and feels a little out of place.

9 How Many Disney Channel Halloween Movies Exist?

Technically, there are 13 Disney Channel Halloween films–how apropos! All of them are classified as DCOMs, too. They are: Under Wraps, Halloweentown, Don’t Look Under the Bed, Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire, Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge,  The Scream Team, Halloweentown High, Twitches, Return to Halloweentown, Twitches, Too,  Girl vs. Monster, Invisible Sister, and The Swap. 

These don’t include Can of Worms or Stepsister from Planet Weird, which are both about aliens but not about Halloween. It’s a similar deal for both the Zombies and Descendants. And Phantom of the Megaplex? That one didn’t premiere until November of 2000. Scary subject matter does not a Halloween film make, but it’s fun when those are adopted for the season.

8 But What About Mr. Boogedy?

80s kids (or just frequent Wikipedia users) might be wondering why Mr. Boogedy and Bride of Boogedy aren’t classified as Halloween DCOMs. First of all, DCOMs didn’t begin as an official classification until October 1997.

Earlier Disney Channel movies were called Disney Channel Premiere Films. And secondly, Wikipedia is wrong! Mr. Boogedy and its sequel first aired on ABC in April of 1986 and ’87, respectively. They were then rerun on the Disney Channel during the Halloween season.

7 Is Hocus Pocus A DCOM?

No, Hocus Pocus is not a DCOM because it was released theatrically in 1993. It’s still a Disney film, but it was not recycled on cable television until later on. The movie, directed by High School Musical’s Kenny Ortega, only became more popular as time went on.

ABC Family (now Freeform) aired the film as much, if not more, than Disney Channel did through the years. Fans are eager to learn more about the Disney+ sequel that is still in the works. Oh, and Casper Meets Wendy isn’t a DCOM either. Disney aired it after its direct-to-video release.

6 Was Halloweentown The First Halloween DCOM?

It might seem like Halloweentown should be the first feature of the Halloween DCOM era,  but it is the second. Halloweentown’s 1998 premiere was preceded by that of Under Wraps in 1997. Under Wraps was certainly a humble beginning for the network’s Halloween circuit, and it happens to be the very first DCOM.

It’s a cute movie starring Adam Wylie, Mario Yedidia, and Clara Bryant. But if a rewatch doesn’t completely make sense, don’t be alarmed. That’s normal with this movie. Surprisingly, only two films premiered between Under Wraps and Halloweentown: You Lucky Dog and Brink!

5 Which Halloween DCOM Is The Best?

Well, objectively speaking, Don’t Look Under the Bed has the highest IMDb score at 6.9, with Halloweentown following at 6.8. Subjectively speaking, fans particularly love Halloweentown over twenty years later as much as they did when they were kids.

The movie is talked about nonstop for a reason. How else would Disney get the idea for all their classic Halloween programming blocks and marathons?

4 Which Disney Channel Series Had Halloween Episodes?

Even Stevens had “A Very Scary Story” and Lizzie McGuire had “Night of the Day of the Dead.” That’s So Raven turned its star into a cow at a Halloween party with “Don’t Have a Cow.” Then there’s the ultimate Suite Life episode, “The Ghost in Suite 613.” Or the Phil of the Future episode where Debbie Burwick becomes evil (simply titled “Halloween”). The Jersey also had an episode called “Halloween,” and The Famous Jett Jackson had “Ghost Dance,” the episode with Britney Spears and the Halloween dance. In a Heartbeat did an episode about teens doing stupid stuff on Halloween entitled “A Night to Remember.” So Weird did an episode and called it “Boo.”

The Proud Family, Kim Possible, Lilo and Stitch: The Series, and Brandy & Mr. Whiskers all had Halloween episodes. As Disney Channel moved into new eras, they made Halloween episodes for Hannah Montana, So Random, Good Luck Charlie, Wizards of Waverly Place, and more.

3 Which Years Had No New Halloween Movies?

Those would be 2003, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2017 to 2020. It was rare not to get a new Halloween DCOM long ago, but the dearth is quite common in recent years.

Since 2016, only two DCOMs have been released per each calendar year at all. But back in the glory days, October was the coolest time of year to have cable.

2 Why Were There More Halloween Stories Than Christmas/Holiday?

While this topic is still being investigated, there are some good explanations. Halloween falls during a great time of year for new programming. The new episodes of the season are an easy excuse to go pumpkin-crazy, so why not put together a giant Halloween party that lasts for all of October?

Disney Channel is also known for being polished and more politically correct as time has gone on. They may have worried about misrepresenting or underrepresenting religious observances of the holiday season. Whatever their reasoning, Disney only made three Christmas movies and just one movie including Hanukkah.

1 Do Any Disney Channel Actors Remember This Stuff?

Absolutely! Disney Channel stars often have positive memories of filming DCOMs and special episodes. The best example is Kimberly J. Brown, who portrayed Marnie Cromwell in the first three Halloweentowns. She loved making those movies and even sells some awesome merch pertaining to quotes and beloved objects from the films (in addition to interacting with fans at festivals for the movies).

Adam Wylie has also spoken positively about being in the very first DCOM, Under Wraps. Tia and Tamera Mowry loved doing the Twitches films, and Tia even recreated her look from the movie on YouTube in 2019. These Halloween movies are special to a whole generation of actors and viewers, and there’s nothing like spending the fall season rewatching them on Disney+.

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