‘Halloweentown’ Fun Facts: 6 Things To Know About The Disney Channel’s Bewitching Movie Series

Every October, plenty of Disney Channel viewers wait around for one movie series: “Halloweentown.” Though the film series kicked off in 1998 and ended in 2006, the movies have remained popular with a certain group of fans. After all, who doesn’t love a spellbinding ‘90s throwback? The films follow a young girl, Marnie (Kimberly J. Brown), as she learns that she is a witch and visits her grandmother (Debbie Reynolds) in Halloweentown. Audiences probably remember the family-friendly adventures and heartwarming lessons in the series, but they might not know a few fun facts about the flicks.

1. You Can Visit – St. Helens, Oregon, is where the original “Halloweentown” was filmed, and they welcome tourists. In fact, they have a month-long Spirit of Halloweentown event to celebrate the October holiday and allow fans of the movie to explore the town. They even try to recreate parts of the set, like the giant jack-o-lantern in the town square.

2. Brown Loves Her "Halloweentown" History – Some former child actors might run away from the movies they made as a kid, but Brown, 30, doesn’t seem to mind talking about the Disney Channel movies. She regularly answers fan questions on social media, and she’ll even attend the Spirit of Halloweentown this year. To kick off the festivities on Oct. 10, Brown will be a special guest at their pumpkin lighting ceremony and talk to fans.

3. Only Two Actors Are In All Four Films – Despite there being four Disney Channel Original Movies in the “Halloweentown” series, many actors only appeared in a couple of them. Only Judith Hoag, who played Marnie’s mom, Gwen, and Joey Zimmerman, who played Marnie’s brother, Dylan, are credited as appearing in all of the “Halloweentown” titles.

4. The Marnie Actresses Are On Good Terms – Much to the dismay of many fans, Brown was replaced as Marnie in the fourth film, “Return to Halloweentown.” Sara Paxton took over the role, but there is no bad blood between the actresses. “Sarah and I have grown up in the business together, and she didn't ‘jack’ anything lol,” Brown told a fan during a Facebook Q&A. “She's really sweet and had nothing to do personally with that.”

5. “High School Musical” Stars – Before appearing in “High School Musical,” Olesya Rulin (Kelsi in “HSM”) appeared in “Halloweentown High” as Natalie the Pink Troll. Lucas Gabreel (Ryan in “HSM”) played Ethan the Warlock in the same film. Ethan even mentions that he has always wanted to be in a play, but it would be another two years before the musical hit debuted on Disney.

6. You Can Watch Them All – Although Disney Channel’s “Monstober” programming doesn’t seem to feature the movies, they are still available online. If you have Disney Channel and login information from your cable provider, you can see all four “Halloweentown” films at your leisure this month. “Halloweentown,” “Halloweentown 2: Kalabar’s Revenge,” “Halloweentown High” and “Return to Halloweentown” are all available on Disney Channel’s website. Watch here.