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Was "Return to Halloweentown" Needed?

Back in Halloweentown huh? I recently watched the entire series seeming as Halloween is coming right around the corner. The original movie in the series was first released 20 years ago in 1998, and it still holds up as a DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie) classic. The franchise is about how a normal family turns out to have magical powers who save Halloweentown and the world. The fourth and last installment of the series was released in October 2006. The question is: was the fourth movie really needed? The answer is no. The plot of the whole movie was a little bit everywhere. It wasn't difficult to follow, but I just lost interest throughout the duration of the film. Disney also made the decision to replace Marnie Piper, the main character of the whole franchise, formerly played by Kimberly J. Brown to Sara Paxton respectfully. I had grown to make an emotional connection with the characters and especially Brown's portrayal of Marnie. Sadly, Paxton couldn't deliver the way Brown had did previously. She couldn't bring Marnie to life the same way Brown had. The on-screen chemistry that the whole cast had was one of the main reasons that the movies are classics and well-known. Changing the lead put a dent on the family aspect of the final movie. I have nothing against Paxton. I'm sure she is an amazing actress, but I just don't like her portrayal of Marnie Piper. Going back to the family aspect of the series most of Pipers/Cromwells weren't in the movie. Aggie Cromwell, the grandmotherly figure, the heart and soul of the franchise played by the late Debbie Reynolds was only present in the movie by holograms. The little sister Sophie, portrayed by Emily Roeske was not present in this movie at all. The brother Dylan, played by Joey Zimmerman wasn't given any development and was pretty useless in this movie. The plot itself wasn't engaging and it was unimportant to the overall series. This is considered to be the worst movie in the whole franchise, even by IMDb. "Return to Halloweentown" was just a way Disney tried to milk the franchise. I mean who wouldn't want to see another Halloweentown movie? In my opinion, "Return to Halloweentown" shouldn't have existed especially without Kimberly Brown. What are your thoughts?

Where to Watch Return to Halloweentown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grYQjOe-fsI

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