Hello and welcome to My Top Halloween Themed Movies blog post. It’s that time of year and my annual Halloween movie binging has begun. Halloween is my favorite holiday, sorry Christmas! So, I thought I would share my lighter side Halloween favorites. Let’s explore and discover The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad, ParaNorman, Coco and more. Grab your popcorn, comfy blanket and let the spirit of Halloween take you away!
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad
Released in 1949 The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad are two animated Disney films rolled into one adaption of classic literature. Photo courtesy of Disney.
In “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” gangly schoolmaster Ichabod Crane falls for the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel. Caught in a love triangle with Katrina and Brom Bones, Ichabod tries to win Katrina’s hand and her heart. The Headless Horseman might have other plans for Ichabod.
In “The Wind in the Willows,” wealthy Mr. Toad yearns for all the newest clothes, gadgets and gizmos. The top of his list is an automobile. Mr. Toad sets out to get one any way he can and the adventure is definitely a wild ride! Have you ridden Mr Toad’s Wild Ride at Disneyland?
Hocus Pocus
Hocus Pocus was released in 1993. There is now a Hocus Pocus 2 that was released 2022 but the first one will always be a favorite of mine to watch every October. Photo courtesy of IMdB
Max and his family are new to the town of Salem, Massachusetts. A small boring town, or so he thinks. Max, his sister Dani and their new friend Allison decide to go exploring. Cut to an old, creepy, abandoned house linked to a story told through the centuries, what could possible go wrong? Max accidentally frees a coven of evil witches, the Sanderson sisters, who used to live in the house. And they have children on their minds. Now, with the help of a magical cat, a good guy zombie, and the witches’ book of spells, its up to the gang to stop the sisters from running amuck! Amuck, Amuck, Amuck!
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Nightmare Before Christmas was also released in 1993, a good year for My Favorite Halloween Themed Movies. Phot courtesy of IMdB
The film follows the adventures of Jack Skellington and his friends. Jack is the beloved Pumpkin King of Halloweentown. The town has just completed another amazing Halloween filled with so many scares and screams. Mission accomplished, what more could he ask for? Well, Jack is bored with the same routine of frightening people in the real world once a year and he wants to do something about that. As Jack’s mind starts to wonder so does Jack. He accidentally stumbles onto Christmastown. Christmastown filled with bright colors and warm spirits, the exact opposite of Halloweentown. Jack decides he wants to bring Christmas under his control, add a pinch of Halloween to it all. His plan is to kidnap Santa Claus and take over Santa’s role. Will that put Jack on the good list or the bad list? Watch this favorite to find out.
The Haunted Mansion
Released in 2003, The Haunted Mansion is based upon one of my favorite rides at Disneyland. Photo courtesy of Disney.
“- Jim Evers: Honey, you know they have dead people in the backyard.
– Sara Evers: Well, some people have swimming pools, others have private cemeteries. It can happen.”
Workaholic real estate agent Jim Evers is accused by his wife, Sara, of neglecting their son and daughter. He decides to take the family on a vacation. Nothing says family time like a road trip. Of course the road trip can’t be ALL vacation so Jim decides to add a bit of work along the way. The family makes one quick side trip and stops off at a sinister mansion that Jim has been asked to sell. Selling is what Jim does. I wonder if he’ll put haunted in the house bio?
ParaNorman
ParaNorman was released in 2012 and was the first to use Rapid Prototyping. What is Rapid Prototyping you ask? It is aprocess that uses stop-motion utilization of a 3D Color Printer to create replacement faces for its puppets. That definition is still above my level of tech knowledge but I do know ParaNorman is one of my favorite Holloween movies! Photo courtesy of IMdB
Sandra Babcock:
Norman, I know you and grandma were very close, but we all have to move on. Grandma’s in a better place
Norman Babcock:
No she’s not, she’s in the living room.
Norman Babcock has the ability to speak with the dead, and he actually prefers their company to that of the living. Norman receives word from his strange Uncle Prenderghast (dead Uncle mind you) that a witch’s curse on their town is real and about to come true. When zombies begin appearing about town, Norman must summon all his courage and his new friends to push his paranormal abilities to the limit to save his fellow townspeople.
Hotel Transylvania
The first of the Hotel Transylvania franchise, as of this blog post there are now 4 films, was released in 2012. Photo courtesy of IMdB.
When monsters want to get away from it all, they go to Count Dracula’s Hotel Transylvania. The hotel is actually a lavish resort where the monsters can be themselves without any humans around. The weekend of Mavis’ birthday, Count Dracula’s daughter, Dracula invites the Invisible Man, the Mummy and others to celebrate her 118th birthday. Remember I said no humans? Well, an unforeseen complication unfolds when an ordinary human by the name of Jonathan crashes the party and falls in love with Mavis. Soon Mavis believes Jonathan is her “zing” despite the advice of her father about humans.
Mavis: It doesn’t matter where you come from, or how different you are. A Zing only happens once in your life, you have to cherish it!
Coco
Coco the Movie has a Day of the Dead, the Day After Halloween theme, but is so full of color and magic I had to include it in my Top Favorite Halloween Themed Movies list! Photo courtesy of IMdB.
Miguel dreams of becoming a professional magician despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music. Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. It is there he decides to find his great-great-grandfather, the legendary singer Ernesto de la Cruz, and tries to find the real stroy behind his family’s ban on music. On his adventure he meets his musical hero, many deceased family members, and a strange man who asks for his help and quickly becomes a close friend. Watch this amazing adventure as Miguel helps his new friend while his new friend helps him understand the true significance of Día de Muertos. Highly recommend watching to the end when Coco, Miguel’s grandmother shares what family truly means.
My Top HAlloween Themed Movies
Thank you for joining me as we explored My Top Halloween Themed Movies. Together we discovered Hocus Pocus, Haunted Mansion, Hotel Transylvania and more. Did your favorite Halloween Themed Movie make my list? If not, please share in the comments. I love discovering new treasures.
At the beginning of this post I said to grab some popcorn and comfy blanket and start watching. If you are looking for October Themed Cocktails click here. Cheers to Halloween themes!
Until Next Time,
Erin at Wonderlesch
For daily adventures follow me on Instagram.
