The idea of family was a strong theme in the first Halloweentown movie of how you can't always ignore your family heritage and it's okay to want to move on from your family as that is a part of who you are. However, the sequel holds up a mirror to this aspect with the film's villain and asks what if you come from a toxic family and embrace the worst aspects of the family that you come from. This movie is titled Kalabar's Revenge yet Kalabar doesn't appear in the movie except during flashbacks however his presence does loom large over the movie thanks in part to his son, Kal.
This is something that I'll delve into more during the plot and character sections but there is quite a lot that can be said here. I remember that when this movie first aired, I thought it was better than the first because it was darker and in my mind that equaled better. Now, that's not always the case and while this movie is still quite good, I don't know if the first two Halloweentown movies can be fairly compared to one another. As while they do share the same cast, they take very different directions.
The Plot
This movie is a bit interesting in that we learn that Marnie had been spending two years practicing with Aggie in Halloweentown. And she is getting better. Also, we see that Gwen has loosened up on her stance on Halloween as there is a Halloween party going on the Piper/Cromwell household. Early on, our new villain Kal is introduced and this is where things get interesting and a little frustrating. Especially, now he pulls a trick out of his father's playbook at the party by giving Marnie a flower that appeared out of thin air like Kalabar did in the first movie.
Kal's actions drive the whole movie as he stills Aggie's spellbook and has cast a spell over all of Halloweentown to make it gray, drab and boring. But that's only one half of his plan.
We see this when Aggie and Marnie return to Halloweentown and it is explained by Aggie as such. In that Kal is turning them into caricatures of how Halloweentown citizens view the human world much in the same way of how humans view monsters. (This'll be a stronger theme in the third movie) Also, as serious as this, I can't Not laugh at this.
He looks like Rubix The Amazing Cube and that's the villain of the movie. However, this Gray Spell is dangerous, yes but it's only one part of Kal's plan as he plans to turn humans into the very creatures they mock and well, he's almost successful.
(That's Gwen BTW. After Kal casts his spell to turn humans into creatures)
That is one of the trippiest moments in the whole movie but let's look at Kal's plan on a larger scale for a moment. Aggie admits that she never knew that Kalabar had a son during her first interaction with Kal and we learn that Kalabar kept his son a secret.
Aggie: I didn't know Kalabar had a child.
Kal: He didn't want people to know. Dad and I didn't always agree, but he was the only one that stood in the way of the Cromwell's domination of Halloweentown.
Aggie: That's absurd, Cromwells dominate no one.
Kal: Then, why'd you let the mortals take charge of the earth while we had to hide like rats in another dimension?
Aggie: (chuckles) We all voted to create our own world so everyone could live in peace.
Kal: And when my father tried to bring the creatures of Halloweentown back as rulers of the human race, you Cromwells brought everyone against him, and then you destroyed him!
That's somewhat interesting as we get the idea that Kal has been tainted with the hatred of humans growing up thanks to his dad (Fighting against discrimination does somewhat play a larger part in the third movie). And that has to make one think of what the father/son relationship must've been like when Kalabar was still alive because Kal is clearly an unstable teenage boy. This movie also gets a little loopy, when it introduces time-travel into the mix as Marnie and our goblin friend, Luke use it to go back in time to look for Aggie's second spellbook where all lost things go. But that's all for naught as it turned out that the elder Kalabar had purchased it years and years ago. We will touch upon this more in the character section but Kal would stop at nothing to get his revenge. Speaking of that, I love how simple it is to undo Kal's Gray Spell as it's just apart said backward. However, The Cromwell kids have to work through Halloweentown and the mortal world and create a new spell to save the humans. And by doing so, the portal is now open permanently between worlds.
Characters
Main Character
Marine played by Kimberly J. Brown
Marnie is a lot more fun in this movie now that she's had her powers for two years and can use them quite a bit. She's not willing to back down and will do anything it takes to save her family and Halloweentown. Sure, she has her moments but she proves that she is one strong-willed witch. And is as much the heart of this series as her grandmother. You need both these characters for these movies to work.
Supporting Characters
Aggie Cromwell played by Debbie Reynolds
Like I said in the first Halloweentown review, Aggie is a huge part of the heart of this series (We will see what happens when the fourth movie doesn't have her.) And that is seen so much in this movie as it's actually a really sweet granddaughter and grandmother adventure with the two coolest witches from these movies trying to figure out what is happening and it's hard but they work on saving the day. And plus, they have a really cute moment.
Aggie: So this world wide web I've heard about...
Marnie: Mhmm?
Aggie: Does it involve spiders?
Marnie: Grandma, I think it's time we started *your* training.
Aggie: Oh goody!
I just love the fun of them in this movie.
Sophie played by Emily Roeske
Thankfully, Sophie had a bit more to do in this movie and part of me thinks that may have to do with age and that we also see that she is a practicing witch now, so that allows her more things to do such as realizing that the thing posing as Kal's dad is a golem made of frogs. Which is interesting as it usually seems like golems are made of clay but I'm not up on golem knowledge.
Dylan played by Joey Zimmerman
Dylan isn't as annoying in the sequel as he was in the first movie. Though he's still hesitant to use magic and Halloween still isn't his thing. As he's now more interested in girls, and hey I get that.
Gwen played by Judith Hoag
Gwen didn't really have much of a presence in this movie as she took a backseat to the rest of the action.
Luke played by Phillip Van Dyke
It was so nice to have Luke on the side of good (especially as he doesn't show up in the later sequels). You could really feel the friendship that had formed between Marnie and Luke. Even, when things are down, he is still there for Marnie and vice-versa.
Gort played by Blu Mankuma
Gort is the junkman of the universe and whenever you lose something, it ends up in his yard and he's not willing to part with it. Unless of course, he's under the gray spell and then, he's a clean freak. He's funny and while his house offers a lot to the plot, the character of Gort sadly does not; save for needed comic relief from the darker tone of this sequel.
Villain
Kal played by Daniel Kountz
Kal is an interesting character in that, he is the vessel for revenge on the part of his father. Which as I stated makes me think that he couldn't have had the healthiest relationship with his father as he shared the same dangerous thoughts of Kalabar. And would do anything to get the revenge as mentioned in the title of this sequel. Also, I have to note that, man people love this movie because of this character. Okay sure, he's not a bad villain and it's nice to know that he is the villain from the get-go unlike with his dad. And he is an odd outlier in this film series as he is actually the darkest villain.
My Final Thoughts
This isn't a bad sequel but I don't know if I like it better than the first. The first movie kept things simple and fun. And that worked in its favor. This one raised the stakes and I get that but it feels so different from every other entry in this series. That's not bad but I just dunno. It's enjoyable and does still feel like a Halloweentown movie but I don't know, I like it but I don't love it like I did as a kid. Peace!
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