Andrew's Corner: October 2020

As I promised in Top 10 Best Animated Christmas Specials from last year, here's my Top 10 Best Animated Halloween Specials! However, same rules apply as last time.
1. It has to be at least 21 minutes long.
2. TV shows with a format of one 22 minute story per episode is prohibited, so episodes of Gravity Falls, Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends, and Danny Phantom will not be included.
3. For the sake of my blog, the special has to be family-friendly.
With all that said, let's see what I ranked as the Top 10 Best Animated Halloween Specials!
10. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom (2017)

Screen Novelties Delivers Spooky Thrills and Chills for 'SpongeBob ...

Tricks and treats strike Bikini Bottom in this haunting underwater spooktacular! Nothing gives SpongeBob a fright on Halloween night, not even when the Flying Dutchman traps all his friends! Can SpongeBob get some sense scared into him and save his buds from a ghostly fate? What this special lacks in originality, it makes up for with creativity by combining stop-motion animation with Muppet-like puppets, live-action footage, and even a trippy 2D sequence from cartoon veteran Sally Cruikshank!

9. Monsters vs Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins From Outer Space (2009)

Monsters vs Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space Poster

In the follow-up to the overlooked DreamWorks film Monsters vs Aliens, Susan Murphy/Ginormica, Dr. Cockroach, BOB, and the Missing Link are about to celebrate Halloween, but are sent on a secret mission to Modesto, California, Susan’s childhood home, to track down alien excrement. Little does anyone know that the excrement mutated a pumpkin patch and created evil pumpkins! Now the monster quartet have to save the world from aliens again in the form of possessed gourds. ‘Mutant Pumpkins’ is an enjoyable Halloween special that does the original film justice with an imaginative story, impressive animation for a TV special, and the original characters kept intact with each of them having funny moments: BOB gorging himself in candy, Dr. Cockroach retrieving a lollipop that was stolen from him when he was still a human child, Susan’s oblivious parents listening to Bobby Pickett’s ‘The Monster Mash’ while pumpkins are running amuck, and Link having a hard time scaring trick-or-treaters.

8. The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone (1979)

The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone Poster

It was honestly hard to find 10 good Halloween specials for this list, and I scoured the Internet and my library to find the right ones. Anyway, in this special starring the modern Stone Age family, the Flintstones and the Rubbles win a trip to a castle in Rocksylvania. While preparing for a costume party, Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble accidentally trigger a trap door, and the two cavemen find themselves in the castle’s basement and accidentally wake up Count Rockula and the monster of Frankenstone! Now Rockula plans on reclaiming his castle and mistakes Wilma (Fred’s wife) for Mrs. Rockula, and plans on marrying her, even if it means he has to kill Fred. Diehard Flintstones fans will enjoy this special for its corny yet witty story, talented voice acting, some nice backgrounds, and the absence of Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm, who some fans think ruined the original show.

7. Halloween is Grinch Night (1977)

In the prequel to the beloved Christmas special How the Grinch Stole Christmas, a sour-sweet wind made its way into Whoville. When the wind starts blowing, the local animals start howling, and that annoys the Grinch, so he decides to go to Whoville to celebrate Grinch Night. Now it’s up to a young Who named Ukaraiah to save his town from the Grinch, who plans on bringing his Paraphernalia Wagon. While the animation may not be as good as the original or the colors as vibrant or vivid, Halloween is Grinch Night is a nice departure from its cheerful Christmas counterpart with a story that has the potential of being made into a book, some nice songs, and a fantastically bizarre sequence that almost rivals the Pink Elephants from Dumbo.

In fact, Dr. Seuss himself said that he liked this special better than How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

6. Alvin and the Chipmunks: Trick or Treason (1994)

Amazon.com: Alvin and the Chipmunks - Trick Or Treason: Movies & TV

Before you get out your metaphorical torches and pitchforks, I’d like to say that before Fox made these famous high-pitched rodents into a multi-million dollar movie franchise, there was an enjoyable TV show from the 80s about Alvin and the Chipmunks called, well, Alvin and the Chipmunks. Running from 1983 to 1990, this show brought back Alvin, Simon, and Theodore and updated them to the 1980s. Also introduced in this show were the Chipettes, female equivalents of the Chipmunks.

It’s also notable that Alvin and the Chipmunks (the 80s show) was, up to my knowledge, one of the earliest cartoons to use the 11 minute format rather than a full half-hour episode.

Anyway, now that I’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about the Alvin and the Chipmunks Halloween special, Trick or Treason!

On Halloween night, Alvin wants to be accepted into the Monster Club to get their cool Monster jacket, but the Monster members think it’s cool to be cruel. It takes Theodore’s friendship with Michael, a misunderstood outcast the other kids called Pumpkin Head, to show Alvin that being a true friend is really a lot more cool than trying to be a popular Monster. Trick or Treason is an overlooked and under-appreciated Halloween special with strong morals, such as not judging a book by it’s cover and that there’s a difference between being cool and being a total jerk.

5. Witch’s Night Out (1978)

It’s Halloween once again in Anytown, and a witch feels depressed because nobody likes her because of her magic. When kids Small and Tender want to turn into real monsters, they meet the witch and ask her to turn them into a werewolf and a ghost. However, when the witch’s wand gets stolen by naughty teenagers Rotten and Malicious, it’s up to Small, Tender, and babysitter Bazooey to get the wand back. Witch’s Night Out may have unoriginal character designs and generic names that sound like they were taken out of a Mr. Men book, but it makes up for it with a decent story, likable characters, impressive character animation, and strong vocal talents, including the late but great Gilda Radner as a sympathetic witch.

4. Garfield’s Halloween Adventure/Garfield in Disguise (1985)

It’s Halloween in Muncie, Indiana, and Garfield and Odie put on their pirate costumes to get as much Halloween candy as possible. After a successful night trick-or-treating, Garfield spots even more houses across the river! But once they get there, Garfield and Odie find themselves at a haunted house, where ghostly pirates are expected to arrive any minute. Garfield’s Halloween Adventure is an underrated gem with smooth animation, a story that suits the lasagna-loving cat, some memorable original songs, and strong vocal performances from Lorenzo Music and Gregg Burger. It's also a good introduction to the late 80s/early 90s cartoon Garfield and Friends.

3. Arnold’s Halloween (1997)

It’s Halloween once again in Hillwood, and all the kids are wondering what to dress up as this year. Inspired by the TV series ‘UFO Tonight’, Arnold thinks of a plan to scare everyone by holding a fake radio broadcast and have everyone (except for him and Gerald) dress up as aliens. However, it works too well, and now, all the grown-ups think Earth is being invaded by aliens! Can Arnold and Gerald save Hillwood before it’s too late? Arnold’s Halloween is another great seasonal Hey Arnold episode I recommend watching year after year.

2. The Halloween Tree (1993)

It’s Halloween night, and best friends Jenny, Ralph, Wally, and Tom plan on going trick-or-treating. However, when they try finding their friend Pip, they discover that he’s deathly ill. The four encounter a mysterious character, Moundshroud, who takes them on a magical journey through time to exotic places like Egypt, England, France, and Mexico. Along the way, they discover the magic and meaning of Halloween- and friendship. The Halloween Tree is another underrated gem with a dark, timeless, and compelling story, impressive animation, and strong vocal talents, including the late Leonard Nimoy as Moundshroud. Kids will also learn about different Halloween traditions from across the globe.

1. Toy Story of Terror! (2013)

While on a road trip, Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Rex, Mr. Potato Head, Mr. Pricklepants (The thespian hedgehog from Toy Story 3) and Trixie end up in a motel. While Bonnie is asleep, the toys explore the motel- only for Potato Head to go missing! The toys soon discover that the motel owner, along with his pet iguana Mr. Jones, steals the toys of his customers and sells them on eBid (a parody of eBay)! When Woody gets put in a box to be shipped to Al’s Toy Barn, Jessie has to conquer her fears to save Woody. Toy Story of Terror is an astounding Halloween special with top-notch animation, a story perfect for its length, likable new characters, and several call-backs to Toy Story 2 for the veteran fans. The special is also a good directorial start for Angus MacLane, who would later co-direct Finding Dory with Andrew Stanton.

Andrew's Corner

Sunday, October 25, 2020

Top 10 Best Animated Halloween Specials

Thursday, October 8, 2020

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