NR | 68 Min | Released: October 5, 1949
Cast: Eric Blore, John McLeish, Pat O’Malley, Leslie Denison

The Adventures Of Ichabod And Mr. Toad is a classic film created by Walt Disney himself. There are two parts to the film, one part features Mr. Toad and the other part features Ichabod Crane. The Adventures of Mr. Toad features a character named J. Thaddeus Toad. He is a wealthy, carefree toad who craves adventure and loves to have fun. Mr. Toad ends up deep in debt and thrown into prison. Mr. Toad later escapes, and with the help of some friends, ends up saving a place called Toad Hall from evil weasels. The story of Ichabod is based on The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow. Ichabod is a schoolmaster who recently moved to Sleepy Hollow and ends up in a confrontation with the legendary headless horsemen. Both tales are classics that helped make Walt Disney Studios what it is today.

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G | 97 Min | Released: March 21, 1975
Cast: Ike Eisenmann, Kim Richards, Ray Milland, Eddie Albert

Tony and Tia Malone are two orphaned siblings with extraordinary psychic powers. When their abilities attract the attention of a cruel millionaire, Aristotle Bolt, he kidnaps them with plans to exploit their powers for financial gain. Tony and Tia escape, and with the help of Jason O’Day, a bitter widower camping in a nearby Winnebago, they attempt to elude Bolt and begin to discover their otherworldly origins.

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PG | 84 Min | Released: October 24, 1980
Cast: Bette Davis, Lynn-Holly Johnson, Kyle Richards

One of Walt Disney Productions most “un-Disney-like” films is the 1980’s The Watcher In the Woods, a mystery-horror release directed by John Nough. Filmed in England, which contributes an effective atmosphere to the spooky tale, Watcher revolves around two sisters who find themselves almost obsessed with the story of a missing girl in the ominous-looking woods that surround their English countryside home. It turns out the missing girl bears a striking resemblance to the oldest daughter (Johnson), according to the grandmother (Davis), who coincidentally is the owner of the house. Dark, brooding and ominous throughout, Watcher In the Woods is easily one of the “scariest” Disney films ever produced, remarkably so, since nearly all of the “violence” is implied, never seen. Kudos to Hough’s direction and the cinematography for setting a foreboding tone and maintaining it.

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PG | 95 Min | April 29, 1983
Cast: Jason Robards, Jonathan Pryce, Diane Ladd

Something Wicked This Way Comes, a 1983 Walt Disney Productions release, is an adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s same-named novel. Bradbury, one of the masters of modern science fiction, also wrote the screenplay. A traveling carnival comes to town, and like most small-town kids, Will and Jim can’t wait to go see everything the sideshows have to offer. And also, like many small-town kids, the boys are unable to control their enthusiasm and curiosity, so they sneak into the carnival and make some terrifying discoveries. The owner of the carnival is the aptly-named Mr. Dark, whose fancy is evilly seducing carnival-goers with the lure of fulfilling their darkest desires. The film is very dark, very un-Disney-like, and delves deeply into the age-old good vs. evil issue, and the powerful influence that greed can hold over the best of us.

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PG | 80 Min | Released: July 24, 1985
Cast: Grant Bardsley, John Hurt

Fantasy, magic, and fun are all brewed together in Disney’s legendary adventure The Black Cauldron. Whoever releases the mysterious Black Cauldron’s power will be invincible! The fearsome Horned King will do anything to possess it, but he is challenged by the most unlikely adversary: a young assistant pig keeper named Taran, who dreams of doing heroic deeds. With a motley team of the brave Princess Eilonwy, a minstrel named Fflewddur Fflam and Hen Wen, a remarkable pig who can predict the future, Taran embarks on a quest to stop the Black Cauldron’s evil once and for all. Will he have the courage to succeed?

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PG | 113 Min | Released: June 21, 1985
Cast: Fairuza Balk, Nicol Williamson, Jean Marsh

Dorothy discovers she is back in the land of Oz, and finds the yellow brick road is now a pile of rubble, and the Emerald City is in ruins. Discovering that the magical land is now under the control of an evil empire, she sets off to rescue the scarecrow, the tin man and the lion with the help of her new friends.

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PG | 76 Min | Released: October 29, 1993
Cast: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara

Produced by Tim Burton and directed by Henry Selick, 1993’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is anything but just another holiday film. But then with Burton’s resume (Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands), viewers shouldn’t be surprised. One of the first big-screen productions to make heavy use of stop motion animation, this musical fantasy is now hailed as the “Godfather” of the technique. The film has an eerie, unexplainable “feel” to it, and Burton’s sense of the macabre is evident, although it manages to not disrespect or cheapen the subject matter. The Nightmare Before Christmas offers something for every audience, with the special effects especially dazzling. The musical soundtrack by Danny Elfman is concise and razor-sharp lyrically, reminiscent of the 1982 musical, Little Shop of Horrors.  This film was originally released under Touchstone Pictures but is now associated with Walt Disney Pictures.

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PG | 96 Min | Released: July 16, 1993
Cast: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy

A spin on the infamous 17th-Century Salem Witch Trials is the focus of the 1993 Walt Disney Pictures fantasy-comedy Hocus Pocus.  Salem, Mass. 1693: Three sisters (deemed witches by townspeople) are publicly hanged after allegedly killing another girl and transforming the slain girl’s brother into a talking cat. Dissolve to Salem, Mass. 1993, October 31st (Halloween) to be precise. New high school student Max isn’t adjusting well to his new school or classmates. Apparently, Max is an object of ridicule because he scoffs at the legend of the three witches, which is held to be a “sacred truth” in Salem. Reluctantly, Max agrees to accompany his younger sister on her “trick-or-treat”-ing rounds, where they become involved in strange goings-on at the house where the three 17th-Century “witch” sisters lived.

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NR | 89 Min | Released: October 22, 1997
Cast: Steve Guttenberg, Kirsten Dunst, Nia Peeples

Tower of Terror is a made-for-TV production supernatural thriller from Walt Disney Television. The 89-minute film is based on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror theme park attraction at Florida’s Walt Disney World Resort, the first Disney production featuring one of its own attractions. Steve Guttenberg portrays a former distinguished reporter who fell on hard times and now toils for a sleazy tabloid. His fortunes begin looking up after stumbling across a 1939 episode in which five people mysteriously disappear while in a luxury hotel elevator during a lightning storm. Buzzy Crocker (Guttenberg) and his niece Anna (Kirsten Dunst) become involved through a chance encounter with Abigail Gregory (Amzie Strickland), an older sister of one of the victims. Abigail claims to know the “real” story behind the incident, and her version intrigues Buzzy and Anna; so much that they attempt to recreate the decades-long mystery in hopes of solving it.

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NR | 95 Min | Released: October 25, 1997
Cast: Adam Wylie, Mario Yedidia, Clara Bryant

Featuring a largely nondescript cast, the Disney Channel’s 1997 production of Under Wraps is a Halloween-themed film involving the discovery of a 3,000-year-old mummy (Bill Fagerbakke) by a trio of 12-year-olds. Suspension of belief is necessary (it’s only a movie) as the three befriend the obviously “out-of-his-element” mummy. Hilarity ensues through the efforts of the youngsters to keep their often-clumsy, bumbling discovery secret, and when they learn of an attempt by dark, powerful forces (led by veteran actor Ed Lauter) to “recapture” Harold (as named by them), the film takes on a “Us vs. Them” slant, with the predictable outcome.

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G | 84 Min | Released: October 17, 1998
Cast: Debbie Reynolds, Judith Hoag, Kimberly J. Brown

A Disney Channel Original Movie that’s become a Halloween-season standard, 1998’s Halloweentown stars screen legend Debbie Reynolds as the matriarch of what turns out to be a family of witches. When Aggie (Reynolds) unexpectedly drops in for a visit, her daughter (Gwen) isn’t as thrilled as her three children about the surprise appearance. Aggie’s drop-in coincides with an argument between Gwen and the children regarding why they aren’t allowed to celebrate Halloween. To Gwen’s displeasure, the grandmother supports her grandchildren’s desires, and Gwen is soon fighting a losing battle. Against Gwen’s wishes, Aggie begins training Marnie, the 13-year old, to be a witch.

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NR | 92 Min | Released: October 9, 1999
Cast: Erin Chambers, Ty Hodges, Robin Riker

In an unusual departure from their traditional “feel good” productions, the Disney Channel Original Movie, Don’t Look Under the Bed, is a full-blown horror film, only the second attempt at the genre by Disney’s television wing. The pastoral little town of Middleberg has been undergoing some strange occurrences, including alarm clocks sounding off well before their settings, dogs appearing on the roofs of houses, gelatin in the community swimming pool, and most disturbingly, the letter “B” inexplicably turning up spray-painted all over the town.

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G | 89 Min | Released: November 10, 2000
Cast: Taylor Handley, Corinne Bohrer , Caitlin Wachs

Adapted rather loosely on the classic Phantom of the Opera, the Disney Channel Original Movie, The Phantom of the Megaplex takes viewers behind the scenes of a theater where mysterious goings-on are occurring. Pete Riley is the 17-year old assistant manager of the Grand Megaplex who’s busily preparing for the premiere of “Midnight Mayhem.” Rumor has it that the millionaire owner of the theater is planning to attend the much-anticipated screening, and the employees are working frantically to make certain that everything is ready. Pete’s agenda is complicated by his having to “babysit” his younger brother and sister, and just as that situation appears resolved, every other imaginable snafu occurs, making his “sibling” predicament an afterthought. Taylor Handley, Jacob Smith, and Caitlin Wachs as the siblings turn in fine performances, while screen legend Mickey Rooney, portraying an eccentric who believes he is employed by the theater, adds a nice touch.

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PG | 85 Min | Released: October 13, 2000
Cast: Matt O’Leary, Laura Vandervoort and Myles Jeffrey

A few years ahead of its’ time, the Disney Channel Original Movie, Mom’s Got a Date With a Vampire deals with the (now) mega-popular subject of vampires and their interaction with the living. The three children of a single mother each have their motivations for getting their mother out of the house, but when the youngest, Taylor, who happens to be engrossed in all things “vampire”-related, meets his mom’s blind date, he is convinced that the handsome stranger is actually a vampire. His efforts, both to convince his older siblings of his suspicions, as well as desperately trying to nip the date in the bud, make for an entertaining hour-and-a-half of classic Disney fare.

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NR | 81 Min | Released: October 10, 2001
Cast: Debbie Reynolds, Judith Hoag, Kimberly J. Brown, and Phillip Van Dyke

Screen legend Debbie Reynolds portrays the grandmother of a teenage witch in the Disney Channel Original Movie, Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge. The film is the first sequel in a series of four films adapted from the original Disney production of Halloweentown. The granddaughter, Marnie (Kimberly J. Brown), has unknowingly allowed her grandmother’s book of magical spells to fall into the hands of Kal (Daniel Kountz), who turns out to be the warlock son of Kalabar, a fearsome demon. When Aggie, the grandmother, begins noticing unusual magical activity, she becomes suspicious and, with Marnie in tow, depart for Halloweentown to investigate and try to rectify the situation. Upon arrival, they discover that the town has been transformed (via black magic) into a nightmarish version of all things “Halloween.”

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G | 90 Min | Released: September 11, 2001
Cast: Tahj Mowry, Mark Curry, Raquel Lee

Two scientists invent the anti-aging machine. On one of their test runs, a part of the machine falls out, causing it to not be able to turn on. The dog messes with the controls as they go inside the machine to fix it. The dog turns it on causing the scientists to anti-age instead of the test subjects. Nothing happens at first and they leave the room. As the day progresses, their children Eddie (Tahj Mowry) and Marie (Raquel Lee) notice that their parent’s minds seem to become less-advanced and more childlike and their clothes change to things younger people would wear such as pigtails, overalls, striped shirts, etc. They realize it is the effects of the anti-aging machine and now they have to get their parents back into the machine and reverse the effects so they don’t go out of existence, but there is a problem. Their parents keep making messes, running off, and doing everything they can to cause trouble and not go into the machine to age. The children get them into the machine right on the verge of poofing away and save their lives.

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G | 100 Min | Released: October 11, 2002
Cast: Eric Idle, Tommy Davidson, Kathy Najimy

Restless ghosts with unfinished Earthly business are sentenced to a small New Hampshire town until they can deem themselves worthy to enter heaven. The Carlyle children discover a slew of good-intended, yet misguided ghosts who just need a little direction.

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PG | 88 Min | Released: November 26, 2003
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Terence Stamp, Nathaniel Parker, Marsha Thomason

The Evers family needed a little quality time together, but what they didn’t need was quality time with a floating head in a crystal ball. Ghosts, dark secrets, and mysterious characters transform their tranquil family outing into a ghoulish night they’ll never forget.

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G | 83 Min | Released: October 8, 2004
Cast: Debbie Reynolds, Kimberly J. Brown

The final installment of the trilogy finds young witch Marnie struggling to become a young adult witch while working with her grandmother to prove monsters aren’t dangerous. If the daring duo can disguise monsters as humans and successfully enroll them in high school in the mortal world, they can save the family’s powers.

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PG | 86 Min | Released: October 14, 2005
Cast: Tia Mowry, Tamera Mowry

Starring twin sisters Tia and Tamera Mowry, Twitches is a Disney Channel Original Movie adapted from the popular same-titled series of teen books. “Twitches” refers to “twin witches,” with the belief that when the twins pool their resources together, their witchy abilities become significantly stronger. Such is the case of Alex and Camryn (the Mowry twins) who are separated at birth but are unexpectedly reunited on their 21st birthday. The sisters soon discover their unique powers and set about working their magic and fulfilling their destiny.

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G | 67 Min | Released: September 13, 2005
Cast: Kyle Stanger, Nikita Hopkins, Jim Cummings, John Fielder, Ken Sansom

Few people love Halloween candy more than Winnie the Pooh! However, when Tigger warns everyone about a monster who turns unsuspecting trick-or-treaters into jack-o-lanterns, Lumpy, Pooh, and Roo think twice about venturing out for sweet treats. Will their sweet tooth get the best of them and cause them to risk becoming a jack-o-lantern in exchange for some sugary goodness?

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NR | 88 Min | Released: October 20, 2006
Cast: Sara Paxton, Lucas Grabeel

Marnie Piper struggled for years with the knowledge that she had been given magical powers from her grandmother which enabled her to be a young witch. Finding a happy balance between being a normal girl and a developing witch had been hard on Marnie. College proves to be another challenging phase as Marnie learns more about the secrets of Halloweentown.

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NR | 83 Min | Released: October 12, 2007
Cast: Tia Mowry, Tamera Mowry

Young Camryn and Alex carefully mastered the skill of balancing a normal life with the potential upset that comes from having mystical, magical powers. When the evil forces of darkness come back to upset the Coventry, the sister witches sacrifice their harmony to make things right.

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G | 88 Min | Released: September 20, 2011
Cast: Sierra McCormick, Elisa Donovan, Harland Williams

The newest installment in Disney’s wildly popular and successful Air Buddies films is 2011’s Spooky Buddies. Air Buddies is a spin-off from the also enthusiastically received Air Bud series of films, which featured a Golden Retriever named Buddy who becomes famous by excelling at a wide variety of sporting activities. The five Air Buddies are Buddy’s “children.” The Air Buddies have previously undergone adventures in space (Space Buddies), in Alaska (Snow Buddies), and have teamed up to come to Santa Claus’ rescue (The Search For Santa Paws). In Spooky Buddies, the Buddies (B-Dawg, Budderball, Buddha, Mudbud, and Rosebud) get involved in the mysterious goings-on at a local haunted mansion. In order to save the world from the evil Warwick the Warlock, the Buddies embark on a Trick-or-Treat adventure which emphasizes the importance of teamwork and courage.

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NR | 89 Min | Released: October 12, 2012
Cast: Olivia Holt, Tracy Dawson, Jonathan Hers

Disney Channel’s Girl vs. Monster relates the story of 15-year old Skylar (Olivia Holt), an otherwise typical teenager who learns that her family isn’t exactly what she imagined them to be. In fact, the likable teen discovers that she’s actually a fifth-generation monster hunter and her services are needed to confront and vanquish the immortal Deimata (Tracy Dawson) and her group of ghouls. It’s Halloween and Skylar wants nothing more than to be in attendance at the big party taking place at the town’s run-down haunted mansion. Disobeying her parents, Skylar sneaks out, however, and in the process unknowingly frees Deimata from her parent’s basement, where they’d been held captive. This sets off a chain reaction of ghostly occurrences, forcing Skylar to come to grips with her family history.

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PG | 87 Min | Released: October 5, 2012
Cast: Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau

Filmgoers know immediately that any production with Tim Burton’s name attached is going to be “different,” and with Frankenweenie, a stop-motion, 3-D black-and-white full-length remake of Burton’s 1984 same-named short feature, viewers will not be disappointed. Both homage to and parody of the iconic 1931 film, Frankenstein, Frankenweenie substitutes a lovable dog (Sparky) for the Boris Karloff monster in this version. Young Victor, the dog’s owner, and aspiring scientist stumbles upon the “life-resurrecting” formula which brings his pet back to life, only to then have his “secret formula” fall into the hands of some less-than-scrupulous profiteers.

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PG | 125 Min | Released: December 25, 2014
Cast: Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick

Familiar Grimm’s Fairy Tales characters come to life with a contemporary spin in this musical fantasy which follows the tale of a childless couple seeking to reverse a curse placed upon them by a vengeful, misguided witch. In addition, many familiar fairy tales are woven into the story, including Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Jack, and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel.

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PG | 97 Min | Released: May 30, 2014
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley

As a beautiful young woman of pure heart, Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) has an idyllic life in a forest kingdom. When an invading army threatens the land, Maleficent rises up to become its fiercest protector. However, a terrible betrayal hardens her heart and twists her into a creature bent on revenge. She engages in an epic battle with the invading king’s successor, then curses his newborn daughter, Aurora — realizing only later that the child holds the key to peace in the kingdom.

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PG | 1 Hr 45 Min | Released: November 22, 2017
Cast: Anthony Gonzalez, Benjamin Bratt, Gael García Bernal

Despite his family’s generations-old ban on music, young Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead. After meeting a charming trickster named Hector (Gael García Bernal), the two new friends embark on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history.

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