Waste of time

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Those three generations of Cromwell women, Debbie Reynolds, Judith Hoag, and Kimberly Brown are once again fighting some evil forces that are trying to keep the world of Halloween away from the human world. This time it's a world exchange program that's at stake.Young Kimberly Brown has the bright idea to have some Halloweentown kids come to the human world incognito as humans, the better not to instantly shock people to foster greater understanding. Of course the powers that be in Halloweentown remembering their experiences with humankind before are very skeptical.But Kimberly believes so much in the project that she bets the family magic powers on it. The bet comes due appropriately on Halloween. The Magic Kingdom has developed its own nice little franchise in the Halloweentown movies to go along with the various incarnations of High School Musical. Debbie Reynolds and the rest of the cast are as enjoyable as they were in the first Halloweentown film. And if the school looks familiar Zac Efron and company sung and danced there. And Lucas Grabeel of the High School Musical films is also part of this cast as one of the Halloweentown transfer kids.Halloweentown High is good viewing during goblin season.

I must say that this third installment of Halloweentown was a huge disappointment. I loved the first one, and enjoyed the second, but Halloweentown High doesn't even come close. I have the first two on tape, but have no desire to see this one ever again. First of all, it takes place almost exclusively in the human world. The only part of Halloweentown we see is a courtroom. Also, the mother is shown using magic more than once. This makes no sense because she made it clear in the earlier movies that she chooses to live as a mortal. They even show her using magic for stupid mundane things like making hot chocolate. And when the Cromwell women sit down to work a spell together, the mother participates, but the younger sister, Sophie, does not! Sophie, who played such a major part in the two earlier movies, is almost nowhere to be seen in this film. Also noticeably missing is Luke, Marnie's best friend from Halloweentown who helped her deal with the villains of both earlier movies. You'd think he'd at least stop by for a visit. Overall,though, I think that the writers lost track of what made the first movie so enjoyable - Halloweentown itself. Like Narnia, like Diagon Alley and Hogwarts - the fun of stepping through to a magical, adventurous world so near to our own and the potential that it represents is what keeps me coming back to the first movie for more.

This Halloween Town was again worth the time. Disney hit a home run with the casting and fine tuned the show for its audience. Lucas Grabeel stood out in this debut as Ethan, a warlock worth watching. He has much to offer the acting world and is going to go places in Hollywood and his newest release, High School Musical may be the launching pad. The show was fun and the Disney audience loved it. The Halloween Town High premise of creatures disguising themselves as high school students and trying to fit in when their peers find it hard to fit in themselves is a refreshing twist from the other roles available. Disney once again found a new vehicle for some talented young actors. Way to go, Disney!

Halloweentown III: Halloween High, though not a stunning piece of cinema, held much more talent and savvy than that of the first two. The characters did not seem as 1-dimensional and bland. The production value was more towards the theme of the film. And the acting was much better as well. Truth be told, I was appalled by the first two films. To me, they seemed to poke too much fun at Halloween and the mystique behind the glorious Holiday that it is. This was abandoned that lack of respect and focused more on being a family friendly film.Kimberly J. Brown has grown into a beautiful and talented young actresses. It is good to see her give less of a "wooden"performance, as in the last two entries. I think the new director & new writer were just what this series needed. If Disney continues to make them like this...I'll keep watching with my Daughter. If they revert back to what they have been dishing out...Then I'll stay on Nickelodeon!7 outta 10