Does Return to Halloweentown hold up?

Let’s find out:

So we start off by reuniting with Marnie Piper (Sara Paxton, who does fine with the role). Marnie is going to Witch University. Gwen Piper (Judith Hoag)/her mother is upset about this, and…

I’m sure that every high school/college student has had a conversation like this with their parents at some point. 

Anyway, we then reunite with Dylan Piper (Joey Zimmerman). It turns out that Witch University is very similar to other colleges. We then reunite with Ethan Dalloway (Lucas Grabeel, who went from side to main character after the success of High School Musical). We then meet Aneesa the Genie (Summer Bishil). We then meet the Sinister Sisters (sounds like a sitcom/band name): Scarlett (Kristy Wu), Sapphire (Kellie Cockrell) and Sage (Katie Cockrell). Silas Sinister (Keone Young) is their dad. Marnie finds a box that has S. Cromwell on it; but, she is unable to open the box.

We find out from Miss Periwinkle (Millicent Martin) that the S stands for Splendora. We learn about a power that only the Cromwells can use. We then find out about the Dominion and that Goodwyn (Leslie Wing) and Grogg (Scott Stevenson) are part of the group. Marnie goes to the past. We find out that the aforementioned power allows witches to puppeteer people and that Splendora is Aggie (Paxton and older Aggie is played by Debbie Reynolds).

Dr. Goodwyn takes the power so that the Sinister Sisters (still sounds like a sitcom/band name) and the Dominion will have power. The Sinister Sisters (still sounds like a sitcom/band name) turn Dylan into a Border Collie, and…

Sounds like a 1960s sitcom worthy of My Mother the Car.

…and Marnie pretends to go along with their plans; but, she has Aneesa take the power. The power is destroyed and the Dominion are taken away. The powers of the Sinister Sisters (still sounds like a sitcom/band name) get the Nancy Downs treatment. Ethan and Marnie get together because of High School Musical. It turns out that Marnie did not get rid of the power. She gave it to Dylan.

I enjoyed this one the most of the Halloweentown movies. There are cute references to the franchise and there are cute moments. Still falls into the trap of being not as enjoyable as an adult.

Sidebar/Salad Bar: The Sinister Sisters felt like a collegiate rip-off of The Plastics from Mean Girls.

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