70 Fun Facts About Disney Halloween

In which Massachusetts town do the Sanderson sisters return from the dead in Hocus Pocus?

The witches were hanged there in 1693, exactly 300 years before a teenager relights their candle.

What object does Max light to accidentally resurrect the witches in Hocus Pocus?

The legend says it must be lit by a virgin on a Halloween that falls on a full moon, which is why the town skeptic is the one who does it.

Thackery Binx, cursed by the Sandersons in 1693, spends three centuries in what form?

The curse makes him immortal so he must live forever with his guilt for failing to save his sister Emily.

In which month of 1993 was Halloween staple Hocus Pocus originally released to US cinemas?

The summer release is one reason it flopped first time round; Disney may have lost about $16.5 million on the theatrical run before home video turned it into a perennial.

Which future Shape of Water star plays the zombie Billy Butcherson in Hocus Pocus?

Billy was Winifred's lover, poisoned by her in 1693 and dug up 300 years later with his mouth sewn shut.

Which High School Musical director made Hocus Pocus?

The screenplay came from Mick Garris and Neil Cuthbert, and the project's darker working title was Disney's Halloween House.

Which song do the Sanderson sisters perform to enchant the adults at the town Halloween party?

Bette Midler's take on the Screamin' Jay Hawkins number has become the film's signature moment and gets restaged in the sequel.

Hocus Pocus 2 skipped cinemas and premiered where in 2022?

It arrived on September 30, 2022, and Disney later reported it as the most-viewed film on the service at that point.

In Hocus Pocus 2, Becca accidentally conjures the Sanderson sisters on which birthday?

Whitney Peak plays the aspiring witch; the sequel was directed by Anne Fletcher rather than the original's Kenny Ortega.

Which Hollywood legend plays Grandma Aggie Cromwell in Halloweentown?

Reynolds played the witch grandmother in all four films; the first premiered on Disney Channel on October 17, 1998.

The town of Halloweentown was filmed in which US state, which still holds an annual celebration there?

St. Helens and Scappoose stood in for the town during a 24-day shoot in May and June 1998.

What civic office does Kalabar, the villain of the first Halloweentown, hold?

Robin Thomas plays him; his son Kal returns as the villain of the 2001 sequel Kalabar's Revenge.

What job does Benny the skeleton hold in Halloweentown?

Rino Romano voiced the bony cabbie, one of the few characters to appear across multiple films in the series.

In Halloweentown II, Kal's curse turns the town's inhabitants dull and colourless. What is it called?

Daniel Kountz, who played Kal, said he had four or five auditions before landing the part.

In Halloweentown High, what was the fanatical order that once wanted to destroy all things magical called?

Marnie only wins the council over by mistakenly betting all the Cromwell magic that her exchange programme will work.

Who replaced Kimberly J. Brown as Marnie in Return to Halloweentown?

The 2006 film sends Marnie off to Witch University in Halloweentown; the recasting still annoys fans of the first three.

Who directed The Nightmare Before Christmas?

Burton wrote the original poem in 1982 and produced, but he was busy with Batman Returns, so Selick spent three years directing the stop-motion shoot.

Who provides Jack Skellington's singing voice in The Nightmare Before Christmas?

The composer sang all of Jack's numbers himself, while Chris Sarandon handled the speaking lines.

Disney released The Nightmare Before Christmas under which label, thinking it too dark for kids?

The label was normally reserved for adult-oriented fare; Disney rereleased it under its own banner years later once it had become a hit.

Roughly how many different heads were made for the Jack Skellington puppet?

The crew built 227 puppets in total, and swapping heads was how they gave a face with no skin every possible expression.

The Nightmare Before Christmas was the first animated film nominated for which Academy Award?

It lost to Jurassic Park, which is a fairly good excuse.

Which Pee-wee Herman actor voices Lock, one of Oogie Boogie's trick-or-treaters?

Lock, Shock and Barrel are sent by Jack to kidnap Santa Claus, and promptly deliver him to their real boss instead.

Which pair of twin sisters star as the reunited witches in Twitches?

The 2005 Disney Channel Original Movie is based on a Scholastic book series by H. B. Gilmour and Randi Reisfeld.

In Twitches, the twins are born on Halloween night in which magical dimension?

Their birth names are Artemis and Apolla, after the deities of the moon and sun; a sequel, Twitches Too, followed in 2007.

Miguel's dog Dante in Coco is which hairless Mexican breed?

In the Land of the Dead he becomes an alebrije spirit guide and sprouts wings.

Which song from Coco won the Academy Award for Best Original Song?

The film also took Best Animated Feature at the same ceremony, and it became the highest-grossing film ever released in Mexico.

After banning music, Miguel's great-great-grandmother Imelda starts what family trade in Coco?

That is why the Riveras expect 12-year-old Miguel to make shoes instead of playing guitar like his idol Ernesto de la Cruz.

Tim Burton's 2012 Frankenweenie is a feature-length remake of a short he made in which year?

The stop-motion remake keeps the black-and-white look and the plot: young Victor Frankenstein uses electricity to bring back his dog Sparky.

Which Oscar-winning actor voices Mr. Rzykruski, the eccentric science teacher in Frankenweenie?

The character is a tribute to Vincent Price, and Landau had already won his Oscar playing Bela Lugosi in Burton's Ed Wood.

In the 2003 film The Haunted Mansion, Eddie Murphy's Jim Evers has what job?

The plot hinges on him being invited to sell Gracey Manor; Rob Minkoff, co-director of The Lion King, directed.

Which actress voices the crystal-ball head Madame Leota in the 2003 Haunted Mansion film?

Terence Stamp plays Ramsley, the butler who turns out to be behind the whole tragedy.

In which year did the Haunted Mansion open to guests at Disneyland?

The building's facade had stood empty in New Orleans Square for years before the ride inside was finished; the Magic Kingdom copy followed in 1971.

According to the Ghost Host, how many "happy haunts" live in the Haunted Mansion?

There is always room for one more, which is the ride's way of volunteering you.

What are the ride vehicles of the Haunted Mansion called?

They are Omnimover vehicles, which can rotate to point riders at each scene, and the same system runs Epcot's Spaceship Earth.

The Haunted Mansion's Stretching Room at Disneyland is secretly what?

It lowers guests beneath the Disneyland Railroad berm to the show building outside the berm; the Florida version stretches the ceiling upward instead.

Which voice actor narrates the Haunted Mansion as the Ghost Host?

The theme song, Grim Grinning Ghosts, was composed by Buddy Baker; Thurl Ravenscroft is one of the singing busts.

Disneyland Paris has its own reimagined version of the Haunted Mansion. What is it called?

It sits in Frontierland with a Western ghost-town storyline; Hong Kong Disneyland's Mystic Manor, opened in 2013, has no ghosts at all.

In which year did Haunted Mansion Holiday, the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay, debut at Disneyland?

It opened on October 3, 2001, and runs from Halloween through Christmas; Tokyo Disneyland has a version too, with a giant cake in place of the gingerbread house.

Mr. Boogedy, the 1986 Disney Sunday Movie villain, gained his powers by selling his soul for what?

He was a grouchy Pilgrim named William Hanover; the Davis family meets him after moving to Lucifer Falls, and a sequel, Bride of Boogedy, aired in 1987.

Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a separate-ticket event at which Walt Disney World park?

It began in 1995 and now runs from August into November, with trick-or-treat stops marked by giant inflatable towers.

Which character rides ahead of Mickey's Boo To You Halloween Parade at the Not-So-Scary party?

The rider gallops down Main Street carrying a lit jack-o'-lantern, a nod to the 1949 Legend of Sleepy Hollow cartoon.

Oogie Boogie Bash, launched in 2019, is held at which park?

It replaced Mickey's Halloween Party next door at Disneyland and added a water show at Pixar Pier called Villainous.

In the 1937 short Lonesome Ghosts, what business do Mickey, Donald and Goofy run?

Four bored ghosts hire them just for something to scare; the trio wins by accident after getting doused in molasses and flour and looking like ghosts themselves.

In the 1952 short Trick or Treat, who helps Huey, Dewey and Louie get revenge on Donald?

June Foray, later the voice of Rocky the Flying Squirrel, voiced her, and the potion scene is a wink at the Three Witches in Macbeth.

Instead of candy, what does Donald put in his nephews' trick-or-treat bags in the 1952 short?

He follows it up by yanking a string that dumps a bucket of water on their heads, which is what sends them off to find a witch.

Which crooner narrates and sings Disney's 1949 Legend of Sleepy Hollow segment?

It shares the film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad with a Wind in the Willows half narrated by Basil Rathbone; it was the last of Disney's 1940s package films.

In Fantasia's Bald Mountain sequence, on which occasion does the demon Chernabog summon the dead?

Bela Lugosi was brought in to pose as reference for the character, but animator Bill Tytla disliked the results and used a colleague instead.

Maleficent curses baby Aurora to prick her finger before sunset on which birthday?

Eleanor Audley voiced her in 1959; she had already voiced Lady Tremaine and later became the model for Madame Leota's face.

Ursula's look in The Little Mermaid was largely modelled on which drag performer?

Early designs tried a manta ray and other sea creatures before the animators settled on the octopus body; Pat Carroll voiced her.

How did Lucille La Verne change her Evil Queen voice for the hag in Snow White?

The Queen also orders the Huntsman to bring back Snow White's heart in a box as proof, which he cannot bring himself to do.

Which actor voices the fast-talking Hades in Disney's Hercules?

His hair is a blue flame that turns red when he loses his temper, and his shapeshifting imps Pain and Panic do the dirty work.

Cruella de Vil first appeared in a 1956 novel by which English author?

Disney's 1961 Cruella, voiced by Betty Lou Gerson, ranked 39th on the AFI's list of 100 greatest heroes and villains.

Which actor voices Dr. Facilier, the Shadow Man, in The Princess and the Frog?

His showstopper is Friends on the Other Side, and his own shadow moves independently throughout the film.

The Black Cauldron, home of the Horned King, was the first Disney animated feature to receive which rating?

John Hurt voiced the Horned King; the 1985 film was also the first Disney animated feature to use computer-generated imagery.

Under Wraps, in which three kids befriend a mummy named Harold, holds what distinction?

It premiered on October 25, 1997, and got a remake in October 2021.

Which 1999 Disney Channel Boogeyman movie was pulled from October rebroadcasts as too scary?

Its imaginary-friend hero Larry Houdini helps Frances prove a Boogeyman is framing her for pranks around town.

Who plays the Ghost Host in Muppets Haunted Mansion, the Muppets' first Halloween special?

Gonzo and Pepe the King Prawn have to survive a night in the mansion while Taraji P. Henson's ghost bride sets her sights on Pepe.

The Skeleton Dance, with skeletons played like xylophones, was the first entry in which Disney series?

Ub Iwerks animated most of it in about six weeks in early 1929, and it entered the US public domain on January 1, 2025.

In Mickey's House of Villains, which villain leads the takeover of the House of Mouse on Halloween night?

Mickey ends it in his Sorcerer's Apprentice outfit by sucking the villain into a magic lamp; the 2002 film went straight to video.

In Toy Story of Terror!, who or what has been stealing toys from guests at the Sleep Well motel?

The manager trained Mr. Jones to snatch unattended items so he could sell them online; Carl Weathers voices Combat Carl in the 2013 ABC special.

Gravity Falls celebrates Halloween a second time in summer under what name?

The town carves jack-o'-melons instead of pumpkins; the episode aired on Disney Channel in October 2012.

In Hocus Pocus, from which West Coast city has Max Dennison recently moved to Massachusetts?

He reluctantly takes his little sister Dani trick-or-treating and meets his classmate Allison Watts, on whom he has a crush.

Which three actresses play the Sanderson sisters in Hocus Pocus?

Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy are resurrected by a teenage boy played by Omri Katz.

Halloweentown (1998) was which numbered Disney Channel Original Movie?

Kimberly J. Brown, Joey Zimmerman and Judith Hoag starred in the first of four films.

In the 2012 DCOM starring Olivia Holt, Skylar learns on Halloween Eve that she is a fifth-generation what?

The comedy-horror Disney Channel Original Movie premiered on October 12, 2012.

In Phantom of the Megaplex (2000), what job does 17-year-old Pete Riley hold at the cinema?

Taylor Handley plays Pete, who battles malfunctioning equipment on the night of the premiere of the fictional blockbuster Midnight Mayhem.

Which Monty Python member stars in the 2002 Halloween DCOM The Scream Team?

Kathy Najimy, of Hocus Pocus fame, and Tommy Davidson also appear alongside Mark Rendall and Kat Dennings.

Who directed the 2023 Haunted Mansion film starring LaKeith Stanfield and Rosario Dawson?

Katie Dippold wrote it; despite a cast including Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito and Jamie Lee Curtis it lost Disney an estimated $117 million.

In Coco, what is the name of the Mexican town where Miguel and the Rivera family live?

Anthony Gonzalez voices the 12-year-old, who teaches himself guitar from VHS tapes of his idol Ernesto de la Cruz.

In Frankenweenie, what breed of dog is Victor's beloved Sparky?

The Frankensteins live in the quiet town of New Holland; Charlie Tahan voices Victor and Catherine O'Hara his mother.